Deck 3: Verbal Communication

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a principle of verbal communication?

A) Language has rules.
B) Our reality is shaped by our language.
C) Our reality is determined by our language.
D) Language is arbitrary and symbolic.

Answer 1

Our reality is determined by our language.

Question 2

Which of the following is a principle of verbal communication?

A) Language has grammar rules.
B) Our reality is shaped by our language.
C) Our reality is determined by our language.
D) Language is meaningful.

Answer 2

Our reality is shaped by our language.

Question 3

Which of the following is a principle of verbal communication?

A) Language has rules.
B) Language is full of words.
C) Language uses words.
D) Language is meaningful

Answer 3

Language has rules.

Question 4

Which of the following is a principle of verbal communication?

A) Our reality is shaped by the weather.
B) Our reality is shaped by whether our parents read to us as children.
C) Our reality is shaped by our interaction with video games.
D) Our reality is shaped by our language.

Question 5

Which best describes the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

A) Our perception of reality is determined by our language and, therefore, communication with others.
B) Our perception of reality is determined by our thought process and our thought processes are limited by language and, therefore, language shapes our reality.
C) Our reality is determined by our perception of language.
D) Our reality is determined by our perception of our thought process.

Question 6

The denotative meaning of a word is

A) the dictionary meaning, or common meaning, which is generally agreed upon.
B) the common meaning which may or may not be found in the dictionary.
C) the uncommon meaning of a word, known by a small group.
D) the specialized meaning unique to a trade or profession.

Question 7

The denotative meaning of a word is

A) the meaning(s) you would find next to it in the dictionary.
B) the common meaning that everybody knows, which may or may not be found in the dictionary.
C) the uncommon meaning of a word, known by a small group, like a team or gang.
D) the specialized meaning unique to a trade or profession, like plumbers or electricians.

Question 8

The connotative meaning is one that

A) has meaning to an individual or group.
B) the dictionary meaning, or common meaning, which is generally agreed upon.
C) the common meaning which may or may not be found in the dictionary.
D) the specialized meaning unique to a trade or profession.

Question 9

The connotative meaning is one that

A) has meaning to an individual or group, like me and my friends.
B) can be found only in the dictionary
C) cannot be found in the dictionary.
D) the special meaning unique to a professional in a specific field, like medicine or law.

Question 10

When we state language organizes and classifies reality, we express the idea that we tend to group

A) ideas by the words they are associated with.
B) words, concepts, shapes and images, for example, by their physical proximity and/or their similarity to one another.
C) words or concepts in a set order, such as alphabetical order.
D) shapes and images, as well as words, according to denotative and connotative meanings.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an obstacle to communication?

A) Speech is like written language
B) Slang
C) Jargon
D) Sexist and racist language

Question 12

Slang is best described as words

A) used by young people.
B) that mean something to us and the people we associate with, and may be understood by people outside of our group.
C) that mean something to us and the people we associate with, but may not be understood by people outside of our group.
D) used in music, the arts or ballet.

Question 13

Slang is best described as

A) the language of the youth.
B) words that mean something to elders, regardless of their culture or individual experiences
C) words that people we know would probably understand, but people from other communities, groups, or even countries would not
D) words used by artists in music, the arts or ballet.

Question 14

Jargon is best described as a profession specific language used by

A) professionals.
B) students.
C) parents.
D teachers.

Question 15

Sexist and racist language is best described as a language

A) which creates a power position where one group is included or elevated and the other group excluded or subordinated.
B) which creates a power position where groups are included or elevated.
C) such as hate speech.
D) which is demeaning and cruel.

Question 16

Ethnocentrism is best described as

A) your own point of view.
B) a context in which the dominant group views itself positively, and other groups are viewed in relation to the dominant group, often positively.
C) a cultural viewpoint or frame of reference.
D) a context in which the dominant group views itself positively, and other groups are viewed in relation to the dominant group, often negatively.

Question 17

Small talk is best described as

A) the meanings of the words are not literal, but understood, and the emphasis in the communication is on the interaction, not necessarily the content or information.
B) the meanings of the words are literal, and understood, and the emphasis in the communication is on the interaction, the content or information.
C) word games people play.
D) discussions about small interactions, content or information.

Question 18

Colloquialisms are best described as

A) words and phrases are used in specific social contexts.
B) like small talk in that words and phrases are used in social contexts as part of a ritual.
C) communication interaction in specific social contexts as part of a ritual.
D) words which have understood meanings.

Question 19

A cliché is best described as a phrase

A) has a specific impact.
B) with an understood meaning.
C) that, through overuse, has retained its impact.
D) that, through overuse, has lost its impact.

Question 20

Profanity is best described as words

A) that offend effective communication.
B) that offend can create obstacles to effective communication, and are abusive or vulgar.
C) that offend can create obstacles to effective communication.
D) which are not found in the dictionary.

Question 21

A euphemism can be best described as

A) substitution of a more polite term or phrase for one that is blunt or insensitive.
B) substitution of a word for a word that is intentionally ambiguous or misleading.
C) a phrase with an understood meaning.
D) a phrase which has a specific impact.

Question 22

Doublespeak is best described as language that is

A) hard to understand.
B) easy to understand.
C) unintentionally ambiguous or misleading
D) language that is intentionally ambiguous or misleading.

Question 23

Bypassing is best described as

A) when what is meant by a speaker and what is heard and understood by the listener are often the same.
B) when what is meant by a speaker and what is heard and understood by the listener are often different.
C) a failure to communicate.
D) an effective listening skill.

Question 24

Indiscrimination is best described as that which occurs when we

A) emphasize proximity or similarity.
B) fail to emphasize proximity or similarity.
C) emphasize or focus on similarities, but neglect or fail to acknowledge differences, considering all things similar essentially the same.
D) emphasize or focus on similarities, and acknowledge differences, considering all things similar essentially the same.

Question 25

Polarization is best described as tendency to

A) perceive issues in terms of hot and cold.
B) perceive issues in terms of black and white.
C) consider all things similar essentially the same.
D) view issues, ideas and the world around us in extremes.

Question 26

"Our reality is shaped by our language" is a principle of verbal communication?

Question 27

Our perception of reality is determined by our thought process and our thought processes are limited by language and, therefore, language shapes our reality.

Question 28

The denotative meaning of a word is the common meaning which may or may not be found in the dictionary.

Question 29

The connotative meaning is one that the dictionary meaning, or common meaning, which is generally agreed upon.

Question 30

When we state language organizes and classifies reality, we express the idea that we tend to group words, concepts, shapes and images, for example, by their physical proximity and/or their similarity to one another.

Question 31

Speech is like written language.

Question 32

Slang is best described as words that mean something to us and the people we associate with, and may be understood by people outside of our group.

Question 33

Slang is best described as the language of the young.

Question 34

Jargon is best described as a profession-specific language used by professionals.

Question 35

Ethnocentrism is best described as a context in which the dominant group views itself positively, and other groups are viewed in relation to the dominant group, often negatively.

Question 36

Describe language and its role in perception and the communication process.

Question 37

List and describe nine ways language can be an obstacle to communication.

Question 38

List and describe six ways to improve verbal communication.

Question 39

Define and describe a "euphemism."

Question 40

Define and describe "Indiscrimination."