Deck 9: Public Communication

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true of public communication as compared to other forms of communication?

A) It is impossible for a speaker to adapt to the needs and experiences of a large audience.
B) The issues and topics addressed are usually focused outward, toward a community of listeners.
C) Organization and repetition are not very important in this form of communication.
D) None of the above

Answer 1

The issues and topics addressed are usually focused outward, toward a community of listeners.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a social function of rhetoric?

A) Discovering facts
B) Testing ideas
C) Building community
D) None of the above

Answer 2

None of the above

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true about context and rhetorical situation?

A) The medium through which a speech is delivered is an important part of a speech's context.
B) Rhetoricians should take into account the argumentational history of the ideas they discuss.
C) Speakers should not be distracted by contextual factors; they should do their best to ignore factors like physical setting and occasion.
D) None of the above

Answer 3

Speakers should not be distracted by contextual factors; they should do their best to ignore factors like physical setting and occasion.

Question 4

Bitzer believes that in a perfect world there would be no rhetoric because

A) there would be no exigencies.
B) the public sphere would not exist.
C) there would be no differences of opinion.
D) public speaking would be banned.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a belief?

A) The sun rises in the east.
B) My religious leader can be trusted.
C) Green is my favorite color.
D) All of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is a core belief?

A) The sun rises in the east.
B) My religious leader can be trusted.
C) Green is my favorite color.
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following appeals focuses on the affective dimension of an audience's attitudes?

A) Let me give you a brief and objective history of our intervention in the affairs of our neighbor to the South.
B) I ask you to vote to limit our involvement in this ill-advised intervention.
C) Currently, countless people are tortured and left to die, families are torn apart, and children starve to death.
D) The probability of success is 50%. Let's consider factors that would make that risk worth taking.

Question 8

Which of the following appeals focuses on the behavioral dimension of an audience's attitudes?

A) Let me give you a brief and objective history of our intervention in the affairs of our neighbor to the South.
B) I ask you to vote to limit our involvement in this ill-advised intervention.
C) Currently, countless people are tortured and left to die, families are torn apart, and children starve to death.
D) None of the above

Question 9

Which of the following appeals focuses on the cognitive dimension of an audience's attitudes?

A) Let me give you a brief and objective history of our intervention in the affairs of our neighbor to the South.
B) I ask you to vote to limit our involvement in this ill-advised intervention.
C) Currently, countless people are tortured and left to die, families are torn apart, and children starve to death.
D) All of the above

Question 10

The three modes of persuasion described by Aristotle were

A) agora, pedagaigos, demosthenes.
B) ethos, logos, pathos.
C) adaptation, analysis, and presentation.
D) compliance, noncompliance, and apathy.

Question 11

According to Aristotle, ethos means

A) logical argumentation.
B) emotional appeals.
C) aspects of a speaker's character.
D) none of the above.

Question 12

A speaker stresses familiarity and similarity to the audience. The speaker is attempting to use which of the following types of influence?

A) Internalization.
B) Identification.
C) Compliance.
D) Logos.

Question 13

A speaker stresses expertness and credibility. The speaker is attempting to use which of the following types of influence?

A) Internalization.
B) Identification.
C) Compliance.
D) Pathos.

Question 14

A speaker stresses legitimacy and control of resources. The speaker is attempting to use which of the following types of influence?

A) Internalization.
B) Identification.
C) Compliance.
D) Logos.

Question 15

The two most important aspects of speaker credibility are

A) logos and pathos.
B) familiarity and liking.
C) expertness and trustworthiness.
D) legitimacy and coercion.

Question 16

In the following argument, which statement expresses the warrant?

A) You were clocked driving 75 mph
B) You deserve a ticket
C) Driving over 65 is illegal in this state
D) My radar is broken

Question 17

In the following argument, which statement expresses the claim?

A) You were clocked driving 75 mph
B) You deserve a ticket
C) Driving over 65 is illegal in this state
D) My radar is broken

Question 18

In the following argument, which statement expresses the data?

A) You were clocked driving 75 mph
B) You deserve a ticket
C) Driving over 65 is illegal in this state
D) My radar is broken

Question 19

When a parent explains his or her actions by telling a child, "because I'm older than you and I say so," he or she is using

A) an authoritative argument
B) a motivational argument
C) a substantive argument
D) All of the above

Question 20

To establish an argument from cause, it is necessary to prove

A) that you've examined enough cases to draw a correct conclusion.
B) that the cases you're comparing are essentially similar.
C) that the effect preceded the cause.
D) that another condition does not exist that leads to both cause and effect.

Question 21

The argument that there will be six more weeks of winter because the groundhog saw its shadow is an example of what kind of argument?

A) Generalization.
B) Cause.
C) Sign.
D) Analogy

Question 22

The argument, "buy our brand of locks to protect your valuable possessions," is based on which of Maslow's needs?

A) Physiological.
B) Self-esteem.
C) Love and belongingness.
D) None of the above

Question 23

The argument, "work out three times a week and you'll feel better about yourself," is based on which of Maslow's needs?

A) Physiological.
B) Self-esteem.
C) Love and belongingness.
D) None of the above.

Question 24

"We've already sold one thousand tickets. Don't be left out," is an example of what fallacy?

A) ad hominem
B) slippery slope
C) bandwagon
D) ad populum

Question 25

"This is my lucky penny. Just after I found it, I won the lottery." This argument is an example of which fallacy?

A) post hoc
B) false analogy
C) false dilemma
D) straw man

Question 26

The public sphere is an orientation rather than a physical space.

Question 27

According to Cooper, modern Americans are often reluctant to enter the public sphere because they value individualism over community.

Question 28

Fitting responses to rhetorical situations are responses that manage not to be affected by exigence.

Question 29

An attitude is an opinion that links an individual to a topic by predisposing him or her to respond in a particular way.

Question 30

People have more values than they have attitudes or beliefs.

Question 31

Attitudes are evaluative mental structures that predispose us to act in certain ways.

Question 32

Logos is the term Aristotle used to refer to the impression an audience forms of the speaker's character.

Question 33

Identification is based on the presence of a perceived relationship, either real or imaginary, between source and receiver.

Question 34

In order to adapt to an audience, a speaker must tell audience members what they want to hear, whether or not the speaker actually takes that stand.

Question 35

Police officers, merely by the fact that they fulfill a social role, have the power to give tickets and make arrests. This is an example of legitimate power.

Question 36

Scientists, because they have specialized knowledge, often have the power to persuade policymakers. The scientists use legitimate power.

Question 37

A high authoritarian personality has a disdain for authority figures and refuses to comply with the requests of powerful people.

Question 38

Modifiers like "always," "sometimes," and "probably" are qualifiers that indicate the strength of a claim.

Question 39

Unqualified claims often indicate that a speaker is overstating the case.

Question 40

The connecting link between data and claim is called the qualifier.

Question 41

According to Toulmin, speaker's arguments must always include an explicit rebuttal or reservation.

Question 42

Hasty generalizations are arguments based on massive amounts of statistical data.

Question 43

According to Maslow, the most basic of all the needs, and the need that must be satisfied before any others, is the need for love.

Question 44

Superstitions are examples of post hoc fallacies.

Question 45

A speaker tells an audience, "Either you vote for me or you hand America over to forces who would destroy her." This is an example of a transfer fallacy.

Question 46

When a speaker links two unrelated ideas together by using words such as "therefore" or hence," he or she is using a nonsequitur.

Question 47

Ad hominem arguments are some of the strongest and most reasonable arguments a speaker can use.

Question 48

How does public communication differ from interpersonal communication? How must a speaker adapt to these differences?

Question 49

What is a rhetorical situation? Describe its parts. Think of examples of speeches which might not be fitting responses to a rhetorical situation.

Question 50

Define attitude. What are the three components of attitudes? Give an example of how a speaker advocating the construction of a new community center might appeal to each of these aspects of audience attitudes.

Question 51

What is the difference between internalization, identification, and compliance? What speaker characteristics are associated with each? Name at least two ways to exhibit each characteristic.

Question 52

Think up an argument from sign and one from generalization. Present each using the Toulmin model.

Question 53

Name and give an example of three different fallacies.