Deck 11: Topic Selection and Development

Question 1

To forecast audience reactions, a speaker should collect data to answer which of the following questions?

A) What are the audience' interest, needs, and expectations?
B) What is the age range of the audience, and what is its educational background?
C) What is the economic background of the audience, and what is the sex of its members?
D) What is the occasion of the speech, and what is my purpose?

Answer 1

A

Question 2

It is not necessary to cite a source when you paraphrase it.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Stereotyping is the practice of ignoring the values, needs, interests, and subject-specific knowledge of some audience members, leaving them to feel excluded.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The specific goal of a speech should ____________________.

A) encompass no more than two ideas
B) be left in the infinitive form to ensure understanding
C) bestated so it includes the desired audience response
D) bestated so that it reflect the intent of your speech

Question 5

__________________ is an uncritical, unevaluative process of generating ideas.

A) Audience analysis
B) Brainstorming
C) Concept mapping
D) Contrasting

Question 6

The reason for gathering demographic data is so that you can

A) sound knowledgeable about audience specifics
B) know where to look for information
C) adapt the topic to the audience's knowledge and interest level
D) change your topic area if the audience isn't interested

Question 7

When giving a speech about homelessness in her county, Marjorie cites an article from her local newspaper. This is an example of using _______________.

A) secondary research
B) primary research
C) plagiarism
D) a specific goal statement

Question 8

Calvin is giving a speech in his public speaking class. He wants to know if his audience members (his classmates) smoke or not. However, he does not want to ask them if they do because he wants his speech topic to be a surprise and he's unsure if they'll answer honestly. Calvin could discover this information by __________________.

A) conducting a school-wide survey
B) asking a representative
C) informally observing them
D) receiving statistical data on the Internet

Question 9

A general goal ___________________.

A) lists exactly what the subject and topic are
B) states the response you want from your audience as a result of the speech
C) is another term for a thesis statement
D) is the overall intent of a speech

Question 10

The difference between a topic and a subject is that ___________________________.

A) a topic is a broad concept; a subject is a specific one
B) a topic is a type of speech; a subject is the base of a speech
C) a topic is a specific aspect of a subject
D) a topic is a generalized subject

Question 11

The speaker should not be concerned with the size of the audience or the setting of the speech, as that is the job of the organization sponsoring the speech.

Question 12

If Kwame is trying to explain the four steps of an effective exercise program, his general goal is to persuade the audience.

Question 13

Exigence is ______________________________________.

A) the process of selecting a topic
B) the reason a speech needs to be given
C) the conclusion of a speech
D) none of these

Question 14

When analyzing the speech setting, you should consider _______________________________.

A) how the space affects the speech itself
B) how much information the audience knows
C) the age of the influence
D) all of these

Question 15

One way to get information about a prospective audience is by __________________________.

A) conducting a formal study
B) contacting a representative or group contact
C) relying on stereotypes
D) Sizing up the audience during the presentation

Question 16

Expert opinions are considered trustworthy and can be used to take the place of facts.

Question 17

__________________ are conducted in person, over the phone, via the Internet, or in writing.

A) Surveys
B) Experiments
C) Observations
D) Presentations

Question 18

For a speech on ratings of nursing homes, which of the following would probably be the most important bit of data about an audience for a speaker?

A) education
B) geographic uniqueness
C) age
D) race
E) gender

Question 19

Which of the following instances is an example of using primary research?

A) Ashleigh cites a survey conducted by a leading research hospital.
B) Damien paraphrases a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
C) Lara quotes from the most recent U.S. Census.
D) Jeffrey reports data from the survey he conducted for his speech.

Question 20

If you had several related ideas for a speech topic and wanted to explore the connections between them, you could _________________.

A) interview an expert
B) brainstorm
C) create a concept map
D) conduct a survey

Question 21

"Unlike last year, this year we have a cooperative manager" is an example of ________________.

A) contrast
B) instance
C) comparison
D) illustration

Question 22

When you want to get the opinion of a large number of people on a topic, ________________________.

A) conduct an interview
B) conduct a survey
C) look for library sources
D) look for newspaper articles

Question 23

If you referred to a football team's defensive line by saying, "Our line is like a stone wall," you would be using a(n) ______________.

A) comparison
B) anecdote
C) contrast
D) hypothetical example

Question 24

When using statistics in a speech, always remember that _____________________.

A) there is no such thing as too may statistics
B) they must be verified
C) they do not mislead
D) statistics speak for themselves, without interpretation

Question 25

_________________ is a method of rapidly viewing a work to determine what is covered and how.

A) Validating
B) Authorizing
C) Skimming
D) Double-checking

Question 26

Your personal knowledge about a subject is _____________________.

A) largely irrelevant to speech preparation
B) too subjective to be used in a speech
C) a source for example and personal experiences
D) the only source material necessary for any public speaker

Question 27

Which of the following statements about the use of quotations is accurate?

A) You should not quote directly in your speech.
B) Your speech should credit the sourceof the quotation.
C) Your speech should be a simple series of quotations.
D) Your speech should use as many long quotations as you can find.

Question 28

When using statistics in a speech you should ______________________________.

A) use them as often as possible
B) use them comparatively
C) leave citations off when possible to avoid cumbersome speech
D) assume that a statistic that is found in a document that includes an author's name is reliable

Question 29

If you mentioned Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, Kennedy, and Reagan in a portion of your speech to help make a point, you would be using factual statements called ____________________.

A) illustrations
B) analogies
C) anecdotes
D) examples

Question 30

Which of the following statements about narratives is accurate?

A) Narratives are rarely appropriate for a speech.
B) Narratives are only acceptable if they are about your own personal experience.
C) Narratives can be a useful way to gain and keep the audience's attention.
D) Narratives can be a good substitute for statistical data.

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of plagiarism?

A) Alex paraphrases a paragraph from a book in his speech without an oral footnote.
B) Evan gives a speech that his friend wrote the previous semester.
C) Carole quotes a line from an article without an oral footnote.
D) All of these.

Question 32

________________ highlight differences and ________________ highlight similarities.

A) comparisons; contrasts
B) contrasts; comparisons
C) anecdotes; narratives
D) narratives; anecdotes

Question 33

Hakim is giving a speech in 2013 about the fuel-efficiency of hybrid cars. Which of the following internet articles is the strongest resource for this speech?

A) A 2013 personal blog entry from someone who thinks hybrid cars a hoax
B) A CNN Money Online article about 2008 car sales, written by an experienced staff writer in 2009
C) A Newsweek Online article about how much a hybrid car costs compared to a gasoline-only car, written by an experienced staff writer in 2012.
D) A detailed study by an unnamed author and organization from 2011.

Question 34

Which of the following would be the best wording of the specific goal for a speaker who wants to support the implementation of a tax cut?

A) Should we adopt a tax cut now?
B) No one could possibly support a tax cut now.
C) I want the audience to believe that the United States should implement a tax cut.
D) I want the audience to understand three alternatives to cutting taxes.

Question 35

If you have personal knowledge about a topic, you should share the experiences that qualify you to speak with authority on a subject, or your ______________________.

A) credentials
B) anecdotes
C) hypotheses
D) valid sources

Question 36

When using anecdotes or narratives in a speech, ______________________.

A) make sure they relate directly to the point of your speech
B) make sure they are current and humorous
C) use as many as you can find
D) you do not need to use statistics

Question 37

For a ten-minute informative speech, a specific goal on the topic of juvenile crime is best written as ________________.

A) Juvenile Crime: A Disgrace
B) What are the causes of juvenile crime?
C) To persuade you that juvenile crime is decreasing
D) I want my audience to understand the causes of juvenile crime

Question 38

To classify an individual as an expert he or she must ________________________________.

A) be a master of the specific subject
B) have engaged in a long-term study of their subject
C) be recognized by others in the field
D) all of these

Question 39

As a speaker determines the specific purpose/goal of a speech, his or her prime concern should be _____________________.

A) the response desired from the audience
B) the audience's knowledge of the speech topic
C) the nature of the speech topic
D) the audience's attitude toward the speech topic

Question 40

If you followed the statement, "Small schools can produce pro football players" with the statement, "Steve Kreider, the former Bengals wide receiver, graduated from Lehigh," you would be using a(n) _____________________

A) illustration
B) analogy
C) example
D) quotation

Question 41

Which of the following people is an expert on Affirmative Action?

A) a lawyer who works primarily on discrimination, including Affirmative Action cases and laws
B) a man who believes he has been discriminated against by a potential employer and sued that company for violating Affirmative Action
C) a citizen interviewed by the local newspaper who gave her opinion on Affirmative Action
D) a CEO whose company operates using Affirmative Action policies

Question 42

The key to preparing oral footnotes is to _____________________.

A) acknowledge the sources of the information you use in your speeches
B) offer enough credentials to enhance the credibility of the information you are citing
C) include enough information for listeners to access the sources themselves
D) all of these

Question 43

Discuss the positive and negative aspects of using quotations within a speech.

Question 44

Plagiarism is _________________________________.

A) the use of especially lengthy quotations
B) the overuse of source material
C) representing another person's work as your own
D) inaccurately paraphrasing a source

Question 45

Identify and describe four of the eight types of secondary sources described in the text.

Question 46

Of the following, the best way to cite a source in a speech would be:

A) According to a magazine I read last week...........
B) According to Arthur Jones in Harper's magazine, August 7, 1989, in an article entitled "New Sources of Energy," on page 17 ...
C) According to Arthur Jones in an article in last August's issue of Harper's magazine ...
D) According to "New Sources of Energy" ...

Question 47

How can you be sure to avoid plagiarism during a speech?

Question 48

Imagine you are going to give a speech about smoking on campus. Identify one piece of personal experience or observation, one primary source, one secondary source, and one anecdote that you could use in this speech.

Question 49

You have been chosen to give a speech on a topic of your choice and for an audience of your choice. Identify the audience, occasion, topic, and general and specific goals. Discuss the audience analysis and considerations for the physical setting of your speech.

Question 50

When preparing notes for your speech, you should _______________________________.

A) write down your speech word for word in case you lose your place
B) record each piece of information using a key word or main idea identifier
C) memorize your speech and not use any notes at all
D) write as small as possible in order to fit all the information on one note card