Deck 6: Verbal Messages

Question 1

Confirming language

A) places a particular group in an inferior position.
B) accepts all people.
C) is sexist.
D) ignores lack of clarity in the other's remarks.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The mental dating statement is a useful extensional device for

A) keeping language up to date and for guarding against static evaluation.
B) keeping a relationship together.
C) keeping language traditions.
D) keeping language from changing.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an example of a high order abstraction?

A) visual art
B) Mission Impossible II
C) film
D) cinematography

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Aggressive Messages operate with the following:

A) "You lose"
B) "who cares"
C) "I win, you lose"
D) "You win, I lose"

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT an example of linguistic sexism?

A) mailman
B) man-made
C) human
D) chairman

Question 6

Disconfirmation is a communication pattern in which you

A) disagree with a person.
B) are unwilling to accept what someone says.
C) acknowledge someone's significance.
D) ignore someone's presence.

Question 7

Connotation is the

A) dictionary meaning of a word.
B) emotional meaning specific to the listener.
C) objective definition.
D) communication of hidden meaning.

Question 8

Indirect messages attempt to get the listener to

A) ask if the listener agrees.
B) state the speaker's preferences.
C) allow you to express a stereotypical or even racist statement
D) say or do anything without committing the speaker

Question 9

Choose the term which is the least abstract:

A) personnel analyst
B) job
C) occupation
D) career

Question 10

Confirmation is a communication pattern in which you

A) say what someone has to say is not worth serious attention.
B) disagree with the person.
C) accept a person's definition of self.
D) ignore someone's presence.

Question 11

Examples of polarization include all of the following EXCEPT

A) for or against.
B) educated and uneducated.
C) either, or.
D) attending school, working.

Question 12

Weasel words are

A) words whose meaning is hard to pin down.
B) lies used by advertisers to mislead consumers.
C) words that allow the speaker to openly manipulate the consumer's responses.
D) the words advertisers use to describe their products.

Question 13

Nonracist language

A) expresses racist attitudes.
B) contributes to developing racist attitudes.
C) does not place an ethnic group in an inferior position.
D) emphasizes differences.

Question 14

Heterosexism refers to

A) language used to reinforce homosexual attitudes.
B) something which refers to men only.
C) too new to be clearly identified.
D) attitudes, behaviours, and language that disparage people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or queer.

Question 15

Which of the following expressions is NOT racist?

A) black night
B) black violinist
C) the choice is black and white
D) that's white of you

Question 16

An example of an inference is the following:

A) She is wearing a red hat.
B) He is lazy.
C) He is over six feet tall.
D) She is a blonde.

Question 17

Which of the following sentences is NOT an example of sexist language?

A) The average student is worried about his marks.
B) The male nurse checked the patient's charts.
C) A policeman's job is a hard one.
D) The manager was often late for department meetings.

Question 18

A technique which is confirming is

A) reflecting back the speaker's thoughts and feelings.
B) asking questions.
C) taking issue with what the other says.
D) demonstrating understanding of what the other person says.

Question 19

Which of the following is not an example of disconfirming behaviour?

A) asking questions concerning thoughts and feelings
B) shifting the focus of the conversation in a different direction
C) engaging in monologue
D) giving abstract or intellectualized responses

Question 20

Indirect messages allow you to do all of the following EXCEPT

A) express a thought without offending or insulting anyone.
B) observe the rules of polite interaction.
C) ask for compliments in a socially acceptable manner.
D) manipulate the responses of your listener.

Question 21

How can you avoid confusing facts and inferences and give examples of both?

Question 22

Which of the following sentences is NOT an example of ageism?

A) She is a responsible teenager.
B) Mr. Smith is an agile 65 year old.
C) Senior citizens receive 10% off any purchase on the first Tuesday of every month.
D) She is such a nice little old lady.

Question 23

Heterosexism is language used to disparage heterosexuals.

Question 24

The connotation of the word is the emotional meaning that the speaker/listener assigns to a word.

Question 25

Explain the difference between disconfirmation and confirmation and provide five confirming behaviours, with examples.

Question 26

Extensional orientation is

A) when speaker and listener miss each other with their meanings.
B) giving primary attention to actions rather than to labels.
C) treating inferences as if they were facts.
D) giving primary attention to labels rather than actions.

Question 27

Extensional orientation is the tendency to stretch meanings beyond their original intent.

Question 28

Deborah Tannen says that issuing orders indirectly can be the prerogative of those in power.

Question 29

Define weasel word, provide at least four examples, and explain what they promise and what they actually mean.

Question 30

Rejection and disconfirmation are essentially the same thing.

Question 31

The failure to distinguish between similar but different people, objects, or events refers to

A) indiscrimination.
B) Politicians are all liars.
C) You're either a hawk or a dove.
D) discrimination.

Question 32

List the characteristics of the nature of language. How can remembering these characteristics improve communication?

Question 33

Static evaluation is

A) the failure to acknowledge the other person or that person's definition of self.
B) the failure to distinguish the uniqueness among items because they are all labelled by the same term.
C) the denial of change.
D) the tendency to divide the world into two extreme categories.

Question 34

Some of the terms that were used to label major movements in art were originally derogatory.

Question 35

There is nothing wrong with making inferential statements.

Question 36

Intensional orientation is

A) when the speaker and listener miss each other with their meanings.
B) giving primary attention to actions rather than to labels.
C) treating inferences as if they were facts.
D) giving primary attention to labels rather than actions.

Question 37

The cultural context will influence whether a meaning is friendly or not.

Question 38

"You are now either taking a test or you are not taking a test." This statement is an example of appropriate polarization.

Question 39

Concrete terms refer to objects, people, and happenings that you perceive with your senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, or taste.

Question 40

The dictionary meaning of a word is the __________, and the emotional meaning specific to the listener is the __________.

Question 41

Heterosexism also exists on both an ______________and an ____________ level.

Question 42

One way to avoid embarrassing ourselves with inferences is to phrase them not as __________, but as __________.

Question 43

Meanings are communicated __________ and __________.

Question 44

In disconfirmation, you __________ another's presence; in rejection, you __________ with another.

Question 45

To correct polarization, use __________ terms.

Question 46

To correct indiscrimination, __________ your terms.

Question 47

To correct disconfirmation, __________ the presence of the other person.

Question 48

Lying occurs when "one person _________ to mislead another, doing so ___________, without prior notification of this purpose, and without having been asked to do so."

Question 49

Perhaps the best way to avoid sexism, heterosexism, and racism is to examine the preferred __________ to use or not use in talking about members of different cultures.