Question 1

When students arrived for the speech by Joe Clark, they had already seen posters around campus with his picture and the mention of a movie about him, Lean on Me, which many had even seen. In his speech of introduction, the student body president complimented Clark's achievements and commented upon his awards and recognition. The publicity and the introduction enhanced Mr. Clark's _____ credibility.

Accepted Answer

Initial credibility refers to the perception of credibility that an audience has before a speaker begins to communicate. The posters and introduction served to establish Mr. Clark's credibility before he spoke.

Question 2

A speech that emphasizes the ethical character of a speaker is demonstrating _____.

Accepted Answer

Ethos refers to the perceived moral character or credibility of the speaker. A speech that emphasizes the ethical character of the speaker is demonstrating ethos.

Question 3

"At the end of my speech, the audience will prefer drinking water to drinking soda" is an example of a speech that targets a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

This statement is targeting a change in attitude, as it aims to influence the audience's preference (an attitude) towards drinking water over soda.

Question 4

In her persuasive speech, Martha spoke about the alleged espionage by the Chinese, and the possible theft of U.S. nuclear armament secrets. She got the audience to think about the possibility that China could one day use high-tech nuclear weapons against the United States, and challenged them to monitor Senate hearings on the problem. What form of motivation did Martha employ in her speech?

Accepted Answer

Martha employed fear appeal by bringing up the possibility of a threat to national security, which may motivate the audience to take action and monitor Senate hearings on the issue.

Question 5

Natalie checked online for movie show times. When she arrived at the theater, she found it had started an hour earlier than what was posted online. Afterwards, Natalie told her friend not to use the Internet because it was an unreliable source of information. This is an example of which reasoning fallacy?

Accepted Answer

Natalie is making a hasty generalization based on one instance of incorrect information found online. She is assuming that all information found on the Internet is unreliable because of this one mistake.

Question 6

Which needs in Maslow's hierarchy refer to basic needs such as food, water, and air?

Accepted Answer

Physiological needs in Maslow's hierarchy refer to basic needs such as food, water, air, shelter, and sleep. These needs are considered to be the most fundamental and must be met before higher needs can be addressed.

Question 7

"Fast food restaurants should be required to provide nutritional information about items on their menu" is a proposition of _____.

Accepted Answer

The proposition is suggesting a policy change, therefore it is a proposition of policy.

Question 8

Jamal told his audience, "Everyone agrees that our political system controls big business." His statement is an example of the _____.

Accepted Answer

The bandwagon fallacy occurs when an argument is made on the basis that a majority of people believe it, implying that the belief must therefore be true. Jamal's statement suggests that because "everyone agrees," the statement must be valid, which is a classic example of the bandwagon fallacy.

Question 9

"At the end of my speech, the audience will acknowledge that an increase in property taxes is directly related to the increase in pay for Congress" is an example of a speech that targets a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

This statement targets a belief, which is the idea or conviction that an individual holds to be true. Specifically, it suggests a causal relationship between an increase in property taxes and an increase in pay for Congress, which requires the audience to already believe in that connection.

Question 10

The process of changing or reinforcing attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior is called _____.

Accepted Answer

Persuasion involves attempting to change or reinforce someone's attitudes, beliefs, values or behavior. The other options (informing, entertaining, and refuting) do not necessarily involve attempting to change or reinforce these things in someone else.

Question 11

_____ is a reflection of a speaker's information, skill, and knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Competence is defined as the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. It encompasses a speaker's knowledge, skills, and experience in a particular field or topic. As such, a speaker's level of competence greatly affects their credibility and authority on the subject matter they are discussing.

Question 12

Jaxon wants to persuade his audience that recycling plastic and glass leads to soil conservation. You recognize this as a proposition of _____.

Accepted Answer

Jaxon's statement is a proposition of fact because it asserts that a specific action (recycling plastic and glass) has a particular outcome (leads to soil conservation), which can be proven true or false.

Question 13

In your speech to high school students, you explain how you have seen people do stupid things at parties as a result of drinking. You've witnessed how drunken people put themselves at risk, and you've heard of people's reputations being ruined because of alcohol-related incidents. Because of your experiences, you want to urge your listeners to avoid drinking in social situations, so they will not suffer similar consequences. What form of reasoning have you used in this speech?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In your speech to high school students,...

Question 14

Deductive reasoning moves from _____ to reach a specific conclusion.

Accepted Answer

Deductive reasoning starts with a general statement or principle and uses it to make a specific conclusion. It involves using logic and reasoning to come to a conclusion based on the information presented. Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning and should be avoided. Related events and specific examples or instances may be used inductive reasoning.

Question 15

Garret told his classmate Keith that if he didn't write his term paper for him, then Garret was going to tell the professor that Keith cheated on the exam. This demonstrates the idea of _____.

Accepted Answer

Garret is using coercion by threatening Keith with negative consequences if he doesn't comply with his demand.

Question 16

Melanie loves to get a tan and can lay in the sun for hours even when her skin begins to burn. Lately, she has been hearing about the risks of skin cancer and now she isn't so sure that getting a tan is a good idea. What is Melanie experiencing?

Accepted Answer

Melanie is experiencing cognitive dissonance, as she holds two conflicting beliefs - she loves getting a tan, but she is now aware of the risks of skin cancer associated with tanning. This inconsistency is causing her to feel uncomfortable and uncertain about her behavior.

Question 17

In her persuasive speech, Micah says the following: "When you help with the community paint-a-thon, you will bring joy to the children and their families who live in this neighborhood." What form of persuasive appeal is this?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of positive motivation, as Micah is appealing to the audience's desire to bring joy to others through their actions.

Question 18

A classmate asks Caroline about evidence that seemed questionable in her persuasive speech. Caroline evades the issue by quickly bringing up an irrelevant fact about another point in her speech. What sort of logical fallacy does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Caroline is using a red herring fallacy by distracting the classmate from the questionable evidence with an irrelevant fact.

Question 19

"All ministers are honest people. Reverend Thompson is a minister. Reverend Thompson is a minister; therefore, he is an honest man." This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of a syllogism, where two premises are given and a conclusion is drawn from them. The argument follows the pattern of a standard syllogism, and the conclusion follows logically from the premises.

Question 20

When Kelsey tries to persuade her listeners to change the batteries in their smoke detector every six months, she is appealing to her listeners' _____ needs.

Accepted Answer

Kelsey's message about changing batteries in smoke detectors is directly related to ensuring safety, making the appeal fall under the safety need category.

Quiz 15: Speaking to Persuade