You email a fellow student requesting help on a class project, and he sends a terse reply stating that he does not believe in cheating.
-Your classmate ________.
A) doesn't understand how to use email appropriately
B) may have had a bad experience in the past that caused him to misinterpret your request
C) should have used another communication medium to signal a negative response
D) could not identify the potential barriers in the communication
E) should have ignored your email request

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

B) The meaning that a receiver attaches to a message is filtered by his knowledge, experience, and context. Since he read "help" and thought "cheat," he may have been asked in the past for help and found out that the classmate wanted to copy his work, or have it done for him.

You Email a Fellow Student Requesting Help on a Class