Question 1

When thieves use your name and good credit rating to get cash or buy things, they are engaging in
A) Robin Hood theft.
B) credit mishandling.
C) credit exploitation.
D) identity theft.
E) misuse of standing.

Accepted Answer

A potentially devastating violation of privacy is identity theft, in which thieves hijack your name and identity and use your good credit rating to get cash or buy things.

Question 2

The more management levels through which a message passes, the
A) more important the message is.
B) higher the chance the message will become external.
C) more informal the organization.
D) more disorganized the organization.
E) more distorted the message may become.

Accepted Answer

The more management levels through which a message passes, the more it is prone to distortion.

Question 3

Maureen, a marketing manager, shares some of the market research her department has analyzed with the research and development group. Maureen is communicating
A) by wandering around.
B) horizontally.
C) upward.
D) through the grapevine.
E) externally.

Accepted Answer

Horizontal communication flows within and between work units; its main purpose is coordination.

Question 4

Generally, typical listeners retain ________ of what they hear.
A) 5 percent
B) all
C) 75 percent
D) two-thirds
E) 20 to 50 percent

Accepted Answer

Researchers estimate that typical listeners retain only 20 percent to 50 percent of what they hear.

Question 5

The source for crowdsourcing is most often
A) executive advisory councils.
B) the Internet and social media.
C) boards of directors.
D) professional associations.
E) competitors.

Accepted Answer

Crowdsourcing uses the Internet and social media to enlist a group outside the organization for help in solving a problem. The strategy has drawn a lot of attention, especially for its use in fundraising on sites such as Kickstarter, but it has a mixed record of success.

Question 6

Active listening requires all of the following EXCEPT
A) decoding.
B) interpreting verbal messages.
C) full attention.
D) processing of information.
E) focusing on the delivery rather than content.

Accepted Answer

Active listening, the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages, requires full attention and processing of information.

Question 7

The vice president of finance at Capital City College disseminated a new five-year strategic plan to deans and department chairs. This is an example of ________ communication.
A) external
B) horizontal
C) corporate
D) downward
E) informal

Accepted Answer

Downward communication flows from a higher level to a lower level (or levels).

Question 8

A manager who is instructing his employee about work tasks is communicating
A) informally.
B) horizontally.
C) externally.
D) through the grapevine.
E) vertically.

Accepted Answer

Vertical communication is the flow of messages up and down the hierarchy within the organization: bosses communicating with employees, employees communicating with bosses.

Question 9

The grapevine is
A) a formal communication channel.
B) almost wholly inaccurate.
C) slower than formal channels.
D) the source of as much as 90 percent of all organizational communication.
E) more active when official communication is lacking.

Accepted Answer

The rumor mill (grapevine) is more active when official communication is lacking. When official and unofficial communications conflict, employees are more likely to believe the grapevine.

Question 10

The key to protecting digital communication systems against fraud, hackers, identity theft, and other threats is
A) using file-sharing services.
B) hiring ethical employees.
C) using prevention techniques like strong passwords.
D) creating a well-funded IT department.
E) minimizing turnover.

Accepted Answer

The key to protecting digital communication systems against fraud, hackers, identity theft, and other threats is prevention. One technique is to use passwords that cannot be easily guessed. They should have a weird combination of letters, numbers, and punctuation, and mix uppercase and lowercase, along with special characters such as !, #, and %.

Question 11

Channels of communication that follow the chain of command and are considered as official are ________ communication channels.
A) prescribed
B) formal
C) vertical
D) horizontal
E) external

Accepted Answer

Formal communication channels follow the chain of command and are recognized as official.

Question 12

All of you taking this course have e-mail, even if it is only the student account issued by the college or university, and probably check it multiple times a day, but think about the average user. Which of the following statements would be FALSE?
A) The average worker can receive hundreds of e-mails in a day.
B) Texting and social networking have begun to reduce the dominance of e-mail.
C) The number of e-mail users worldwide has peaked and begun to decline.
D) Many computer applications require an e-mail address for access.
E) Most workers feel that they can answer only a few dozen e-mails per day.

Accepted Answer

It is predicted that the number of e-mail users worldwide will continue to grow, reaching nearly 4.1 billion people (or 52 percent of the world's population) by 2021.

Question 13

________ is a person's characteristic speaking patterns, such as the use of pacing, pausing, questions, and stories.
A) Horizontal communication
B) A communication device
C) A formal message
D) A linguistics style
E) Multi-communication

Accepted Answer

A linguistic style is a person's characteristic speaking patterns, including pacing, pausing, directness, word choice, and use of questions, jokes, stories, apologies, and similar devices.

Question 14

Gossip and rumor in an organization are part of the ________, which itself is a type of ________ communication channel.
A) organizational chart; horizontal
B) culture; horizontal
C) grapevine; informal
D) grapevine; horizontal
E) organizational chart; informal

Accepted Answer

The grapevine is the unofficial communication system of the informal organization, a network of in-person and online gossip and rumor. Research shows that the grapevine delivers as much as 70 percent of all organizational communication.

Question 15

Which of the following is appropriate for workplace e-mail?
A) forwarding e-mails to friends and relatives
B) complicated topics
C) maintaining work-life balance by not sending e-mails before or after work hours
D) informality and grammatical errors
E) sensitive personal issues

Accepted Answer

Do not check e-mails compulsively, and try not to read or send e-mails before or after work hours. Intrusions into off-work hours can disrupt work-life balance.

Question 16

Which of the following indicates how official communications should be routed?
A) organization chart
B) grapevine
C) lateral networks
D) corporate culture
E) personnel files

Accepted Answer

The organization chart indicates how official communications like memos, letters, reports, and announcements are supposed to be routed.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion that may help you be a good listener?
A) Show respect for the speaker; do not interrupt.
B) Ask good questions.
C) Paraphrase and summarize remarks.
D) Use nonverbal cues to demonstrate interest and involvement.
E) Mentally compose your response.

Accepted Answer

Good listeners should be mindful. They should stay in the moment and focus on the sender. Don't try to figure out what the speaker is going to say or mentally compose your response.

Question 18

At the end of the fiscal year, Thompson Investments releases an earnings report to clients. By sending the earnings reports to its clients, Thompson Investments is communicating
A) vertically.
B) externally.
C) horizontally.
D) downward.
E) upward.

Accepted Answer

External communication flows between people inside and outside the organization. These people outside the organization are other stakeholders: customers, suppliers, shareholders or other owners, and so on.

Question 19

Active ________ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages, which requires full attention and processing.
A) empathizing
B) comprehension
C) hearing
D) listening
E) evaluation

Accepted Answer

Active listening is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages. Active listening requires full attention and processing of information; hearing does not.

Question 20

________ communication channels develop outside the organizational structure and do NOT follow the chain of command.
A) Informal
B) Vertical
C) Horizontal
D) Customary
E) External

Accepted Answer

Informal communication channels develop outside the formal structure and do not follow the chain of command; they are more spontaneous, can skip management levels, and can cut across lines of authority.

Quiz 15: Interpersonal and Organizational Communication: Mastering the Exchange of Information

When thieves use your name and good credit rating to get cash or buy things, they are engaging in

The more management levels through which a message passes, the

Maureen, a marketing manager, shares some of the market research her department has analyzed with the research and development group. Maureen is communicating

Generally, typical listeners retain ________ of what they hear.

The source for crowdsourcing is most often

Active listening requires all of the following EXCEPT

The vice president of finance at Capital City College disseminated a new five-year strategic plan to deans and department chairs. This is an example of ________ communication.

A manager who is instructing his employee about work tasks is communicating

The grapevine is

The key to protecting digital communication systems against fraud, hackers, identity theft, and other threats is

Channels of communication that follow the chain of command and are considered as official are ________ communication channels.

All of you taking this course have e-mail, even if it is only the student account issued by the college or university, and probably check it multiple times a day, but think about the average user. Which of the following statements would be FALSE?

________ is a person's characteristic speaking patterns, such as the use of pacing, pausing, questions, and stories.

Gossip and rumor in an organization are part of the , which itself is a type of communication channel.

Which of the following is appropriate for workplace e-mail?

Which of the following indicates how official communications should be routed?

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion that may help you be a good listener?

At the end of the fiscal year, Thompson Investments releases an earnings report to clients. By sending the earnings reports to its clients, Thompson Investments is communicating

Active ________ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages, which requires full attention and processing.

________ communication channels develop outside the organizational structure and do NOT follow the chain of command.