Deck 3: Civil Verbal Communication

Question 1

Which answer best illustrates the triangle of meaning?

A) when I think of "dog" I think of unconditional love
B) when you think of "dog" you think of fleas
C) the word dog always refers to a four-legged creature
D) when I say the word dog, you might think of a four-legged creature with fleas, or a hot dog, or a bad thing

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Match the term with its definition.
-The emotional and personal meaning an individual has for a word.

A) denotative meaning
B) jargon
C) slang
D) connotative meaning
E) euphemism

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Match the term with its definition.
-A specialized vocabulary used by people with similar experiences and interests.

A) denotative meaning
B) jargon
C) slang
D) connotative meaning
E) euphemism

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Match the term with its definition.
-A word used to make an unpleasant thing more palatable.

A) denotative meaning
B) jargon
C) slang
D) connotative meaning
E) euphemism

Question 5

Match the term with its definition.
-A specialized vocabulary used by people in a particular occupation.

A) denotative meaning
B) jargon
C) slang
D) connotative meaning
E) euphemism

Question 6

A group of college professors are standing in line for a graduation ceremony wearing their academic regalia. One says that he is really tired of looking like everyone else and that he wants to "pimp his robe." The professor is using

A) jargon
B) slang
C) a euphemism
D) doublespeak

Question 7

A group of managers sitting in a meeting using phrases such as "blue sky thinking" and "land and expand" are using

A) jargon
B) slang
C) a euphemism
D) doublespeak

Question 8

When organizations claim to be "right sizing" and speak of "letting people go," they are using

A) jargon
B) slang
C) a euphemism
D) doublespeak

Question 9

When people use the word "ethnic cleansing" they are using

A) jargon
B) slang
C) a euphemism
D) doublespeak

Question 10

_____ meaning is the dictionary meaning, while _____ meaning is emotional and personal.

A) Connotative, denotative
B) Denotative, connotative

Question 11

Which of the following statements is not true of male-female differences in communication?

A) men and women are more alike than dissimilar overall
B) men start conversations by establishing who is best informed about things
C) when remembering significant events, men and women recount them similarly
D) both men and women gossip

Question 12

When you are able to purchase a souvenir in a foreign country even though you speak none of the language, you are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) coordination
B) coherence
C) mystery
D) pragmatic rules

Question 13

When you purchase a souvenir in a foreign country and find out that, after you've thrown it in your suitcase and put it on a back shelf in your house, many people there consider it a sacred symbol to be treated with honor, you are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) coordination
B) coherence
C) mystery
D) pragmatic rules

Question 14

When you are trying to describe a significant experience that filled your senses and you find it difficult, you are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) coordination
B) coherence
C) mystery
D) pragmatic rules

Question 15

When in the United States, you say "I will stand up here" rather than "Up here I will stand," you are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) semantic rules
B) syntactic rules
C) pragmatic rules
D) coherence

Question 16

When Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergmann say "We'll always have Paris" in Casablanca, they are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) semantic rules
B) syntactic rules
C) pragmatic rules
D) Coordination

Question 17

When you are speaking to your supervisor and you are careful to use concrete words and statistics, you are illustrating what concept in the theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning?

A) semantic rules
B) syntactic rules
C) pragmatic rules
D) coherence

Question 18

Which of the following sentences is unlikely to subtly influence thought?

A) The median value of homes in New Mexico is $161,800.
B) It's a great time to purchase a house in New Mexico.
C) It's a buyer's market in New Mexico.
D) Housing is affordable in New Mexico.

Question 19

In a conflict, which statement is mostly likely to be made by a person from a high-context culture?

A) I have a friend who tried things this way and it seemed to work.
B) We should address the problem in this way.
C) I don't like what you're doing.
D) If we can't agree, we can't be friends.

Question 20

The fact that there are four different words for love in Greek (eros, philea, agape, storge) but only one word "love" in English reflects the

A) denotative and connotative meaning
B) coordinated management of meaning
C) ladder of abstraction
D) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Question 21

When we say a that word such as "liberty" is difficult to define but we know the contents of the First Amendment, we are reflecting an understanding of

A) denotative meaning
B) connotative meaning
C) indexing
D) abstraction

Question 22

When we say things like "Maybe I'm wrong, but I see it this way" we are reflecting an understanding of

A) abstraction
B) owning our thoughts and feelings
C) concrete words
D) allness

Question 23

When Sam Axe says "You know spies, a bunch of bitchy little girls" to Michael Weston on the show Burn Notice, he is reflecting the concept of

A) indexing
B) owning our feelings and thoughts
C) allness
D) concrete words

Question 24

When Fiona Glenan tells Michael Weston that "Maybe it's no one's fault you got burned" on the show Burn Notice, she is reflecting the concept of

A) indexing
B) owning our feelings and thoughts
C) allness
D) concrete words

Question 25

Cursing and the use of profanity is considered to be uncivil primarily because it demonstrates a lack of

A) restraint
B) respect for others
C) responsibility

Question 26

Cursing and the use of profanity is considered to be unethical primarily because it

A) is unfair
B) is untrustworthy
C) is irresponsible
D) demonstrates a lack of concern for the community

Question 27

Which is not a way in which we can work to reduce cursing and profanity?

A) wash our mouths out with soap every time we slip up
B) learn to be assertive rather than aggressive
C) learn to express our emotions with words other than profanity
D) refrain from using it in front of children

Question 28

Which is not an example of "Net lingo"?

A) IRS
B) RUOK
C) CUL8R
D) BBFN

Question 29

Which statement is true of gossip?

A) it is always negative
B) men gossip more than women
C) women only gossip about other women
D) it can be simply talking about someone

Question 30

The idea that words are symbolic and representative of something else is illustrated by the ladder of abstraction.

Question 31

Our ability to speak means that we can communicate.

Question 32

The relationship between words and the things they stand for is arbitrary.

Question 33

Connotative meaning is what people think of when they ask for the "real" meaning of a word.

Question 34

Denotative meaning is personal and varies from person to person.

Question 35

When we say we're going to the powder room instead of saying we're going to use the toilet, we are using slang.

Question 36

A euphemism is a replacement for an unpleasant word, such as calling a garbage collector a sanitation worker.

Question 37

Slang is a specialized vocabulary that is shared by a particular occupation.

Question 38

Jargon is a specialized vocabulary shared by people with similar experiences.

Question 39

When a computer technician tells you that you need to "clean your cache, reboot your computer, and scan for malware," he or she is using jargon.

Question 40

A television program that demonstrates how you can "pimp your ride" is using slang.

Question 41

When you say you are "embarking on a journey" rather than "going on a trip," you are relying on connotative meaning to make sure your listener understands what you are doing.

Question 42

"Net lingo" is written language used in texting and tweeting.

Question 43

Gossip isn't always bad.

Question 44

Both men and women gossip.

Question 45

Semantic rules dictate how we should put sentences together.

Question 46

Pragmatic rules tell us what symbols mean.

Question 47

Syntactic rules tell us what symbols mean in a given context.

Question 48

The term for language that is used to purposefully mislead and manipulate people is jargon.

Question 49

In low-context cultures like the United States, we expect people to be indirect in their communication.

Question 50

The idea that culture influences language and language influences cultural differences in thought is central to the Coordinated Management of Meaning theory.

Question 51

Allness refers to the incorrect assumption that we can know everything about a person, place, or thing.

Question 52

When you use words like "maybe" and "perhaps" you are indexing your communication.

Question 53

It's not uncivil to blow off steam by cursing when you are really mad.

Question 54

One way to learn how to avoid cursing is to become assertive rather than aggressive.

Question 55

Define verbal communication and provide an example.

Question 56

Describe the triangle of meaning and provide an example of the way it operates.

Question 57

Describe the difference between denotative and connotative meaning. Provide an example.

Question 58

Describe the difference between jargon and slang. Define each and give an example.

Question 59

What are syntactic rules? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 60

What are semantic rules? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 61

What are pragmatic rules? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 62

What is coordination? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 63

What is coherence? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 64

What is mystery? Provide a definition and an example.

Question 65

Define doublespeak and provide an example.

Question 66

Explain how the ladder of abstraction works and provide an example.

Question 67

Describe the relationship between verbal communication and meaning. Include in your answer an explanation of the triangle of meaning, and distinguish between connotative and denotative meaning. Provide an example that illustrates your understanding.

Question 68

How does verbal communication influence thought? Distinguish between strong and subtle influences on thought, and include in your answer a discussion of the way culture impacts language. Provide an example that illustrates your understanding.

Question 69

Why is the use of specific and concrete words so important to creating civility? Include in your answer definitions of concrete words, allness, indexing, and owning our thoughts and feelings. Provide an example that illustrates the difference between speaking civilly and uncivilly that illustrates your understanding.