Deck 7: Listening Effectively

Question 1

Research suggests that we spend most of our communication time

A) talking
B) listening
C) reading
D) on the Internet

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The majority of our communication time is spent

A) reading
B) writing
C) listening
D) speaking

Answer 2

C

Question 3

After 48 hours, many listeners can remember only about _________ of what they heard.

A) 25 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 70 percent
D) 90 percent

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Up to _____ of our time is spent listening.

A) 25 percent
B) 60 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 5

The process of accurately decoding a message so you comprehend the semantic, pragmatic, and sociolinguistic meaning of a message is ________.

A) interpreting
B) understanding
C) attending
D) evaluating

Question 6

According to the text, effective attending requires you to

A) physically be ready to listen
B) be able to separate fact from inference
C) be able to repeat information
D) be ready to speak when called upon

Question 7

Probably the best physical situation for effective listening is

A) sitting in a heavy easy chair with your feet propped up
B) sitting in a darkened room, where you are forced to concentrate
C) sitting up straight with your eyes on the speaker
D) any of the above-no one situation is better than any other

Question 8

In conversation

A) you should make the shift from speaker to listener complete
B) you should rehearse what you want to say as the other person speaks
C) you will concentrate better if you "talk past" the other person
D) it is detrimental to continue listening after a person says something that violates your values

Question 9

Corrine listens to music while doing her homework; the music is basically "background noise," which Corrine is not paying much attention to. This example would be

A) analytic listening
B) active listening
C) passive listening
D) critical listening

Question 10

When Mary says that various officers have not been doing their jobs very well, and you do not know to whom she is referring, you should seek to increase your understanding via

A) a paraphrase
B) an indexing statement
C) a question
D) a proverb

Question 11

If you needed more detail or clarification of a word or idea, you would phrase your questions

A) as statements
B) in a sincere manner
C) by putting the "burden of ignorance" on the sender of the message
D) by "putting up your shields" and responding quickly

Question 12

Which of the following is most likely to be perceived as an appropriate question?

A) one that includes an evaluation
B) one that implies the "correct" answer
C) one that puts the burden of ignorance on your own shoulders
D) one that is delivered in a monotone

Question 13

Listening apprehension includes which of the following?

A) fear of public speaking
B) fear of not being able to remember
C) fear of silence
D) fear of misinterpretation

Question 14

Pat says, "I'm really excited-I've been selected to read a paper at the convention." Bert could seek to test his understanding by saying, "Oh, so you're going to talk about your research at NCA?" This is an example of a(n)

A) paraphrase
B) framing response
C) indexing statement
D) mnemonic

Question 15

When Jean says, "I found a pair of drapes that will go perfectly in the family room," the best content paraphrase would be

A) "That really seems to make you happy!"
B) "I take it they really go with the velvet sofa."
C) "Are you really sure?"
D) "That's great-I know you've been looking for them for a long time."

Question 16

A _____ paraphrase focuses attention on the denotative meaning of a message.

A) feelings
B) content
C) tangential
D) none of the above

Question 17

A _____ paraphrase focuses attention on the speaker's state of mind.

A) feelings
B) content
C) tangential
D) empathetic

Question 18

The anxiety we feel when considering how a message may psychologically affect us is called

A) paraphrasing
B) listening apprehension
C) constructing mnemonics
D) critical listening

Question 19

The textbook suggests that you can improve your listening by

A) listening just for facts
B) not paying much attention until the speaker clarifies his purpose
C) trying to listen harder as the day goes on
D) paraphrasing

Question 20

This stage of the listening process helps to increase retention of information.

A) remembering
B) attending
C) understanding
D) complimenting

Question 21

Which of the following is the best example of a "mnemonic"?

A) arranging the first letters of selected state capitals to spell a word
B) writing down what appear to be the key ideas of a person's message
C) memorizing directions
D) taking notes in outline form

Question 22

Which of the following skills helps listeners store information in their long-term memories?

A) repeating
B) paraphrasing
C) organizing
D) attending

Question 23

Constructing _____ helps listeners to put information in forms that are more easily recalled.

A) prompters
B) notes
C) mnemonics
D) inferences

Question 24

The process of decoding a message so that you share its meaning with the speaker is

A) attending
B) chunking
C) understanding
D) remembering

Question 25

Which of the following is not a guideline for improving your listening responses?

A) Reply when the message is complete.
B) Respond to the previous message before changing the subject.
C) Craft your response while the other person is speaking.
D) Use back-channel cues to demonstrate that you are listening.

Question 26

Repeating information, constructing mnemonics, and taking notes all help you to

A) attend to the message
B) understand information
C) remember information
D) evaluate the message

Question 27

Critically evaluating information means

A) you question whether the fact is verified by an inference
B) you interpret what you have understood in order to determine how truthful you judge the meaning to be
C) you question whether the implied relevance is supported by an inference
D) you attend to the message for the purpose of enjoyment and relaxation

Question 28

When you see Jack with a sports coat on and you say to yourself, "Jack must have a date tonight," your statement is an example of

A) verifying a perception
B) engaging in projection
C) internal noise
D) drawing an inference

Question 29

_____ are claims or assertions based on observation or fact.

A) Mnemonics
B) Factual statements
C) Evaluatives
D) Inferences

Question 30

Which of the following is a way digital communication technologies affect what we pay attention and what we ignore?

A) Our smartphones tell us who is calling or texting before we answer.
B) Our email provider sets a spam filter.
C) Facebook chooses what it thinks we'd most like to see.
D) all of the above

Question 31

To delve deeper into a topic, we may need to _________, which means to search for more information or to try to resolve inconsistencies in a message.

A) state an inference
B) word a feelings paraphrase
C) clearly state a fact
D) ask probing questions

Question 32

The tendency to remember the last thing we heard is the

A) mnemonic effect
B) recency effect
C) filtering effect
D) primacy effect

Question 33

According to the text, the most subtle form of nonverbal communication is

A) eye contact
B) meaning
C) silence
D) tone of voice

Question 34

Nodding, smiling, and saying, "uh, huh" are all forms of response known as

A) interferences
B) inferences
C) back-channel cues
D) turn-taking cues

Question 35

Kim went to Professor Smith's office during his office hours to get further explanation about a concept discussed in class. Kim listened intently to gather and make sense of the information. What kind of listening style is Kim exhibiting?

A) relational
B) analytical
C) transactional
D) critical

Question 36

Dr. Jones listened to Dylan's speech to evaluate his presentation and his use of sources. What kind of listening style is Dr. Jones exhibiting?

A) relational
B) analytical
C) transactional
D) critical

Question 37

Erica fidgeted in her seat as she listened to the Founder's Day speaker. She turned to her friend Laura and whispered, "Why can't he just get to the point and get on with it?" What kind of listening style is Erica exhibiting?

A) relational
B) analytic
C) transactional
D) critical

Question 38

Daniel consoled Megan as she confided in him about her problems with her parents. What type of listening style is Daniel practicing?

A) relational
B) analytic
C) transactional
D) critical

Question 39

Which listening style could be helpful if you are listening to a used car salesman's sales pitch and deciding whether to buy a car or not?

A) relational
B) analytic
C) transactional
D) critical

Question 40

________ is central to what people usually mean when they say that someone is a "good listener."

A) Understanding
B) Responding
C) Attending
D) Critically evaluating

Question 41

According to the text, listening may be the most underrated of all communication skills.

Question 42

After 48 hours, most people can only remember 3 to 5 percent of what they have heard.

Question 43

Inferences are never false, especially if they are based on verifiable facts.

Question 44

From 42 to 60 percent of our communication time is spent listening.

Question 45

If you are listening to a song to learn its lyrics-focused on attending to, understanding, and remembering the words, phrasing, and tone of the lyrics-you are practicing passive listening.

Question 46

Passive listening is the default setting of our listening behavior.

Question 47

To listen well, you should sit back and relax.

Question 48

The second stage of listening is attending.

Question 49

Analytic listeners are known for paying close attention to others' feelings.

Question 50

Facts and inferences are the same thing.

Question 51

The recency effect is the tendency to remember information we heard last.

Question 52

The primacy effect is the tendency to hear information in the middle of a message.

Question 53

You can improve both your digital and face-to-face interactions by attending to both at the same time.

Question 54

Research indicates that even the presence of a cell phone on a table during a conversation can interfere with a relationship.

Question 55

Inappropriate questions are often viewed as an attack.

Question 56

Questioning techniques should not be used to clarify the cause of the feelings the speaker is expressing.

Question 57

Attending is especially challenging for people with a transactional listening style or with high listening apprehension.

Question 58

Listening apprehension may be due to our fear of how the message may psychologically affect us.

Question 59

A combined paraphrase conveys both the facts and the inferences in a message.

Question 60

Back-channel cues demonstrate that the speaker is ready for you to respond.

Question 61

Anxiety can be a reason that we fail to remember.

Question 62

We should respond to the previous message we listened to before changing the subject.

Question 63

Listening is an essential component to the communication process. List and define the major stages of listening.

Question 64

The first phase of the listening process is attending. Discuss and provide examples of the techniques for consciously focusing attention.

Question 65

What are some problems we might encounter in attending and understanding in digital communication? What are some ways we can overcome these problems?

Question 66

What are the three reasons why we might have listening anxiety or apprehension? Give an example of each.

Question 67

What is the relationship between listening and memory? How can we improve our ability to retain information? Include at least one example of a mnemonic device.

Question 68

Since it is not necessary to paraphrase every message you receive, how do you determine which to paraphrase? Give two examples of messages that should be paraphrased and two examples of messages that do not need paraphrasing.

Question 69

Define passive listening and active listening and give an example of each.

Question 70

Define two of the four personal listening styles and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two styles you listed.

Question 71

Which of the four types of listening styles do you prefer? Explain.

Question 72

What is digital communication literacy, and what steps can you take to improve it?