Deck 9: Using Language Successfully

Question 1

___________are symbols that you create, learn, and use to express your thoughts and feelings.

A) Emotions
B) Words
C) Transitions
D) Factors

Answer 1

Words

Question 2

Saying that words are ___________ means that a word represents what it is referring to either by association, resemblance, or convention.

A) reactive
B) transitional
C) symbolic
D) literal

Answer 2

symbolic

Question 3

Saying that words are ___________ means that the relationship between the word and what it stands for is random, subjective, or coincidental.

A) arbitrary
B) subjective
C) connotative
D) functional

Answer 3

arbitrary

Question 4

___________created the "triangle of meaning."

A) Aristotle
B) Plato
C) Edward Hall and John Oates
D) Charles Ogden and Ivor Richards

Question 5

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to words and their meanings?

A) Words can have more than one denotative meaning.
B) Words can only have one connotative meaning.
C) Words are never arbitrary.
D) Audiences usually share the same connotative and denotative meanings for words as the speaker.

Question 6

The accepted meaning of a word, the one that is foundin the dictionary, is called its ___________ meaning.

A) connotative
B) denotative
C) symbolic
D) subjective

Question 7

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to connotative meanings?

A) They are not found in the dictionary.
B) They are always arbitrary but never symbolic.
C) They are always symbolic but never arbitrary.
D) They are the same for every person.

Question 8

When Ellen hears the word "hospital," she has an intense, negative reaction. She is experiencing the ___________meaning of the word.

A) standard
B) connotative
C) literal
D) objective

Question 9

___________ is learned patterns of beliefs, values, attitudes, norms, practices, customs, and behaviors shared by a large group of people.

A) Ethnicity
B) Emotion
C) Culture
D) Character

Question 10

Culture includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) personality.
B) values.
C) attitudes.
D) customs.

Question 11

Which of the following is TRUE about culture?

A) It is shared through symbolic interaction.
B) It rarely changes.
C) Each person can only be part of one culture.
D) Language acts as an obstruction to the transmission of culture.

Question 12

Tessa spends most of her time in chat rooms and on social media connecting with others who share her interests. Tessa and her cyber-friends have a set of norms, customs, behavior, and language that they employ in their interactions. In this scenario, Tessa and her friends are members of a shared

A) ethnicity.
B) cult.
C) culture.
D) kinship group.

Question 13

Which of the following is an ethical guideline for using language?

A) use appropriate language
B) use emotionally rich language
C) connotative meanings of words are rarely offensive
D) denotative meanings of words are often offensive

Question 14

Which of the following statements about the power of language is NOT true?

A) The power of language is always used in a positive manner.
B) Language can help create equality.
C) Language has the ability to disempower.
D) The power of language can be used on both a conscious and unconscious level.

Question 15

In his speech about computer programming, Jeremiah used highly technical language, known as ___________ , which confused his audience.

A) hyperbole
B) malapropism
C) jargon
D) cliché

Question 16

Keeping your language clear and familiar is highly contingent on

A) performing thorough research.
B) knowing your speaking venue.
C) knowing your audience.
D) the time of day you are speaking.

Question 17

Using the word "bro" for brother is an example of the use of a(n)

A) abbreviation.
B) acronym.
C) synonym.
D) malapropism.

Question 18

A word formed from the initials or other parts of several words is called a(n)

A) synonym.
B) acronym.
C) malapropism.
D) hyperbole.

Question 19

When you refer to the National Communication Association as the "NCA," you are using a(n)

A) synonym.
B) antonym.
C) analogy.
D) acronym.

Question 20

"GDP" is a(n) ___________ for Gross Domestic Product.

A) acronym
B) abbreviation
C) malapropism
D) antonym

Question 21

Brenda mispronounced the word "minestrone" in her informative speech. Which of the following guidelines for using language did she not follow?

A) be clear
B) be correct
C) be specific
D) be appropriate

Question 22

The man caught a bass wearing a purple hat" is an example of a sentence with a(n)

A) inaccurate helping verb.
B) misused pronoun.
C) misplaced modifier.
D) inaccurate subject/verb agreement.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a correct use of a pronoun?

A) Everyone wants their own piece of pie.
B) He and I are best friends.
C) Mom yelled at her and me.
D) Everyone wants his or her own piece of pie.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is NOT grammatically correct?

A) The man wearing a purple hat caught a bass.
B) One of these coats are mine.
C) I should have gone to the party.
D) She doesn't want to go.

Question 25

___________words focus on the specific person, object, action, and/or behavior and help listeners create a complete and, hopefully, accurate image.

A) Connotative
B) Jargon
C) Concrete
D) Active

Question 26

The person saved the child." Why is the language used in the preceding quote ineffective?

A) It is written in passive form.
B) It is abstract.
C) It uses fillers.
D) It uses clichés.

Question 27

In order to be specific with your language use, you should do all of the following EXCEPT

A) use lengthy, wordy descriptions.
B) be concrete.
C) avoid fillers.
D) speak in active voice.

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of active voice?

A) The dog was scared of the mole.
B) The dog caught the mole.
C) The mole was killed by the dog.
D) The mole was caught by the dog.

Question 29

___________are overused words or phrases that have lost their effect.

A) Acronyms
B) Clichés
C) Abbreviations
D) Euphemisms

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of a cliché?

A) cut to the chase.
B) um
C) using "GOP" to refer to the Republican party
D) saying someone is deceased rather than dead

Question 31

___________are sounds, words, or phrases that serve no purpose and do not add to the understanding of the message.

A) Acronyms
B) Abbreviations
C) Fillers
D) Euphemisms

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a filler?

A) needless to say
B) um
C) MADD
D) was

Question 33

Which of the following is a characteristic of oral style?

A) formal language
B) technical language
C) animated language
D) impersonal messages

Question 34

Which of the following is a characteristic of written style?

A) simple sentence structure
B) personally tailored messages
C) repetition and restatement
D) technical language

Question 35

Which of the following is the best example of culturally appropriate, unbiased language?

A) The nurse checked on the patient.
B) The male nurse checked on the patient.
C) The councilwoman voted in favor of the amendment.
D) The fireman put out the fire.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of gender- neutral language?

A) spouses
B) housewife
C) congressman
D) fireman

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a guideline for using culturally appropriate and unbiased language?

A) Avoid singling out personal traits or characteristics when they do not relate to the subject at hand.
B) Use the name for an individual or group that you prefer.
C) Avoid language that promotes stereotypes.
D) Select appropriate language that is constructive, not destructive.

Question 38

___________language is everything you can think of that is contradictory to dull, uninteresting, dry, lifeless, or lackluster.

A) Informal
B) Technical
C) Expository
D) Vivid

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a type of a trope?

A) simile
B) irony
C) assonance
D) onomatopoeia

Question 40

Techniques for finessing word order are known as

A) doublespeak.
B) schemes.
C) oxymorons.
D) hyperboles.

Question 41

Words are both symbolic and arbitrary.

Question 42

The denotative meaning of the word is the personal, emotional reaction you might have to a word.

Question 43

Language has the power to create both equality and inequality.

Question 44

Jargon, abbreviations, and acronyms are helpful and informative, especially to intercultural audiences.

Question 45

The following is a correct use of language: "She and I had went to the bank before going to work."

Question 46

Using oral style means using simple sentence structure, informal language, personally tailored messages, animated language, and repetition and restatement.

Question 47

The term "husband and wife" is preferred over the term "man and wife" in public speaking.

Question 48

Being concrete with language means adding descriptive terms such as "gay friend" or "female doctor."

Question 49

The following is an example of gender-neutral language: "Each student should choose his speech topic by Friday."

Question 50

Kinesthetic sensory appeals refer to body motion, speed, or direction.

Question 51

Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate sounds.

Question 52

Irony is an implied comparison.

Question 53

"Personification refers to giving human traits to an object, idea, or animal.

Question 54

When Yoda from Star Wars says things like "Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you," he is using the speech device known as anastrophe.

Question 55

Assonance refers to repeating a similar vowel sound.

Question 56

The accepted, dictionary meaning of a word is the ____________meaning.

Question 57

The ____________ meaning of a word is the emotional, personal reaction to it.

Question 58

____________is learned patterns of beliefs, values, attitudes, norms, practices, customs, and behaviors shared by a large group of people.

Question 59

Technical or specialized language is called ____________ .

Question 60

"Cut to the chase" is an example of a(n) ____________ .

Question 61

"Um", "like," and "you know" are examples of ____________ .

Question 62

"The man lifted boxes" is an example of ____________ language.

Question 63

The style of language preferred for public speaking is called ____________style.

Question 64

Saying "firefighter" instead of "fireman" is an example of using ____________ language.

Question 65

When you create ____________ images in a speech, you appeal to the audience's sense of touch.

Question 66

____________ is the use of exaggeration for emphasis.

Question 67

When you ask a question, but not for the purpose of getting a response, you are using a ____________ question.

Question 68

____________ refers to the scheme where you duplicate the same grammatical patterns more than once.

Question 69

____________refers to the speech device where you juxtapose contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure.

Question 70

What does it mean to say that language is arbitrary?

Question 71

Give an example of a connotative meaning for the word "cat."

Question 72

Give an example of how language has been used to create inequality.

Question 73

Give an example of an acronym that might cause confusion in a speech if not properly explained.

Question 74

Correct the following sentence: "The landlord returned thecheck to he and I."

Question 75

Correct the following sentence: "Every student wants to improve their grades."

Question 76

Rewrite the following in active voice: "The suspect was caught by the detective."

Question 77

Rewrite the following to make it more concrete: "Someone died in a fire."

Question 78

Give an example of a cliché.

Question 79

Give an example of filler.

Question 80

What are the characteristics of oral style?