Question 1

_____ is a nonverbal body movement that communicates defensiveness.

Accepted Answer

Defensiveness is communicated by gestures such as folding arms, crossing hands, and crossing one's legs. Body movements, such as leaning forward or backward, and gestures, such as pointing, provide additional nonverbal information that can either enhance or detract from the communication process.

Question 2

Which of the following is a characteristic of people with an assertive communication style?

Accepted Answer

An assertive communication style is expressive, self-enhancing without intruding on others. The use of "I" and cooperative "we" statements are examples of an assertive communication style.

Question 3

A(n) _____ communication style is characterized by inhibition and self-denying behavior.

Accepted Answer

A nonassertive communication style is characterized by inhibition and self-denying behavior. It encourages others to take advantage of us.

Question 4

Which of the following statements regarding eye contact and communication is true?

Accepted Answer

Gazing (as opposed to glaring) facilitates and monitors feedback because it reflects interest and attention. Gazing also relates to the type of relationship between communicators.

Question 5

Which of the following verbal patterns is characteristic of an aggressive communicator?

Accepted Answer

An aggressive communication style is expressive and self-enhancing at the expense of others. Sexist or racist terms are examples of verbal behavior patterns seen in aggressive communication styles.

Question 6

John, a regional sales manager, made five telephone calls to a potential customer within four days. None of the calls were returned. John finally gave up trying to make the sales call. John is a victim of a _____ barrier.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a feedback barrier. Some barriers actually are part of the communication process itself. Communication will fail if any step in the communication process is disrupted or blocked. A blank stare, lack of verbal or written response, mixed signals from verbal and nonverbal messages are examples of feedback barriers.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about nonverbal communication is true?

Accepted Answer

Eye contact conveys emotion. People tend to avoid eye contact when discussing bad news or providing negative feedback.

Question 8

A(n) _____ communication style is expressive and self-enhancing at the expense of others.

Accepted Answer

An aggressive communication style is expressive and self-enhancing at the expense of others. It involves taking advantage of others.

Question 9

Lily is trying to have a long-distance telephonic conversation with her friend. But there is so much static on the line, that she can hardly hear what her friend is saying. Which of the following barriers does the static on the telephone-line refer to?

Accepted Answer

The static refers to a physical barrier. Physical barriers can be caused by sound, time, space, time-zone differences, telephone-line static, distance from others, and crashed computers and other barriers.

Question 10

One day Sara's boss storms into her office and tells her, "I'm not at all satisfied with our work on the project, Sara. I'll expect better next time!" Then, he storms out. Sara, who has been working on five projects at the same time, has no idea which one her boss was referring to. She is not even sure if "our work" means Sara's work with the boss, with her co-workers, or just her own work. In this scenario, Sara is a victim of the _____ barrier to effective communication.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, Sara does not know which project her boss is talking about, and who exactly he is holding responsible for the project. This is an example of a semantic barrier. Semantics is the study of word meaning. Semantic barriers are more likely in today's global economy with its multicultural workforces.

Question 11

Lauren is on vacation in Italy. While out shopping, she is unable to understand the price of a scarf because the shop-keeper only speaks Italian and Lauren does not understand Italian. In this case, Lauren is facing a _____ barrier in the communication process.

Accepted Answer

Lauren is facing a decoding barrier because of her inability to understand Italian. Communication will fail if any step in the communication process is disrupted or blocked. Poor language skills, mixed signals from verbal and nonverbal messages, or failure to understand humor, slang, or technical jargon are example of a decoding barrier.

Question 12

Which of the following is true regarding touch as a source of nonverbal communication?

Accepted Answer

Touching is a powerful nonverbal cue. People tend to touch those they like. A meta-analysis of gender differences in touching indicated that women do more touching during conversations than men. Of particular note, however, is the fact that men and women interpret touching differently.

Question 13

_____ is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages.

Accepted Answer

Listening is the process of actively decoding and interpreting verbal messages. Listening requires cognitive attention and information processing; hearing does not.

Question 14

Bill is distracted during class. He cannot even remember what the lecture was about. This is an example of a _____ barrier.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a receiver barrier. No message received, unwillingness to receive message, or strong emotional reaction to message are examples of a receiver barrier. Communication will fail if any step in the communication process is disrupted or blocked.

Question 15

Paul is stranded on a highway because his car has run out of gas. He calls his friend Steven for help, but before he can give Steven directions to reach him, the battery in Paul's cell phone runs out and the call gets disconnected. Which of the following barriers affected Paul's communication with Steven that could not be completed because of his cell phone's battery failure?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a medium barrier. Some barriers actually are part of the communication process itself. Faulty transmissions, battery failure on wireless device, busy signal, shouting in a noisy place, or computer network failure are examples of medium barriers.

Question 16

_____ is (are) an example of nonverbal behavior of someone with a nonassertive communication style.

Accepted Answer

A nonassertive communication style is characterized by inhibition and self-denying behavior. Little eye contact is an example of nonverbal behavior of someone with a nonassertive communication style.

Question 17

Mark is holding Tom responsible for the company's past performance and wants to discuss the future goals with him. While communicating with Tom, Mark maintains glaring eye contact, talks in a loud voice, uses swear words and threats to let Tom understand that if he does not deliver, he will be fired. Which of the following styles of communication is Mark displaying here?

Accepted Answer

Mark is displaying an aggressive style of communication. An aggressive communication style is expressive and self-enhancing at the expense of others. It involves taking advantage of others.

Question 18

Jill asks Jennifer to inform Debra that her job interview has been moved to 2 PM. Jennifer forgets to convey the message and, as a result, Debra misses her interview. In this situation, Debra is a victim of a _____ barrier in communication.

Accepted Answer

Debra is a victim of a sender barrier. Forgetting to send a message, fearing to send a message, or procrastinating with a difficult message are examples of sender barriers. Communication will fail if any step in the communication process is disrupted or blocked.

Question 19

_____ refers to language or terminology that is specific to a particular profession, group, or company.

Accepted Answer

Jargon represents language, acronyms, or terminology that is specific to a particular profession, group, or company. The use of acronyms has increased as our society has become more technologically oriented and pressed for time.

Question 20

A(n) _____ communication style is expressive and self-enhancing without intruding on others.

Accepted Answer

An assertive communication style is expressive, self-enhancing without intruding on others. It involves pushing hard without attacking and permits others to influence outcome.

Quiz 14: Communicating in the Digital Age