Midterm

Question 1

The activity of selecting words and/or non-verbals to express your ideas is known as:

Answer 1

feedback

Question 2

“Channels” of communication are defined as:

Answer 2

methods used to deliver a message

Question 3

When an individual attaches meaning to the message he/she receives, which of the following components of the communication process has occurred?

Answer 3

decoding

Question 4

Angelia has recently begun making a lot of mistakes on her day job. She has not been listening attentively to her supervisor’s instructions. Angelia is no longer attentive because she is exhausted. She has taken on a second job at night so she can pay off her credit card debt. In the above example, which type of noise is causing a breakdown in the communication process between Angelia and her supervisor?

Answer 4

physiological noise

Question 5

Josefina was so angry that she didn’t even hear her brother’s apology. Which type of noise hindered Josefina’s ability to accurately decode her brother’s message?

Answer 5

psychological

Question 6

Egotism is an example of _________________ that interferes with effective communication.

Answer 6

psychological noise

Question 7

The cultural context of a conversation refers to the impact of:

Answer 7

national backgrounds of the speakers

Question 8

Relational messages communicate all of the following EXCEPT?

Answer 8

historical facts

Question 9

Communication is:

Answer 9

irreversible

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an example of downward communication?

Answer 10

An employee talks to a coworker in a sneering tone of voice

Question 11

Three nurses from the evening shift at the Holy Heart Hospital told their supervisor their ideas for some new procedures that would improve the way patients’ needs are tracked. The supervisor listened to the nurses’ suggestions and implemented them. The nurses’ suggestions illustrate:

Answer 11

upward communication

Question 12

An open-door policy and suggestion boxes are examples of ways to encourage:

Answer 12

upward communication

Question 13

Relational messages indicate the communicator’s degree of control over, respect of, and liking for the person they are communicating with

Answer 13

True

Question 14

First thing in the morning, after the Christmas rush, before a cup of coffee—all of these concepts are associated with the chronological context of a conversation.

Answer 14

False

Question 15

Your instructor assigns you to a small group of students, each of whom comes from a different culture. These cultural differences are an example of the “physical context” of the group.

Answer 15

False

Question 16

In the communication model, internal distractions such as wandering thoughts are called “noise

Answer 16

True

Question 17

Culture refers to all of the following except:

Answer 17

inherited and innate characteristics

Question 18

All of the following characteristics except _____________ can help define culture.

Answer 18

All of these characteristics can affect culture

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the way cultural values develop?

Answer 19

Culture is learned, not innate

Question 20

Cultures are ________________ to the people who live and communicate within that culture

Answer 20

invisible

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT identified in your text as a dimension that can help you understand your organization’s culture?

Answer 21

how much employees are paid

Question 22

Which of the following assumptions illustrates a Theory Y organization?

Answer 22

Most people are creative and self-directed

Question 23

In some cultures, employees have a great deal of respect for persons in positions of authority. This cultural dimension is called:

Answer 23

power distance

Question 24

Members of a collectivist culture such as China will typically:

Answer 24

believe that the welfare of an organization they belong to is as important as their own welfare

Question 25

Which of the following indicates a low-context culture?

Answer 25

Social contexts reveal much information about relationships

Question 26

Cultures that rely heavily on subtle nonverbal cues to convey meaning have a ________________ orientation.

Answer 26

high-context

Question 27

Managers who adopt a Theory Y philosophy believe that most people are not ambitious and will attempt to avoid work whenever possible.

Answer 27

True

Question 28

One way to start investigating a company's culture is to visit the company and see how you are treated

Answer 28

True

Question 29

Some of the most powerful rules of an organization's culture are unspoken, yet they are clearly understood by the members.

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Conversational partners are typically able to interpret _____ of each other’s remarks accurately.

Answer 30

25 to 50%

Question 31

Samar has been having difficulty hearing what people are saying at the opposite end of the table, so he’s decided to begin wearing a hearing aid to assist him during sales meetings. Which of the barriers to effective listening is reflected in Samar’s need for a hearing aid?

Answer 31

physiological barrier

Question 32

Having mental “spare time” while listening is the result of:

Answer 32

speech rates of 125 words per minute and thought rates of 500 words per minute

Question 33

The fact that a receiver can process information faster than a sender can speak affects which of the following barriers to effective listening?

Answer 33

physiological

Question 34

Katie is a supervisor for a calling center. She is experiencing a number of problems with her subordinates. They often bungle the instruction she provides, which results in additional work for her. After researching this problem, Katie determined that the reason her instructions were being misinterpreted is that she is giving instructions while the phones are ringing and the employees are filling out their time sheets. Which barrier to effective listening is the cause of Katie’s problem?

Answer 34

message overload

Question 35

Jim is having problems listening to Diana’s directions for operating the new computer terminal because he is upset about his poor performance in his early morning presentation to the vice president. Which of the following barriers to listening does this scenario illustrate?

Answer 35

preoccupation

Question 36

Which of the following terms represents the belief that your ideas are more important than other people’s ideas?

Answer 36

egocentrism

Question 37

When Pierre doesn’t understand his supervisor’s instructions, he blames his boss for not making the instructions clear. Pierre’s belief that effective communication is always the sender’s responsibility is an example of which of the following barriers to effective listening?

Answer 37

false assumption

Question 38

Which of the following barriers to effective listening is represented by the observation that men and women often use different listening styles?

Answer 38

sociocultural differences

Question 39

Which of the following statements about gender differences in listening is true?

Answer 39

Women tend to listen to the feelings behind a message, while men tend to listen to the content of a message.

Question 40

Dakota acts as the summarizer in her work team. After a proposal has been discussed for a few minutes, she summarizes the idea and then asks if the team is ready to move forward in implementing the proposal. She keeps the group on track, but she tends to gloss over any looks of concern or puzzlement. Dakota’s listening behavior represents the ____________ style of listening.

Answer 40

action-oriented

Question 41

If you find it difficult to listen to others when you believe that people are not efficient or are not promptly getting to the point during conversations, which listening style preference would you be using?

Answer 41

content-oriented

Question 42

Questions that are actually disguised forms of giving advice are called __________ questions.

Answer 42

counterfeit

Question 43

Paraphrasing means:

Answer 43

restating, in your own words, what you think the speaker just said

Question 44

Which of the following terms represents words that have more than one common meaning?

Answer 44

equivocal

Question 45

A “low level abstraction” is:

Answer 45

a specific, concrete statement that refers to observable objects or events

Question 46

A “high-level abstraction” is:

Answer 46

a broad, general statement

Question 47

Strategic ambiguity refers to:

Answer 47

the purposeful use of indirect language

Question 48

Do use strategic ambiguity:

Answer 48

when you need to deliver a difficult message, but you want to help the receiver save face

Question 49

Language that sets off an intense emotional reaction in a listener is referred to as:

Answer 49

trigger words

Question 50

A coworker tells you: “It makes me really mad when my boss strolls past my desk and says, ‘Okay, honey, let’s get down to work.” I am not his honey!” In your coworker’s view, the word “honey” is:

Answer 50

a trigger word

Question 51

One characteristic of a feminine style of communication is:

Answer 51

rapport talk

Question 52

One characteristic of a masculine style of communication is:

Answer 52

instrumentality

Question 53

“When my boss talks to me in a deadly calm voice with a low pitch, slow tempo, and steady rhythm, I know she’s mad about something!” In this example, the employee identifies the supervisor’s feeling through an understanding of:

Answer 53

paralanguage

Question 54

The text explains that we can change the meaning of a word with a simple change of pitch or volume. This nonverbal characteristic is called:

Answer 54

paralanguage

Question 55

In polychronic cultures,

Answer 55

getting down to business right away is often viewed as rude

Question 56

Strategic ambiguity is used to soften the blow of difficult messages

Answer 56

True

Question 57

Our nonverbal expressions, such as our paralanguage, often convey our feelings more powerfully than our words do.

Answer 57

True

Question 58

The term “emotional intelligence” refers to:

Answer 58

the ability and skill of interacting well with others

Question 59

Which of the following types of statements is likely to promote a supportive climate?

Answer 59

descriptive statements expressed in “I” language

Question 60

Attitudes of superiority create disconfirming climates; attitudes of _______tend to create confirming climates

Answer 60

equality

Question 61

Reinhardt wants to keep the thermostat set at 65 degrees in the winter, while his roommate Peter wants to keep it set at 74. This conflict is primarily about

Answer 61

the topic at hand

Question 62

Ashraf accidentally drops Ceil’s favorite glass vase, which crashes into fragments on the kitchen floor. Ceil screams, “You clod!” Ashraf retorts, “I didn’t drop it on purpose, you witch!” This conflict is focusing on:

Answer 62

ego/identity issues

Question 63

According to your text, which of the following is the best way to approach conflict?

Answer 63

compromise

Question 64

Every time a conflict arises in their group, Rosie simply denies that a problem exists. Which of the following approaches to conflict is she using?

Answer 64

avoiding

Question 65

Which approach to conflict are you using if you sacrifice your own principles for the sake of the group?

Answer 65

compromising

Question 66

If each party gives a little ground to gain a solution that everyone can agree to, which approach to conflict have they selected?

Answer 66

collaborating

Question 67

“You” messages usually blame the receiver rather than describing an action.

Answer 67

True

Question 68

Avoidance is the best communication strategy for managing conflict.

Answer 68

False

Question 69

Showing concern for a coworker’s feelings sends a confirming message; showing indifference sends a disconfirming message

Answer 69

True

Question 70

Which of the following types of questions restricts the interviewee’s response most?

Answer 70

closed

Question 71

In most interviews, the interviewer is expected to control the flow of the conversation.

Answer 71

True

Question 72

The highly structured interview allows the interviewer to follow up any intriguing or unclear answers that may arise.

Answer 72

False

Question 73

Use secondary questions to probe for further information when the answer to the previous question seemed irrelevant or inaccurate.

Answer 73

True