Analyzing Your Audience Verified Test Bank Ch.5 9th Edition

Chapter 5 Analyzing Your Audience

Multiple Choice

1. When you tailor your speech to the educational level of your classmates in a public speaking course, you are focusing your audience analysis on __________.

a. audience demographics

b. audience psychology

c. audience culture

d. audience heterogeneity

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

2. What is a demographic characteristic of an audience?

a. beliefs

b. values

c. age range

d. common knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

3. What aspect of a speech is affected by the size of the audience?

a. the degree of formality of your presentation

b. the amount of supporting material you use

c. the impact of your attention getter

d. the length of your speech

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

4. When Reggie mentioned that the audience would be heterogeneous for his presentation, he was implying that the audience would __________.

a. be impartial to what he was saying

b. all carry the same assumptions

c. have preconceived ideas about his topic

d. be dissimilar in their assumptions

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

5. A speaker is using platitudes when he or she __________.

a. breaks down a speech into multiple parts to address different age groups

b. assumes that everyone in the audience has the same values

c. uses buzzwords that have no content related to the topic

d. assesses the demographics of the audience

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

6. Micah attended a seminar on heart health and was surprised and frustrated when the second speaker came on stage and tried to sell everyone a fitness center membership. Micah is part of a(n) __________ audience.

a. captive

b. secondary

c. passive

d. active

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

7. When addressing a heterogeneous audience, a speaker should __________.

a. use broader generalizations

b. use a wider variety of supporting material

c. increase the use of platitudes

d. apply demographic stereotypes

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

8. Relying solely on demographic categories for audience analysis leads the speaker to risk unwarranted __________.

a. stereotyping

b. platitudes

c. condescension

d. allusions

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

9. Maria knew that all of her audience members were young men born in California so she assumed they all knew how to surf and she wouldn’t need to talk about basic surfing skills in her speech on water sports. Maria’s assumption is an example of __________.

a. platitudes

b. accommodation

c. heterogeneity

d. stereotyping

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

10. Real-time social media sites that broadcast political speeches and other news are addressing a(n) __________ audience.

a. passive

b. captive

c. mediated

d. active

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

11. Carlos is very interested in attending the presentation on utility costs because he has been paying more for electricity and wants to lower his costs. What aspect of the audience culture does this reflect?

a. ethos

b. self-interest

c. personal interests

d. demographics

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

12. For an audience of military science majors, a speech about infantry battle strategy is well suited to their __________.

a. ethos

b. platitudes

c. personal interests

d. demographics

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

13. The topics, hobbies, and experiences that are important or interesting to listeners make up their __________.

a. personal interests

b. platitudes

c. reference groups

d. cultural facts

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

14. Which speech element should be avoided when speaking to an audience whose interest in a topic is low?

a. personal anecdotes

b. rhetorical questions

c. startling statements

d. technical language

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

15. Larson began his talk by saying, “Consumer confidence is declining due to continued joblessness.” This is a statement of __________.

a. condescension

b. belief

c. platitudes

d. value

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

16. Caroline told her audience, “There seem to be more children than ever before going to school without having breakfast.” This statement is an example of a(n)__________.

a. belief

b. platitude

c. value

d. stereotype

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

17. Statements that listeners regard as true are called __________.

a. beliefs

b. values

c. perceptions

d. allusions

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

18. During her speech about alcohol use on campus, Leila formally defined every term for her audience, including “chug,” “kegger,” and “chaser.” Her audience was turned off by the belief that she was talking down to them. What caused the audience to have a negative response?

a. stereotyping

b. allusions

c. condescension

d. prejudice

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

19. An analysis of listeners’ beliefs, values, interests, and knowledge is an examination of __________.

a. audience culture

b. audience psychology

c. audience demographics

d. audience composition

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

20. Salena started by asking her audience, “How many of you come from a ‘Modern Family’ and can identify with Mitch and Cam, or a marriage like Jay and Gloria’s?” Salena’s example is a type of __________.

a. allusion

b. platitude

c. value

d. condescension

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

21. Once Janika has discovered the common knowledge and experience shared by the listeners, what can she use effectively in her speech?

a. platitudes

b. allusions

c. demographics

d. selective attention

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

22. Nathan’s audience consists of young fathers and college students. Nathan has identified the __________ associated with his audience.

a. beliefs

b. platitudes

c. roles

d. values

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

23. Marcella dyed her hair pink because all the members of her favorite band have that hair color. What did Marcella rely on to make her decision?

a. reference group

b. captive audience

c. platitudes

d. mediated audience

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

24. When your audience analysis focuses on the perceptual processes of the audience, including listeners’ tendencies toward selective exposure and selective attention, you are assessing audience __________.

a. culture

b. demographics

c. feedback

d. psychology

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

25. The listener’s tendency to listen only to messages that are agreeable is known as selective __________.

a. attention

b. exposure

c. perception

d. assimilation

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

26. The listener’s choice of whether to focus intently on a speech is known as selective __________.

a. exposure

b. assimilation

c. perception

d. attention

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

27. When Andrea gave a speech about her favorite city, Paris, Kari focused intently on the speech and followed each point carefully. This is an example of __________.

a. selective attention

b. selective exposure

c. selective stereotyping

d. rhetorical selection

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

28. Because listeners have a tendency toward selective attention, speakers must be sure to __________.

a. provide clear supporting material for listeners

b. use several visual aids

c. use animated gestures and facial expressions to entertain them

d. motivate listeners to pay attention

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

29. Amelia puts away her cell phone after texting to her friend that she can’t text now because she needs to focus on the lecture. Amelia’s conscious effort to focus on the speech demonstrates the idea of __________.

a. reference groups

b. selective attention

c. allusions

d. gender roles

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

30. Robert chose not to watch the political debate because he didn’t like either one of the candidates. What affected Robert’s choice?

a. platitudes

b. condescension

c. selective exposure

d. reference group

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

31. A speaker who repeats the main ideas and key points of a speech helps to combat selective attention and motivate the audience by making the message __________.

a. personally relevant to the listeners

b. stand out

c. easy to follow

d. vivid

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

32. Sun-Yun told her classmates that she thought the speaker was saying that having a job while in college was a good way to learn how to prioritize your tasks. Sun-Yun is sharing her __________.

a. perception

b. ethnocentrism

c. stereotype

d. platitude

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

33. At the beginning of the school year, Kyle thought most of his classes were easy but by the middle of the semester, he thought they were all difficult. This shows a change in Kyle’s __________.

a. values

b. platitudes

c. behaviors

d. perception

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

34. Christina wanted to find out how her planned persuasive speech advocating an increase in student fees would affect her audience. She briefly discussed her ideas with a few friends to hear their feelings about the topic. Which method of audience analysis was Christina using?

a. formal

b. informal

c. survey

d. focus group

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

35. Outside of the classroom, most speakers conduct audience analysis using __________.

a. simplifying devices

b. interviews

c. focus groups

d. audience surveys

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Easy

Skill Level: Remember the Facts

36. When Mr. Douglas was preparing to speak to the PTA at his son’s school, his audience analysis was limited to assuming that his listeners would share a common concern for their children’s welfare. What technique is he using to gain audience information?

a. informal audience analysis

b. formal audience analysis

c. one-to-one response

d. simplifying devices

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

37. One way a speaker can avoid coming to quick conclusions is by assuming the presence of a(n) __________ audience.

a. universal

b. target

c. secondary

d. primary

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

38. While the politician wanted to raise taxes once she was in office, she knew the audience felt otherwise and joked “I know I’m only going to get your vote when I tell you I won’t be raising taxes.” This attempt to please the audience is an example of __________.

a. stereotyping

b. platitudes

c. pandering

d. demographics

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

39. What is true of analyzing your own ethos?

a. Your speech should minimize perceptions of difference.

b. You should avoid trite references to community building.

c. You should not advocate positions that contradict those of your audience.

d. You can study audience perceptions of your ethos but are unlikely to be able to change them.

Learning Objective: 5.5 Indicate how your ethos influences the audience and how you can improve your ethos.

Topic: Analyzing Your Own Ethos

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

40. Jean-Paul began his talk by saying, “We all need to come together and help those in our community in need.” These words help build a sense of community and foster Jean-Paul’s __________.

a. pathos

b. logos

c. ethos

d. monos

Learning Objective: 5.5 Indicate how your ethos influences the audience and how you can improve your ethos.

Topic: Analyzing Your Own Ethos

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

Essay Questions

41. Explain which elements you would examine in a demographic analysis of an audience. Explain how each element might affect the strategies a speaker might use in preparing and presenting a speech.

• A demographic analysis would include looking at audience size, heterogeneity, whether listeners are voluntary or captive, composition of the audience (age, gender, religion, ethnicity, educational level, and socioeconomic status), and whether the audience is physically present or on social media.
• In strategic planning for a speech, a speaker must make choices concerning each aspect of the audience’s demographics.
• For example, if the audience will be large, will the presentation be more formal than for a smaller gathering?
• A speaker who will be talking to a more heterogeneous group will need to find examples and appeals that will be meaningful to all kinds of listeners.
• A speaker who will be presenting to a captive audience may find the audience less receptive than a voluntary audience, causing the speaker to work harder to interest listeners.
• A speaker needs to tailor his or her message to the composition of the audience members in terms of listeners’ ages, gender, and so on.
• A speaker needs to be aware of constraints present when speaking to an audience who are listening over the Internet versus physically present.

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

42. Describe the difference between a voluntary and a captive audience. How does this affect the way the audience perceives a speaker’s message?

• The circumstances related to why an audience is assembled can affect how a message is received.
• People who have chosen to hear a speech (voluntary) are more likely to be interested and receptive than those who have been coerced (captive) into attending a speech.
• A captive audience might resent having to hear a speech and this will have a negative effect on the speaker’s ethos.
• A speaker should not assume that captive audience members have any interest in the event or speech, so the speaker must work even harder to create interest and motivate audience members.
• Also assuming that an audience is voluntary can also create problems for a speaker.
• If the speaker does not know the status of the audience, it is best to assume they are captive and must be motivated.

Learning Objective: 5.1 Describe how the audience demographics, cultures, and psychology affect listeners’ receptiveness to a speech.

Topic: Checking Audience Demographics

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

43. How does cultural diversity present a strategic challenge to speakers? How can speakers adapt to culturally diverse audiences? Which approaches do you believe are most likely to work for you?

• Speakers must address audiences with different beliefs and values, including different values for age versus tradition, the roles of women, and the proper use of language.
• A speaker should use examples from many cultures, refer to his or her own culture in such a way as to emphasize cultural differences as a positive value, or resist culture-specific references altogether.
• Answers about most effective approaches should be fully supported with reasons and examples.

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

44. Describe the difference between beliefs and values. Why must a speaker be aware of this difference?

• Beliefs are statements that listeners regard as true. They can typically be verified by a written source.
• Values are positive or negative judgments that listeners make. Values cannot be verified by a written source.
• Speakers should uphold their own beliefs and values but should also emphasize the connections between the listeners’ beliefs and values and their own.
• Listeners hold many general beliefs and values about countless topics and these personal thoughts will affect the way they listen to and receive the speaker’s message.

Learning Objective: 5.2 Explain culture’s two definitions and how each affects your speech preparation.

Topic: Respecting Audience Cultures

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

45. Define selective attention and selective exposure, and explain the strategies available to a speaker to overcome these problems. Identify which strategies you believe are most likely to succeed.

• Selective exposure involves exposing ourselves to information that is important to us personally and that is consistent with what we already believe.
• Selective attention involves whether to focus intently on a message, to follow it, to absorb it, and to take it seriously. These choices can be made consciously or unconsciously.
• The speaker can motivate the audience by making the message personally important to the listeners, making the message stand out, and making it easy to follow.
• Answers about favored strategies should include a rationale explaining why one strategy might be more effective than another.

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Analyze It

46. Explain some things a speaker can do to make their message easier to follow and help gain audience attention.

• Strategically plan the organization of the speech in a way that makes your thesis and overall argument clear to listeners.
• State your main ideas explicitly so that listeners can easily identify them.
• Speak at a rate that sustains listeners’ interest but is not so rapid that they have to struggle to keep up with you.
• Repeat your main ideas and key points, signaling to the audience that these are important.
• Use pauses to mark the transitions in the speech.
• Summarize your thesis and main ideas memorably.

Learning Objective: 5.3 Identify methods for helping an audience understand and respond to the messages they hear.

Topic: Understanding Audience Psychology

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts

47. It is unusual for a speaker to conduct a formal audience analysis. What informal audience analysis methods are available, and what can a speaker learn from them? What would an informal analysis include that a formal analysis would not? What would a formal analysis include that an informal one would not?

• Informal methods include (1) considering what classmates have said about their interests, backgrounds, or attitudes; (2) asking the host about audience interests and motives; (3) interviewing a few people with similar demographic characteristics about their interests, values, and attitudes; (4) asking other speakers who have addressed the audience about their characteristics and responses; (5) reviewing newspapers or journals the audience reads for ideas and potential allusions; (6) doing library research about the audience’s attitudes and opinions; and (7) observing the audience directly to learn about demographics and demeanor.
• Formal methods involve surveys or in-depth interviews; it should be noted that much information overlaps (for example, library research), but informal analysis includes the opinions of other speakers and host perceptions.

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Difficult

Skill Level: Analyze It

48. What are some simplifying devices a speaker can use to learn more about the audience? Discuss how roles and fields play a part in gaining audience information.

• Imagine the audience as the general public—listeners who share characteristics of people in general, such as common sense, self-interest, sensitivity to others, and enthusiasm for a good story.
• A speaker might think of the general public as those people who enjoy baking, or people who participate in winter sports.
• Another simplifying device is to focus on the particular roles that the speaker thinks listeners play or on a particular field.
• Each individual occupies many different roles in society. Depending on the role of the audience, the speaker can focus on different aspects of the topic.
• Speech topics represent different fields, or subject-matter areas, with different norms and assumptions.
• The speaker should emphasize the particular role or field that is most relevant to the speech.

Learning Objective: 5.4 Identify both formal and informal methods of audience analysis.

Topic: Strategies for Analyzing the Audience

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

49. Describe the process suggested for analyzing your own ethos. What must be considered to obtain a realistic view of how the audience will regard you? How will this affect your speech?

• Ethos refers to the character an audience attributes to a speaker. Consider how the audience may perceive you as you are developing your speech, and then plan your speech strategically.
• To begin with, you should determine similarities and differences between you and the audience with respect to demographics, cultures, and psychology.
  • Are you older or younger than most of your listeners? Is your ethnic, cultural, or economic background different? Are your personal interests similar to theirs? Do you have different general orientations toward change?
• You will want to plan the speech so that you either minimize perceptions of difference when that is appropriate or acknowledge and compensate for differences when that is desirable.
• Knowing yourself and having thought about the similarities and differences between you and your listeners, consider how the audience members are likely to perceive you. Apply the principles of audience analysis that you have learned here, and craft a speech that maintains the integrity of your own position while also trying not to offend, distance, or talk down to potential listeners.

Learning Objective: 5.5 Indicate how your ethos influences the audience and how you can improve your ethos.

Topic: Analyzing Your Own Ethos

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Apply What You Know

50. What are three strategies a speaker can use to modify the audience’s perception of his or her ethos?

• Use wording to help build a sense of community. This is especially important when the audience is culturally diverse.
• Be careful not to assume your own beliefs and values are universally correct and should be accepted by everyone. If audience members question your values, they will question your message.
• Consider whether you and your listeners have different role models, different common knowledge, and different life experiences. An audience analysis reveals ways the speaker should make adjustments regarding these things.

Learning Objective: 5.5 Indicate how your ethos influences the audience and how you can improve your ethos.

Topic: Analyzing Your Own Ethos

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Skill Level: Understand the Concepts