Ch13 Informative Speaking Test Questions & Answers

CHAPTER 13 Test Bank

Multiple-Choice Questions

13.1. Informative speaking enlightens listeners by _____.

a. connecting with the audience

b. sharing ideas and information

c. promoting a course of action

d. establishing community

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

13.2. According to your text, if you haven’t done enough research to make you sufficiently informed about your topic, you are guilty of _____.

a. being unfortunate

b. being biased

c. being irresponsible

d. being intangible

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.3. To give an ethical informative speech, you should _____.

a. adjust information if it does not show your point

b. speak from responsible knowledge

c. avoid controversial topics

d. focus on the position that best supports your view of a disputed topic

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.4. What is the most important measure of the informative value of a speech?

a. the amount of facts, figures, and expert opinions provided by the speaker

b. the simplicity with which the speaker provides the information to the audience

c. the perceived credibility of the speaker as a source of information

d. the amount of new and important knowledge provided by the speaker

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.5. Informative speaking addresses all of the following basic human needs EXCEPT _____.

a. to know about the world

b. to acquire skills and competency

c. to act with conviction

d. to know how things work or are made

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.6. In her speech about the NCAA basketball tournament, Lisa’s words provided a vivid impression of the fans dressed from head-to-toe in their school colors, often with faces painted to match and the thunderous roar of their cheers. What type of informative speaking does this best represent?

a. causation

b. description

c. demonstration

d. persuasion

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.7. What type of informative speech would you give by showing your audience how to make beer with an at-home brewing kit?

a. demonstration

b. description

c. explanation

d. repetition

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.8. What type of informative speaking would you use to provide your listeners with a detailed discussion of a promising new development in cancer research and treatment?

a. repetition

b. description

c. demonstration

d. explanation

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.9. What kind of informative speech is most dependent on vivid language use?

a. speaking to describe

b. speaking to explain

c. speaking to demonstrate

d. speaking to attribute causation

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.10. Which of these students is giving a “how to” speech?

a. Carrie described the types of music the orchestra planned to play.

b. Roberto demonstrated the best way to make pasta at home.

c. Janelle explained how the body processes refined sugars.

d. Nalia talked about the amazing holiday decorations the village used each year.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.11. Striking examples and colorful language use contribute most to which of the following factors of maintaining audience attention while speaking?

a. contrast

b. relevance

c. intensity

d. repetition

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.12. For his speech on earthquake preparedness, Stephen Huff informed his classmates that their university was located near a volatile fault zone, reflecting what factor of maintaining audience attention?

a. relevance

b. novelty

c. repetition

d. contrast

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.13. What strategy for motivating and sustaining audience interest would be best illustrated by defining democracy as the opposite of fascism?

a. novelty

b. contrast

c. relevance

d. intensity

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.14. Rather than just tell her audience how much recyclable waste is thrown out by the average American on a monthly basis, Lisa rolled in a large garbage bin packed with aluminum cans and plastic bottles to illustrate the estimated amount. What strategy did Lisa use for attracting and sustaining audience attention?

a. repetition

b. contrast

c. novelty

d. relevance

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.15. When a speaker uses parallel construction and alliteration, he or she is relying on _____ to maintain audience interest.

a. intensity

b. novelty

c. contrast

d. repetition

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.16. Commercials for home security systems that depict criminals fleeing the sound of an alarm most directly invoke what appeal for motivating audiences to listen?

a. our need for a sense of accomplishment

b. our need for safety and well-being

c. our need for balance

d. our need for enjoyment

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.17. A speech addressing the three most important parts of a new tax law should be developed using what informative design?

a. comparative

b. spatial

c. categorical

d. sequential

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.18. To explain his concerns with sending US troops into Syria, Kyle invokes comparisons to our experiences sending troops into Iraq and Afghanistan. Kyle is using a _____ analogy.

a. literal

b. figurative

c. demonstrative

d. hypothetical

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.19. When subjects are compared from different fields of experience, the speaker uses which of the following types of analogy?

a. relative

b. figurative

c. literal

d. indirect

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.20. Taking someone on a tour of New York City would likely call for which speech design?

a. spatial

b. comparative

c. sequential

d. chronological

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.21. Keisha’s presentation explains the steps to take when making a roux for a creamy soup. What type of design should she use for this speech?

a. spatial

b. chronological

c. comparative

d. sequential

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.22. What informative speech design would work best for tracing the evolution of international terrorism over the past 20 years?

a. categorical

b. chronological

c. sequential

d. spatial

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.23. A speech explaining why the New Orleans levee system failed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina would be best organized using what informative design?

a. categorical

b. sequential

c. causation

d. spatial

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.24. What is one major drawback to using a causation design?

a. the tendency to oversimplify

b. the tendency to discuss history for its own sake

c. the tendency to provide too much detail

d. the tendency to compare the known to the unknown

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.25. You should consider all of the following advice for preparing and presenting a briefing EXCEPT _____.

a. be brief and well-organized

b. use narratives to establish rapport

c. adapt language use to the expertise of your audience

d. be prepared to answer tough questions

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.5

Learning Objective: LO 13.5 Appreciate briefings as a particular kind of informative speaking.

Topic: Briefings: A Special Case of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

True-False Questions

13.26. Your purpose as an informative speaker is to convince the audience to change a behavior.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.27. A speech on how to perform CPR would best be characterized as a speech of demonstration.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.28. A speech offering information on a complicated subject, such as the reasons the state government has given for making budget cuts in social welfare programs, is an example of a speech of explanation.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.29. Speeches of explanation face few challenges when their information runs counter to generally accepted beliefs.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.30. Effective description relies heavily on the artful use of language.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.31. Novelty refers to how a speech relates to an audience’s specific needs, interests, or concerns.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.32. Research suggests that the organization of a message is NOT related to helping listeners remember the most important parts of your message.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.33. A categorical speech design breaks a topic into observed or customary divisions.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.34. A sequential speech design moves listeners through space.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.35. Narratives are the most important form of information for workplace briefings.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.5

Learning Objective: LO 13.5 Appreciate briefings as a particular kind of informative speaking.

Topic: Briefings: A Special Case of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

FILL-IN-THE BLANK Questions

13.36. _____ speaking enlightens listeners by sharing ideas and information so they can make better decisions.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

13.37. A speech of _____ shows the audience how to do something.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

13.38. Using vivid language to provide listeners with a clear image of your subject is crucial to a speech of _____.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.39. Marcus is concerned that his audience will not be interested in his presentation on saving for retirement because it may not seem to relate to their lives as young students. He is worried about the _____ of his speech.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.40. When Lydia described the penguins affected by the oil spill, she said they were like giant lumps of coal lying on the beach. She is using _____ to maintain the interest of her audience.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.41. The use of _____ in a speech helps attract the audience’s attention by highlighting the differences between opposites.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.42. _____ is the quality of being new or unusual.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

13.43. A speech topic that breaks readily into observed or customary divisions should be arranged using a(n) _____ design.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.44. If you were taking a group of incoming students on a walking tour of your university library, you would probably choose a(n) _____ design to organize your presentation.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.45. A(n) _____ is a short informative presentation that is usually presented in a workplace setting.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.5

Learning Objective: LO 13.5 Appreciate briefings as a particular kind of informative speaking.

Topic: Briefings: A Special Case of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Easy

Skill: Remember the Facts

Short-Answer/Essay Questions

13.46. Discuss informative value and its importance to informative speaking. What are three questions you should ask when considering a speech topic in terms of its informative value?

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.1

Learning Objective: LO 13.1 Realize the importance of informative speaking.

Topic: Informative Speaking: An Overview

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Understand the Concepts

13.47. Discuss two forms of informative speaking. Provide examples.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.2

Learning Objective: LO 13.2 Prepare speeches that create a vivid description, demonstrate a process, or explain how something works.

Topic: Types of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.48. Discuss two strategies for gaining and maintaining the audience’s attention while speaking. Provide examples.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.3

Learning Objective: LO 13.3 Use different techniques to help listeners learn and remember.

Topic: Helping Listeners Learn

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.49. Discuss three designs appropriate for informative speaking. Provide examples.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.4

Learning Objective: LO 13.4 Understand the options for designing informative speeches.

Topic: Designs for Informative Speeches

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know

13.50. What is a briefing and when might you be asked to give one? Discuss three guidelines for preparing an effective briefing.

Chapter: 13

Module: 13.5

Learning Objective: LO 13.5 Appreciate briefings as a particular kind of informative speaking.

Topic: Briefings: A Special Case of Informative Speaking

Difficulty: Moderate

Skill: Apply What You Know