Ch.16 Persuasive Speaking Strategies Test Bank Rothwell

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 1

1) A person who holds two inconsistent ideas, beliefs, or opinions at the same time will likely experience

a. misidentification

b. the contrast effect

c. cognitive dissonance

d. the door-in-the-face phenomenon

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 2

2) Barbara wants to convince her audience of college students that they should all become vegetarians. She tries to scare her listeners by presenting several serious health dangers to eating meat. This high fear appeal is not likely to work unless

a. she offers simple and easy ways to become a vegetarian

b. she presents high-quality arguments supported by convincing evidence

c. her listeners feel vulnerable to the dangers of eating meat

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 3

3) Geoff is attempting to refute Marissa’s claim that fluoride in the city’s water system is dangerous. He states, “Marissa claimed that fluoride is a poison and therefore should be banned from the city’s water supply. I strongly disagree. What Marissa failed to tell you is that, according to Dr. James Schmidt, a biochemist at Liverston laboratories in Kansas City, fluoride is only poisonous in significantly larger quantities than would ever be added to our city’s water. Last month’s Consumer Reports summarizes the results of more than 25,000 studies, all showing that adding small amounts of fluoride to the water is safe.” Geoff accomplishes which of the following steps of refutation?

a. States the opposing argument

b. States a reaction to the opposing argument

c. Supports the reaction with reasoning and evidence

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 4

4) Research on the persuasive use of evidence shows that

a. narrative evidence is far more persuasive than startling statistics

b. vivid narratives are usually more interesting and memorable than statistics

c. valid statistics are far more persuasive than narrative evidence

d. none of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 5

5) You present strong arguments to college students to support your claim that tuition and fees at state colleges are too high. You strongly encourage audience members to make a trip to the state capital and petition legislators to lower tuition rates. However, it is unlikely that many audience members, if any, will follow your suggestion because

a. you’ve used the peripheral route to persuasion

b. you’ve created cognitive dissonance

c. the effort required to visit legislators is too great

d. behaviors are almost never consistent with attitudes

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 6

6) Identification as a persuasive strategy means that the speaker

a. determines the demographic makeup of an audience

b. adopts the viewpoint of the audience

c. affiliates and connects with an audience

d. finds a point of view to which he or she can relate

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 7

7) Research on the persuasive effects of the quantity and quality of arguments used to support a proposal reveals that

a. those most affected by the proposal were influenced more by good quality than by high quantity of arguments

b. those least affected by the proposal were influenced more by high quantity than by good quality of arguments

c. those most affected by the proposal were influenced more by high quantity than by good quality of arguments

d. a and b

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 8

8) You enhance your credibility as a speaker presenting a persuasive message by

a. appearing competent

b. exhibiting dynamism

c. appearing trustworthy

d. all of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 9

9) Fear appeals as a persuasive strategy are likely to be effective only if

a. they are very mild fear appeals

b. audience members feel vulnerable and thus fearful

c. a general recommendation for action is provided

d. the action desired is difficult to achieve

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 16, Question 10

10) Cognitive dissonance is triggered by

a. noting consistency of a person’s beliefs

b. identifying hypocrisy by saying one thing but doing the opposite

c. strong fear appeals

d. none of the above

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 11

11) Fear appeals are more persuasive when combined with high-quality arguments.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 12

12) Listeners must feel vulnerable for a fear appeal to work.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 13

13) Presenting arguments to support your case is called refutation.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 14

14) The contrast effect works well as a persuasive strategy when used to present your solution to a problem.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 15

15) Identification is a relatively weak persuasion strategy.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 16

16) When Obama called statistics on economic recovery “steady growth” but Trump called it “evidence of failure and incompetence,” they were both using framing as a persuasive strategy.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 17

17) Typically, the two-sided approach to persuasion will change attitudes and behavior more effectively than the one-sided approach, especially if the audience is well informed on the issue.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 18

18) It is ethically wrong to use emotional appeals.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 19

19) Some fear appeals may not be effective because what frightens you may not frighten others in your audience.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 20

20) Some fear appeals can be too graphic and repugnant, negating effective persuasion.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 21

21) Reframing as a persuasive strategy alters perception by changing how issues and problems are descriptively phrased.

a. True

b. False

Type: true-false

Title: Chapter 16, Question 22

22) Cognitive dissonance is the only truly effective persuasive strategy that can change the minds of true believers.

a. True

b. False