Test Bank

Chapter 3: Communication and culture

Multiple choice questions

1. Why do scholars such as Dance suggest that communication is best understood as a ‘family’ of related concepts?

a. because each culture has a different style of communicating

b. because communication is a multifaceted concept

c. because communication requires more than one person

d. because the study of communication is relatively new

2. According to the chapter, what is identified as one of the main limitations of the transmission model?

a. It does not include the concept of feedback.

b. It does not allow for distinctions to be made between senders and receivers.

c. It cannot map the flow of information through systems.

d. It cannot account for semantic dimensions of language.

3. Which of the following best describes the ‘channel’?

a. the medium by which the message is conveyed

b. the code shared by the sender and receiver

c. any interference in encoding or decoding

d. the response of a receiver to a received message

4. Both message and encoding are communication components. However, message is distinguishable from the encoding process in that ______.

a. message is internal to the source while encoding is external

b. both message and encoding are internal

c. both message and encoding are external

d. message is external to the source whilst encoding is internal

5. One of the characteristics of communication is that communication is a dynamic process. Communication is a process because ______.

a. communication has a beginning and an end

b. communication is a fixed sequence of events

c. communication is ongoing, ever-changing and continuous

d. communication elements within a process are independent of each other

6. Communication is symbolic. Which of the following is NOT true about a symbol?

a. A symbol is arbitrary.

b. A symbol may be a nonverbal code.

c. A symbol may be abstract.

d. A symbol has a natural link to its referent.

7. Which of the following statements best describes one of the limitations of Schramm’s interactive model?

a. It only conceives of communication as a one-way process.

b. It cannot account for multilateral communication.

c. It does not consider the field of experience of the interactants.

d. It does not conceive of encoding and decoding as occurring simultaneously.

8. Which of the following statements best characterizes a change in our definition of mass communication as a result of advances in communication technologies?

a. Mass media have become a debating ground for our values and beliefs.

b. The internet creates new configurations of components of communication.

c. The internet restricts the limited access of news writing to professional journalists.

d. The boundary between mass and interpersonal communication is more clearly defined.

9. When communicating with the teacher, a Korean student might avoid direct eye contact whereas an Australian student would look directly in the eye of the teacher. What point does this example illustrate?

a. how important it is to learn culture rules as a child

b. how culture rules govern our communication behaviour

c. Culture rules are learned consciously.

d. Culture rules are learned unconsciously.

10. Which of the following best describes the concept of socialization?

a. a situation where humans exchange information about their own identity

b. the process whereby humans develop a sense of proper and improver behaviour in social settings

c. the study of intercultural communication

d. a cultural misunderstanding that occurs when we fail to match symbols and communication systems

11. Which of the following is NOT an assumption of Communication Accommodation Theory?

a. Communication interactions are independent of the context.

b. Communication is both about exchange of meaning and negotiation of identities.

c. Interactants can regulate their communication during the communication process.

d. Interactants can achieve the relational functions of communication through discursive means.

12. People in Asian cultures are more likely to value harmony in considering the choice of communication styles in a conflict situation. What relationship does this example illustrate?

a. the relationship between communication style and personality characteristics

b. the relationship between communication style and values

c. the relationship between communication style and intensity of conflict

d. the relationship between communication style and gender

Short answer questions

1. What is noise in communication process? Provide an example to explain its impact on communication.

2. In what ways does Schramm’s model of communication improve the linear model and what are the limitation of Schramm’s model?

3. Provide an example to explain how culture teaches us rules that govern our communication behaviour.

4. How does digital media challenge the way we define ‘whom’ in the communication process?

5. Why do some cultures prohibit the sales of Barbie dolls? Provide an example to explain the influence of cultural values in society.