True/False Questions
1. Public speaking and composition writing are very similar forms of communication.
Answer: False
Level: Understanding
2. Public speaking skills can result in increased confidence from employers.
Answer: True
Level: Knowledge
3. An important goal for any public speaker is to aim to impress the audience.
Answer: False
Level: Knowledge
4. Your classmates are a valuable resource as you study public speaking; you can learn
what and what not to do by listening to them.
Answer: True
Level: Knowledge
5. “Power of the podium” refers to the idea that the public speaker has control over the
meaning of their message.
Answer: False
Level: Knowledge
6. It is important to tailor your message for individual groups, even if it means changing
speech content or word choice.
Answer: True
Level: Application
7. As a speaker, the audience tests your integrity and reputation each time you speak.
Answer: True
Level: Knowledge
8. The speaker controls the meaning of a message.
Answer: False
Level: Knowledge
9. Controversial topics can create a bias of listening for some audience members.
Answer: True
Level: Knowledge
O'Brien: Speak Well, 1e T B-1 | 1
, Chapter 1: Public Speaking is an Act of Communication
10. As time passes, listeners remember less and less of your presentation.
Answer: True
Level: Understanding
Multiple Choice Questions
1. According to the text, public speakers are similar to job applicants because each
A. tailors his responses to the specific needs and culture of the interviewing organization.
B. deals with nervousness in a professional manner.
C. dresses in a way that engages listeners and keeps their attention.
D. conducts research in order to speak in a trustworthy and credible way.
Answer: A
Level: Knowledge
2. One of the personal benefits of public speaking is
A. learning to be brave and outgoing.
B. impressing others with your organizational skills.
C. learning better vocalization skills.
D. increased levels of engagement in your community.
Answer: D
Level: Understanding
3. Which of the following is not included in the process of transactional communication?
A. Sender
B. Exchange
C. Noise
D. Channel
Answer: B
Level: Knowledge
4. Audience member feedback is
A. always immediate and simultaneous.
B. never immediate and simultaneous.
C. sometimes immediate and simultaneous.
D. encouraged to be immediate and simultaneous.
Answer: C
Level: Understanding
5. Daydreaming is an example of
A. physiological noise.
B. social noise.
C. organizational noise.
D. psychological noise.
Answer: D
Level: Knowledge
, Chapter 1: Public Speaking is an Act of Communication
6. Cindy is presenting information at the new employee orientation meeting. She speaks
slowly so that everyone can write down the important information that she is sharing.
This style of speaking is very different from what she used the previous evening at her
parents’ twentieth wedding anniversary party. We can consider this an example of
A. context.
B. contextual noise.
C. frame of reference.
D. sender/encoder strategies.
Answer: A
Level: Application
7. According to the text, the historical roots of contemporary public speaking lie in
A. Elizabethan drama and British aristocracy.
B. the cultural shift from aristocracy to democracy that took place in ancient Greek
society.
C. the forefathers of American democracy and their belief in public debate.
D. oral cultures that did not rely on written texts.
Answer: B
Level: Knowledge
8. Isocrates was
A. a form of ancient Roman debate.
B. the mythical god of public speaking.
C. a famed Greek teacher of rhetorical arts.
D. the “father” of ancient argumentation.
Answer: C
Level: Knowledge
9. Frame of reference refers to
A. listening and memorizing speeches.
B. where the public speech takes place.
C. the individual worldview held by the speaker and each listener.
D. the way a subject is framed for discussion.
Answer: C
Level: Knowledge
10. A recent survey of undergraduate students showed that approximately
A. 85% of first-year university students give formal presentations in their classes.
B. 75% of first-year university students give formal presentations in their classes.
C. 65% of first-year university students give formal presentations in their classes.
D. 55% of first-year university students give formal presentations in their classes.
Answer: A
Level: Knowledge
11. Transactional communication includes
A. messages that have multiple meanings.
O'Brien: Speak Well, 1e T B-1 | 3
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