Public Speaking Test 2. Print out and answer the questions. Submit AT 10.30am on the 24 Nov 2009.

1. Test 2 : 1
Name:
Matric No:
Public Speaking
TEST 2
Indicate the best answer for each question by circling the correct answer. Each question is worth
2 points. The whole exam is worth 100 points. You have one hour to complete the exam.
1. Audience adaptation is an important factor in which of the following steps of the
speechmaking process?
a. formulating a specific purpose
b. writing an introduction and conclusion
c. choosing visual aids
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
2. According to your textbook, what is the most important early step in the process of
developing a successful speech?
a. creating a preliminary bibliography
b. researching for speech materials
c. formulating the specific purpose
d. brainstorming for a central idea
e. selecting the residual message
3. According to your textbook, outlining is important to public speaking because an outline
helps you judge whether
a. your main points are properly balanced.
b. your speech will be interesting to the audience.
c. you have adequate supporting materials for your main points.
d. all of the above.
e. a and c only.
4. According to your textbook, using evidence in a persuasive speech can
a. increase the speaker’s credibility.
b. inoculate listeners against counterpersuasion.
c. compensate for fallacious reasoning.
d. all of the above.
e. a and b only.
5. As a public speaker, you face ethical issues when
a. selecting the topic for your speech.
b. researching your speech.
c. organizing your speech.
d. all of the above.
e. a and b only
6. Language helps to shape our sense of reality by

2. a. causing events.
b. giving meaning to events.
c. communicating events.
d. mirroring events.
e. reflecting events.
7. During her speech on malpractice insurance, the head of the local branch of the American
Medical Association consistently avoided making eye contact with her audience.
According to research on the role of nonverbal communication in public speaking, the
audience was likely to perceive her as
a. insincere.
b. trustworthy.
c. inexperienced.
d. credible.
e. inconsistent.
8. According to your textbook, the two most important factors affecting the credibility of a
persuasive speaker are
a. competence and character.
b. prestige and charisma.
c. character and reputation.
d. popularity and intelligence.
e. charisma and competence.
9. Which of the following is recommended by your textbook as a way to improve your
listening?
a. Try to remember everything the speaker says.
b. Pay close attention to feedback from other listeners.
c. Concentrate solely on the speaker’s gestures and eye contact.
d. Suspend judgment until you hear all the speaker has to say.
e. Do not take written notes as the speech is in progress.
10. Which of the following would you most likely find in a speech introduction?
a. a credibility statement
b. a transition
c. a causal argument
d. an internal summary
e. a call to action
11. If you want to persuade a skeptical audience, which of the following is it most
important for you to do in your speech?
a. define unclear terms in the introduction
b. organize the speech in problem-solution order
c. focus the speech on questions of value
d. answer the reasons for the audience’s skepticism
e. include a call for action in the conclusion

3. Test 2 : 3
12. Which of the following does your textbook recommend as a way to deal with
nervousness in your speeches?
a. Concentrate on thinking about your stage fright.
b. Think of your speech as an act of communication.
c. Avoid making eye contact with your audience.
d. Try to generate extra adrenaline as you speak.
e. Work especially hard on your conclusion.
13. When Tami introduced the new university president to a group of distinguished alumni,
she closed her remarks by saying, “You folks are really going to like this new Prez.”
Afterward, the event organizer told Tami that in the future she should use more formal
language when speaking on such an occasion. Which of the following statements best
describes Tami’s error?
a. She did not use language denotatively.
b. She did not use language personably.
c. She did not use language referentially.
d. She did not use language appropriately
e. She did not use language stylistically.
14. As Amanda analyzed the audience for her speech about organic foods, she focused on
such things as their gender, age, and cultural background. In doing so, she was engaging
in audience analysis.
a. situational
b. psychological
c. demographic
d. preliminary
e. descriptive
15. Which of the following is a correctly worded main point for a speech preparation outline?
a. Leadership.
b. What are the major types of leadership?
c. Two major types of leadership.
d. There are two major types of leadership.
e. Leadership: major types.
16. When giving an informative speech, you should take special care to
a. translate technical information into everyday language.
b. state your ideas in abstract terms.
c. establish goodwill with the audience in your introduction.
d. avoid speaking about complex topics.
e. prepare your introduction before the body of your speech.

4. 17. Which of the following is one of the four major causes of poor listening discussed in your
textbook?
a. focusing on a speaker’s appearance or delivery
b. taking key-word notes during a speech
c. suspending judgment about a speaker’s ideas
d. concentrating on a speaker’s evidence and reasoning
e. listening empathically rather than critically
18. Antonio is researching his speech on West Nile Virus. According to your textbook,
Antonio should
a. make a preliminary bibliography.
b. think about his research materials as he is gathering them.
c. distinguish among direct quotations, paraphrases, and his own ideas.
d. all of the above.
e. a and c only.
19. According to your textbook, when evaluating statistics you should ask whether they
a. are from a reliable source.
b. use statistical measures correctly.
c. are representative of what they claim to measure.
d. all of the above.
e. b and c only.
20. In the introduction of his speech on the Special Olympics, Mason mentioned that he had
attended the events last year to cheer on a family friend who was competing in some
races. Sharing this information with the audience helped Mason achieve which goal of a
speech introduction?
a. relating to the audience
b. generating emotional appeal
c. stating the importance of the topic
d. establishing credibility
e. previewing the body
21. Which of the following does your textbook mention as an advantage of using visual aids
in a public speech?
a. Using visual aids enhances the clarity of the speaker’s message.
b. Using visual aids reduces the need for eye contact with the audience.
c. Using visual aids can help combat the speaker’s stage fright.
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
22. The fact that audiences are egocentric means that
a. listeners believe their cultural group is superior to all other groups.
b. listeners are concerned above all with how a speech will affect them.
c. listeners will interpret the speech through the speaker’s frame of reference.
d. all of the above.
e. a and b only.

5. Test 2 : 5
23. Your textbook presents each of the following as a tip for using examples in a speech
except
a. combine examples with causal reasoning.
b. practice delivery to enhance your extended examples.
c. make your examples vivid and richly textured.
d. use examples to personalize your ideas.
e. use examples to clarify your ideas.
24. Which of the following is recommended in your textbook as a way to reinforce the
central idea in a speech conclusion?
a. speed up your rate of delivery
b. refer back to the introduction
c. ask for questions from the audience
d. all of the above
e. b and c only
25. What does your textbook say about speech dialects?
a. Most languages have dialects.
b. Dialects are usually based on regional or ethnic speech patterns.
c. No dialect is inherently better or worse than any other dialect.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
26. Erik is giving a speech in his art history course. He has carefully prepared his
presentation and plans to deliver it from a brief set of note cards. What kind of delivery is
Erik using?
a. informal
b. memorized
c. extemporaneous
d. impromptu
e. formal
27. As a speaker, you would probably use more connotative words if you wanted to
a. arouse an emotional response.
b. appear as impartial as possible.
c. explain a technical concept.
d. enhance your credibility.
e. exploit the rhythm of language.
28. According to your textbook, emotional appeal is
a. inappropriate in a persuasive speech on a question of policy.
b. often necessary when a speaker is trying to move an audience to action.
c. most effectively generated by using emotionally-charged words.
d. unethical unless the emotional appeal is combined with causal reasoning.
e. seldom used by public speakers in support of honorable causes.

6. 29. What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement?
In recent months, newspapers have carried reports of vicious dogs
attacking people in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Boston, and Orlando. These
reports show that dog attacks are an increasingly serious problem
nationwide.
a. analogical reasoning
b. reasoning from principle
c. journalistic reasoning
d. reasoning from specific instances
e. causal reasoning
30. Regardless of whether your aim is to encourage passive agreement or immediate action, you
must deal with three basic issues whenever you discuss a question of policy. They are
a. cause, effect, and practicality.
b. evidence, practicality, and reasoning.
c. need, action, and reaction.
d. problem, plan, and solution.
e. need, plan, and practicality.
31. According to your textbook, when selecting fonts for a visual aid you should usually use
a. no more than two fonts.
b. decorative fonts.
c. a different font for each line.
d. italicized fonts.
e. a wide variety of fonts.
32. While working on the body of your speech, you see the need to let the audience know what
the upcoming subpoints will be. You decide to add a(n)
a. transition.
b. internal preview.
c. organizational bridge.
d. internal summary.
e. structural link.
33. As your textbook explains, virtual libraries are valuable for speech research because they
a. focus attention on factual material such as statistics.
b. contain higher quality information than do regular search engines.
c. allow a researcher to locate more sources than do regular search engines.
d. all of the above.
e. b and c only.

7. Test 2 : 7
34. Elisa is giving a speech on women’s athletics and has brought a petition for her
listeners to sign. When should she circulate the petition?
a. before she begins her speech
b. after she reveals the topic of her speech
c. after explaining the problems faced by women’s athletic teams
d. while urging her audience to take action during the conclusion of the speech
e. after she has finished speaking
35. If you were giving a speech and needed to know the number of people who die each year
in the United States from accidental drowning, which of the following would be the best
source to consult?
a. Current Biography
b. Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature
c. Statistical Abstract of the United States
d. Webster’s Geographical Dictionary
e. Encyclopaedia Britannica
36. Research indicates that the impact of examples is greatly enhanced when they are
followed by that show the examples to be typical.
a. analogies
b. statistics
c. credibility statements
d. emotional appeals
e. syllogisms
37. Which organizational pattern would probably be most effective for arranging the main
points of a speech with the specific purpose, “To inform my audience how to set up an
online business”?
a. chronological
b. problem-solution
c. spatial
d. causal
e. comparative-advantage
38. What organizational pattern would probably be most effective for arranging the main
points of a speech with the central idea “Estate taxes should be retained because they
preserve opportunity for all, because their elimination would increase the national deficit,
and because they are consistent with American values of fairness and justice”?
a. causal
b. formal
c. problem-solution
d. topical
e. economic

8. 39. “To inform my audience how to make genuine French croissants” is a specific purpose
statement for a speech about a(n)
a. object.
b. process.
c. function.
d. event.
e. concept.
40. When commemorating her grandfather, Delany said: “He told me once it was a privilege
to know everyone in town; at his funeral, everyone in town told me it had been a privilege
to know him.” According to your textbook, Delany’s statement is an example of
a. simile.
b. reversal.
c. personification.
b. transposition.
e. antithesis.
41. According to your textbook, the following passage from a speech introduction is an
example of a(n) .
In my speech today, I will show you the serious health dangers posed
by the flu, and I will urge each of you to get a flu shot every year
without fail.
a. preview statement
b. transition statement
c. credibility statement
d. attention statement
e. summary statement
42. “To persuade my audience that the United States Park Service should reduce the
number of camp sites in national parks by 50 percent” is a specific purpose statement
for a persuasive speech on a question of
a. fact.
b. attitude.
c. value.
d. policy.
e. opinion.
43. As Christopher delivered his speech, he noticed that some members of his audience
looked confused as he explained one of his main points. As a result, he slowed down and
explained the point again. In this case, Christopher was
a. dealing with external interference.
b. adjusting the channel of communication.
c. interpreting the audience’s frame of reference.
d. compensating for the situation.
e. adapting to audience feedback.

9. Test 2 : 9
44. When approaching the lectern and beginning your speech, you should
a. start immediately so your audience does not become impatient.
b. create a bond with the audience by acknowledging your nervousness.
c. establish eye contact with the audience before you start to speak.
d. all of the above.
e. a and b only.
45. If the following transition were used in a persuasive speech, the speech would most likely
be organized in order:
Now that I’ve told you about declining voter involvement in this
country, let’s look at what we can do about it.
a. causal
b. spatial
c. comparative-advantages
d. problem-solution
e. topical
46. Arranged in random order below are a main point, two subpoints, and two sub-subpoints
from a speech preparation outline. Which is the main point?
a. The largest members of the hawk family are Old World vultures.
b. Raptors are powerful birds of prey with hooked beaks and sharp talons.
c. Among Falconiformes, the hawk family is the largest and most diverse.
d. The hawk family includes eagles, hawks, kites, harriers, and vultures.
e. There are two orders of Raptors—Falconiformes and Strigiformes.
47. Nathan plans to give a speech to his classmates explaining how to build a Web site. The
most important factor he should consider when analyzing his audience is probably its
a. group membership.
b. knowledge about the topic.
c. sexual orientation.
d. attitude toward him.
e. size.
48. According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of
fallacy?
Why should we be concerned about Siberian tigers becoming extinct
when there are more and more homeless people who need our
support?
a. red herring
b. ad hominem
c. hasty generalization
d. slippery slope
e. either-or

10. 49. According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of
fallacy?
We must either support the governor’s plan to reduce spending on
education or we will never be able to balance the state budget.
a. either-or
b. faulty comparison
c. hasty generalization
d. invalid analogy
e. bandwagon
50. According to your textbook, what kind of supporting material is used in the following
speech excerpt:
Imagine yourself driving down the freeway on your way to work. You
see lights flashing in your rear view mirror. You turn to see the police
officer pulling you over. Were you speeding? No, says the officer, but
he needs to search your vehicle as part of a new program to stop drug
trafficking. Does he have a warrant? He says he doesn’t need one.
You protest, but the officer carries out his search anyway. The officer
finds nothing, but by the time he is done, you are very late for work.
a. analogical example
b. hypothetical example
c. causal example
d. synthetic example
e. metaphorical example