221.After communicating with an employee via email memo regarding project goals, you discover that the employee misinterpreted your expectations. You believe the channel was the problem and:

A. send a more detailed email to correct the miscommunication

B. schedule a meeting to discuss the miscommunication

C. reprimand the employee for disregarding your instructions

D. more closely supervise the project for the remaining duration

ANS:B If the channel or method of delivery was the problem, the logical choice to correct the miscommunication is to choose a different method of delivery for the message.

222.You are giving a presentation to a small group of co-workers and notice that several of them are leaning forward in their chairs, causing you to infer that they:

A. are interested in your presentation

B. are ready to leave the meeting

C. disagree with your position

D. are not paying attention to the presentation

ANS:A Leaning forward, especially towards the speaker, is a common non-verbal communication of interest.

223. Non-verbal communication plays a large part in effectively sending a message. When speaking to a group be sure to consider paralanguage factors such as:

A. your hand and body gestures

B. throat clearing and sighs

C. temperature and light

D. proximity to your audience

ANS:B Paralanguage refers to vocal characteristics such as pitch, speed, volume, and sounds such as sighing and throat clearing that can send non-verbal messages to your audience.

224.When speaking to an audience you utilize the technique of contrast to emphasize one of your main points. Which of the following is an example of this technique?

A. Wouldn't we all be better off in a world without war?

B. Our country's government cannot continue to help people who want to hurt our country.

C. These actions are wrong, they are unacceptable, and they are criminal!

D. Commitment to this cause is like marriage; you have to stick with it in good times and bad

ANS: B Contrast joins two similar statements changing only the words that you want to emphasize. A demonstrates a rhetorical question, C is an example of ordering and D is a simile.

225.If you are speaking to an audience of professionals in a highly specialized field and are using the manuscript style of delivery, it is very likely that:

A. your speech is impromptu in nature

B. you are trying to persuade the audience to support a change

C. someone else prepared or assisted in the preparation of your speech

D. this is material with which you are very comfortable

ANS:C Manuscript delivery is exactly that, scripted. This style is often used when material is very precise, or unfamiliar, or when someone else has prepared the speech. This style is often used by politicians and organization spokespersons.

226.You are preparing to give a speech at a convention that will last about 25 minutes. Your primary objective is to appear informed and for your audience to know that a great deal of planning went into your remarks. Which delivery style best accommodates this goal?

A. impromptu

B. memorized

C. extemporaneous

D. manuscript

ANS: D Manuscript, although not the most natural delivery does clearly show planning and allows a great deal of specific information to me communicated. Memorized has the same benefit, but would be too difficult for a speech of that length. Impromptu and extemporaneous allow for less planning.

227.Your organization employs people in a variety of positions from custodial to professionals with doctoral degrees. You need to send out an effective written communication to all employees regarding a new policy so you are careful to avoid which of the following when writing the memo?

A. a feedback system

B. encoding

C. semantic noise

D. all of the above

ANS:C Semantic noise refers to the use of words or language that is not widely understood or could possibly mean different things to different people.

228. When listening to a presentation, the audience is more likely to be persuaded by the speaker if he has established ethos, or:

A. a personal connection with them

B. his knowledge and experience in this area

C. a strong argument in favor of his position

D. a lengthy list of evidence to support his position

ANS:B Ethos refers to a speaker's prestige which can come from credentials, knowledge or experience, or extensive preparation.

229.As a group, a new project team at work has established several norms for the team. All of these might be examples of these except:

A. mandatory attendance at all meetings

B. a rotating chairperson role for meetings

C. regular email updates to all team members

D. management evaluation of group performance

ANS: D Norms are those rules or guidelines established by the group, for the group class="cour" in order to improve group communication and performance

230.If a government agency offers a news release to a media outlet with an embargo attached, it is generally implied that:

A. it will not be released or published until the specified date

B. it will not be shared with other media outlets

C. the news release must be confirmed by another source before publication

D. the agency is simply passing on information from another source or agency

ANS:A The embargo implies limitations on use, usually in regards to a timeframe for publication. This is sometimes agreed to by the media in return for exclusivity.

231.You have to give a presentation to employees informing them of impending layoffs due to poor company performance. The best presentation style would be:

A. induction

B. persuasive

C. informative

D. deduction

ANS:D The deduction style would present employees with the different factors involved, allowing them to slowly gain understanding of the situation that has triggered the bad news, rather than dropping a bomb on them

232.Which of the following demonstrates the use of upward feedback within an organization?

A. A manager sends an employee a positive email about his hard work on a project

B. An employee evaluates his supervisor as part of the annual performance evaluation process

C. Employees spread information about a rumored pay raise to one another via email

D. All of the above are examples

ANS:B Upward feedback travels from subordinates to superiors.

233.Understanding your target audience is a key to creating effective communication. We can better understand the target audience through demographics which identify primarily physical traits and psychographics which focus on people's:
A. group membership and affiliation

B. education and knowledge

C. beliefs and values

D. health

ANS:C Psychographics focuses mainly on the feelings, lifestyles, values, and beliefs that people hold or follow.

234.You are meeting with an employee to discuss her possible assignment to an established team for an upcoming project. She says that this would be okay with her. She is pulling at her ear and scratching the back of her head, giving you the impression that she:

A. is concerned about the change

B. is being honest with you

C. resents your authority

D. is angry about the proposed change

ANS:A These non-verbal gestures often indicate doubt, uncertainty, or concern

235.If your organization's spokesperson announces media availability for the following day at 10:00 AM, that generally means:

A. the company will be holding a news conference at that time

B. a press release will be available at that time

C. the spokesperson will be available for questions at that time

D. the spokesperson will be appearing on television at that time

ANS: C Media availability generally refers to a specific person's willingness to take inquiries or questions from the media at a specified time.

236.Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is based on the theory that people's thought process is mirrored in how they speak. When having a conversation this idea can be used to communicate more effectively by:

A. mirroring the other person's tone and body language to create empathy

B. anticipating a person's responses and completing his sentences

C. immediately ending a conversation that has a negative tone

D. persuading the other person to accept your point of view

ANS:A NLP helps build rapport, empathy, and reduce tension, creating a more positive and receptive environment for communication.

237.A subordinate at work frequently demonstrates lack of professionalism in her clothing choices. What approach would be best for communicating the inappropriateness of her behavior?

A. Have a personal meeting and start with a soft entry, but then be straightforward

B. Sit her down and immediately explain the problem, mentioning other employees' comments

C. Send her an email with the company dress code attached

D. Request that a co-worker discuss the problem with her

ANS:A The soft entry allows her time to prepare for the negative feedback that is coming. Avoid using other employees, even just by mentioning their feelings, in addressing the problem as this will embarrass the employee and create hard feelings.

238.When constructing an email, be sure to follow accepted etiquette and create a clear communication by avoiding all of the following except:

A. typing in all capital letters

B. only use widely accepted abbreviations

C. leaving the subject line blank

D. always place all recipients in the ‘to' field


ANS:B Abbreviations are commonly abused in email communication leading to confusion. Typing in all caps is seen as shouting and a blank subject line is an incomplete communication. The ‘to' field is only for the intended recipient addressed in the email. Copied recipients should be placed in the ‘cc' or ‘bc' fields.

239.When reprimanding an employee for behavior that you feel was inappropriate, you notice that she lifts her head and juts her chin forward, giving you the impression that she:

A. understands your concerns and is feeling remorse

B. does not agree with your concerns or respect your authority

C. is worried about your opinion of her

D. is interested in what you are saying and respects you

ANS:B Lifting and jutting the chin is a common non-verbal clue to feelings of arrogance, superiority, or contempt

240.When you send a message to an intended recipient, whether verbal, written, or non-verbal, how that recipient interprets the message is influenced by all of the following except:

A. context

B. decoding

C. channel

D. all of the above are influences

ANS:D Decoding is the process a recipient goes through to understand the message. Context applies to the environment in which the message is received as well as surrounding influences. Channel is the method of delivery such as letter, email, face-to-face, etc.

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