Public Speaking Test Questions
Course Introduction
Public Speaking is a foundational course designed to develop students confidence and competence in oral communication. Through interactive lectures, practical exercises, and real-world scenarios, students learn essential principles of effective public communication, including speech organization, audience analysis, persuasive techniques, and nonverbal delivery skills. The course emphasizes overcoming speech anxiety, crafting impactful messages, and providing constructive peer feedback. By engaging in a variety of speaking assignments such as informative, persuasive, and special occasion speeches students gain practical experience that can be applied in academic, professional, and social contexts.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Public Speaking 6th Edition by Cheryl Hamilton
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12 Chapters
424 Verified Questions
424 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Public Speaking: Let's Get Started Now
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25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/17803
Sample Questions
Q1) A speech on increasing the size of campus parking lots would be an example of a persuasive speech.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The process by which people share thoughts,ideas,and feelings in understandable ways is called
A)communication.
B)environment.
C)speaking.
D)listening.
Answer: A
Q3) _______________ speeches can demonstrate how to do or make something.
Answer: Informative
Q4) The time,place,and physical and social surroundings within which you give a speech is known as _______________.
Answer: context
Q5) The Greeks and Romans studied _______________,the art of persuasive public speaking.
Answer: rhetoric
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Chapter 2: Building Speaker Confidence
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If you have extremely high trait anxiety and it seems that nothing you have tried so far has helped,you may have inborn-or genetically caused-anxiety that some researchers refer to as _______________.
Answer: communibiology
Q2) Taking a public speaking course is a form of _______________ training. Answer: skills
Q3) Careful preparation for a presentation can reduce anxiety as much as A)25%
B)50%
C)75%
D)10%
Answer: C
Q4) The current view of trait anxiety is that it is both inborn and learned. A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q5) _______________ imagery simply requires the use of your imagination and is a successful technique that you can do on your own.
Answer: Positive,visualization,or mental
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Chapter 3: Listening: What Speakers and Listeners Should
Know
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Audience members who are sitting still in a slouched position are exhibiting signs of _______________.
Answer: inattention
Q2) Although numerous listening filters exist ranging from personal to situational,three main filters require the most speaker adjustment: culture,gender,and Answer: technology
Q3) In this stage of listening,listeners supply meaning to the messages that they have seen,heard,and felt.
A)interpret stage
B)respond stage
C)evaluate stage
D)receive stage
Answer: A
Q4) Audience members who are doodling,leaning forward,and making occasional direct eye contact with the speaker are exhibiting signs of _______________.
Answer: listening
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Public Speaking: Making Ethics and Technology
Work for You
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A video of any quality always adds to your college or job application.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All plagiarism is intentional and deliberate.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Speakers are obligated to be ethical because they can _______________ other people.
Q4) If you have a Skype interview planned you should ask a friend to help you practice it in advance.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Aristotle suggested in his Rhetoric that speeches that reveal "knowledge and sound thinking" are
A)intellectual.
B)ethical.
C)technical.
D)spiritual.
Q6) In order to find out who your audience is,you will need to have _______________ skills. Page 6
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Page 7
Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Audience and Selecting a Really Great Topic
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The age of your audience is an important part of audience analysis. A)True
B)False
Q2) A(n)_______________ is the mental acceptance that something is true even if we can't prove that it is true.
Q3) List five specific demographic characteristics you should consider in analyzing your audience.Give an example for each characteristic to illustrate how your speech might be affected.
Q4) List four specific questions you should consider in gathering situational information about your audience.For each question,give an example of how the answers could affect decisions you make about your speech.
Q5) You should select a topic that you can make _______________ and valuable to your audience.
Q6) Define values,including the two types of values identified by researcher Milton Rokeach.Give examples of each type of value.What do you need to consider about values when delivering a speech,especially when delivering a speech to a multicultural audience?
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Q7) You should select a topic that showcases your _______________ and knowledge.
Chapter 6: Researching, Organizing, and Outlining Your Topic
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44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Humor is always an excellent way to begin a speech.
A)True
B)False
Q2) List the four types of organizational patterns most commonly used in informative speeches.Show how you might use each pattern if your general topic was "Succeeding in College."
Q3) The speaker's main points are
I.Capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime.
II.Capital punishment is more costly than life imprisonment.
III.Capital punishment is ethically and morally unjustifiable.
The speaker is using which organizational pattern?
A)causal
B)problem solution
C)criteria satisfaction
D)claim
Q4) The introduction should take no more than
A)10-15% of your total speaking time.
B)15-20% of your total speaking time.
C)30-45 seconds.
D)1-1 1/2 minutes.
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Chapter 7: Interesting Verbal and Visual Supporting Materials
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38 Verified Questions
38 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss three types of verbal supporting materials and tell why they provide either clarification or proof.
Q2) What are the five rules of using statistics?
Q3) _______________ materials are the verbal and nonverbal information that speakers use to clarify,prove,and add interest to their ideas.
Q4) If you cite a direct quote from someone who is a known leader on your topic,then you are using a(n)
A)personal instance
B)literal comparisons
C)paraphrase.
D)expert opinion.
Q5) Effective speakers search for supporting materials that will clarify their ideas,prove their points,and add interest to their speeches.
A)True
B)False
Q6) What are the three recommendations given for when supporting materials need citations?
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Q7) A _______________ quote is when you quote the words of an expert word for word.
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Chapter 8: Effective Delivery
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39 Verified Questions
39 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When speakers appear tense,don't smile,and make very little eye contact,the audience thinks the speaker
A)is angry.
B)doesn't like topic.
C)is not prepared.
D)does not feel comfortable with the audience.
Q2) Ambiguous words can be unethical when used deliberately to sway an audience.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Speaking from a manuscript is much harder than speaking extemporaneously from notes.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The clear and distinct production of speech sounds is called A)pronunciation.
B)articulation.
C)enunciation.
D)projection.
Q5) _______________ are body movements and gestures that are so specific that they easily replace a word or idea.
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Chapter 9: Informative Speaking
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Demonstration speeches promote understanding-knowing. A)True B)False
Q2) Which organizational pattern is used most often in informative speeches?
A)chronological
B)geographical
C)topical
D)causal
Q3) An informative speech is one that promotes _______________ of an idea,conveys a body of related facts,or demonstrates how to do or make something.
Q4) A vivid,detailed description you paint using words is called a A)description. B)narration.
C)definition.
D)information.
Q5) A rough draft outline can help you with your research. A)True B)False
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Chapter 10: Persuasive Speaking
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41 Verified Questions
41 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/17812
Sample Questions
Q1) A statement of fact indicates
A)the speaker will present arguments and evidence to persuade listeners that an idea,object,or person is not good.
B)the speaker will use both facts and value judgments to recommend a certain policy or situation.
C)the speaker will present evidence to persuade the listeners that a debatable point is or is not true.
D)the speaker will offer evidence in support of a judgment.
Q2) Gillian gave a presentation on the number of children in her state that had no health insurance.She presented three simple steps that could alleviate the problem that would benefit the children,their parents and society.Gillian didn't ask the audience to write to their representative and she didn't ask them to make a phone call or donate money.She wanted the audience to know that uninsured children present a problem that was solvable.What type of speech did Gillian give?
A)a speech to actuate
B)a speech to convince
C)a speech to inform
D)a speech to demonstrate
Q3) ________________ is communication that is intended to influence choice.
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Page 13
Chapter 11: Special Occasion Speaking
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28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A toast is a speech of introduction.
A)True
B)False
Q2) An effective speech of introduction should do all of the following EXCEPT
A)encourage the audience to listen.
B)tell the audience enough about the featured speaker so they will understand the person's qualification.
C)answer questions about the featured speaker's background and qualifications.
D)welcome the featured speaker to the stage and repeating his or her name.
Q3) Describe the purpose of an after-dinner speech.When are these speeches typically delivered? Explain some considerations to make when developing and delivering an after-dinner speech.
Q4) In Aristotle's Rhetoric,he divided speaking into three categories: forensic,deliberative,and _____________.
Q5) Aristotle recognized ceremonial speeches as a class of oratory that focused on praise or blame.
A)True
B)False
Q6) An after-dinner speech should avoid _____________ and complicated content.
Page 14
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Chapter 12:Group Speaking
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The visual aid of choice for a group presentation tends to be which of the following?
A)video
B)hand-held models
C)computer slides
D)white boards
Q2) Although no formal speeches are presented,in a_______________ discussion team members should contribute freely because they are organized,well-prepared,and have a specific purpose.
Q3) List and briefly describe/define the six steps of the basic problem-solving procedure as identified in the text?
Q4) If you are performing a function that must be performed in order to maintain the interpersonal relationships and harmony of the group,then you are performing a A)leader role.
B)task role.
C)member role.
D)maintenance role.
Q5) Groups need to have an appointed leader or coordinator when the group is larger than _______________.
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