Deck 4: Listening and Learning

Question 1

Which of the following best describes listening?

A) the passive process of being near a source of sound
B) the active process of making meaning from another person's spoken message
C) the sensory process of receiving and perceiving sounds
D) the instinctual process of judging a speaker's believability and intentions
E) the effective process of remembering what you hear

Answer 1

the active process of making meaning from another person's spoken message

Question 2

Hairstylist Natasha listens attentively to her clients before cutting their hair, in order to get to know them and to make sure she follows their requests. Natasha's particular listening style is

A) people-oriented.
B) action-oriented.
C) content-oriented.
D) time-oriented.
E) self-oriented.

Answer 2

people-oriented.

Question 3

Enrique is a 911 dispatcher who fields dozens of calls in an average shift. Because of the urgency of his work, Enrique prefers that callers give short answers that get to the point fast. Enrique's particular listening style is

A) self-oriented.
B) people-oriented.
C) action-oriented.
D) content-oriented.
E) time-oriented.

Answer 3

time-oriented.

Question 4

Landscape architect Jamelle likes clear, precise ideas from his clients and encourages his employees to make their presentations neat and organized. Jamelle's particular listening style is

A) people-oriented.
B) action-oriented.
C) content-oriented.
D) time-oriented.
E) self-oriented.

Question 5

Domee, a political strategist, focuses on facts, evidence, and credibility and tends to look at an issue from all sides. Domee's particular listening style is

A) self-oriented.
B) people-oriented.
C) action-oriented.
D) content-oriented.
E) time-oriented.

Question 6

Bridge inspector Desmond finds significant damage on a heavily used town bridge. In an oral report to his supervisor, he stresses the urgency of the situation and recommends that the bridge be closed immediately. Which of the following responses shows that Desmond's supervisor is engaged in effective listening?

A) "I'll call the police right away and ask them to help with the bridge closure and diverting traffic."
B) "I'll be sure to bring this situation up in our team meeting at the end of the week."
C) "How are you getting on with that bridge inspection? Found any issues I need to know about?"
D) "A heads-up that my vacation starts on Monday. That bridge repair can wait until I get back and can research costs."
E) "You really seem to be excelling at your job. Keep it up and someday you'll be in my position."

Question 7

Martina works in the human resources department of an airport and reports to Rufus, the airport's overworked general manager. Martina tells Rufus that three baggage handlers have quit-and that all three said they are leaving because whenever they talk to Rufus about an issue, he yawns, checks his email, and promptly forgets what they tell him. Which of the following steps of the HURIER model is the only one Rufus is using?

A) evaluating
B) hearing
C) remembering
D) interpreting
E) understanding

Question 8

Sharice is participating in a financial-management webinar in which the speaker is using unfamiliar terms and jargon, so Sharice asks the speaker to clarify the meaning of what he is saying. Which of the following elements of effective listening is Sharice enacting?

A) hearing
B) understanding
C) evaluating
D) remembering
E) responding

Question 9

Storing something in your memory and then retrieving it later is known as

A) hearing.
B) remembering.
C) listening.
D) interpreting.
E) evaluating.

Question 10

In which of the following situations is someone interpreting information he or she receives?

A) While her patient explains the severity of her back pain, Dr. Franklin looks for nonverbal cues from facial expressions and other bodily movements.
B) As his instructor lectures on the causes of the American Civil War, Pete takes notes to help him remember key points.
C) As Aggie listens to her coworkers conversing in French, she interrupts them periodically to ask the meaning of a word or phrase.
D) While Reham is conducting job interviews, she makes sure to eliminate all distractions and focus solely on what the speaker is saying.
E) As Tamra listens to the contractor's sales pitch, she tries to separate factual claims from the contractor's opinions about the quality of his work.

Question 11

The stage in the HURIER process that assesses the value of information we receive is called

A) responding.
B) evaluating.
C) interpreting.
D) remembering.
E) understanding.

Question 12

Assigning meaning to information that has been selected for attention demonstrates which of the following listening processes?

A) interpreting
B) evaluating
C) understanding
D) responding
E) hearing

Question 13

The process of indicating to a speaker, both verbally and nonverbally, that we are listening is called

A) hearing.
B) responding.
C) evaluating.
D) interpreting.
E) understanding.

Question 14

If, while listening, you are separating factual claims from opinions, you are

A) evaluating.
B) interpreting.
C) responding.
D) rebutting.
E) remembering.

Question 15

Don is listening to his colleague Roxanne complain that she has not received a pay raise in more than three years. Roxanne asks Don what she should do about it. What is the most active feedback strategy that Don could adopt in this situation?

A) paraphrasing
B) supporting
C) empathizing
D) advising
E) backchanneling

Question 16

What happens when you use a supporting listening response during a back-and-forth discussion?

A) You show your agreement with the speaker's opinion or point of view.
B) You explain your opinion or describe your own experience.
C) You give advice to the speaker about what he or she should do.
D) You show the speaker that you understand and share his or her feelings.
E) You demonstrate to the speaker that you are paying attention to his or her words.

Question 17

Which of the following lets a speaker know that you are following along with his or her message?

A) stonewalling
B) signaling
C) understanding
D) communicating
E) memorizing

Question 18

Lou, a waitress, speaks to Mohammed, her manager, about problems she is having with a regular customer's rude and sexist behavior. Which of the following would be the most appropriate way for Mohammed to respond to Lou?

A) "The customer is always right, Lou. We may not always like it, but that's just how it goes."
B) "Did you say something to him to make him angry or upset?
C) "I understand, Lou. I'm sorry. I'll talk to the customer next time he comes in and resolve the issue."
D) "Ha ha! OK, well, thanks for letting me know."
E) "I get so sick of this job sometimes. Nobody understands how hard it is to be in my position."

Question 19

Dr. Chopra and a colleague are attending a concert of their favorite classical Indian music. Which of the following type of listening are they engaging in?

A) critical
B) inspirational
C) empathic
D) appreciative
E) informational

Question 20

Eero listens to podcasts to learn about politics and history each day as he drives to and from work. Which type of listening is Eero engaged in?

A) informational
B) critical
C) empathic
D) sympathetic
E) inspirational

Question 21

Rita and Jamil are having a disagreement about the need for mandatory weekly team meetings. While Rita explains a point in support of the mandatory meetings, Jamil is barely listening and already formulating his next response against the proposal. Jamil is engaging in which of the following behaviors?

A) glazing over
B) continuer statement
C) confirmation bias
D) rebuttal tendency
E) pseudolistening

Question 22

Corporate buyer DeShawn listens to a salesperson describe the different features of several laptops before deciding on a model to purchase. Which type of listening is DeShawn engaged in?

A) informational
B) critical
C) empathic
D) sympathetic
E) appreciative

Question 23

The suggestion to "listen for substance more than style" means that you should

A) emphasize hearing sounds over interpreting the message.
B) listen with an open mind and an open heart.
C) avoid information that makes you question your beliefs.
D) concentrate on accurate information instead of being influenced by drama or charisma.
E) pay close attention to body language and other nonverbal communicators.

Question 24

Which of the following statements regarding the credibility of a speaker is true?

A) A person must have personally experienced something in order to be an expert.
B) A person can be an expert on a topic in which he or she has no direct personal experience.
C) A person's personal bias has no impact on his or her credibility.
D) A person must have a Ph.D. before being recognized as an expert in a field.
E) Credibility is more closely linked to likability than accuracy.

Question 25

Which of the following best describes the word skepticism?

A) a willingness to suspend judgment and accept a speaker's claims as true
B) the tendency to pay attention only to information that supports our values and beliefs
C) the strategy of separating what is and what isn't being said
D) a method of questioning whether a claim is well supported by evidence
E) a propensity to argue inwardly with a speaker

Question 26

Computer salesperson Agueda listens attentively as her coworker Ju describes her frustration over losing her largest account, then says, "That must be so tough for you." Which type of listening is Agueda engaged in?

A) informational
B) critical
C) empathic
D) sympathetic
E) appreciative

Question 27

Which of the following activities are related to critical listening?

A) enjoying and celebrating
B) rejecting and arguing
C) absorbing and learning
D) analyzing and evaluating
E) supporting and comforting

Question 28

The tendency to favor an idea, person, or thing over another is known as

A) attitude.
B) bias.
C) skepticism.
D) rebuttal.
E) credibility.

Question 29

Which of the following is an example of psychological noise?

A) You notice the clicking of your coworker's keyboard.
B) You discern the sound of a far-off car alarm.
C) You hear laughter coming from your boss's office.
D) You have distracting thoughts during a business meeting.
E) You pick up the sound of distant thunder as a rainstorm begins.

Question 30

Which of the following examples depicts pseudolistening?

A) Terrence listens, laughs, and says "way to go!" as his coworker describes reaching a sales goal.
B) While reading a web article, Mia occasionally nods and says "wow" as her coworker describes her vacation.
C) Bernice takes plenty of notes during her English professor's final lecture before midterms.
D) Saburo listens sympathetically and offers condolences as his employee talks about the loss of a beloved dog.
E) David feels inspired to take up jogging as he listens to the motivational speaker discuss the importance of exercise.

Question 31

When you filter out certain sounds and information to concentrate only on what you want to hear, you are paying ________ attention.

A) appreciative
B) selective
C) critical
D) pseudo
E) sympathetic

Question 32

When we are overwhelmed with the large amount of information we must take in every day, we are experiencing information

A) overload.
B) deficit syndrome.
C) content drain.
D) distraction.
E) accumulation.

Question 33

Marcus is listening to his coworker Sheri describe her latest dream. Although Marcus is paying attention to Sheri, he is also allowing his mind to wander and think about what he will have for lunch. This is an example of

A) glazing over.
B) closed-mindedness.
C) pseudolistening.
D) selective listening.
E) appreciative listening.

Question 34

Those with a ________ are inclined to debate a speaker's point of view and devise a reply while the speaker is still talking.

A) closed-minded view
B) rebuttal tendency
C) competitive-interrupting tendency
D) time-oriented style
E) people-oriented style

Question 35

Which of the following examples depicts closed-mindedness?

A) Nonprofit director Dana is skeptical that her friend's investment scheme will pay off, but is willing to learn more about it.
B) Math teacher Roland, an avid golfer, tries playing disc golf a few times but is sticking to traditional golf.
C) Journalist Sable, born in Botswana, loves the African yogurt madila, but she enjoys Greek yogurt too.
D) Graphic designer Carla avoids discussions about vegetarianism because she is a big supporter of the cattle industry.
E) Store manager Sam, who has a learning disability, overcomes his hesitancy to read to elementary-age children.

Question 36

Which of the following is a characteristic of competitive interrupting?

A) attempting to withdraw from a conversation
B) attempting to be sympathetic in a conversation
C) attempting to make eye contact during a conversation
D) attempting to take control of a conversation
E) attempting to separate fact from opinion

Question 37

Mignon has a habit of "hearing" words or statements that were not actually said and has trouble determining if she has clearly understood a speaker's message. Which of the following strategies should Mignon use to determine what was and was not said?

A) Formulate arguments and rebuttals as the speaker is talking.
B) Paraphrase the speaker's message in her own words.
C) Engage in more empathic or sympathetic listening.
D) Boost her selective attention skills.
E) Listen carefully instead of responding quickly.

Question 38

Those displaying a confirmation bias tend to pay attention to information that supports their values and beliefs, while discounting or ignoring information that doesn't. Which of the following strategies should you use to avoid confirmation bias?

A) Avoid information that could make you question your beliefs.
B) Restate the speaker's opinion in your own words.
C) Seek out all sides of an issue before forming an opinion.
D) Steer clear of arguing inwardly with a speaker.
E) Disregard speakers whom you do not know personally.

Question 39

The tendency of dramatic or extraordinary events to distort our perceptions of reality is known as the

A) vividness effect.
B) psychological noise problem.
C) confirmation bias.
D) credibility gap.
E) glazing-over syndrome.

Question 40

After watching a YouTube video on how anyone can make big money in real estate, Katie immediately signs up for an expensive weekend workshop. Unfortunately, the workshop turns out to be a major disappointment, and Katie has wasted thousands of dollars. Before Katie parted with her money, she should have

A) read promotional materials on the workshop's website.
B) investigated whether the claims in the promotional YouTube video were valid.
C) asked a customer service representative to explain the benefits of the workshop.
D) made a plan for how she would spend the money she made from real estate.
E) asked a friend to join her at the workshop.

Question 41

If a speaker struggles to communicate with an audience because the audience finds him or her untrustworthy, the speaker lacks

A) vividness.
B) charisma.
C) credibility.
D) perspective.
E) courage.

Question 42

Which of the following is a strategy for nonjudgmental listening?

A) Assume every speaker is a credible authority on their topic.
B) Try to restate a speaker's message in your own words.
C) Avoid interrupting or offering unsolicited advice.
D) Ask questions throughout the speech to clarify the speaker's meaning.
E) Tell the speaker what you would do if you were in his or her position.

Question 43

Carter is listening to his coworker, Isaiah, describe what it was like to live through a devastating earthquake. Carter responds to Isaiah with statements such as "You must have been so frightened" and "I can't imagine being in your shoes."
What type of statement is Carter using to show Isaiah that he empathizes with him?

A) appreciative
B) critical
C) terminator
D) nonjudgmental
E) continuer

Question 44

Dan has just been laid off from his job. He was given only a few weeks' severance pay, and he has a family to support and little savings in the bank. His former office mate, Elana, is trying to be supportive and wants to avoid terminator statements that only make things worse. Which of the following is an example of a terminator statement?

A) "I bet you feel cheated by your boss."
B) "I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end."
C) "You must be concerned about how you'll pay your bills."
D) "I can imagine the news was a pretty big shock."
E) "You're probably worried about how you're going to tell your family."

Question 45

For a statement to be ________, it has to have greater than a 50 percent chance of being true.

A) empathic
B) critical
C) possible
D) certain
E) probable

Question 46

Listening is essentially the same as hearing.

Question 47

Opinions assert what should be, whereas factual claims assert what is.

Question 48

If you have a people-oriented style of listening, you are typically a trusting person.

Question 49

Most people remember about 25 percent of what they hear.

Question 50

If you are stonewalling as a listening response, you are using facial expressions, nods, vocalizations such as "uh-huh,"
and statements such as "I get what you're saying."

Question 51

The HURIER model contains seven stages of effective listening.

Question 52

The stages of effective listening outlined in the HURIER model of listening are hearing, understanding, restating, interpreting, empathizing, and responding.

Question 53

The popular children's poem that begins "In fourteen hundred ninety-two; Columbus sailed the ocean blue"
is an example of a mnemonic device.

Question 54

Empathic listening is not the same as sympathetic listening.

Question 55

When you look at and try to understand a situation from someone else's point of view, you are engaging in perspective taking.

Question 56

Inspirational listening is listening for pure enjoyment, such as what you might do when listening to a Spotify playlist on a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Question 57

The listening skill of empathic concern is the ability to identify how someone else is feeling and then experience those feelings yourself.

Question 58

When your goal is to evaluate or analyze what you are hearing, you are engaged in critical listening.

Question 59

The average U.S. adult is exposed to more than 350 advertising messages each day.

Question 60

Most people are capable of understanding about 150 words per minute.

Question 61

Glazing over is the same behavior as pseudolistening.

Question 62

Being an effective listener is an innate ability we all possess.

Question 63

Having experience may give someone credibility in a particular area, but it doesn't necessarily make that person an expert.

Question 64

For a claim to be certain, there can be absolutely no chance that it is not true.

Question 65

If you are trying to show empathy and communicate your support nonverbally, eye contact is usually the most important nonverbal behavior.

Question 66

Recall a time when you and a friend heard the exact same message but took away different meanings. What was the original message? What was the message you heard? What was the message your friend heard? Why do you think you constructed different meanings?

Question 67

Think about your primary listening style-the one you use most often. Do you tend to favor a people-oriented, an action-oriented, a content-oriented, or a time-oriented style? Describe a situation in which your preferred listening style worked to your advantage. Then describe another situation in which it proved to be a disadvantage.

Question 68

Describe a recent interaction in which you believe you listened effectively, using the behaviors in the HURIER model. To whom were you listening? How did you signal to the speaker that you were paying attention to his or her words?

Question 69

List three reasons why choosing to use stonewalling could damage a personal or business relationship. Then write a paragraph with an example of someone using stonewalling as a listening response.

Question 70

A mnemonic is a tool to help us remember key facts, figures, names, and so on. Give an example of a mnemonic you have used to help jog your memory. The example can be a song, nursery rhyme, image, phrase-anything that helps with recall. Did you find the mnemonic helpful? Why or why not?

Question 71

Describe the difference between informational and critical listening. Give an example of when you would use each listening type.

Question 72

Identify the main differences between a continuer statement and a terminator statement. Give three examples of each in the form of a statement or question.

Question 73

Select two of the following obstacles to effective listening: physical noise, psychological noise, pseudolistening, glazing over, rebuttal tendency, closed-mindedness. Compare the two obstacles you have chosen. How are they similar? How are they different?

Question 74

Give three examples of how information overload affects your daily life. What strategies have you tried to overcome unnecessary interruptions and be more productive?

Question 75

Identify the digital distractions in your life. What triggers can you name that might cause you to compulsively check email, texts, Snapchat messages, and so on? What strategies have you used, or could you use, to manage these distractions and help you become both more productive and a more effective listener?