Deck 3: Selecting Your Topic and Purpose

Question 1

The unrestricted aim of your speech is called the

A) central idea.
B) general purpose.
C) objective.
D) main point.

Answer 1

general purpose.

Question 2

Which of the following has the general purpose of "to inform"?

A) a speech on how to make cupcakes
B) a eulogy
C) a speech arguing for health care reform
D) a speech commemorating 9/11 victims

Answer 2

a speech on how to make cupcakes

Question 3

Which of the following does NOT have the general purpose of "to inform"?

A) a speech on the history of Hershey's Chocolate
B) a speech on the life and career of Johnny Cash
C) a speech honoring veterans on Veteran's Day
D) a speech given by a new member at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting

Answer 3

a speech honoring veterans on Veteran's Day

Question 4

Kit is giving a speech on animal rights and hopes to change the attitudes, beliefs, values, and actions of her audience on this issue. The general purpose of Kit's speech is to

A) accentuate.
B) celebrate.
C) shock.
D) persuade.

Question 5

Which of the following does NOT have the goal of accentuating a special occasion?

A) a toast at an awards banquet
B) a speech about the history of American agriculture
C) a speech given at Ground Zero on 9/11
D) a speech given by a proud father at his son's bar mitzvah

Question 6

A(n)________ is a list of general words and phrases that could be potential speech topics.

A) objective diagram
B) working outline
C) idea bank
D) cloud chart

Question 7

Bryan is creating an idea bank in order to brainstorm potential speech topics. Which of the following steps should Bryan perform first?

A) He should make a list of potential speech topics.
B) He should get a friend to help him brainstorm.
C) He should begin creating his idea bank on his computer.
D) He should evaluate the speech assignment, the audience, and the speaking situation.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a guideline for brainstorming?

A) write all possible topics down on a piece of paper
B) enter all speech ideas into a spreadsheet program
C) think about your hobbies, interests, and experiences
D) don't eliminate any potential speech topics at this early stage

Question 9

Lucia has been given in assignment in her speech class in which she must create a speech with the general purpose "to describe." Lucia can choose any of the following topic categories EXCEPT a(n)

A) concept.
B) animal.
C) place.
D) object.

Question 10

If your general purpose is to persuade, you can choose all of the following topic categories EXCEPT a

A) belief.
B) behavior.
C) process.
D) value.

Question 11

Which of the following is an ethical guideline for selecting a topic?

A) select a topic that you are comfortable speaking about
B) persuasive topics should focus on individuals, not on issues
C) your topic should not be harmful to you or to your audience
D) select a topic that is new or unique to the audience

Question 12

Narrowing your speech topic will help you do all of the following EXCEPT

A) ensure your speech follows ethical guidelines.
B) achieve the general purpose of your speech.
C) keep your audience focused on your topic.
D) increase your confidence for giving the speech.

Question 13

The_______ is the outcome or behavior you want your audience to experience or adopt after hearing your speech.

A) central idea
B) specific purpose
C) general purpose
D) objective

Question 14

Another term for the central idea is the

A) working outline.
B) thesis statement.
C) general purpose.
D) WOW statement.

Question 15

The single statement combining your general purpose, your audience, and your objective is called the

A) specific purpose.
B) objective statement.
C) thesis statement.
D) general statement.

Question 16

Although you can narrow your topic in different ways, the main result of any method you use should be an effectively written

A) objective.
B) working outline.
C) central idea.
D) hypothesis.

Question 17

An effective ___________ is vital to a successful speech because everything you say in your speech should relate back to this one concise statement.

A) general purpose
B) central idea
C) main point
D) objective

Question 18

A brief sketch of the body of your speech is called the

A) working outline.
B) idea cluster.
C) sloppy copy.
D) framework.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT true about your working outline?

A) It will contain your specific purpose.
B) It should be long and thorough.
C) It will contain your central idea
D) It will contain working main points, to guide your research.

Question 20

Which of the following components is NOT found in the working outline?

A) idea bank
B) working main points
C) central idea
D) general purpose

Question 21

Which of the following is the first step in narrowing your topic?

A) identify the central idea
B) identify the specific purpose
C) evaluate the central idea
D) construct a working outline

Question 22

Which of the following shows the steps to narrowing your topic in the correct order?

A) identify central idea, evaluate central idea, identify the specific purpose, and construct a working outline
B) identify specific purpose, identify central idea, construct a working outline, and evaluate central idea
C) identify specific purpose, identify central idea, evaluate central idea, and construct a working outline
D) identify central idea, identify specific purpose, evaluate central idea, and construct a working outline

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a question to ask when evaluating your specific purpose?

A) Am I using clear, concise language?
B) Does it work with the occasion and time?
C) Will the scope of my specific purpose fit the time allowed for the speech?
D) Am I focusing on at least two key ideas?

Question 24

Which the following specific purpose, "To inform my speech class about the steps in making a container water garden," "to inform" is called the

A) thesis statement.
B) general purpose.
C) central purpose.
D) theme.

Question 25

In the following specific purpose, "To persuade my classmates to eat a low-carb diet," "to eat a low-carb diet" is called the

A) thesis statement.
B) objective.
C) central purpose.
D) general purpose.

Question 26

To inform my neighbors about the creation of the new neighborhood association" is an example of a

A) mission statement.
B) central idea.
C) working outline.
D) specific purpose.

Question 27

What is wrong with the following specific purpose: "To inform incoming students about the scholarship opportunities at the college and the financial-aid process"?

A) Its objective is not specific enough.
B) It does not contain a general purpose.
C) There is more than one key idea.
D) It is not written as an infinitive statement.

Question 28

What is wrong with the following specific purpose: "To persuade my classmates to give the gift of life by making the sacrifice to become blood donors on an ongoing basis"?

A) It is not concise.
B) It contains more than one key idea.
C) It does not specify the target audience.
D) It starts with an infinitive form.

Question 29

What is wrong with the following specific purpose: "To inform on the history of lacrosse"?

A) It does not start with a definitive form.
B) It doesn't identify an audience.
C) It doesn't identify an objective
D) It only contains one key idea.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT another term for the central idea?

A) thesis statement
B) theme
C) preview
D) subject sentence

Question 31

The___________ concisely summarizes the ideas your speech will cover in order to achieve its objective.

A) central idea
B) mission statement
C) working outline
D) central purpose

Question 32

What is NOT a guideline for writing an effective central idea?

A) Consider what your audience will need or want to know.
B) Preview what your speech will include.
C) Use a complete sentence.
D) Write it in the form of a question.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT true in regard to an effective thesis statement?

A) It should begin with an infinitive form.
B) It should use simple, clear language.
C) It should be complete sentence.
D) It should not be a question.

Question 34

What is wrong with the following central idea: "What is the history of lacrosse?"

A) It uses figurative and ambiguous language.
B) It focuses on more than one speech topic.
C) It is not a declarative sentence.
D) It is an incomplete sentence.

Question 35

Which of the following is an effective central idea?

A) How safe is the radiation emitted by your cell phone?
B) Negative aspects of cell phone radiation.
C) Cell phones emit tiny amounts of radiation, which scientists believe may be linked to certain types of brain cancer.
D) Cell phone radiation and radiation from microwaves both contribute to brain cancer.

Question 36

Which of the following is an effective central idea?

A) Positive aspects of power walking.
B) Power walking on a daily basis has physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits.
C) What are the benefits of power walking?
D) Power walking and weight training are two very important activities for our physical health.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT true in regard to the central idea?

A) It should be worth your audience's time and attention.
B) It can be written as a question or declarative statement.
C) It should be a complete sentence.
D) It should use clear, simple, direct language.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT true in regard to the working outline?

A) It contains your central idea.
B) It contains both your general and specific purpose.
C) It will help you stay on track while researching your speech.
D) It should be very detailed and comprehensive.

Question 39

The working outline should contain_________ main points.

A) six to ten
B) two to five
C) one or two
D) four to seven

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a guideline for evaluating working main points?

A) make sure each point covers only one key idea
B) spend roughly the same amount of time on each point
C) relate them back to the central idea
D) construct each main point in different ways

Question 41

It is possible to have more than one general purpose in a speech.

Question 42

The specific purpose is the unrestricted aim of your speech.

Question 43

How to make French bread pizza" has the general purposeof "to inform."

Question 44

Urging your classmates to incorporate walking into theirdaily activities has the general purpose of "to persuade."

Question 45

A commencement speech may have the general purpose to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain.

Question 46

It is a good idea to type rather than handwrite your idea bank.

Question 47

A good way to create an idea bank is to search through sources such as magazines, newspapers, and Web sites.

Question 48

Free association is a form of brainstorming that includes taking a personal inventory of your hobbies, interests, experiences, abilities, talents, values, attitudes, or beliefs.

Question 49

Persuasive topics usually focus on events or individuals.

Question 50

You should make sure you can find enough research before committing to a speech topic.

Question 51

The first step in narrowing your topic is identifying the central idea of the speech.

Question 52

"To inform my public speaking classmates how breathing exercises can reduce anxiety" is an example of a general purpose.

Question 53

The central idea may change slightly as you research and organize your speech.

Question 54

Effective central ideas are written in question form.

Question 55

You should construct your main points in a parallel manner.

Question 56

"To inform" is an example of a ___________ .

Question 57

When you want to reinforce, change, or influence the attitudes, beliefs, or actions of the audience, your general purpose is to___________ .

Question 58

A(n)___________ is a list of general words and phrases that could provide potential speech topics.

Question 59

___________ is a process that will stimulate your creative thinking through "free association" or "clustering."

Question 60

The single statement that combines your general purpose, audience, and objective is known as the___________ .

Question 61

The outcome or behavior you want your audience to experience or adopt is called the___________ .

Question 62

A specific purpose should begin with a(n)___________ form.

Question 63

"To inform members of my department about the new health care plans available" is an example of a___________ .

Question 64

The concise, single sentence that summarizes what you say in your speech is called the___________ .

Question 65

Another term for the___________ is thesis statement.

Question 66

"Eating organic produce offers many benefits to the consumer" is an example of a___________ .

Question 67

A___________ is a brief, usually handwritten, sketch of the body of your speech.

Question 68

___________ are the skeletal structure, or backbone, that makes up the body of your speech.

Question 69

___________ are early drafts of your main points.

Question 70

You should turn to your___________ when trying to identify two to five key ideas for your speech body.

Question 71

Give an example of a speech topic with the general purpose "to inform."

Question 72

What are the three categories for a general purpose?

Question 73

List the three steps in creating an idea bank.

Question 74

List the three ways you can make an idea bank.

Question 75

List three focus questions you can ask yourself to help identify topics that will work well and eliminate topics that will not.

Question 76

List three benefits of a well-defined specific topic.

Question 77

What are the three elements in a specific purpose?

Question 78

Write an example of a specific purpose statement.

Question 79

What questions should you ask when evaluating a specific purpose? Provide at least three.

Question 80

Write a thesis statement from the following specific purpose: "To persuade my classmates to learn CPR."