Question 1

The language that put ideas and materials in the hands of the masses was:&#10;A) written.&#10;B) printed.&#10;C) electronic.&#10;D) spoken.&#10;E) mediated.

Accepted Answer

The printing press, introduced by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, revolutionized the way information was disseminated, making books and other printed materials widely available to the general public for the first time. This significantly increased literacy rates and the spread of ideas.

Question 2

A criticism of social media is that it:&#10;A) leads to separation of the have and have-nots.&#10;B) is expensive.&#10;C) is only available to the media savvy.&#10;D) contributes to the decline in writing and language skills.&#10;E) leads to information overload.

Accepted Answer

Social media is often criticized for contributing to the decline in writing and language skills due to the prevalence of informal language, abbreviations, and lack of emphasis on grammar and spelling.

Question 3

Advantages of written business messages include all but one of the following:&#10;A) serves as a permanent record.&#10;B) facilitates broad distribution.&#10;C) allows recipients response time.&#10;D) provides instantaneous feedback.&#10;E) communicates complex information.

Accepted Answer

Written business messages do not provide instantaneous feedback; instead, they often involve a delay as the recipient processes the information and then formulates a response.

Question 4

Disadvantages of oral business messages would include all but one of the following:&#10;A) meaning could be misinterpreted.&#10;B) communication is informal and personal.&#10;C) language could be misunderstood.&#10;D) remembering the communication is difficult.&#10;E) it is an intrusive form of communication.

Accepted Answer

Oral business messages being informal and personal is not necessarily a disadvantage. This characteristic can actually facilitate better understanding and rapport between the parties involved. The other options (A, C, D, E) are considered disadvantages due to potential misinterpretation, difficulty in remembering, and intrusiveness.

Question 5

You are developing a presentation to show your landscape ideas for an organization's new headquarters outside of town. You want to discuss the most expensive part of the project, the 8- foot brick wall around the fountain, last. The appropriate organizational pattern for your presentation could be

A) chronological.
B) spatial.
C) importance.
D) topical.
E) relatedness.

Accepted Answer

Since you want to discuss the most expensive part of the project last, organizing your presentation by importance, where you can start with less critical aspects and build up to the most significant or expensive part, is the most suitable approach.

Question 6

Suppose you need to formally notify an employee that her excessive absenteeism could result in dismissal. The most professional method of communicating this message to her would be&#10;A) an email.&#10;B) a memo.&#10;C) an employee intranet site posting.&#10;D) a phone call.&#10;E) a written letter.

Accepted Answer

A written letter is the most professional and formal method among the options for communicating serious matters such as potential dismissal due to excessive absenteeism. It provides a tangible record of the communication, ensuring clarity and formality.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about oral presentations is false?&#10;A) Oral speaking skills are learned behaviours.&#10;B) Effective presentations are dependent on the power of the speaker.&#10;C) Memorization of a speech is encouraged by communication experts.&#10;D) A speaker reading a speech is perceived as unprepared.&#10;E) Effective public speaking is considered an art rather than a science.

Accepted Answer

Communication experts often advise against the full memorization of a speech because it can lead to a lack of naturalness and flexibility in delivery. Instead, they recommend understanding the material well and practicing key points to ensure a more engaging and adaptable presentation.

Question 8

You are attending a conference where a consultant talks about the problems in IT call centres. As you listen to his problem-solution report and research data, you begin to understand why calls to your customer complaint centre are not being processed in a timely manner. You are engaging in:

A) precision listening.
B) selective perception.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) social media analysis.
E) extemporaneous thinking.

Accepted Answer

Precision listening involves focusing intently on the speaker's message to understand complex information, analyze it, and possibly use it to solve problems, which aligns with understanding issues in IT call centres from a detailed report.

Deck 5: Communication Channels