Deck 10: Organizing Your Presentation

Question 1

The thesis statement of a presentation explains its focus and its purpose.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A Chinese man in traditional Chinese attire appeared before his all-white Midwestern audience without saying a word for three minutes. During that time, he paced back and forth across the auditorium and never broke eye contact with the startled but very silent audience. What purpose could this introduction achieve?

A) to forecast a strategy for organization and development
B) to gain audience attention
C) to reveal the speaker's qualifications
D) to reveal a specific purpose

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A good tip for delivering a solid introduction is to

A) start the speech as you move through the audience to the podium to make the experience more personal.
B) fidget with something like a pen or keys to help ease your nerves.
C) admit you did not have enough time to prepare as well as you would have liked.
D) make an interesting statement to grab the audience's attention.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The first part of a presentation is known as the

A) body.
B) introduction.
C) conclusion.
D) citation.

Question 5

Most speakers begin by developing the body of the presentation and only later write the introduction.

Question 6

A sentence outline is generally much shorter than a key-word outline.

Question 7

You were home schooled for several years and are considering presenting a persuasive speech on the benefits of home schooling. Your audience consists of undergraduate students who are 18 and 19 years of age. Your topic would likely make an excellent topic for this audience.

Question 8

Morgan is giving a speech to educate people about wetlands. Which is the best informative thesis statement for her speech?

A) Wetlands are important to the environment, and I am going to explain five ways they help improve environmental conditions.
B) When I am done speaking, you should all donate money for the purchase and preservation of our disappearing wetlands.
C) Have you ever seen a green heron wading in shallow water?
D) I am here today to entertain you with the wonders of nature.

Question 9

A good way to get the audience's attention at the beginning of a speech is to

A) ask a rhetorical question about how the audience would feel if a situation happened to them.
B) tell a story about what happened to someone in a certain situation.
C) have a cute child introduce the speaker.
D) make a couple of jokes about current events.

Question 10

Audiences decide if they want to listen to you and your speech

A) before they ever see or hear you.
B) in the opening minutes of your presentation.
C) while someone else introduces you.
D) when you reach your conclusion.

Question 11

You plan to talk about the importance of bees in the ecological system. You can establish your qualifications on this topic by stating that you wrote a paper on bees when you were a senior in high school.

Question 12

Your topic is age discrimination in the workplace. During your speech, you state, "We have explored how young people experience discrimination in the workplace; now we will turn to the problems faced by older workers." This is an example of

A) a thesis.
B) a conclusion.
C) a transition.
D) a citation.

Question 13

To gain and maintain the audience's attention, tell a fairly detailed narrative.

Question 14

The written plan of the speech is done in outline form.

Question 15

Oral citations differ from references because oral citations include all of the information you need to find a source, while references are abbreviated versions of that information.

Question 16

Which item below about the five functions of an introduction is FALSE?

A) Establishing your credentials in the introduction is important for source credibility.
B) It's essential to perform the five functions of an introduction in the prescribed order.
C) The introduction should include a forecast of the speech's organization and development.
D) Arousing interest in the topic very early is essential.

Question 17

Role-playing, self-disclosing, and stating striking facts or statistics are all examples of how you establish your qualifications.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a good tip for opening your presentation?

A) Settle in at the front of the room before you begin talking.
B) Do not put yourself down-for example, by saying that you are nervous about the speech.
C) Avoid humor unless you are very adept at telling jokes.
D) Simply announce your topic: "I am talking today about bad breath."

Question 19

Self-disclosure can be an element in establishing credibility.

Question 20

Which thesis statement below would best suit a persuasive presentation?

A) I want you to know and remember the five warning signs of an impending heart attack.
B) When this presentation is over, you will want to cut up your credit card to avoid further fees.
C) What dangers are involved with smokeless electronic cigarettes?
D) Your friends will love you if you know how to identify the best pizza dough.

Question 21

In a sentence outline, writers should use parallel form. That principle means that

A) each line in the outline must be a complete sentence.
B) you can mix clauses and phrases with complete sentences.
C) each line must begin with a verb.
D) each line must begin with a noun.

Question 22

In an early draft of your outline, do all of the following EXCEPT

A) use a word or two to remind you of your point.
B) mix sentences, clauses, and phrases.
C) see what material you have from your experience and from other resources.
D) list as many thoughts as you can, as you would in a brainstorming session.

Question 23

A pattern of organization in which the presenter explains a sequence of events in chronological order is called a(n)

A) time-sequence pattern.
B) topical-sequence pattern.
C) M-time pattern.
D) C-time pattern.

Question 24

You give a speech on the plight of battered women and how hidden halfway houses have helped them. Which pattern of organization would you use for that speech?

A) cause/effect pattern
B) problem/solution pattern
C) topical-sequence pattern
D) time-sequence pattern

Question 25

Before you develop a sentence outline, you should prepare a preliminary one in which you write down ideas without concern for sentence construction. That preliminary outline is called a(n)

A) advance copy.
B) pre-sentence outline.
C) rough draft.
D) first try.

Question 26

A presenter first discusses an event, problem, or issue and then explains the impact of the event, problem, or issue. Which pattern of organization did this presenter follow?

A) time-sequence pattern
B) topical-sequence pattern
C) problem/solution pattern
D) cause/effect pattern

Question 27

Which of the following is a signpost?

A) Now that you have seen how cheap smartphones have become, let's look at the cost of the plan.
B) Please look at this bar graph, which shows the increasing gap between the top 10% and the middle class.
C) You now know the cost of defense, so we can turn next to who profits from war.
D) Moving from this graph on the number of foreclosures in the country as a whole, let's look at the number of foreclosures in Manatee County.

Question 28

A presentation for new employees on the history and development of the company would use a

A) topical-sequence pattern of organization.
B) cause/effect pattern of organization.
C) problem/solution pattern of organization.
D) time-sequence pattern of organization.

Question 29

A speech demonstrates a direct connection between government shutdowns and the onset of financial recession. Which pattern of organization would that speech follow?

A) time-sequence pattern
B) problem/solution pattern
C) cause/effect pattern
D) topical-sequence pattern

Question 30

Which item below about speech organization is FALSE?

A) The left margins on an outline signal the importance of the sentence.
B) The symbols (alphabet, numerals, numbers) signal the importance of the sentence.
C) The optimum number of main points in a five-minute speech is five.
D) The minimum number of subpoints under a main point is two.

Question 31

Which item is NOT a good tip for using note cards?

A) Practice delivering your presentation at least two times using your note cards.
B) Write out any items-like long quotes-that may be difficult to remember.
C) Write on both sides to save paper and reduce the size of your stack.
D) Number your cards so you can quickly reorder them in case you drop them.

Question 32

The conclusion of a presentation ordinarily performs ________ functions.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 33

Which item below is NOT one of the six principles of outlining?

A) Your outline is an abstract of the message you will deliver.
B) Each sentence in the outline is a single idea.
C) All of the items in your outline should directly relate to your specific purpose and thesis.
D) The main or most important points are indicated with A, B, and C.

Question 34

Which item below is a function of the conclusion?

A) Remind the audience of your central idea and main points.
B) Remind the audience of the basis for your source credibility.
C) Surprise the audience with an additional perspective on the topic.
D) Tell your audience which pattern of organization you followed.

Question 35

The body of the presentation includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) the main message.
B) an expansion of the topic announced in the introduction.
C) the first indicators of the speaker's credibility.
D) arguments, evidence, and proof.

Question 36

A speech covers three benefits of the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Which pattern of organization does that speech follow?

A) topical-sequence pattern
B) time-sequence pattern
C) problem/solution pattern
D) cause/effect pattern

Question 37

Which of the following items conforms to the six principles of outlining?

A) Because the health of the child is very important.
B) Children should have annual checkups with a physician.
C) Children should receive immunizations, and they should have a complete physical as well.
D) Also get DNA analysis.

Question 38

Which item below is a signpost?

A) My first pro-choice argument is . . .
B) The mother gets to choose . . .
C) Unwanted babies are sometimes unloved.
D) Government should not make the choice.

Question 39

An outline that consists only of important words and phrases to remind you of the content of the speech is called a

A) sentence outline.
B) preliminary outline.
C) key-word outline.
D) draft outline.

Question 40

Joel wants the audience to accept his point of view. To make the case, Joel lists the advantages of accepting his position. Which pattern of organization did Joel follow?

A) problem/solution pattern
B) topical-sequence pattern
C) cause/effect pattern
D) time-sequence pattern

Question 41

The first function of a conclusion is to

A) warn the audience that the speech is about to end.
B) present the thesis statement to the audience.
C) ask the audience if there are any questions.
D) establish credibility with the audience.

Question 42

A reference list

A) is read at the end of a speech.
B) provides the contact information for people who can verify the speaker's credentials.
C) is a written document showing sources used in the presentation.
D) is part of the introduction of a speech.

Question 43

The four functions of a conclusion

A) are seldom all present in the same speech.
B) include establishing your credibility as a speaker.
C) all occur in the final minutes of a speech.
D) must take place in an established order.

Question 44

Returning to the attention-grabber at the end of the speech to drive home a point and get the audience to think or do what you recommend is referred to as using a

A) thesis.
B) clincher.
C) signpost.
D) transition.

Question 45

What is one of the most important things to do at the end of your presentation?

A) Tell the audience again why you are a credible source for this topic.
B) Tell the audience what you would like them to think or do as a result of the presentation.
C) Review your reasons for speaking about this topic in the first place.
D) Remind the audience of your personal experience with the topic.

Question 46

The sources used in a presentation are known as

A) styles.
B) references.
C) conclusions.
D) clinchers.