Professor Smith informed the students of her intention to be a "fair" teacher. One student thought she meant that her approach to grading was going to be objective and just. Another student thought that the professor meant that she had quite modest aspirations for the quality of her teaching efforts. This is an example of ________.
A) evaluation
B) negotiation
C) vagueness
D) inconsistency
E) ambiguity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described involves ambiguity, which occurs when a message can be interpreted in multiple ways. In this case, the professor's statement could be interpreted as either referring to her grading approach or her teaching quality, leading to confusion and misunderstanding.

Professor Smith Informed the Students of Her Intention to Be