MCC Chapter 6 – Flashcards

1. Not only should a speaker's choice of topic be relevant to the interests and expectations of his or her listeners, it should also take into account a. the speaker's political affiliation. b. the number of times the speaker has delivered public speeches. c. the public speaking experience of his or her listeners. d. the knowledge listeners already have about the subject.

2. The best public-speaking topics are those that reflect a. your personal experience. b. a steadfast and unshakeable point of view. c. what is trending in popular culture. d. your willingness to learn from the audience.

3. An informative speech has been assigned, so Angel starts to worry about what he can possibly present to his class. That night he takes out a blank sheet of paper and just starts writing down every possible idea for a speech topic that he can think of. What is Angel doing? a. topic narrowing b. brainstorming c. procrastinating d. signposting

4. The goal of brainstorming relates to the ______ of information produced. a. quality b. obscurity c. appropriateness d. quantity

5. When brainstorming, the first topic you think of may remind you of a second possibility. This is known as a. topic hopping. b. groupthink. c. piggybacking. d. pork barreling.

6. Is it appropriate to develop a speech topic based on something you heard on a television talk show? a. No; using televised information for your speech topic is a form of plagiarism. b. No; most topics discussed on talk shows are inappropriate speech material. c. Yes, but you have to address the topic the same way the talk show did. d. Yes; brainstorming ideas from a television program is a good way to develop a topic and is an option suggested in the text.

7. When searching for a speech topic, Web directories, such as DMOZ, are helpful because a. they have a list of topics divided into categories and subcategories. b. they present material that cannot be found in any other location. c. the information provided in Web directories is always accurate. d. the topics presented are sure to receive a positive response from your audience.

8. Speeches that you present will be either to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. This goal for your speech is knows as its a. general purpose. b. specific purpose. c. central idea. d. blueprint.

9. During his speech, Tomas asks his audience to sign a petition increasing the student parking areas. His general goal is to a. inform. b. notify. c. entertain. d. persuade.

10. The ______ is decided solely by the speaker since it depends on the behavioral change the speaker expects from the audience at the end of the speech. a. general purpose b. specific purpose c. speech length d. speech context

11. When Elizabeth was asked to be the after-dinner speaker for the senior honors dinner, she responded with great enthusiasm. She viewed this as an opportunity to reflect on their past years at college, to bring a smile to her fellow seniors' faces, to make them feel the excitement of the event, and to help them enjoy themselves. In this situation, Elizabeth would be speaking to a. inform. b. persuade. c. convince. d. entertain.

12. What is the difference between a purpose statement and a central idea? a. A purpose statement focuses on audience behavior, while a central idea focuses on the content of the speech. b. A central idea guides your decisions and choices as you prepare your speech, whereas a purpose statement becomes part of your final speech. c. A central idea focuses on the speaker's behavior, whereas a purpose statement focuses on the audience's behavior. d. A purpose statement focuses on the content of the speech, while a central idea focuses on audience behavior.

13. A central idea should be written as a a. phrase. b. declarative sentence. c. clause. d. question.

14. Allison has written and rewritten the central idea of her speech on the topic of dog care. She finally comes up with "Dog care is very difficult." What is the problem with this central idea? a. Her central idea is not audience-centered. b. Her central idea is too confusing. c. Her central idea is too vague. d. Her central idea is not a declarative sentence.

15. "Deforestation by lumber interests and toxic-waste dumping are major environmental problems in the United States today." What is wrong with this central idea? a. It is not audience-centered. b. It contains more than one idea. c. It is too vague. d. It is not a declarative sentence.

16. ______ are detailed points of focus for developing your central idea. a. Main ideas b. Specific purpose statements c. Preview statements d. Topic lists

17. How many main ideas does the text suggest you should have in your speech? a. 1 b. 5 to 8 c. 3 to 6 d. 2 to 4

18. Searching for logical divisions in a subject is a strategy for determining your a. general purpose. b. specific purpose. c. preview statement. d. main ideas.

19. The central idea for Janelle's speech on the importance of using sunscreen does not break down into logical divisions. Rather than forget this topic and try to find one that divides more logically, what other suggested strategy should Janelle apply? a. support her central idea with a series of steps b. establish reasons why her central idea is true c. create only one main point d. find new supporting material on the topic and start again

20. If a speaker says, "Tonight, I'm going to discuss with you two reasons why everyone should recycle, including cost-saving benefits and the problems waste creates in the environment," you recognize this as a(n) a. general purpose statement. b. attention-getting device. c. preview of main ideas. d. specific purpose statement.