Q&A Hero

Q: T F As your textbook explains, it is unethical to use vivid, richly textured examples to generate emotional appeal in a persuasive speech on a question of policy.

Q: T F According to your textbook, vivid, richly textured examples are an excellent way to generate emotional appeal in a persuasive speech on a question of policy.

Q: T F According to your textbook, the strongest source of emotional appeal in a persuasive speech is the sincerity and conviction of the speaker.

Q: T F According to your textbook, one key to using emotional appeal ethically is to make sure it is appropriate to the speech topic.

Q: T F An advantage of using emotional appeal in a persuasive speech is that it frees you from using facts and logic.

Q: T F Regardless of whether a persuasive speaker uses emotional appeal, he or she should always build the speech on a firm foundation of facts and logic. Multiple-Choice Questions (Students are to indicate the best answer for each question by circling the correct letter.)

Q: T F The either-or fallacy forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than two alternatives exist.

Q: T F The slippery slope fallacy assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.

Q: T F The fallacy of appeal to tradition assumes that something old is automatically better than something new.

Q: T F Appeal to tradition involves using examples or comparisons from history instead of from the present day.

Q: T F The fallacy of appeal to novelty assumes that something new is automatically better than something old.

Q: T F The fallacy of appeal to novelty compares two familiar things in a new or unusual way.

Q: T F Aristotle used the term pathos for what modern students of communication refer to as emotional appeals.

Q: T F According to your textbook, emotional appeals are usually inappropriate in persuasive speeches on questions of fact.

Q: T F According to your textbook, emotional appeals are often appropriate in persuasive speeches on questions of policy.

Q: T F Arguments guilty of the ad hominem fallacy attack the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute.

Q: T F The ad hominem fallacy draws a comparison between two things that sound essentially alike but are actually essentially different.

Q: T F The either-or fallacy assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented.

Q: T F The bandwagon fallacy assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.

Q: T F The red herring fallacy refers to statements that introduce an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion.

Q: T F The red herring fallacy is often known by its Latin name, post hoc, ergo propter hoc.

Q: T F To say that analogical cases must be essentially alike means that they must be similar enough that what is true of one is also true of the other.

Q: T F The following is an example of causal reasoning: Since farmers have started transporting honeybees to pollinate one crop at a time, the honeybee population in the United States has declined significantly. Therefore, single-crop pollination must be a reason for the decreasing number of bees.

Q: T F Analogical reasoning applies a general principle to a specific instance.

Q: T F Analogical reasoning is frequently used for the practicality issue in persuasive speeches on a question of policy.

Q: T F The following statement is an example of reasoning from analogy: If you can make great tacos, you can make great enchiladas.

Q: T F The following statement is an example of reasoning from analogy: Asking the administration to police itself would be like putting a fox in charge of the chicken coop. It could do anything it wanted, and no one would have the power to stop it.

Q: T F The following is an example of reasoning from analogy: The United Nations charter establishes the right of all people to live free of political oppression. The government of North Korea subjects its people to political oppression. Therefore, the government of North Korea is violating the UN charter.

Q: T F An error in reasoning is called a syllogism.

Q: T F Hasty generalization is a fallacy in reasoning from principle.

Q: T F Hasty generalization occurs when a speaker draws a general conclusion on the basis of too few specific instances or instances that are atypical.

Q: T F The most important question to ask when assessing analogical reasoning is whether the two cases being compared are essentially alike.

Q: T F When you use causal reasoning, you should avoid attributing complex events to a single cause.

Q: T F The following is an example of causal reasoning: Taking a human life is morally wrong. Assisted suicide is the taking of a human life. Therefore, assisted suicide is morally wrong.

Q: T F When you reason from principle in a speech, you move from a specific principle to a general conclusion.

Q: T F Reasoning from principle moves from a general principle to a specific conclusion.

Q: T F Because it moves from a general principle to a specific conclusion, reasoning from principle is the opposite of reasoning from specific instances.

Q: T F The following is an example of reasoning from principle: Places such as Singapore that allow caning and other forms of corporal punishment have exceedingly low crime rates. If caning were used in the United States, the United States would have lower crime rates as well.

Q: T F The following is an example of reasoning from principle: All infringements on the right to free expression are unconstitutional. Limitations on the lyrics of popular songs are infringements on the right of free expression. Therefore, all limitations on the lyrics of popular songs are unconstitutional.

Q: T F The following is an example of reasoning from principle: Any action that endangers the safety and security of the United States is an act of treason. Edward Snowdens leaks of NSA activities endangered the safety and security of the United States. Therefore, Edward Snowdens leaks were an act of treason.

Q: T F When you use causal reasoning in a persuasive speech, you seek to establish the relationship between a general principle and a specific conclusion.

Q: T F Although causal reasoning is used a great deal in public speeches, it is seldom used in other situations.

Q: T F One of the advantages of using causal reasoning in a persuasive speech is that the relationship between causes and effects is usually fairly obvious.

Q: T F An advantage of using causal reasoning in a persuasive speech is that events usually have only one cause.

Q: In what circumstances is it ethical for public speakers to use emotional appeals when speaking to persuade? Are there any kinds of persuasive speeches in which emotional appeals are inappropriate? Explain your answer.

Q: T F A speaker who argues that the worlds monarch butterfly population is in danger because their numbers have decreased in several locations is reasoning from specific instances.

Q: Explain the following statement: When persuasion is the end, passion also must be engaged.

Q: T F A persuasive speaker who contends that Americas older bridges are becoming unsafe because several bridges have collapsed in recent years is reasoning from specific instances.

Q: T F Even though a persuasive speakers goal is to influence the audiences beliefs or actions, she or he still has an ethical obligation to present evidence fairly and accurately.

Q: T F One way for a persuasive speaker to uphold the ethical obligations of speechmaking is to learn about all sides of an issue.

Q: T F Of all the kinds of public speaking, persuasion is the most complex and the most challenging.

Q: T F Moving listeners from being strongly opposed to a speakers position to being only moderately opposed would be a sign of a successful persuasive speech.

Q: T F No matter how carefully prepared or skillfully delivered a persuasive speech is, it may be impossible to change the minds of some of your listeners.

Q: T F When reasoning from specific instances in a persuasive speech, it is usually a good idea for a speaker to supplement the specific instances with testimony or statistics showing that the instances are typical.

Q: Define and give an example of three of the following fallacies: a. ad hominem b. slippery slope c. red herring d. appeal to tradition

Q: T F A persuasive speaker who argues that capital punishment should be outlawed because it violates the constitutional principle banning cruel and unusual punishment is reasoning from specific instances.

Q: Identify and explain the three basic issues of persuasive speeches on questions of policy. What determines how much attention you should give to each issue in a specific speech?

Q: Assume that you are going to give a persuasive speech with the specific purpose To persuade my audience that tuition at state universities should be free for residents of that state. What pattern of organization would you most likely use for your speech, and why? State the main points in the body of your speech.

Q: Compare and contrast passive agreement and immediate action as goals for a persuasive speech on a question of policy.

Q: Briefly describe the following methods of speech organization. In what circumstances would a speaker be most likely to use each in a persuasive speech on a question of policy? a. problem-cause-solution order b. comparative advantages order c. Monroes motivated sequence

Q: Identify the five steps of Monroes motivated sequence and explain what a speaker should do in each step.

Q: T F Persuasion is the process of creating, reinforcing, or changing peoples beliefs or actions.

Q: T F Because everyone knows that a persuasive speakers goal is to influence the audiences beliefs or actions, questions of ethics are less important in persuasive speaking than in other kinds of speaking.

Q: T F Persuasive speakers should aim to construct speeches that are both convincing and ethically sound.

Q: Explain the following statement: When you give a persuasive speech on a question of value, you should make sure to justify your value judgment against some identifiable standards or criteria.

Q: What is the burden of proof, and what does it mean for a persuasive speaker who advocates a change of policy?

Q: Identify and discuss three of the ethical obligations of persuasive speakers discussed in your textbook.

Q: Explain the following statement: You should enter a persuasive speaking situation with a realistic sense of what you can hope to accomplish.

Q: Why is speaking to persuade more difficult than speaking to inform?

Q: Explain the following statement: A persuasive speaker should think of her or his speech as a kind of mental dialogue with the audience.

Q: What does it mean to say that audiences engage in a mental dialogue with the speaker as they listen to a persuasive speech? What implications does this mental dialogue have for a speaker who seeks to persuade skeptical listeners?

Q: What is the target audience for a persuasive speech? Why is determining and analyzing the target audience so important to effective persuasive speaking?

Q: Explain the distinctions among questions of fact, value, and policy. Give an example of a specific purpose statement for a persuasive speech on each question.

Q: Develop three different specific purpose statements for a persuasive speech on the topic of college tuitionone for a speech dealing with a question of fact, one for a speech dealing with a question of value, and one for a speech dealing with a question of policy.

Q: As your textbook explains, you must deal with three basic issues whenever you discuss a question of policy. Those issues are need, plan, and _______________ .

Q: The five steps of Monroes motivated sequence are: a. b. c. d. e.

Q: The following main points for a persuasive speech on a question of policy are arranged in _______________ order. I. Measles, which had been eradicated in the United States at the start of the 21st century, is once again becoming a serious health threat. II. The primary reason for this development is the growing number of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. III. To protect the public health, the federal government should require that, absent a serious religious objection, every child should be vaccinated against measles.

Q: The three basic issues of persuasive speeches on questions of policy are _______________ , _______________ , and _______________ .

Q: Persuasive speeches on questions of _______________ argue for or against particular courses of action.

Q: Questions of _______________ usually include the word should.