Q&A Hero

Q: T F The major advantage of statistics is that they give your ideas numerical precision.

Q: T F Research has shown that the effect of examples is enhanced when they are combined with statistics that show the examples to be typical.

Q: T F Research has shown that the more statistics you use, the more effective your speech is likely to be.

Q: T F It is seldom necessary to cite the source of statistics in a speech.

Q: T F An advantage of using statistics in your speech is that numbers speak for themselves.

Q: T F In most cases, you should round off statistics when presenting them in a speech.

Q: T F To be most effective in a speech, statistics need to be interpreted and explained in terms that are meaningful to the audience.

Q: T F It is almost always better to cite exact numbers rather than to round statistics up or down.

Q: T F Your textbook recommends using visual aids to make statistics easier for listeners to comprehend.

Q: T F Using strong, credible testimony is the best way to add human interest to a speech.

Q: T F The median is determined by summing all the items in a group and dividing by the number of items.

Q: T F The median is the middle number in a group of numbers arranged in order from highest to lowest.

Q: T F The mode is the number that occurs most frequently in a group of numbers.

Q: T F The mean is the number that occurs most frequently in a group of numbers.

Q: T F As your textbook explains, you need to make sure that the statistics you use in your speeches come from reliable sources.

Q: T F As your textbook makes clear, a vivid, richly textured extended example is usually effective regardless of how well it is delivered.

Q: T F An effective way to practice delivering extended examples is to think of yourself as a storyteller.

Q: T F The most effective way to deliver an extended example with all of its rich detail is to read it directly from your notes.

Q: T F As your textbook explains, statistics are the most effective type of supporting material because they are difficult to manipulate or distort.

Q: T F Unlike testimony, which can easily be quoted out of context, statistics are difficult to manipulate for biased purposes.

Q: T F The meanpopularly called the averageis determined by summing all the items in a group and dividing by the number of items.

Q: T F Brief examples can be used either one at a time to illustrate a point or piled one upon another to create an impression.

Q: T F Because they tell a story vividly and dramatically, extended examples are a good way to pull listeners into a speech.

Q: T F A hypothetical example describes an imaginary or fictitious situation.

Q: T F Hypothetical examples can be especially powerful as supporting materials when they create scenarios that involve the audience.

Q: T F Whenever you use a hypothetical example in a speech, it is usually a good idea to follow it with statistics or testimony to show that the example is realistic.

Q: T F Because of their high credibility, you should use only factual examples in your speeches.

Q: T F As a speaker, you should usually avoid examples when explaining complex or unfamiliar ideas.

Q: T F One of the main reasons to use examples in a speech is that they put abstract ideas into concrete terms that listeners can easily understand.

Q: T F According to your textbook, it is acceptable to use atypical examples to reinforce your ideas as long as you dont use too many of them.

Q: T F Examples are an excellent way to personalize a speech because they put abstract facts and figures into vivid, human terms.

Q: If you cant identify the author of a document on the Internet, your textbook recommends that you a. look up the year the document was published. b. bookmark the document and return to it later. c. try to determine the sponsoring organization for the document. d. double-check the accuracy of the documents URL. e. search for the document in the library.

Q: While doing research for his speech, Aaron was not able to identify the author of an Internet document titled What Can and Cannot Be Patented. According to your textbook, what should Aaron do next to assess the credibility of the document? a. Search for the document in the library. b. Look up the year the document was published. c. Try to determine the sponsoring organization for the document. d. Double-check the accuracy of the documents URL. e. Make sure the document is on a news site.

Q: Which of the following questions should you ask about the sponsoring organization of an Internet document? a. Is the organization economically unbiased with respect to the issue? b. Is the organization objective in its research and fair-minded in its statements? c. Does the organization have a history of accuracy and nonpartisanship? d. all of the above e. a and b only

Q: Which of the following would lead you to doubt the objectivity of a sponsoring organization for an Internet document? a. The organization has expressed similar opinions in the past. b. The organization benefits financially by promoting its position on the issue. c. The organization is known for positions that are politically unpopular. d. all of the above e. a and c only

Q: As explained in your textbook, which of the following should lead you to question the objectivity of a sponsoring organization for an Internet document? a. The organization has a history of bias and inaccuracy. b. The organization benefits financially by promoting its stance on the issue. c. The organization often expresses controversial opinions. d. all of the above e. a and b only

Q: You have found statistics on the Internet that you would like to use in your speech. Before you do, you need to make sure that a. they come from a credible author or sponsoring organization. b. you can find the date on which they were published, posted, or updated. c. the statistics are recent enough to make them reliable for your speech. d. all of the above. e. b and c only.

Q: T F The two basic types of supporting materials discussed in your textbook are facts and opinions.

Q: T F The three basic types of supporting materials discussed in your textbook are examples, statistics, and testimony.

Q: T F Research has shown that examples have little effect on listeners beliefs and actions.

Q: T F Examples are particularly useful in taking ideas that might otherwise seem vague, impersonal, or lifeless and making them specific, personal, and lively.

Q: T F Although examples work very well to clarify ideas in an informative speech, they are less effective in a persuasive speech.

Q: T F Examples are particularly effective as supporting materials because they help get the audience involved in a speech.

Q: According to your textbook, the three criteria for judging the reliability of documents located on the Internet are recency, authorship, and a. indexing. b. sponsorship. c. interactivity. d. graphics. e. creativity.

Q: If an Internet document identifies its author but says nothing about her or his qualifications, your textbook recommends that you a. give up on this document and look for a different source. b. assume that the author is objective and unbiased. c. cite the sponsoring organization instead of the author. d. type the authors name into the Google search box. e. assume that the author is an expert on the topic.

Q: If an Internet document identifies its author but says nothing about her or his qualifications, your textbook recommends that you a. assume the author is an expert on the topic. b. type the authors name into the Google search box. c. cite the sponsoring organization instead of the author. d. all of the above. e. b and c only.

Q: The __________ is the group that, in the absence of a clearly identified author, is responsible for the content of a document on the Internet. a. webmaster b. virtual author c. sponsoring organization d. electronic patron e. ghostwriter

Q: As part of the research for her informative speech on the Chinese workplace, Dana needs to find recent articles published in scholarly journals. The best resource for her is a(n) a. academic database such as JSTOR or Google Scholar. b. yearbook such as Facts on File or World Almanac. c. government resource such as the World Factbook. d. all of the above. e. b and c only.

Q: Colin wants to find scholarly research on eating disorders. The best place for him to look is in a. government resources. b. newspaper and periodical databases. c. academic databases. d. biographical aids. e. encyclopedias.

Q: Amalia needs to find information from scholarly journals for her persuasive speech on prescription drug shortages. The best resource for her would be a(n) a. yearbook such as Facts on File or World Almanac. b. academic database such as JSTOR or Academic OneFile. c. government resource such as USA.gov. d. all of the above. e. a and c only.

Q: According to your textbook, you can make an Internet search more precise by a. developing a search strategy. b. using Bing instead of Google. c. typing a specific question into the search box. d. all of the above. e. a and c only.

Q: Which of the following does your textbook recommend as ways to help narrow a Google search to make it more effective? a. Develop a strategy to search for specific terms you want to find. b. Type specific questions into the search box. c. Explore specialized Google resources such as news, books, and scholar. d. all of the above e. a and c only

Q: According to your textbook, Wikipedia is a. now considered similar in reliability to print encyclopedias. b. relied upon by journalists as their sole source of information. c. the largest source of government documents on the Internet. d. all of the above. e. a and c only.

Q: As your textbook explains, one advantage of Wikipedia is that a. it is the largest source of government documents available on the Internet. b. many articles have footnotes, reference lists, and links to other resources. c. it contains so much information that you dont need any other sources. d. all of the above. e. b and c only.

Q: What are the three criteria discussed in your textbook for assessing the soundness of documents found on the Internet? a. length, accuracy, and graphics b. interactivity, objectivity, and authorship c. graphics, sponsorship, and accuracy d. creativity, reliability, and length e. authorship, sponsorship, and recency

Q: According to your textbook, the three criteria for judging the reliability of research documents located on the Internet are authorship, sponsorship, and a. interest. b. formality. c. interactivity. d. recency. e. graphics.

Q: Whos Who Among African Americans is an example of a(n) a. encyclopedia. b. special dictionary. c. periodical index. d. biographical aid. e. yearbook.

Q: As part of the research for his informative speech, Malik needs brief life and career facts about German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The best kind of library reference source for him to consult would be a(n) a. periodical index. b. special dictionary. c. encyclopedia. d. biographical aid. e. yearbook.

Q: Newspaper and periodical databases a. catalog articles from a large number of newspapers, journals, and magazines. b. are valuable for locating materials in encyclopedias and other reference works. c. often provide abstracts and full texts of articles. d. all of the above. e. a and c only.

Q: A(n) __________ is a summary of a magazine or research article, written by someone other than the original author. a. citation b. abstract c. overview d. paraphrase e. reference

Q: According to your textbook, when is it appropriate to cite an abstract of a magazine or journal article in your speech rather than locating and reading the full article? a. never b. when the article is more than five years old c. when the article is not available on a computerized database d. when the only copy of the article is on the bookshelves e. when the article is short enough to be summarized in one paragraph

Q: A(n) __________ is a research aid that catalogues articles from a large number of scholarly journals. a. abstract b. biographical aid c. reference work d. academic database e. keyword index

Q: Academic databases are the best place to look for a. high-quality Web resources. b. articles in scholarly journals. c. statistics about colleges and universities. d. encyclopedias and other reference works. e. numerical data about life in the United States.

Q: The __________ contains a list of all the resources owned by the library. a. general index b. catalogue c. periodicals guide d. encyclopedia e. browser

Q: The librarys catalogue allows you to search for books by a. author. b. title. c. keyword. d. all of the above. e. a and b only.

Q: The library catalogue a. lists all the books, periodicals, and other resources owned by the library. b. provides abstracts of magazine and newspaper articles. c. allows a researcher to look for books by author, title, or subject. d. all of the above. e. a and c only.

Q: Encyclopedias, yearbooks, biographical aids, and quotation books are all examples of a. special indexes. b. reference works. c. bibliographical aids. d. research guides. e. general indexes.

Q: T F If you want to record a research interview, you should be sure to get the permission of the person being interviewed.

Q: T F Your most important task before conducting a research interview is to work out the questions you will ask during the interview.

Q: T F You should avoid asking tough questions during a research interview.

Q: T F As your textbook indicates, you should avoid asking probing questions during a research interview.

Q: T F According to your textbook, the best time to ask tough questions is at the beginning of an interview.

Q: T F According to your textbook, the best time to ask tough questions is at the end of an interview.

Q: T F When conducting an interview, you are likely to offend the interviewee if you ask for clarification of an answer you dont understand.

Q: T F After conducting an interview, you should usually wait a couple of days before reviewing your notes.

Q: T F A preliminary bibliography for research on a speech should usually contain a maximum of three sources.

Q: T F According to your textbook, putting a subject heading at the top of each research note you take will help you organize the notes when you start to compose your speech.

Q: T F If possible, you should write all your research notes from a single book or article on a single index card or sheet of paper.

Q: T F When taking research notes, it is important to distinguish among direct quotations, paraphrases, and your own ideas. Multiple-Choice Questions (Students are to indicate the best answer for each question by circling the correct letter.)

Q: T F If you use a digital recorder in a research interview, you should keep it secret from the person being interviewed.