Study Questions for English Public Speaking
Chapter 13 Speaking to inform
True-False Questions 1. T F 2. T F 3. T F 4. T F 5. T F 6. T F 7. T F 8.
T F 9. T F
Your textbook discusses four kinds of informative speeches—speeches
about objects, speeches about concepts, speeches about processes, and speeches about events.
A lawyer urging a jury to acquit her client is an example of informative speaking.
When giving an informative speech that explains a process, you will most likely arrange your main points in chronological order.
Informative speeches about processes are usually arranged in chronological order.
Informative speeches are seldom organized in topical order.
“To inform my audience how to create their own Web pages” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a process.
If the specific purpose of your informative speech is to recount the history of an event, you will usually arrange the speech in chronological order. An informative speech about a process that has as many as ten or twelve steps is one of the few times it is acceptable to have more than five main points.
Informative speeches about concepts are usually arranged in spatial order.
10. T F
Informative speeches about concepts are usually arranged in topical order.
Clear organization is less important in speeches about processes than in other kinds of informative speeches.
One of the major barriers to effective informative speaking is overestimating what the audience knows about the topic.
The more you assume your audience knows about your speech topic, the greater are your chances of being misunderstood.
When giving an informative speech, you should think about ways to relate your topic to the audience in the body of the speech as well as in the introduction.
A public speaker should avoid direct references to the audience in the body of an informative speech.
One of the biggest barriers to effective informative speaking is using language that is too simple for the audience.
As your textbook explains, technical language is especially helpful for explaining ideas in informative speeches.
Abstractions are especially helpful for clarifying ideas in informative speeches.
Your textbook recommends comparison and contrast as ways to avoid abstractions in an informative speech.
One reason to use clear and straightforward language even when talking about complex ideas is that listeners must understand your message in the time it takes you to say it.
Using jargon in an informative speech is useful since it demonstrates your expertise on the topic.
Informative speakers should avoid explaining ideas in personal terms. Personal examples are inappropriate for informative speeches on technical topics.
Whenever possible, you should try to enliven your informative speeches by expressing ideas in personal terms.
11. T F 12. T F
13. T F
14. T F
15. T F 16. T F 17. T F 18. T F 19. T F
20. T F
21. T F 22. T F 23. T F 24. T F
Multiple Choice Questions (Students are to indicate the best answer for each 200
32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
question by circling the correct letter.)
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking?
a. a student urging an instructor to reconsider the due date for an assignment * b. a student sharing ideas about leadership based on a book she has read c. a student on stage telling jokes during the intermission of a play d. all of the above e. a and b only
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking?
a. a teacher praising parents for contributing to the school carnival
b. a teacher arguing that phonics is a successful method for teaching reading * c. a teacher explaining the requirements for an assignment d. all of the above e. b and c only
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking? a. an ambassador urging changes in international adoption laws * b. a social worker explaining adoption laws to potential parents c. a scientist convincing colleagues to change their research focus d. all of the above e. b and c only
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking? a. a business manager reporting on next year’s budget b. a pastor urging parishioners to give to a building fund c. a teacher lecturing about methods of speech organization d. all of the above * e. a and c only
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking? a. a lawyer exhorting a jury not to convict her client b. a teacher urging colleagues to adopt a new curriculum * c. a banker explaining how the stock market operates d. all of the above e. a and c only
Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking? * a. a doctor explaining how antioxidants affect the body b. a vitamin distributor urging listeners to buy antioxidants
c. a scientist arguing that antioxidants have minimal health benefits d. all of the above e. a and c only
In an informative speech, the speaker acts as a(n) a. advocate. b. entertainer. * c. teacher.
201
39. 40. 41.
d. motivator. e. evaluator.
According to your textbook, the aims of an informative speech include a. communicating the speaker’s information clearly. b. communicating the speaker’s information accurately.
c. making the speaker’s information meaningful to the audience. * d. all of the above. e. a and b only.
“To inform my audience about the major achievements of Ronald Reagan” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
* a. object. b. process. c. event. d. concept. e. function.
“To inform my audience about the different notions of intellectual property in eastern and western cultures” is an example of a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
a. object. b. event. * c. concept. d. operation. e. process.
“To inform my audience about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II” is an example of a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
* a. event. b. narrative. c. condition. d. concept. e. function.
“To inform my audience about the major parts of a 35-millimeter camera” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
a. concept. b. event. c. process. * d. object. e. function.
A is a systematic series of actions that leads to a specific result or product. a. function b. project
202
42.
43. 44.
45. 46. 47. 48.
c. demonstration * d. process e. custom
“To inform my audience how to make genuine French croissants” is a specific purpose statement for a speech about a(n)
a. object. * b. process. c. function. d. event. e. concept.
“To inform my audience how to add memory to a computer” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
a. operation. b. function. c. event. d. concept. * e. process.
“To inform my audience about the three stages in a job interview” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
a. concept. b. object. * c. process. d. function. e. policy.
“To inform my audience about the removal of the Cherokee Indians from their native lands” is an example of a specific purpose statement for a speech about a(n)
a. function. * b. event. c. condition. d. object. e. concept.
“To inform my audience about the causes of the American Revolution” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
a. object. b. function. c. institution. d. concept. * e. event.
“To inform my audience about the history of Halloween observances” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
203
49. 50.