Southern New Hampshire University
COM-212 Public Speaking
Milestone 1 questions and answers
1
Select the statement that describes an effective way for a speaker to construct an organized message
with their speech.
Letting the audience decide for themselves why the topic of
the speech is important
Moving from one main point of the speech to the next as quickly
as possible
Adding jokes and off-color anecdotes designed to lighten the mood
Offering an explanation in the introduction of why the thesis of
the speech is particularly timely
RATIONALE
Explaining why a thesis is timely at the start of a speech helps give the audience an idea of where the main
argument is headed, which is better than leaving an audience to wonder why the topic is important. Adding jokes
can prove too distracting while moving quickly from one point to another can leave the audience confused.
CONCEPT
Make Connections
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2
The audience members Sarah spoke to after her speech informed her that it was hard to make out some
of her main points. Sarah chalked it up to a problem with her .
attire
body language
memorization
enunciation
RATIONALE
Enunciation is correct as it is the manner of speaking and pronouncing words clearly.
CONCEPT
Preparing to
Present Delivering
the Speech
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3
Lindsey is scheduled to make a speech in front of an audience at a tech convention. Her goal is to convince
the crowd that her company's new type of tablet computer represents a major upgrade over the models of
competing brands. Lindsey believes in the main argument of her speech but knows she must support it
effectively while keeping her speech interesting.
Select the statement that represents an effective way Lindsey could add support to and generate
audience interest in her speech.
Lindsey tries to keep her main points broad without taking too
much time to go into specifics.
Lindsey tells a short story about trying the product for the first
time and being surprised at its various utilities.
Lindsey talks about where her office is located inside the
company, how many emails she sends each day, and how long her
commute to work takes.
Lindsey tells her audience that she has been using a computer for
much of her life.
RATIONALE
Telling a short story is correct because anecdotes allow an audience to better connect to the subject. Talking
about her position in the company does not provide details germane to her argument, and keeping her main point
broad could result in the audience having a harder time following an argument because it lacks relevancy. The
statement about using a computer is too bland and vague to be of interest.
CONCEPT
Supporting Your Ideas
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4
Which of the following statements represents an example of incorporating expert testimony into a
speech effectively?
A climate scientist shows a video with several celebrities
advocating for carbon taxes when arguing that the science of
global warming is undeniable.
A local political candidate makes a claim about tax rates and then
references a report on municipal tax rates written by an economic
firm.
A doctor arguing that the dangers of ingesting too much sugar
are overstated cites a study sponsored by a soft drink company.
A spokesman for a tech company references his brother's
positive experiences with a new cell phone when arguing that
the phone is uniquely powerful.
RATIONALE
The political candidate's claim is correct because it is an example of relevant, expert testimony from a credible
source. The climate scientist and the company spokesman are not using testimony from expert sources, so they
do not lend much credibility to their respective arguments. The doctor uses testimony from a biased source that
can easily be called into question.
CONCEPT
Expert vs. Peer Testimony
How to Incorporate Expert Testimony
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5
Edward, a retired professor, is asked to speak about the electoral college at a community center. More than
half of the attendees are immigrants who are non-native English speakers. Edward writes his speech assuming
that his audience would be somewhat familiar with the subject. Most of the community members walk away
from the speech without learning anything about the electoral college.
Edward's ethnocentrism resulted in him ignoring the of his audience and made his speech
less effective as a result.
gender
national origin
interests
professions
RATIONALE
Edward fails to take the culture of the audience members into account, as most are from backgrounds that would
not be familiar with the electoral college. The other answers have no bearing on the audience's possible
knowledge of Edward's subject.
CONCEPT
Analyzing the Who, Why, and Where
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6
Determine which of the following presentations calls for using abstract terminology.
The founder of a software company talks about the
virtual marketplace at a conference.
An engineer gives a presentation of proposed changes to the
town's roads at a town hall meeting.
The CEO of a bank discusses wealth and investments with
other executives from his industry.
An economics professor introduces the concept of a “sunk cost”
to a class of first-year students.
RATIONALE
The correct statement calls for abstract terminology because the speaker and the audience would likely be on
the same page in regards to the concepts the speaker discusses, allowing them to understand without
examples.
The other statements call for concrete terminology as in each case the speaker is more familiar with the topic than
the audience; as a result, concrete terminology can help the audience gain understanding and make connections.
CONCEPT
Tailor Complexity to Your
Audience Tailor Abstraction to
Your Audience
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7
Emily is about to deliver her first speech as the new editor of the newspaper. She is hoping to bridge the divide
between her and the younger employees. Emily likes telling stories in her speeches and hopes she can figure
out a way to tell a story that will get her new workers to trust her and relate to her.
Which of the following examples of storytelling would help Emily accomplish her goal?
Emily speculates on what it must be like for new writers to work
with different technology.
Emily talks about every major story she contributed to during
her time as a writer.
Emily describes how she liked to organize her desk when she
used to be a writer.
Emily talks about an early experience she had as a writer when
trying to please her editors.
RATIONALE
a
as
TT
Tt
ae
Speculating on new technology is incorrect because Emily is not speaking from her own experience. Talking about all
of her stories is incorrect because the speech would become too long and repetitive. Talking about desk organization
is
What is the best way to conduct follow-up for an in-person interview?
Listen to a recording of the interview while marking any points
of interest.
Dismiss any answers that contradict your original ideas.
Tabulate the ratings if you used rating scales for the
interview questions.
Use an archive feature to create a transcript that can later
be analyzed.
RATIONALE
A recording of the interview is a good option whenever the interviewer is able to hear what the subject is saying in-
person.
The archive feature is an advantage of text chat that becomes relevant with online synchronous interviews, while
tabulating ratings is useful for online asynchronous interviews with multiple subjects. The statement about
dismissing answers is not good advice for any type of interview.
CONCEPT
Interview Follow Up
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9
Select the summary that describes a descriptive informative speech.
A representative from the school board gives a presentation on
the current state of funding for afterschool programs.
A teacher from an art school gives children a lesson in the
process of creating watercolor paintings.
A writer gives a presentation on the meaning of utilitarianism
while promoting his book on the same topic.
The leader of an organization of birdwatchers talks about the
features of a newly discovered species of thrush that can be
found in a local park.
RATIONALE
The birdwatcher is giving a descriptive speech aiming to paint a vivid picture of a bird in the mind of the
audience. The art teacher is giving a demonstration speech in which an audience is informed how to complete a
process. The school board rep is giving an explanatory speech relating to the current state of topic. The writer is
giving a definition speech aiming to communicate the essential meaning of a topic.
CONCEPT
Defining an Informative
Speech Types of Informative
Speeches
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10
Rosie has been invited to present a talk about the rise of hate speech on college campuses across the United
States. She plans to argue the need for diversity and inclusion programs.
Select the behavior that represents Rosie effectively preparing for her speech.
Rosie contemplates all of the ways her audience could react
poorly to her during her speech.
Rosie writes an outline of her speech on notecards because she
doesn’t want to forget any of her main points.
Rosie is nervous about giving her speech, so she avoids practicing
it.
Rosie decides that she will improvise her speech so that it
will sound natural.
RATIONALE
Writing an outline is a way to become more comfortable with the wording of a speech and represents effective
preparation. Improvising and avoiding practice are incorrect because they indicate a lack of preparation. Thinking
about failure is incorrect because it doesn't involve Rosie doing anything ahead of time to reduce the risk of failure.
CONCEPT
Wording the
Speech Preparing
to Present
Delivering the Speech
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11
Mark is a student in Mr. Darnell's English class. Today Mr. Darnell is giving a lecture on how Shakespearian
sonnets influence modern poetry. Mark is having trouble following Mr. Darnell's line of reasoning. His teacher
jumped quickly from talking about Shakespeare to talking about current poetry and Mark doesn't see the
relationship between the two types. He leaves class without understanding Mr. Darnell's point.
Which of the following statements describes something Mr. Darnell should have done in order to
make his lecture easier to follow?
Throw in a personal anecdote about his experience writing poetry.
Introduce new supporting evidence into the main part of his lecture.
Use visual aids to reinforce some of his stronger opinions.
Add some transitions to his lecture to connect his main arguments.
RATIONALE
Adding transitions is correct because transitions show connections and make a line of reasoning more
transparent. None of the other answers address the lack of connectivity in Mr. Darnell's lecture.
CONCEPT
Transitions
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12
Lucy is the director of communications at a public relations company. She is giving a presentation at a high
school career day, During her speech, she informs the students of the daily routines of her industry and gives
them advice for pursuing a similar career. Lucy makes smart use of supporting materials during this
presentation, and after she is finished, several students approach her and say they are now seriously
considering a career in public relations.
Lucy used supporting materials to increase the effectiveness of her speech. Determine which of the
following statements describes Lucy using an analogy.
Lucy points to data on a chart indicating the declining revenue
of companies that recently experienced bad PR.
Lucy tells the gathered students the point of a public relations
team and identifies its goals and processes.
Lucy compares the act of managing a client's negative image
with the process of fixing holes in a leaky dam.
Lucy explains what a press release is and when it's most useful.
RATIONALE
The statement about a leaky dam shows Lucy making an analogy to help the audience more easily understand the goal
of a public relations company. The statement about a chart shows Lucy using a visual aid to represent the
potential importance of public relations. In the other statements, Lucy is defining concepts to ensure the audience
knows what she is talking about.
CONCEPT
Analogies
Definitions
Visual Demonstrations
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13
Which of the following scenarios describes someone using a credible source for evidence?
A blogger cites an online poll taken by several hundred people
when making a prediction about a sporting event.
A student in a debate club argues for the importance of
assigning children nightly homework by claiming it has been
done for decades.
A marketing executive pushes for an online-focused strategy,
claiming he has seen it work for another company.
A politician states facts from a scientist's report when arguing for
a new policy on climate change.
RATIONALE
The politician's statement is a credible source because it is an example of verifiable information from an expert
source. The blogger uses information that is not from an expert, well-researched source, while the debate club
student uses "common sense" in lieu of evidence. The marketing executive uses anecdotal evidence.
CONCEPT
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14
Dana, an international studies student, is interviewing Matías, the director of an immigrant advocacy group for
an upcoming class presentation. Dana hasn’t done much research about Matías because she thinks it's better to
go in with no knowledge. As a result, the interview is filled with awkward silences and Dana doesn’t get the
information she needs to give an effective speech.
What is the first step that Dana should have taken to effectively prepare for and conduct an interview?
Dana reads Matías’ bio on the advocacy group’s website and
discovers that he has 10 years of experience as an
immigration lawyer.
Dana prepares questions about how Matías’ experience as an
immigration lawyer informs his current work at the advocacy group.
Dana notices how proud Matías is of his expertise while
carefully listening to his account of his career experience so
far.
Dana revises her question list to make sure that she's not
asking Matias any leading questions.
RATIONALE
The first thing Dana should do to prepare for the interview is to do some research on Matías, which will give Dana
some ideas for what questions to ask.
CONCEPT
Interview
Preparation
Interview Conduct
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15
Which of the following statements does NOT represent an example of supporting materials used to
effectively bolster an argument?
An executive using a personal anecdote when trying to
convince board members to pursue a business merger
A politician stressing the commonalities between himself and
his constituents when trying to gain support at a political rally
A student quoting research from an academic journal
while presenting a report on magnetic fields
A financial advisor displaying data on a large video screen
while making a presentation in a large auditorium
RATIONALE
The executive's personal anecdote does not supply the board members with statistical, well-researched support for a
business decision. The student and financial advisor both use supporting materials to clearly communicate factual
evidence. The politician is making a more emotional appeal, and thus tries to relate to his audience.
CONCEPT
Using Supporting Materials
Using Supporting Materials Effectively
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16
Determine which of the following statements describes a method of managing situational
anxiety.
Sally often tells herself that it's okay to fail, because each time
she gives a speech she will improve.
Frank spends several minutes each day envisioning his role as a
project manager leading a team to success.
Lawrence jogs in place before his speech to get his muscles loose
and his endorphins flowing.
Debra participates in a guided meditation exercise to
prepare herself for future presentations.
RATIONALE
The statement about Lawrence describes a method of managing situational anxiety, as it features someone
preparing for a specific and immediate event. The other statements are examples of managing trait anxiety,
featuring people preparing around the anticipation of threatening situations.
CONCEPT
Situational
Anxiety Trait
Anxiety
Tools for Managing Situational
Anxiety Tools for Managing Trait
Anxiety
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17
Sean is presenting his suggestions for what to do about his town's water treatment plant to the town council.
The presentation was inspired by a recent assessment of the plant written by an environmental consulting
firm. Sean has studied the assessment closely and organized his thoughts into a carefully constructed speech.
Select the statement from Sean's speech that should come first according to the principle of chronological order.
"Improving this plant is a key to our town's future and I believe
we can now move to accomplish this goal."
"The existing water treatment plant is functioning at 65%
capacity and needs to be modernized."
"The first step we can take is to trust in the recommendations of
the experts who we hired to review the water treatment plant."
"We are here to inform ourselves about the current status of
our water plant and assess plans of action."
RATIONALE
The statement about assessing plans of action is first as it is an intro that establishes the speech's purpose. The
statements mentioning first steps and the capacity are second as they present the speech's main arguments. The
statement referencing the town's future is last as it paraphrases the goal of the speech and ends with a call to
action.
CONCEPT
Organizing and Outlining the Speech
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18
Ben is a city councilman scheduled to make a presentation during a public meeting. He is pushing for the
redevelopment of the city's waterfront. Ben knows the citizens attending the meeting will balk at the share of
the costs he expects the taxpayers to cover. He works on constructing a speech that will put the benefits of
such a project at the forefront of their minds.
Which description shows Ben trying to meet the goal of making his informative speech memorable?
Ben talks about how other cities have revitalized their waterfronts.
Ben shows offan artist's interpretation of the finished waterfront
at various times during his speech, including the conclusion.
Ben describes the new attractions that will open on the
waterfront and the tourism they are projected to bring to the
town.
Ben avoids going into detail on the estimated cost and time
of construction so the audience focuses on the possible
results.
RATIONALE
Ben makes his speech memorable by repeatedly using a visual aid that will likely stick in the minds of the
audience. Ben determines essential information by reducing the focus on issues such as construction time and cost
so the audience will focus more on key issues. Ben informs the audience of the benefits of the waterfront by
focusing on new attractions and tourism revenue. Ben is not meeting a goal of an informative speech at all by
talking about other cities.
CONCEPT
Subjects of Informative
Speeches The Goals of an
Informative Speech
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19
Which statement describes a speaker using an extended example?
A politician references a recent shooting when trying to remind
a crowd of the importance of a strong police force.
An economic analyst talks about the struggles the bookstore
industry has faced as he describes the changing economy.
A speaker at a tech conference compares the popularity of
text messaging with the reception to older forms of
communication.
A grade school teacher tells his students about how a maid keeps a
house clean when giving a lecture about the body's immune
system.
RATIONALE
The statement about bookstores is an extended example used to explain a more complicated topic. The other
statements are a hypothetical example (teacher), a brief example (politician), and a comparison (speaker at a
tech conference).
Types of Examples: Brief, Extended, and Hypothetical
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20
Harriet relied on , stressing the importance of rainwater harvesting several times during her
speech, to make her presentation on water conservation more effective.
analogies
repetition
anecdotes
emotional appeals
RATIONALE
Repetition involves returning to the same key information several times over the course of the speech to stress its
importance and improve recall.
CONCEPT
Utilizing Devices to Enhance Audience
Understanding Make It Memorable
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21
Which of the following statements serves as an example of a well-developed thesis for a speech
about the minimum wage law?
"The minimum wage law is an issue that affects us all and it
is important to decide whether we are for or against it."
"There are no possible arguments against the decision to oppose
the newly announced changes to the minimum wage law."
"The proposed change to the minimum wage law suggests wide-
sweeping alterations and it is difficult to know how to feel about
it."
"The proposed change to the minimum wage law is unethical and
as blue-collar workers you should not allow politicians to frame it
as an issue of freedom."
RATIONALE
The statement calling the law "unethical" is the correct answer because it shows the speaker's view of the
topic, appeals to audience's emotion about the topic, and addresses possible rebuttals.
The statement mentioning "wide-sweeping alterations" does not make clear how the speaker feels about the
subject, while the statement claiming the law "affects all of us" does not make clear how the audience should
feel. The statement claiming there are "no possible arguments" does not intelligently address other opinions and
possible rebuttals related to the topic.
CONCEPT
Developing Your Thesis
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22
Jonas, a pediatrician, normally gives presentations to doctors, but today he is filling in for his partner at a
prenatal class at a community center. His regular prenatal care speech focuses on the causes and prevention
of birth abnormalities. The members of the class are mostly women having children for the first time. Most of
them are in their twenties or early thirties. Jonas considers how to change his presentation to better suit his
class.
Which of the following represents an effectively scoped speech topic for Jonas' new audience?
The importance of taking time between pregnancies to recover
Changes in delivery procedure brought about by modern medical
equipment
The unique health risks that develop during elderly pregnancies
The link between good maternal health and healthy
pregnancies and delivery
RATIONALE
Focusing on the link between health and pregnancies is correct because it is an example of a speech that
would deliver information relevant to Jonas' audience.
Time between pregnancies and elderly pregnancies are incorrect because they contain information irrelevant to
Jonas' audience of mostly young first-time mothers. Changes in delivery procedure is incorrect because it is a topic
tailored to Jonas' normal audience of doctors.
CONCEPT
Scoping Your Speech
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23
Jerry has asked a travel agency for advice about an upcoming trip to Northern Africa. Although he is excited at
the prospect of the journey, he is also worried about his safety due to reports of recent political unrest. The
travel agent attempts to assist Jerry by compiling a number of websites, online articles and links that highlight
certain destinations for travelers to avoid. Jerry browses these new resources, wondering which of them offer
the best advice.
Determine which resource the travel agent offered Jerry represents usable information.
An article about a protest leading to riots from a website ending
in .edu
A blog post on an African tourist site written by an
anonymous author claiming to be a travel expert
A Facebook post assuring travelers that recent news reports
are fake
A user-edited online encyclopedia entry detailing a nation's
recent political history
RATIONALE
taken the class suggests going to the library for research. Although initially unsure of how to search for
information in the library, by asking the librarian for assistance he is able to quickly locate reliable sources.
Tony's work on the project proceeds more quickly as a result.
With the librarian’s help, Tony uses the ADAM protocol to evaluate potential sources. He rejects the first
source because the analysis provided by the source is not detailed enough for his purpose. Which
aspect of the ADAM protocol does this represent?
Depth
Money
Age
Author
RATIONALE
The ADAM protocol considers age, depth, author, and money. When an analysis lacks details, it does not have sufficient
depth.
CONCEPT
Sources of Information
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25
Mary is a new employee on the sales team of a publishing house. One of her first assignments is to analyze the
sales of novels aimed at young adults and report back with any important takeaways. After researching the
issue, Mary determines that action and romance novels should be released during the summer. Mary considers
how to present this information to her bosses.
Select the statistical evidence Mary could use to make her argument to her bosses more persuasive.
A chart showing how interest in genres other than action and
romance has declined
A graph showing that sales of action and romance novels increase
in the summer months
A survey of a few dozen readers claiming they read action and
romance novels in the summer
An analysis of the types of common tropes in different genres
of novels
RATIONALE
The graph is correct because it features relevant information that supports Mary's conclusion. Both the chart and
the analysis include information that is not relevant to Mary's argument. The survey features too small of a
sample size to provide convincing evidence.
CONCEPT
Understanding
Statistics
Communicating Statistics
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