SpCm 212 Exam 2 Review
Description
30% short answer - Group Work is optional - you may choose to work alone if you prefer
70% multiple choice - Individual Work Only - 35 questions
In addition to studying the following terms and concepts be sure to do the exercises at the end of each
chapter to practice the skills.
Chapters 6, 7, 15, and 16
Chapter 6
What library resource do you use to find recent articles published in general interest periodicals and
academic journals?
According to your textbook, what resource would be the best to consult to find out numerical
information on social, political and economic aspects of American life? (Such as if you wanted to know
how many cars or TVs American’s own.)
What are periodical databases? When would you use them? What are some of them called?
What are the three criteria in the textbook for assessing the soundness or reliability of documents found
on the Internet?
What information does your textbook suggest using when you orally cite a website? What do you do
when you cannot identify the author of an Internet document?
Chapter 7
What are the three basic types of evidence/supporting materials speaker use?
What are the different types of examples?
What do examples contribute to a speech?
How can we use examples most successfully? What might we combine with examples to increase their
usefulness as evidence to support a claim?
What are the tips for understanding and using statistics?
What does it mean to say a statistic is representative?
What are the differences between expert testimony and peer testimony? Be prepared to judge what
would be the strongest source for a particular claim.
What suggestions does the textbook offer for using testimony well?
What does it mean to paraphrase and when should you do it?
Which kinds of evidence/supporting material best help you establish ethos? Logos? Pathos? in your
speech?
Chapter 15
According to our textbook, what is the nature of the persuasive process?
Be able to recognize an instance of persuasive speaking vs. an instance of informative speaking
Recognize differences between speeches on questions of fact, questions of value, and questions of
policy.
Policy Speech vocabulary:
Burden of Proof
Status quo
passive agreement vs immediate action
Problem/need, Plan, and Practicality—What are they? Recognize arguments related to each
idea. Be able to create an example of each.
Problem-Solution, Problem-Cause-Solution, Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (know all five steps
and the mission accomplished by each), Comparative Advantages. Recognize sets of main points
for each. Recognize based on a Transition that is used between main points. Why would you
choose one of these patterns over another to increase your persuasive power? For what
situation would each be most appropriate?
Chapter 16
Ethos, Logos and Pathos. What do each of those appeals mean? Where do they come from? What are
the central strategies for developing them in a speech?
What are the factors that contribute to credibility? What are the chronological types of credibility? How
can you best enhance your credibility?
What have studies shown us about ways to increase the effectiveness of evidence in a persuasive
speech?
Recognize uses of arguments from Specific Instances (inductive), Principle (deductive), Analogy
(analogical reasoning) and Cause (causal reasoning).
Recognize an obvious weakness in reasoning. [Only the terms false analogy, ad hominem,
slippery slope, and post hoc appear anywhere on the exam.]
What are emotional appeals, how can you generate them, and why are ethics important when
using them?
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. "To persuade my audience that allowing corporations to collect DNA samples of employees is unethical" is a
specific purpose for a persuasive speech of
a. fact
b. value
c. conviction
d. policy
e. it's not persuasive it's informative
2. "To persuade my audience to conserve water" is a specific purpose statement for a persuasive speech of
a. fact
b. value
c. conviction
d. policy
e. it's not persuasive it's informative
3. "To persuade my audience to conserve water" is an example of a specific purpose statement for a persuasive
speech our textbook would say was aiming at
a. immediate action
b. passive agreement
c. building community
d. entertaining the audience
e. soliciting audience response
4. "Students are mastering the material for introductory level courses in biology through on line learning websites,
so they'll be able to master public speaking through an on line course as well." This is an example of what form of
reasoning?
a. reasoning from principle
b. bandwagon fallacy
c. reasoning from specific instances
d. analogical reasoning
e. causal reasoning
Consider the above claim again: is this a strong example of reasoning? Why or why not?
5. What pattern of organization is used in the following set of main points?
I. We could try to escape the state budget deficit by cutting funding for state services and for state
universities.
II. We could try to escape the state budget deficit by reducing pay to all state employees through
furloughs.
III. The best way to escape the state budget deficit is through raising the state’s income taxes.
a. problem-solution
b. problem-cause-solution
c. comparative advantages
d. Monroe's Motivated sequence
e. topical
6. Regardless of whether your aim is to encourage passive agreement or immediate action, you must deal with
three basic issues whenever you discuss a question of policy. They are
a. cause, effect, and practicality
b. evidence, practicality, and reasoning
c. problem/need, plan and reaction
d. problem/need, plan and solution
e. problem/need, plan and practicality
7. When Shirley argued that you could adopt her exercise plan without investing too much time or money and still
have great results, she was dealing with which of the three basic issues necessary to face in a persuasive speech on
a question of policy.
a. advantages
b. plan
c. problem/need
d. practicality
e. evidence
8. When Ahmed offered evidence to prove that childhood obesity is reaching crisis proportions in the U.S. and that
medical complications such as diabetes are going to stress an already overburdened medical system, he was
dealing with which of the three basic issues necessary to face in a persuasive speech on a question of policy.
a. advantages
b. plan
c. problem/need
d. practicality
e. evidence
9. At the hearings about the Story County Keg ordinance, students produced evidence from Columbus, Ohio,
Lincoln, Nebraska and College Station, Texas to prove that other college towns do not have special policies
concerning Keg rentals. This was an example of what kind of reasoning?
a. reasoning from principle
b. either-or fallacy
c. reasoning from specific instances
d. reasoning from analogy
e. causal reasoning
10. At the hearings about the Story County Keg ordinance City Council members produced evidence from West
Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University) to demonstrate the effectiveness of the keg ordinance adopted
there in reducing underage drinking. Since such a policy is working there, they argued, it will also work to reduce
underage drinking here in Ames, Iowa. This was an example of what kind of reasoning?
a. reasoning from principle
b. either-or fallacy
c. reasoning from specific instances
d. reasoning from analogy
e. causal reasoning
11. Expert testimony is a good way to develop the ______ appeal in your speech.
a. ethos
b. pathos
c. logos
d. significance
e. none of the above
12. According to your text _________ is especially appropriate in the conclusion to a persuasive speech of policy
a. a statistic
b. a call to action
c. an example
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
13. Below are three main points and two sub-points from a speech on a question of policy. Which is the third main
point?
a. There are several major causes of the problem of unreliable 911 operation.
b. When calls do get through, operators do not always send help promptly.
c. The growing unreliability of the 911 emergency system is a serious problem.
d. Recent studies show that in some locations many 911 calls never get through.
e. An effective solution would involve upgrading both technology and operator training.
14. Unscramble the outline in question and 7 and then indicate which pattern of organization is used.
a. problem-solution
b. problem-cause-solution
c. comparative advantages
d. Monroe's Motivated sequence
e. topical
15. Which of the following specific purpose statements is from a persuasive speech of policy seeking passive
agreement?
a. To persuade my audience to donate blood.
b. To persuade my audience that they should donate money to Habitat for Humanity.
c. To persuade my audience that the University should build a parking garage on the North side of campus.
d. To persuade my audience that UFO's have visited the earth.
e. b, c and d
16. Which of the following statements is the kind of statement you would find in the problem (need) section of a
speech on a question of policy?
a. "Brazil's enforcement efforts have made a difference in controlling the number of acres cleared."
b. "Recently, Brazil has renewed its commitment to enforce the laws that fine those who exceed limits on clearing
land in the rain forest."
c. "In 1995 11,200 square miles of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil was burned or cleared."
d. none of the above
e. a and c only
17. The following connective signals what type of pattern of organization?
"We've seen that drinking among college students causes serious problems for campus communities and we have
seen the role that peer pressure and alcohol centered activities play in creating those problems. Now let's turn to
the steps universities can take to combat these problems."
a. problem-solution
b. problem-cause-solution
c. comparative advantages
d. cause-effect or causal
e. topical
18. Which of the following is recommended by your textbook as a way to enhance the effectiveness of your
examples?
A.
Practice delivery to enhance your extended examples.
B.
Avoid using examples drawn from your personal experience.
C.
Make your examples vivid and richly textured.
D.
all of the above
E.
a and c only
What kind of reasoning is used in the following statement?
The income of male accountants is 20 percent higher than the income of female accountants. There is a similar difference
between the income of male and female lawyers. Even among doctors, we find an income gap of 20 percent or more within
most medical specialties. It is clear that in many professions women continue to earn less than men.
19.
A.
reasoning from gender
B.
reasoning from comparison
C.
reasoning from specific instances
D.
reasoning from general cases
E.
reasoning from principle
According to your textbook, if you quoted tsunami survivor Suvik Jayaratne on the hardships that continue to face residents
trying to rebuild their lives in Sri Lanka, you would be using ____________ testimony.
20.
A.
peer
B.
informal
C.
representative
D.
professional
E.
expert
Answers to Practice Questions
1. b. value
2. d. policy (though not stated in typical form, this specific purpose statement is clearly calling for action)
3. a. immediate action
4. d. analogical reasoning
5. c. comparative advantages
6. e. problem/need, plan and practicality
7. d. practicality
8. c. problem/need
9. d. reasoning from analogy
10. d. reasoning from analogy
(9 and 10 demonstrate how both sides of an argument can marshal evidence and use similar reasoning to support
opposite conclusions. This is especially true with analogies. Which perspective a listener will believe depends upon
which cases compared they feel are most SIMILAR.)
11. a. ethos
12. b. a call to action
13. e. An effective solution would involve upgrading both technology and operator training.
The unscrambled outline should look like this:
I. The growing unreliability of the 911 emergency system is a serious problem.
II. Recent studies show that in some locations many 911 calls never get through.
A. When calls do get through, operators do not always send help promptly.
B. There are several major causes of the problem of unreliable 911 operation.
III. An effective solution would involve upgrading both technology and operator training.
14. b. problem-cause-solution
15. c. To persuade my audience that the University should build a parking garage on the North side of campus.
16. "In 1995 11,200 square miles of the Amazon rain forest in Brazil was burned or cleared."
17. b. problem-cause-solution
18. D. All of the above
19. C. reasoning from specific instances
20. A. peer