- Jan 2, 2006
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I'm a senior and I have to take a 100-level communications course (public speaking). My senior level classes are all critical thinking and essay/short answer types of tests where your answer is graded on the merit of its logic.
I have this stupid multiple choice test in this comm course and I'm going to get at most a B in it because it's just complete rote memorization of things that are said in the book.
1. What percent of a speech's length should the intro and conclusion be?
Answer is 20%. 15%, 25%, 10% are all wrong. Why? Because the book says so. Oh come on. OMG if my intro and conclusion aren't 20% of my speech it is a failure! Completely disregard the fact that there will be speeches of different lengths and the longer ones will probably have longer bodies and proportionally shorter intros and conclusions. And who the hell cares if it's 15% or 25% instead of 20%. Sheesh.
2. The key focus of the content of a speech is the:
Speech Topic
General Purpose
Specific Purpose
Central Idea
The answer is the speech topic. Ignore the fact that it is practically synonymous with Central Idea. The answer must be absolutely verbatim from the book. Tsk, tsk, no synonyms allowed!!!!!
3. One general purpose of a speech is:
Demonstrate
Inform
Move to Action
Educate
Answer is Inform. Yup, to Educate would be wrong. If you answer with a synonym, you are punished. This is what I hate. Synonyms are words that convey the same idea (in this case, the relaying of a message which the subject then remembers in some way, if they don't remember, they have not been truly informed, nor educated). Any person who answers with Educate has the same god damned idea in their head for the answer as someone who answers with Inform, yet the one who used Educate gets it wrong simply because he didn't use the exact word that the book uses.
I don't know. This test looks like it's going to be an absolute clusterfuck of bad questions and a shining example of the failure to instill any kind of dynamic thinking in our students.
I've read all of the chapters diligently before every class and take notes on them, but I'm having trouble scoring higher than a B in any of the practice tests because I remember the ideas, not the frickin' exact word or phrase that the book uses.
EDIT: MORE examples
I'm finding errors between the sample exam answers and the book. Looks like the authors of the book are getting confused themselves with their verbatim testing of the book when making up the exams.
4. The American Civil Liberties Union was formed in:
1920
1940
1964
1989
YES!!!! Now they've resorted to having us memorize dates in an effort to make the test harder! I haven't gotten a question like this even in my history classes...
5. Good listeners must
Identify the speaker's main points.
Expect a coherent, organized, and complete speech.
Answer is the second choice because the book didn't mention the first choice. Holy shit. So you can still be a good listener even if you have no fucking clue what in God's name the speaker is trying to talk about? By this definition, if I see a flyer saying that a great public speaker is going to be making a speech, but I never make it to the speech and never even hear it, I can still be a Good Listener as long as I can expect that the great public speaker's speech will be/would have been coherent, organized, and complete?!!?
6. If audience members don't make eye contact with you, you should
tell a story.
increase your speaking energy.
pause to gain listeners attention.
use appropriate humor.
The answer can only be "tell a story." HOLY FRICKIN' COW.
7. Which is NOT a strategy for customizing your message to your audience?
refer to the town or community.
refer to a recent news event.
refer to your qualifications.
refer to a group or organization.
Answer is "refer to your qualifications." Um... WHAT?! If I'm talking to a group of photographers about something to do with photography, saying that I've been a photographer myself for 4 years doesn't qualify as customizing my message to the audience?
8. Which of the following verbs does not name an observable, measurable action that the audience should be able to take by the end of thte speech?
list
describe
understand
write
Answer is "understand." This is truly a paradox. By this definition, understanding is NOT observable or measurable and the audience shouldn't be able to understand after the speech. Yup, that's why we have exams. Because understanding is not measurable or observable. Ok.
9. You should use brainstorming to help
choose a purpose.
choose a central idea.
choose a topic.
All of the above.
Answer is "Topic." Remember kids, you should NOT use brainstorming for choosing a purpose or a central idea. Ever. It simply won't work. It's like 2 + 2 = 4. It just doesn't work.
10. An audience-centered informative speaker
gives their audience information it can use.
adapts their message to their specific needs.
presents information that relates to their goals.
None of the above.
Answer is "gives their audience information they can use." Uhhhh.... ok.
11. Which is false about adult learners?
Adults like to be actively involved in the learning process.
Adults like to be given information that they can use in the future.
Adults like to know how the new information is relevant to their needs.
Adults like to connect their life experiences with new information.
Answer is "Adults like to be given information that they can use in the future."
.
.
.
BWAHAHAHAH. #11 directly contradicts #10 not to mention it is complete and utter stupidity. Yeah, we as adults DON'T like to be given information that we can use. We have NEVER attended a lecture or a meeting and thought "when am I ever going to need this fscking information?" Nope. Never.
I have this stupid multiple choice test in this comm course and I'm going to get at most a B in it because it's just complete rote memorization of things that are said in the book.
1. What percent of a speech's length should the intro and conclusion be?
Answer is 20%. 15%, 25%, 10% are all wrong. Why? Because the book says so. Oh come on. OMG if my intro and conclusion aren't 20% of my speech it is a failure! Completely disregard the fact that there will be speeches of different lengths and the longer ones will probably have longer bodies and proportionally shorter intros and conclusions. And who the hell cares if it's 15% or 25% instead of 20%. Sheesh.
2. The key focus of the content of a speech is the:
Speech Topic
General Purpose
Specific Purpose
Central Idea
The answer is the speech topic. Ignore the fact that it is practically synonymous with Central Idea. The answer must be absolutely verbatim from the book. Tsk, tsk, no synonyms allowed!!!!!
3. One general purpose of a speech is:
Demonstrate
Inform
Move to Action
Educate
Answer is Inform. Yup, to Educate would be wrong. If you answer with a synonym, you are punished. This is what I hate. Synonyms are words that convey the same idea (in this case, the relaying of a message which the subject then remembers in some way, if they don't remember, they have not been truly informed, nor educated). Any person who answers with Educate has the same god damned idea in their head for the answer as someone who answers with Inform, yet the one who used Educate gets it wrong simply because he didn't use the exact word that the book uses.
I don't know. This test looks like it's going to be an absolute clusterfuck of bad questions and a shining example of the failure to instill any kind of dynamic thinking in our students.
I've read all of the chapters diligently before every class and take notes on them, but I'm having trouble scoring higher than a B in any of the practice tests because I remember the ideas, not the frickin' exact word or phrase that the book uses.
EDIT: MORE examples
I'm finding errors between the sample exam answers and the book. Looks like the authors of the book are getting confused themselves with their verbatim testing of the book when making up the exams.
4. The American Civil Liberties Union was formed in:
1920
1940
1964
1989
YES!!!! Now they've resorted to having us memorize dates in an effort to make the test harder! I haven't gotten a question like this even in my history classes...
5. Good listeners must
Identify the speaker's main points.
Expect a coherent, organized, and complete speech.
Answer is the second choice because the book didn't mention the first choice. Holy shit. So you can still be a good listener even if you have no fucking clue what in God's name the speaker is trying to talk about? By this definition, if I see a flyer saying that a great public speaker is going to be making a speech, but I never make it to the speech and never even hear it, I can still be a Good Listener as long as I can expect that the great public speaker's speech will be/would have been coherent, organized, and complete?!!?
6. If audience members don't make eye contact with you, you should
tell a story.
increase your speaking energy.
pause to gain listeners attention.
use appropriate humor.
The answer can only be "tell a story." HOLY FRICKIN' COW.
7. Which is NOT a strategy for customizing your message to your audience?
refer to the town or community.
refer to a recent news event.
refer to your qualifications.
refer to a group or organization.
Answer is "refer to your qualifications." Um... WHAT?! If I'm talking to a group of photographers about something to do with photography, saying that I've been a photographer myself for 4 years doesn't qualify as customizing my message to the audience?
8. Which of the following verbs does not name an observable, measurable action that the audience should be able to take by the end of thte speech?
list
describe
understand
write
Answer is "understand." This is truly a paradox. By this definition, understanding is NOT observable or measurable and the audience shouldn't be able to understand after the speech. Yup, that's why we have exams. Because understanding is not measurable or observable. Ok.
9. You should use brainstorming to help
choose a purpose.
choose a central idea.
choose a topic.
All of the above.
Answer is "Topic." Remember kids, you should NOT use brainstorming for choosing a purpose or a central idea. Ever. It simply won't work. It's like 2 + 2 = 4. It just doesn't work.
10. An audience-centered informative speaker
gives their audience information it can use.
adapts their message to their specific needs.
presents information that relates to their goals.
None of the above.
Answer is "gives their audience information they can use." Uhhhh.... ok.
11. Which is false about adult learners?
Adults like to be actively involved in the learning process.
Adults like to be given information that they can use in the future.
Adults like to know how the new information is relevant to their needs.
Adults like to connect their life experiences with new information.
Answer is "Adults like to be given information that they can use in the future."
.
.
.
BWAHAHAHAH. #11 directly contradicts #10 not to mention it is complete and utter stupidity. Yeah, we as adults DON'T like to be given information that we can use. We have NEVER attended a lecture or a meeting and thought "when am I ever going to need this fscking information?" Nope. Never.
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