Final Exam Comm 300: Communication Theory Spring 2014 Part I: Multiple-Choice Directions: Below are 35 multiple-choice questions. Please indicate the best answer from the selections given. Groupthink 1. Cohesiveness of the group may emerge as a problem because a. cohesiveness is generally experienced in the same manner across groups, and the results of cohesion can be generalized from one group to another b. in highly cohesive groups, members generally feel dissatisfied with the group experience and other group members c. highly cohesive groups sometimes exert great pressure on their members to conform to the group's standards. d. cohesiveness typically results in group members resisting the temptation to conform 2. All of the following are conditions that may lead to groupthink occurring EXCEPT a. the ability of all members to step into the role of group leader at a given time b. stressful internal and external characteristics of the situation c. high cohesiveness among group members d. lack of decision-making procedures established within the group 3. Group members who shield the group from adverse information are a. conscientious objectors b. self-appointed mindguards c. dissenters d. opinion leaders 4. As the decision whether to launch a new product to prevent tooth decay was being debated, one of the product development specialists commented, "What a great product! We have created something that will help Americans maintain the enamel on their teeth. I don't know why those health critics are accusing us of putting a potentially harmful product out on the market. After all, our goal is to help people, not to hurt them. We're interested in doing what is in the best interest of the public." She has demonstrated which of the following symptoms of groupthink? a. illusion of invulnerability b. out-group stereotypes c. belief in the inherent morality of the group d. collective rationalization 5. According to your text, vigilant decision makers a. focus mostly on the benefits associated with a decision b. avoid addressing all possible solutions for a decision c. create plans for implementing the decision d. disregard the purpose of decision making to pursue their own agenda Organizational Information Theory 6. All of the following are assumptions of Organizational Information Theory EXCEPT a. equivocality of information is useful for assisting an organization in achieving its goals b. the information an organization receives differs in terms of its equivocality c. human organizations exist in an information environment d. human organizations engage in information processing to reduce the equivocality of information 7. _______________ are systems or series of behaviors that are used by an organization in an attempt to reduce the equivocality of the information it receives. a. Rules b. Assumption c. Cycles d. Double interact loops 8. Helena is identified as the person who is most knowledgeable about the ...

1. Final Exam
Comm 300: Communication Theory
Spring 2014
Part I: Multiple-Choice
Directions: Below are 35 multiple-choice questions. Please
indicate the best answer from the selections given.
Groupthink
1. Cohesiveness of the group may emerge as a problem because
a. cohesiveness is generally experienced in the same manner
across groups, and the results of cohesion can be generalized
from one group to another
b. in highly cohesive groups, members generally feel
dissatisfied with the group experience and other group members
c. highly cohesive groups sometimes exert great pressure on
their members to conform to the group's standards.
d. cohesiveness typically results in group members resisting the
temptation to conform
2. All of the following are conditions that may lead to
groupthink occurring EXCEPT
a. the ability of all members to step into the role of group leader
at a given time
b. stressful internal and external characteristics of the situation

2. c. high cohesiveness among group members
d. lack of decision-making procedures established within the
group
3. Group members who shield the group from adverse
information are
a. conscientious objectors
b. self-appointed mindguards
c. dissenters
d. opinion leaders
4. As the decision whether to launch a new product to prevent
tooth decay was being debated, one of the product development
specialists commented, "What a great product! We have created
something that will help Americans maintain the enamel on
their teeth. I don't know why those health critics are accusing us
of putting a potentially harmful product out on the market. After
all, our goal is to help people, not to hurt them. We're interested
in doing what is in the best interest of the public." She has
demonstrated which of the following symptoms of groupthink?
a. illusion of invulnerability
b. out-group stereotypes
c. belief in the inherent morality of the group
d. collective rationalization
5. According to your text, vigilant decision makers

3. a. focus mostly on the benefits associated with a decision
b. avoid addressing all possible solutions for a decision
c. create plans for implementing the decision
d. disregard the purpose of decision making to pursue their own
agenda
Organizational Information Theory
6. All of the following are assumptions of Organizational
Information Theory EXCEPT
a. equivocality of information is useful for assisting an
organization in achieving its goals
b. the information an organization receives differs in terms of
its equivocality
c. human organizations exist in an information environment
d. human organizations engage in information processing to
reduce the equivocality of information
7. _______________ are systems or series of behaviors that are
used by an organization in an attempt to reduce the equivocality
of the information it receives.
a. Rules
b. Assumption
c. Cycles
d. Double interact loops

4. 8. Helena is identified as the person who is most knowledgeable
about the information that her organization has received
regarding sales projections. Therefore, her supervisor decides
that she should serve as the key resource for reducing the
equivocality of new information that the organization receives.
Which of Weick's rules for processing equivocality is being
applied?
a. duration
b. personnel
c. success
d. effort
9. Kendall's project team is reviewing the information that it
received from other teams in the organization. They focus on
assigning meaning and interpreting the information they have
received in order to determine its level of equivocality. Which
stage of the process of reducing equivocality is Kendall's team
experiencing?
a. selection
b. enactment
c. retention
d. identification
10. The two options that an organization has for dealing with
equivocality of information are its use of ______________ and
________________ .

5. a. rules, communication cycles
b. enactment, selection
c. reaction, response
d. requisite variety, double interact loops
Organizational Culture Theory
11. All of the following statements about symbols are true
EXCEPT
a. symbols represent meanings that are held by members of an
organization
b. symbols include only the nonverbal communication that takes
place in the organization
c. members of an organization create, use, and interpret symbols
in order to create and sustain a sense of organizational reality
d. organizational values may be communicated through a variety
of symbols
12. All of the following are methods of investigation used by
ethnographers to examine organizational culture EXCEPT
a. survey questionnaires
b. direct observation
c. interviews
d. participant observation

6. 13. Renaldo always has a smile on his face when he enters the
workplace. His colleagues comment on how much they
appreciate his taking the time to stop and ask how their day is
going as he passes by their desks. Renaldo is engaging in which
type of communicative performance?
a. sociality
b. passion
c. ritual
d. politics
14. Organizational _________ are used to inform members
about what standards and principles are viewed as being
important by the organization.
a. stories
b. rules
c. values
d. performances
Uses and Gratifications Theory
15. The main idea behind Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT)
is that
a. people cannot articulate the reasons or gratifications
underlying their media consumption
b. people do not realize they are being influenced by the media
c. people’s social reality is affected over the long term by media

7. content and portrayals
d. people actively seek out specific media and content to obtain
specific gratifications
16. Dan and Mona want to install a new window in their
bathroom. They go to the video store and rent “How to Install
Windows in 30 Minutes or Less.” Dan and Mona are satisfying
which of the following needs?
a. affective
b. cognitive
c. personal integrative
d. tension release
17. Whereas activity refers to what individuals do with media,
_________ refers to an individual’s freedom and autonomy in
the mass communication process.
a. cultivation
b. congruence
c. activeness
d. activation
18. The argument that people have enough self-awareness of
their own media use and motives to be able to provide an
accurate picture of that use relates to which criterion for
evaluating theory?
a. utility

8. b. heurism
c. parsimony
d. testability
Spiral of Silence Theory
19. Noelle-Neumann believes that the very fabric of our society
depends on people to jointly recognize and endorse a set of
__________, and public opinion will determine whether they
are equally embraced across the population.
a. hypotheses
b. arguments
c. opinions
d. values
20. When people agree on a common set of values, the fear of
isolation
a. increases
b. decreases
c. evaporates
d. none of these
21. In Noelle-Neumann’s interviews with smokers, she found
that in the presence of nonsmokers
a. smokers were adamant about their rights to smoke when and

9. where they wish
b. smokers felt attacked about their opinions regarding smokers’
rights
c. smokers were more likely to argue with them about smokers’
rights
d. smokers were less willing to overtly support smokers’ rights
22. In his study that asked participants to indicate which of the
lines on the right of the sheet were equal in length to the line on
the left side, Asch discovered
a. participants gave the wrong answer after hearing several
other individuals give the wrong answer
b. participants gave the right answer despite the fact that
several other individuals had already given the wrong answer
c. participants indicated they were not affected by other
individuals’ responses
d. participants were not able to determine the correct answer
Face Negotiation Theory
23. All of the following are true about face negotiation theory
EXCEPT
a. it combines the concepts of face, culture, and conflict
b. there is some concern about the theory because it overlooks
the impact of cultural differences in conflict management
c. the theory has been influenced by the work of other theorists

10. (e.g., Goffman, and Brown & Levinson)
d. face is a central concept in the theory and is viewed as
pervading all aspects of social life
24. Negative face is associated with the characteristic of
a. unpopularity
b. affiliation
c. autonomy
d. homophily
25. Michele realizes that it is time to discuss the decline in
production at the factory with her shift managers, Alice and
James. She decides that the best way to approach the discussion
is to emphasize the prior quality of work and to attempt to
minimize the amount of blame for the decrease in numbers.
Which type of facework is Michele using?
a. tact
b. solidarity
c. approbation
d. politeness
26. According to face negotiation theory, excuses such as, “I
thought it was her job!” and justifications such as, “I’m not a
morning person,” that occur after an embarrassing event, are
a. face threatening

11. b. face saving
c. face restoring
d. none of the above
27. True or False? Stella Ting-Toomey believes that
communication is an individual event.
a. true
b. false
Standpoint Theory
28. All of the following are characteristics of feminist theories
EXCEPT
a. sex or gender is a central focus of the theory
b. feminist theory can be used to challenge the status quo when
the status quo devalues women
c. sex or gender relations are viewed as being static they are
consistent over time
d. sex or gender relations are viewed as problematic
29. Members of the Students for Environmental Concerns (SEC)
organization submitted a request to university administrators to
obtain a permit that would enable them to hold a demonstration
on Parents' Weekend. The university has agreed to issue the
permit, but has designated that the demonstration can only take
place between 8 and 10 a.m. and must be located on the far end
of campus, away from the student center. If the SEC wants to
demonstrate, it must follow the guidelines. Which of the
assumptions of Standpoint Theory explains social life as

12. experienced by SEC members?
a. The ruling group often structures life so as to remove choices
from the subordinate group
b. The subordinate group often develops a clearer vision of
social life than the dominant group
c. Material life promotes understandings of social relations
d. The vision available to an oppressed group represents a
struggle and an achievement
30. All of the following statements about Standpoint Theory are
true EXCEPT
a. the theory gives authority to people's own voices
b. the theory argues that individuals' assertions and statements
are objective; we can therefore develop a standard for
measuring standpoints
c. the theory criticizes the status quo because of the power
structures it creates
d. experiences, knowledge, and communication of individuals
are shaped by the social groups of which they are members
31. In her research project for her sociology class, Martha
discovered that nontraditional students clearly understand the
attitudes and opinions held by traditional students on campus.
The nontraditional students say that often it is easier simply to
go along with requests for late night study sessions and Sunday
night group meetings with traditional students because there are
fewer arguments. Which of the assumptions of Standpoint
Theory explains the approach taken by the nontraditional
students?

13. a. the ruling group has a vested interest in maintaining power
b. there is a sexual division of labor
c. material life promotes understandings of social relations
d. the vision available to an oppressed group represents a
struggle and an achievement
Muted Group Theory
32. Which of the following is NOT consistent with the main
ideas of Muted Group Theory?
a. The dominant group is better served by the language because
they had the largest part in creating it.
b. In order to be heard, the muted group must translate its own
worldview and experiences into a language that can be
compared to that of the dominant group.
c. The language differences of the muted group and the
dominant group are discussed, and a common language to use as
a reference point is negotiated between the two groups.
d. The articulations of the muted group are often broken and
less clear than those of the dominant group.
33. Labeling women’s talk as “gossip,” “chatter,” “nagging,” or
“whining” is a type of silencing referred to as
a. ritual
b. ridicule
c. harassment

14. d. polarization
34. Which of the following is NOT one of the strategies
identified by Houston and Kramarae for resisting the process of
muting?
a. naming the strategies of silencing (e.g, ridicule, ritual,
harassment)
b. studying diaries, journals, quilts, and other artistic
expressions of women
c. developing a more representative language to capture
women's uniquely gendered experiences
d. negotiating a shared language that can be understood by
dominant and subordinate groups
35. One of the primary benefits of Muted Group Theory is that
it
a. advocates the status quo
b. essentializes men and women
c. has received extensive empirical support
d. challenges us to review what we accept and reject from
public speakers
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PART 2 ON NEXT PAGE…..
Part II: Communication Theory and Your Chosen Career Field
(or Major) [10 points]
1. Go to the UMUC Library and click on “Search by Subject.”

15. http://www.umuc.edu/library/library.shtml
2. Go to the Subject area that is most closely related to your
major or career. Take a look around this UMUC Subject Guide
to familiarize yourself with the materials available to help you
in your field of study while at UMUC.
3. Click on the button for databases in your Subject Guide.
4. Choose a communication theory or the name of a researcher
you found interesting in this course. Using one or more of the
databases for your field, search that theory or person to see if
communication research has been applied to your area. You
may also want to limit the search by using other keywords for
your specific area of career interest.
a. What subject area did you investigate? (1 point)
b. What database(s) did you use for your search? (1 point)
c. Provide full APA Citations for three articles you found which
discussed the use of Communication Theory in your line of
work/field of study. (3 points)
d. Using your three articles as support for your answer, write a
short paragraph that answers the following question:
How can an understanding of Communication Theory
supplement your skills and the insights you will need to succeed
in your future work? (5 points)
Please be sure to write carefully and well, using good grammar
and APA in-text citations for quotes and paraphrases.
1