- last updated 4/3/22  //  Additional updates possible through 4/11 - 6pm

(Test day = W - 4/13/22 12:00pm-2:00pm.[ONLINE ONLY /  ACCESS via Blackboard] See below for TWO advance test questions  &  one extra credit click or scroll down

Questions probably will be a variety of  Fill-in, Terminology definitions, Short answer, & Essay types. Possibly some multiple choice questions.  Be prepared to explain, to analyze, to compare and  to contrast. 

I will NOT use the same exact wording as in the books & I expect you to use your own words in your answers. We have covered a great deal of material and it will be difficult to "cram" effectively  at the last minute.  I'd recommend starting now to reread  & outline the chapters.

It is expected that most people will be able to complete the test in 45-55 minutes. However, you will have  a multi-hour access window in Blackboard. 

Review the handouts that have been used for class activities.  They also indicate important concepts/terms from the course that your professor wants to emphasize.   As you review your readings, make use of the chapter preview information as well as the post-chapter term lists & the textbook's glossary. Also, be familiar with such terms/concepts as these listed below. (please note that this list is random,  incomplete, & off the top-of-my-head, but it will get you started. You also have several other ways to determine your Professor's items of emphasis:  online slide shows & online quizzes  & your notes [ let's hope you listened effectively despite the disjointed semester! ]  

CHART is in progress & items might be added through 4/11/22 -6pm

   In order to print out an old quiz, there us an access protocol listed on the Professor's webpage (left-side column). It MAY (or may not) still work with the current version of Blackboard .

  Remember, in general,  eRreserves can be accessed through the library website or through our   Blackboard course (via the "Library Resources" section in left navigation column)

Below are samples of test questions that I have used in the past in this course as well as in similar, content-based communication courses. These may or may not pertain to your current textbook, therefore they are not provided as review material.  They are simply cut & pasted items from previous tests, in order to give you an idea of how complex and multifaceted my questions tend to be.

Some Sample Objective-type Questions -----

 [F.I.]   1. Making precise, systematic, and repetitive observations characterizes methodologies usually associated with the ________ paradigm.

 [M.C.]  2. We all use our past experiences & frames of reference in order to help us make assessments about current people and situations. When we use such past information to GENERALIZE/PREDICT a stranger's behavior based on our observance of just one aspect, It is generally referred to as: a) prototyping   b) personally constructing   c) stereotyping   d) scripting  

 [M.C.] 3. We use our past experiences & frames of reference in order to help us make assessments about current people and situations. When we use such past information to DEFINE a behavior via a particular person's demonstration of it, we are:  a) prototyping   b) personally constructing   c) stereotyping  d) scripting

 [M.C.] 4.  The Grandma Moses clip was shown as an example of Oral History-- a methodology which could also be classified as "Textual Analysis" Considering this, which two of the following statements  are TRUE.  a) Oral Histories = Interviews therefore Oral Histories = Survey research  b) Oral Histories are not considered "test" until the interview is transcribed into a written form.  c)  etc...

[T/F]  5.  According to your instructor & the textbook authors, beginning researchers, such as yourself, need to remember that research investigations is cumulative and self correcting and incremental. In other words, this means that every research project should be structured definitively from the start, A good researcher never changes anything once the study gets started. 

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * *

Some Sample Short Answer/Essay-type Questions -----

[SA] 6. In all the models that are based on Toulmin's approach to argumentation,  it's easy to know what "CLAIM"  means & what "EVIDENCE/DATA"  means. However, exactly what is the role of the "WARRANT"?   [in your own words]

[SA] 7. If you believe in the effects of what we referred to in class as "survey culture",  how might you explain the demise of Rudy Guliani's presidential campaign and the rise of Barack Obama's candidacy? [ dated references  but "survey culture" still exists]

[SA]8. "Mirroring" in terms of nonverbal behavior  is connected to the basic human pattern of seeking  similarity. Explain .

[ES]  9. Two students (who have an acquaintanceship) pass each other on a campus pathway  and say:

      "Hi! What's up?"-"Nothing much"  and then continue on their way. This interaction can be discussed in a variety of ways (e.g. as a pragmatic language act / as phatic communication / as situational vs developmental relationship  /  as interpersonal communication, , etc.).
From at least 3 perspectives, explain what could have been going on in this encounter and then discuss how you could structure a study to test your hypothesis.

[ES]  10. Explain the four basic ways that nonverbal communication channels are used in relation to the words being said.

[ES]  11. Once, while I was working in a box office with a female co-worker, a third party approached each of us and asked if we had some": Motrin", "Tylenol", aspirin. etc. When we both told him that we didn't, his response was "What kind of  woman doesn't carry Motrin in her purse?  My next  thought was that the guy was so ignorant. ANALYZE this communication encounter by applying relevant concepts from  PERCEPTION and/or  CULTURE. If conducting a study of this encounter, would it have be better suited to the Critical or the Interpretive, or the Discovery paradigm/ Support your choice.

[F.I.]  12. Define "Attribution Process" in reference to the study of human communication. Support your answer by applying it to a specific current event.  How might it also cread research bias-- especially in the Interpretive  or Critical paradigms.

[SA]   13.   In all the models that are based on Toulmin's approach to argumentation, it's easy to know what "claim" means & what "evidence/data" means. However, what's the role of the "warrant"?

[ES] 16. Would you use an ethnographic approach, a content analysis approach or an Interpretive Rhetorical Criticism approach  to investigate the following Research Question: "What Influence do US/Western cultural norms have on the evolution of the Superbowl broadcast from a sports broadcast to a Social Event?"  Support your choice.

[ES]  14. Variations on the In-depth Interview methodology have applications in such diverse research approaches as Oral History / Survey / Ethnography, etc.  The main difference is in the researcher's goal. Explain the 3 differences. (Frey, et al./2e)

[adv]  the RealLifeResearch-Yoga Science activity & pod cast: - {document linked here, & might also be posted on Blackboard.}

 Complete the  directions for the worksheet for any ONE (1) of the listed utterances. FYI: Mr. Broad wrote a article-length version of his content analysis-type research which was published online on 1/5/12 & in the NYT print  Sunday magazine on 1/8/12.) Reviewing his study in print might give you a stronger sense of his blend of various philosophies within the DISCOVERY paradigm.

page updated 4/3/22

  Axioms  vs  Propositions -na this semester