CHAPTER 3
LISTENING
Part 1: Short-Answer Questions
1. __Hearing_____________ refers to the vibration of sound waves on the ear
drums and the sending of messages to the central auditory system of the brain;
_____listening____ refers to paying close attention to and making sense of those
sounds.
2. People spend more time ___listening___ than in any other communication
activity.
3. According to your textbook, when you listen primarily for pleasure or
enjoyment, you are engaged in _appreciative__ listening.
4. According to your textbook, when you listen for enjoyment to friend’s stories
about her trip to Russia, you are engaged in _appreciative__ listening.
5. According to your textbook, when you listen to provide emotional support for
the speaker, you are engaged in _empathic_ listening.
6. When Elizabeth listened to provide support for her friend whose mother was
seriously ill, she was engaged in __empathic__ listening.
7. According to your textbook, when you listen primarily to understand the
message of a speaker — for example, taking notes in a classroom lecture — you
are engaged in __comprehensive__ listening.
8. According to your textbook, when you listen to an informative speech to
understand the speaker’s ideas, you are engaged in __comprehensive___ listening.
9. While the governor spoke about the need to regulate e-cigarettes, Max listened
carefully and evaluated the governor’s evidence. Max was engaged in
_____critical_________ listening.
10. According to your textbook, listening to evaluate a message for purposes of
accepting it or rejecting it is known as ___critical_ listening.
11. According to your textbook, when you evaluate the evidence in a persuasive
speech, you are engaged in __critical___ listening.
12. List the four causes of poor listening discussed in your textbook.
a. Not concentrating.
b. Listening too hard
c. Jumping to conclusion
d. Focusing on delivery and personal appearance
13. Your textbook gives seven suggestions for becoming a better listener. List five
of them.
a. Take listening seriously
b. Be an active listening
c. Resist distractions
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d. Suspend judgement
e. Focus your listening
14. When focusing your listening, you should listen for __main points__ ,
_evidence___ , and ____technique___________ .
15. List three of the questions a careful listener should ask about a speaker’s
evidence. a. Is it accurate
b. Is it taken from objective sources
c. Is it relevant to the speaker’s claims
Part 2: TRUE or FALSE
1. Hearing and listening are essentially the same. __F__
2. People need effective listening skills in almost all occupations. __T__
3. Research indicates that even when we listen carefully, we understand and retain
only about half of what we hear. __T__
4. People spend more time listening than in any other communicative activity.
__T__
5. You can improve your own speeches by listening carefully to the speeches of
other people. __T__
6. One of the major obstacles to listening effectively is that the brain can process
many more words than can be spoken in a minute. __T__
7. According to your textbook, a skilled therapist listening to a patient is an
example of appreciative listening. __F__
8. Appreciative listening is closely tied to critical thinking. _F___
9. Listening is a passive process, while critical thinking is an active process. _F___
10. Listening to provide emotional support for someone is called empathic
listening. _T___
11. According to your textbook, listening to understand a classroom lecture is an
example of appreciative listening. __F__
12. According to your textbook, listening to understand a classroom lecture is an
example of comprehensive listening. T
13. When you listen to someone give a sales presentation, and you need to decide
whether you will buy the item, you are engaged in comprehensive listening. __F__
14. Listening to evaluate a message for purposes of accepting or rejecting it is
known as critical listening. __T__
15. Critical listening involves listening to evaluate a message for purposes of
accepting it or rejecting it. __T__
16. Concentrating on details is an excellent way to become a better listener. F
17. It is impossible to listen too hard. __F__
18. As your textbook explains, focusing on a speaker’s delivery and personal
appearance is an excellent way to strengthen your listening skills. __F__
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19. Critical listening involves engaging in a mental argument with everything a
speaker says. F
20. When you listen to the campaign speech of a political candidate for the purpose
of accepting or rejecting the speaker’s message, you are engaged in critical
listening. __T__
21. When you listen to the campaign speech of a political candidate for the purpose
of accepting or rejecting the speaker’s message, you are engaged in empathic
listening. __F__
22. One of the major barriers to effective communication is that the brain can
process words much faster than a speaker can talk. __T__
23. The aim of active listening is to set aside one’s own frame of reference and, as
far as possible, to listen from within the speaker’s frame of reference. _T___
24. Active listening means focusing on the speaker’s appearance and delivery
rather than on her or his message. _F___
25. Active listeners give their undivided attention to the speaker in a genuine effort
to understand her or his point of view. _T___
26. Usually it is easy to block out physical and mental distractions when listening
to a speaker. __F__
27. When you listen to a speech, it is usually a good idea to try to remember
everything the speaker says. F
28. Jumping to conclusions can be a barrier to effective listening even when a
speaker and a listener know each other very well. T
29. According to your textbook, reviewing mentally what a speaker has said is a
good way to avoid becoming distracted in a speech. T
30. Suspending judgment means that you need to accept uncritically whatever a
speaker says. F
30. If you disagree with a speaker, you have nothing to gain by listening carefully.
F
31. According to your textbook, when focusing your listening, you should
concentrate on a speaker’s main points, evidence, and technique. T
33. Note taking is usually a barrier to effective listening. F
34. Taking notes on a speaker’s key points and supporting material will help
improve your listening ability and retention. T
Part 3: Essay Questions
1. What is the difference between hearing and listening?
2. Why are your own listening skills important to you as a public speaker?
=> retorical question, telling a story,
3. Identify and briefly explain each of the four types of listening discussed in your
textbook.
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4. What is meant by “spare brain time”? Explain how it affects the listening
process.
5. Identify and explain the four causes of poor listening discussed in your text.
6. What is meant by “listening too hard”? How does it affect the listening process?
7. Imagine that you are listening to a persuasive speech about prescription drug
shortages. Explain how a key-word outline method of note taking might enhance
your listening and recall of the speech.
8. Identify and explain five of the methods discussed in your textbook for
becoming a better listener.
