COMM 401, Spring 2000, Sample Final Examination Questions

The following sample questions are designed to familiarize students of COMM 401 with the types of questions they are likely to encounter in the final examination for the course. Sample questions may appear in the final examination.

Multiple Choice Questions

  1. According to Stephen Toulmin, which of the following are standard elements of arguments?
    1. Claims
    2. Designata
    3. Warrants
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  2. In the argument that "Lassie is green, since Gaines' coat is black," we might characterize the warrant in which of the following ways:
    1. If Gaines wears a black apparel, then all star-dogs are green.
    2. It is not a plausible abstraction from the principles of some field of knowledge.
    3. It is the inference rule that allows the arguer to locate the data within the backing.
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  3. A typical introduction of a speech might be expected to exhibit which of the following?
    1. An attempt to secure good will
    2. An attempt to arouse emotion
    3. An attempt to convince the audience of the main claim of the speech
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  4. In contemporary American speeches, narratives are most typically used by speakers ________.
    1. In separate speech parts devoted to narration
    2. To present facts required to understand the argument of the speaker
    3. To elaborate ideas in introductions, bodies, and conclusions
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  5. Within Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the words "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers" ________.
    1. Contain religious connotations for Lincoln's audience
    2. Illustrate the typical way in which time was orally marked in Lincoln's day
    3. Provide stylistic ornament
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  6. As Lincoln argues in the "Gettysburg Address," the Union should continue its war efforts ________.
    1. Because the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal
    2. So the people who have died will not have died in vain
    3. So the nation shall not perish from the earth
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  7. Abraham Lincoln's sentence, "But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground," exhibits which of the following stylistic figures?
    1. Anaphora
    2. Polysyndeton
    3. Isocolon
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  8. In addressing the nation's crisis in his "First Inaugural Address," Franklin Roosevelt portrays himself as ________.
    1. A military leader going to war against national problems
    2. A doctor ready to dispense economic medicine to national ills
    3. A law-abiding President ready to do what Congress desires
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  9. When within his "First Inaugural Address," Franklin Roosevelt says, "values have shrunk to fantastic levels, taxes have risen, our ability to pay has fallen, government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income . . . ," he offers support for the view that ________.
    1. Americans face a failure of substance
    2. Americans face common difficulties
    3. Americans face the consequences of stubbornness and incompetence
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  10. In Franklin Roosevelt's "First Inaugural Address," he says, "Practices of the unscrupulous money-changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men;" this sentence exhibits which of the following:
    1. Antonomasia
    2. Catachresis
    3. Metaphor
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  11. Barbara Jordan's "Statement of the Articles of Impeachment," defines "high crimes and misdemeanors" by reference to passages from ________.
    1. The U.S. Constitution
    2. The Federalist Papers
    3. The proceedings of the North Carolina ratification convention
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  12. When Barbara Jordan says in her "Statement of the Articles of Impeachment" that, "there has not even been an obfuscated indication that this committee would receive any additional materials from the President," she does so in order to ________.
    1. To support a datum
    2. To support a response to a possible rebuttal
    3. To support the backing for a warrant
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  13. In her "Statement of the Articles of Impeachment," Barbara Jordan says, "I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminitution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution;" this statment exhibits which of the following:
    1. Asyndeton
    2. Isocolon
    3. Parisosis
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  14. Barbara Jordan secures and maintains attention in her "Statement of the Articles of Impeachment" by means of which of the following factors in delivery:
    1. Articulation
    2. Gesture
    3. Tone
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  15. In her "Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech," Geraldine Ferraro secures good will by ________.
    1. Presenting herself as an exemplar of the American Dream
    2. Identifying Republicans as a common enemy
    3. Affirming her belief that of one works hard, one can succeed in America
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  16. In her "Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech," Geraldine Ferraro says, "A wise man once said, 'Every one of us is given the gift of life, and what a strange gift it is. If it is preserved jealously and selfishly, it impoverishes and saddens. But if it is spent for others, it enriches and beautifies.'" Ferraro uses this quotation ________.
    1. Within the introduction of her speech
    2. Within the conclusion of her speech
    3. As a basis for comparing Democrats and Republicans
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  17. In his "Presidential Resignation," Richard Nixon says, "In passing this office to the Vice President I also do so with the profound sense of the weight of responsibility that will fall on his shoulders tomorrow, and therefore of the understanding, the patience, the cooperation he will need from all Americans." This passage is notable for its strategic use of which of the following:
    1. Antonomasia
    2. Asyndeton
    3. Isocolon
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  18. Richard Nixon's "Presidential Resignation" may be understood as ________.
    1. A political valediction
    2. A request for forgiveness
    3. A praise of Nixon
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  19. In his "Presidential Resignation Speech," Richard Nixon says, "This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office where so many decisions have been made that shape the history of this nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest." What are the rhetorical functions of these comments?
    1. To secure good will
    2. To secure attention
    3. To secure an intelligent hearing
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  20. John Kennedy uses the introduction of his "Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association," to do which of the following:
    1. To secure good will by emphasizing the importance of the religious issue in the election
    2. To secure good will by suggesting that his audience is more responsible than some people at handling the religious aspect of the election
    3. To preview his request to be judged by his public actions and not the pamphlets that have been circulating about Catholicism
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  21. John Kennedy's "Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association" discusses which of the following matters in the body of the speech:
    1. The kind of America in which Kennedy believes
    2. The kind of President Kennedy favors
    3. Kennedy's political independence on governmental subjects
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  22. Within Hubert Humphrey's "Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech," he says, "In President Johnson's hands our people know that our power is for justice. In his hands our people know that our power is for peace, and in his hands our people know that our power is for freedom." Which of the following are exhibited in this passage?
    1. Antistrophe
    2. Antithesis
    3. Antonomasia
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  23. Within Hubert Humphrey's "Vice Presidential Acceptance Address," we find "Most Democrats and Republicans in the Senate voted for the establishment of a United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency that seeks to slow down the nuclear arms race among nations, but not the temporary Republican spokesman!" Which of the following are exhibited in this sentence?
    1. Antithesis
    2. Antonomasia
    3. Overstatement
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  24. During the conclusion to his "I Have a Dream," Martin Luther King's delivery is characterized by which of the following:
    1. He raises his voice
    2. He reaises his head
    3. He raises his arms
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

  25. Ann Richards strategically emphasizes which of the following aspects of her delivery in the introduction to her "Keynote Address:"
    1. Articulation
    2. Accent
    3. Pronunciation
    4. All of the above
    5. A & B only
    6. A & C only
    7. B & C only
    8. None of the above

True or False Questions

  1. As a rhetorical artifact, Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is most understandable as a funeral oration.

  2. The first sentence of Lincoln's "Gettysburgh Address" exemplifies the swift style.

  3. Barbara Jordan includes obstruction of justice among the charges against Nixon in the Judiciary Committees' deliberations on the possibility of impeachment.

  4. Within his "First Inaugural Address," Franklin Roosevelt unexpectedly presents legislative details of his proposed National Recovery Act.

  5. Richard Nixon's "Presidential Resignation" includes a lengthy praise of the qualifications of the incoming President, Gerald Ford.

  6. Geraldine Ferraro uses her past service as a prosecutor to secure good will in her "Vice Presidential Acceptance Speech."

  7. One of the greatest risks John Kennedy took in his "Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association" was his point by point refutation of claims made in pamphlets that attacked his Catholicism.

  8. In her speech, "U. N. Statement on the KAL 007 Disaster," Jeane Kirkpatrick quotes Lenin to show that the Soviets are liars.

  9. George Bush's speech, "Defense of Saudi Arabia," offers his explanation for invading Iraq.

  10. Although Jimmy Carter's "Energy Crisis Speech" does address the American confidence crisis, the majority of the speech is devoted to his presentation of a set of initiatives to relieve the energy crisis.

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