PUBLIC SPEAKING EXAM GUIDE
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
A START is a mnemonic device that should help you remember six things to do in an
introduction. What are these things? - Answer-A: Attention grabbing
S: Stating the main idea
T: Telling the audience how they can benefit from listening to your speech
A: Advancing your credibility
R: Revealing the structure of your speech
T: Transitioning to the first unit in the body of your speech
What are the five things (AN END) to do in and after your speech's conclusion? -
Answer-A: Advance your credibility
N: Nail down your central idea
E: End your speech gracefully
N: Now take questions from the audience
D: Debrief yourself after the event is finished
List and describe the five principles of outlining. - Answer-*3 Purposes of outlining: MAP
(p171)
Monitor important elements of your speech
Aid your memory
Permit flexible reactions to audience feedback
The thought structure
The adequacy of development
The strategy
To aid your memory
To permit flexible reactions to audience feedback
List and describe the four types (DIRE) of informative speech? - Answer-D: Descriptive
Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to correctly envision the physical makeup,
appearance, or location of a person, place or thing
I: Instructive Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to master some type of
physical skill or perform some sort of task
R: Reportive Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to understand, acquire an
overview of, or at least gain familiarity with, one or more books, films, records, reports,
people, events, movements, customs, practices, beliefs, researches, projects, issues,
ideas, theories, or options
, E: Explanatory Speech - its goal is to provide an overview of how some sort of process
is accomplished, or how some specific act or task is performed
List the four elements (DOTS) of the single point speech. - Answer-The Single Point - or
claim
The Development
The Organization
The Transitions
What one factor turns a single point speech into a complex speech? (explained in class)
- Answer-a. sub ideas
List and describe 7 additional requirements (PEPSI PLease) beyond the 8 S's that sub-
ideas must ALSO meet. - Answer-Parallel Structures - phrased, whenever possible, in
similar ways
Equivalent Value - each level should contain things of about equal value or weight
Proper Order - a need statement should go before a plan statement
Support (or explain) - should support the superordinate idea they are under
Independent - sub-ideas on the same level should not overlap
Pleural - if there is one sub-idea, there must be, at the very minimum, a second
Limited - try very hard not to use more than 5-6 sub-ideas to support or explain any
higher level idea, as more than this number becomes confusing to the audience
List, define and discuss one strength and one weakness for each of the four types of
delivery. - Answer-Manuscript: reading from something you have written out entirely
S: precise phrasing; no problem of forgetting
W: reduced eye contact; reduced ability to adapt to audience; often forget to outline first,
resulting in redundancies, omissions or logical flaws; voice lacks life; often don't use oral
style (simple and repetitive) making speech hard to follow
Impromptu: speaking off the top of your head, without preparation
S: informality; lively voice; good eye contact; easy to adapt to feedback
W: lack of development; possibility of forgetting some points you want to make;
repetitiveness; jerky delivery; wide time variations
*Used when you have no other choice
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS
A START is a mnemonic device that should help you remember six things to do in an
introduction. What are these things? - Answer-A: Attention grabbing
S: Stating the main idea
T: Telling the audience how they can benefit from listening to your speech
A: Advancing your credibility
R: Revealing the structure of your speech
T: Transitioning to the first unit in the body of your speech
What are the five things (AN END) to do in and after your speech's conclusion? -
Answer-A: Advance your credibility
N: Nail down your central idea
E: End your speech gracefully
N: Now take questions from the audience
D: Debrief yourself after the event is finished
List and describe the five principles of outlining. - Answer-*3 Purposes of outlining: MAP
(p171)
Monitor important elements of your speech
Aid your memory
Permit flexible reactions to audience feedback
The thought structure
The adequacy of development
The strategy
To aid your memory
To permit flexible reactions to audience feedback
List and describe the four types (DIRE) of informative speech? - Answer-D: Descriptive
Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to correctly envision the physical makeup,
appearance, or location of a person, place or thing
I: Instructive Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to master some type of
physical skill or perform some sort of task
R: Reportive Speech - its goal is to enable your audience to understand, acquire an
overview of, or at least gain familiarity with, one or more books, films, records, reports,
people, events, movements, customs, practices, beliefs, researches, projects, issues,
ideas, theories, or options
, E: Explanatory Speech - its goal is to provide an overview of how some sort of process
is accomplished, or how some specific act or task is performed
List the four elements (DOTS) of the single point speech. - Answer-The Single Point - or
claim
The Development
The Organization
The Transitions
What one factor turns a single point speech into a complex speech? (explained in class)
- Answer-a. sub ideas
List and describe 7 additional requirements (PEPSI PLease) beyond the 8 S's that sub-
ideas must ALSO meet. - Answer-Parallel Structures - phrased, whenever possible, in
similar ways
Equivalent Value - each level should contain things of about equal value or weight
Proper Order - a need statement should go before a plan statement
Support (or explain) - should support the superordinate idea they are under
Independent - sub-ideas on the same level should not overlap
Pleural - if there is one sub-idea, there must be, at the very minimum, a second
Limited - try very hard not to use more than 5-6 sub-ideas to support or explain any
higher level idea, as more than this number becomes confusing to the audience
List, define and discuss one strength and one weakness for each of the four types of
delivery. - Answer-Manuscript: reading from something you have written out entirely
S: precise phrasing; no problem of forgetting
W: reduced eye contact; reduced ability to adapt to audience; often forget to outline first,
resulting in redundancies, omissions or logical flaws; voice lacks life; often don't use oral
style (simple and repetitive) making speech hard to follow
Impromptu: speaking off the top of your head, without preparation
S: informality; lively voice; good eye contact; easy to adapt to feedback
W: lack of development; possibility of forgetting some points you want to make;
repetitiveness; jerky delivery; wide time variations
*Used when you have no other choice
