SCOM 261 Final (Lars) Exam Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update 2025-2026
Freewriting - Answers •stream of consciousness writing w/out stopping or self editing
•Approx. 5 minutes
•helps get you started & organized, past writers block
Creative writing - Answers •all writing is creative & artistic
-imaginative, artistic, innovation
Functional writing - Answers •emphasize purpose, format, * objective. Writing on a mission
•to describe, explain, express opinion, persuade, inspire etc
Creativity & functionality - Answers •CAN co-exist in writing
*writing to influence is what PR is all about
Writing to influence - Answers •can create distinctions in PR writing, between informative &
persuasive
•ALL PR attempts to influence in some way
*writing is an acquired talent, speaking is natural
Common PR characteristics - Answers •2-way communication
•research & strategic planning
•accuracy & honesty
•effective & ethical behavior
•mutual benefits for both an org and its publics
Ways to be a better writer - Answers •be more critical observer of other's writing
•continuous process of writing and rewriting
Aim of PR - Answers •to communicate clearly w/ target publics
*effective writing in consistency
Syntax - Answers •part of grammar that deals w/ orderly arrangement of words into sentences
Litotes - Answers •double negatives, negation on the contrary
Operational English - Answers •PR writers fluent in this
, •standard English & network standard
•version of English most appropriate for professional interaction
Good sentence... - Answers •should carry one though
•keep the subject & the verb close together
Non Sequitur - Answers •"It doesn't follow"
•main point of sentence doesn't follow logically from the intro phrase
Active voice - Answers •The subject performing the action
Ex: Zombies attacked the town
Passive voice - Answers •The action is done to the subject
Ex: The town was attacked by the zombies
Denotation - Answers •dictionary definition of a word
Connotation - Answers •cultural meaning of a word
Plato - Answers Rhetoric vs. Dialectic
Aristotle - Answers •formalized study of rhetoric
•3 different speech genres:
-epideictic
-forensic
-deliberative
Sophists - Answers •traveling speech teachers
•Gorgias: "The Nihilist"
Communication Basics-SMCRE model - Answers Sender
-tricky w/ PR
Message
-What are your core messages?
Channel
Freewriting - Answers •stream of consciousness writing w/out stopping or self editing
•Approx. 5 minutes
•helps get you started & organized, past writers block
Creative writing - Answers •all writing is creative & artistic
-imaginative, artistic, innovation
Functional writing - Answers •emphasize purpose, format, * objective. Writing on a mission
•to describe, explain, express opinion, persuade, inspire etc
Creativity & functionality - Answers •CAN co-exist in writing
*writing to influence is what PR is all about
Writing to influence - Answers •can create distinctions in PR writing, between informative &
persuasive
•ALL PR attempts to influence in some way
*writing is an acquired talent, speaking is natural
Common PR characteristics - Answers •2-way communication
•research & strategic planning
•accuracy & honesty
•effective & ethical behavior
•mutual benefits for both an org and its publics
Ways to be a better writer - Answers •be more critical observer of other's writing
•continuous process of writing and rewriting
Aim of PR - Answers •to communicate clearly w/ target publics
*effective writing in consistency
Syntax - Answers •part of grammar that deals w/ orderly arrangement of words into sentences
Litotes - Answers •double negatives, negation on the contrary
Operational English - Answers •PR writers fluent in this
, •standard English & network standard
•version of English most appropriate for professional interaction
Good sentence... - Answers •should carry one though
•keep the subject & the verb close together
Non Sequitur - Answers •"It doesn't follow"
•main point of sentence doesn't follow logically from the intro phrase
Active voice - Answers •The subject performing the action
Ex: Zombies attacked the town
Passive voice - Answers •The action is done to the subject
Ex: The town was attacked by the zombies
Denotation - Answers •dictionary definition of a word
Connotation - Answers •cultural meaning of a word
Plato - Answers Rhetoric vs. Dialectic
Aristotle - Answers •formalized study of rhetoric
•3 different speech genres:
-epideictic
-forensic
-deliberative
Sophists - Answers •traveling speech teachers
•Gorgias: "The Nihilist"
Communication Basics-SMCRE model - Answers Sender
-tricky w/ PR
Message
-What are your core messages?
Channel
