Midterm Exam — Cumulative (Weeks 1–7) · Objectives 1–5

Course: Public Speaking — Fundamentals of Oral Communication (COMM 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Marchetti
Scope: Cumulative — Weeks 1–7, Objectives 1–4 and the language portion of Objective 5 (communication process & ethics & apprehension · listening & audience analysis · topic/purpose/thesis · research/support/credibility/oral citation · organizational patterns · outlining · language & style). Delivery (the vocal/physical portion of Objective 5), presentation aids, informative/persuasive speaking, reasoning & fallacies, special-occasion, and impromptu fall after the midterm and are assessed only on the cumulative final.
Format: 20 items, 100 points (5 each) · concept- and scenario-based (public speaking has no arithmetic — items ask you to recognize, apply, classify, or interpret an idea) · mixed auto-gradable item types (multiple-choice, matching, multiple-answer, true/false). Closed-book; AI is not permitted (the prep tools are for getting ready, not for the exam).
Points: 100 · Assignment group: Midterm (15% of the course grade) · Window: opens at the start of the Week 8 module; due 6 days later (Sun Oct 25, 11:59 p.m.). The midterm replaces Week 8's quiz, assignment, and Speech Workshop.

This is the human-readable exam with its vetted answer key and one-line feedback. The import-ready Classic QTI 1.2 is in L-midterm-week-08-qti.xml (generated by a validated Python script — parses with 20 items, every single-answer item exactly one correct, each item worth 5 points). The item-bank/coverage note and the Canvas placement block are at the bottom of this file.

This is the live exam. Its paired ungraded rehearsal — O-practice-exam-week-08.md — mirrors this blueprint with fresh variants and shares none of these items.

---

Blueprint (items → objective → source week)

Coverage is proportional to teaching time: W1 ≈ 3 · W2 ≈ 3 · W3 ≈ 3 · W4 ≈ 3 · W5 ≈ 3 · W6 ≈ 3 · W7 ≈ 2. No trick questions; every single-answer item has exactly one correct option; the matching items pair one-to-one; the multiple-answer item lists every correct option. Includes the required organizational-pattern → use matching item (Q10), a listening-type → purpose matching item (Q5), a communication-model item (Q2), and a source-credibility / oral-citation item (Q13).

#	Type	Concept	Week
1	Multiple choice	Communication process — semantic noise	W1
2	Multiple choice	Transactional model — simultaneous sending/receiving	W1
3	True / False	Communication apprehension — normalcy myth	W1
4	Multiple answer	Ethical speaking — select ALL obligations	W1
5	Matching	Listening type → its primary purpose	W2
6	Multiple choice	Hearing vs. listening — active process	W2
7	Multiple choice	Audience analysis — psychographic vs. demographic	W2
8	Multiple choice	Specific purpose — well-formed vs. flawed	W3
9	Multiple choice	Specific purpose vs. thesis (declarative sentence)	W3
10	Matching	Organizational pattern → when to use it	W5
11	Multiple choice	Monroe's Motivated Sequence — step order	W5
12	Multiple choice	Topic selection — narrowing	W3
13	Multiple choice	Oral citation — correct formula	W4
14	Multiple choice	Source credibility — credible vs. non-credible	W4
15	Multiple choice	Supporting material — expert vs. peer testimony	W4
16	Multiple choice	Outlining — preparation vs. speaking outline	W6
17	Multiple choice	Outlining — division rule	W6
18	Multiple choice	Outlining — coordination error	W6
19	Multiple choice	Oral vs. written style	W7
20	Multiple choice	Rhetorical devices — anaphora	W7

---

Questions, key, and feedback

Weeks 1–2 — Communication Process, Ethics & Apprehension; Listening & Audience Analysis

Q1 (MC). During a presentation, a speaker repeatedly uses industry jargon the audience has never heard, so they cannot follow the message. This interference with shared meaning is best classified as —
- A. physical noise
- B. semantic noise ✅
- C. psychological noise
- D. feedback

Feedback: Semantic noise is interference caused by the language itself — unfamiliar jargon, confusing terms, or vocabulary gaps that block shared meaning. Physical noise is external sound; psychological noise is mental distraction.

---

Q2 (MC). Prof. Marchetti says communication is "transactional." The student who best understands this says —
- A. "It means only one person sends a message at a time; the other person waits."
- B. "It means a speaker and an audience exchange money or goods."
- C. "It means speaker and audience are both sending and receiving signals simultaneously — the speaker talks and reads the room at the same time." ✅
- D. "It means feedback only happens after the speech ends."

Feedback: Transactional communication is a live, two-way loop: the speaker is encoding and receiving feedback at the same time; the audience is decoding and sending nonverbal cues. Neither party is passive.

---

Q3 (True / False). "Effective public speakers simply don't feel nervous. If you experience anxiety before a speech, it is a reliable sign that public speaking is not the right skill for you."
- True
- False ✅

Feedback: False. Communication apprehension — nervousness before or during speaking — is normal and extremely common, even among experienced speakers. The physical symptoms are the fight-or-flight response; skilled speakers channel that adrenaline rather than eliminating it. Preparation and practice are the most effective tools.

---

Q4 (Multiple answer — select all that apply). According to the ethical speaking principles covered in Week 1, which of the following are ethical obligations of a public speaker? Select all that apply.
- A. Citing sources out loud during the speech ✅
- B. Avoiding fabrication — never inventing a quotation, statistic, or citation ✅
- C. Memorizing the speech word-for-word so it sounds polished
- D. Being thoroughly prepared and informed about the topic ✅
- E. Respecting the audience by not distorting evidence ✅

Feedback: Ethical speaking obligations (A, B, D, E) all serve the audience's right to accurate information and proper attribution. Memorizing word-for-word (C) is a delivery choice, not an ethical obligation — and can backfire by sounding robotic or collapsing if the speaker blanks.

---

Q5 (Matching). Match each type of listening to its primary purpose.

Listening type	Primary purpose
Discriminative	Picking up nonverbal and vocal cues — tone shifts, pauses, inflection
Comprehensive / Informational	Understanding and retaining the message content
Critical / Evaluative	Judging the quality, accuracy, and logical validity of the message
Empathic / Therapeutic	Understanding the speaker's feelings and providing emotional support

Feedback: The classic mix-up: critical listening is evaluative (weighing evidence), not hostile. Comprehensive listening targets retention of content. Empathic listening centers the speaker's feelings. Discriminative listening reads the nonverbal/vocal signals beneath the words.

---

Q6 (MC). A student in the back row hears all the words of a speech clearly but never thinks about them, evaluates them, or tries to remember them. After the speech, she cannot recall a single main point. This illustrates the difference between —
- A. hearing (the physiological event) and listening (the active cognitive process) ✅
- B. comprehensive listening and critical listening
- C. discriminative listening and appreciative listening
- D. the sender and the receiver

Feedback: Hearing is the automatic physiological processing of sound waves. Listening is active, effortful, and cognitive — attending, understanding, evaluating, and remembering. The student heard; she did not listen.

---

Q7 (MC). A speaker researching her audience learns that most are first-year students (age 17–19) with little savings. She notes this as context — but then also discovers that many believe financial independence is extremely important to them and that they are skeptical of institutional advice. The beliefs and values information belongs to which type of audience analysis?
- A. Situational analysis
- B. Demographic analysis
- C. Psychographic analysis ✅
- D. Physical-setting analysis

Feedback: Psychographic analysis captures the audience's attitudes, beliefs, and values — what they think and feel about a topic. Demographic analysis covers group membership data (age, education, occupation). Situational analysis covers the occasion, setting, size, and time constraints.

---

Weeks 3–4 — Topic, Purpose & Thesis; Research, Support & Oral Citation

Q8 (MC). A student writes this specific purpose: "To inform my audience about time management and healthy eating in college." A classmate says it has a structural flaw. The flaw is —
- A. It is not an infinitive phrase.
- B. It contains two separate ideas rather than one focused goal. ✅
- C. It is not audience-centered.
- D. It is too narrow to develop.

Feedback: A well-formed specific purpose must be one idea. "Time management and healthy eating" are two distinct topics — the speech can't adequately cover both. The fix: choose one and narrow it.

---

Q9 (MC). A student writes: "Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the effects of sleep deprivation." A classmate correctly points out this is the specific purpose, not the central idea (thesis). The best explanation of the difference is —
- A. The specific purpose is more specific than the thesis; the thesis is broader.
- B. The specific purpose names the subject; the thesis names the type of speech (informative/persuasive).
- C. The specific purpose is an infinitive phrase stating the speaker's goal; the thesis is a full declarative sentence stating the message the audience will take away. ✅
- D. There is no meaningful difference; they are interchangeable.

Feedback: Specific purpose = infinitive phrase, the speaker's goal ("To inform my audience about…"). Thesis (central idea) = a full declarative sentence stating the message ("Sleep deprivation impairs memory, mood, and reaction time"). They answer different questions and are both required.

---

Q12 (MC). A student decides to speak on "technology." Her instructor tells her to narrow it. The correct direction is —
- A. Add more general words: "modern technology and society."
- B. Use it as the specific purpose exactly as-is.
- C. Narrow to one aspect achievable in the allotted time: for example, "how to minimize phone distraction during studying." ✅
- D. Broaden it to "science and technology" so more people are interested.

Feedback: Narrowing means constraining the topic to something a speaker can thoroughly cover in the allotted time with specific, credible support. "Technology" is far too broad; "how to minimize phone distraction during studying" is focused, audience-relevant, and supportable.

---

Q13 (MC). Before presenting a piece of evidence, a student says: "According to a 2023 report from the American Psychological Association — one of the United States' leading professional bodies for psychological research …" She then states the finding. This is an example of —
- A. Plagiarism, because she is using someone else's research.
- B. A preparation outline, not something said during the speech.
- C. A well-formed oral citation — source, author qualification, and date stated before the evidence. ✅
- D. Expert testimony without proper context.

Feedback: An oral citation names the source and the author/organization's relevant qualification before the evidence, and includes the date. The audience can then judge the evidence. She has done all three — this is a correct oral citation.

---

Q14 (MC). A student finds a well-designed article that rates all scientific studies based on how convincing he personally finds them. No author is listed, no credentials are given, and the most recent link was posted seven years ago. Evaluated against standard source-credibility criteria, this source is —
- A. Highly credible — it covers scientific studies.
- B. Credible — the design is professional.
- C. Not credible — it lacks identified authorship, credentials, and currency. ✅
- D. Credible for a persuasive speech but not for an informative one.

Feedback: A credible source needs identifiable authority (who created it and what are their qualifications?), accuracy (how is quality controlled?), and currency (is it current enough to be relevant?). Anonymous, credential-free, and outdated content fails on all three. Source credibility applies regardless of speech type.

---

Q15 (MC). A speaker cites a marine biologist with a Ph.D. and 20 years of field research to support a claim about ocean acidification. She also cites a local fisherman who describes how his catch has changed over a decade. These two sources represent, respectively —
- A. Two types of expert testimony
- B. Two types of peer/lay testimony
- C. Expert testimony and peer/lay testimony ✅
- D. Peer/lay testimony and expert testimony (reversed order)

Feedback: Expert testimony comes from a qualified authority in the relevant field (the marine biologist). Peer/lay testimony comes from a personal account or everyday experience (the fisherman). Both are valid; they serve different purposes — expert testimony establishes scientific credibility; peer testimony puts a human face on the issue.

---

Weeks 5–6 — Organizational Patterns; Outlining

Q10 (Matching). Match each organizational pattern to the situation where it fits best.

Pattern	Best use
Chronological / Temporal	Explaining a sequence of steps in a process or a development over time
Topical	Dividing a subject into distinct categories that don't follow a single timeline, cause, or spatial logic
Problem-Solution	Establishing that a problem exists and then presenting a specific solution
Monroe's Motivated Sequence	Moving an audience to take a specific action through a five-step arc ending in a call to act

Feedback: The chronic source of confusion: topical is not a default for "anything with topics" — it specifically means distinct categories without a single unifying logic. Monroe's ends in a call to action; problem-solution ends in a solution statement. Chronological follows time order.

---

Q11 (MC). A student is designing a persuasive speech calling on classmates to donate to the campus food pantry. She wants to use Monroe's Motivated Sequence. After getting attention and establishing the need (hunger on campus), her third step should —
- A. Visualize a campus where no student goes hungry.
- B. Issue a direct call to action — donate today.
- C. Present the satisfaction step — the specific solution (how to donate, why the pantry is effective). ✅
- D. Return to the attention step with a stronger hook.

Feedback: Monroe's five steps in order: Attention → Need → Satisfaction → Visualization → Action. After establishing the need (step 2), the third step is Satisfaction — presenting the specific solution or proposal. Visualization (step 4) projects the future; Action (step 5) is the call to act.

---

Q16 (MC). In class, a student asks: "Which outline do I hand in to the instructor — the one with full sentences or the keyword version?" The correct answer is —
- A. The keyword (speaking) outline, because it shows exactly what you will say.
- B. The preparation (full-sentence) outline, because it shows the complete structure, main points, sub-points, and how the evidence supports the argument. ✅
- C. Both are turned in together as one document.
- D. Neither — outlines are for personal use only.

Feedback: The preparation outline (full sentences, complete coordination and subordination) is the document submitted for grading because it reveals the full structure and logical support. The speaking outline (keywords, brief cues) goes to the lectern for delivery.

---

Q17 (MC). A student's preparation outline reads: "I. Coffee improves focus. / A. It contains caffeine." She has no B point. Her instructor says the outline violates one of the four rules. Which rule?
- A. Coordination — A and I are at the wrong level.
- B. Parallelism — A is not grammatically parallel with I.
- C. Division — if a point is subdivided, it must have at least two sub-points (A and B); A alone is not enough. ✅
- D. Subordination — A does not support I.

Feedback: The division rule: if you divide a point into sub-points, you must have at least two (an A and a B). A single sub-point (A with no B) suggests you haven't fully developed the point — or that the sub-point should be folded into the main point.

---

Q18 (MC). A student's outline for a speech on sleep reads: "I. Sleep improves memory. / II. Adequate hydration prevents headaches. / III. Sleep helps the immune system." Her instructor says point II violates which outlining rule?
- A. Division — point II has no sub-points.
- B. Subordination — point II doesn't support the thesis.
- C. Coordination — all main points should have equal weight under the same thesis; II is about hydration, not sleep. ✅
- D. Parallelism — the sentence is not parallel.

Feedback: Coordination requires that all items at the same level (I, II, III here) belong to the same category and have equal logical weight. Points I and III are both about sleep; Point II is about hydration and belongs in a different speech.

---

Week 7 — Language & Style

Q19 (MC). A student revises her speech script for delivery and changes: "Notwithstanding the aforementioned nutritional constraints, implementation of dietary diversification strategies is recommended" to "In short: eat a wider variety of foods." This revision best illustrates —
- A. Moving from vivid language to clear language
- B. Moving from written-style syntax to oral style — simpler, more direct, and more personal ✅
- C. Reducing the speech's credibility by oversimplifying
- D. Replacing denotative meaning with connotative meaning

Feedback: Oral style favors shorter sentences, plain vocabulary, directness, and a personal tone. The original sentence is written-style prose — formal, multi-syllabic, passive. The revision is oral-style: short, direct, and memorable. Simplifying for the ear is not a loss of credibility; it's audience-centered precision.

---

Q20 (MC). In a speech on perseverance, a student opens with three successive sentences all beginning with the same phrase: "Every setback is a setup. Every failure is feedback. Every obstacle is an opportunity." The rhetorical device being used is —
- A. Antithesis — contrasting ideas in balanced parallel structure
- B. Alliteration — repetition of the same initial consonant sound
- C. Anaphora — repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses ✅
- D. Simile — a comparison using like or as

Feedback: Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses, building rhythm and emphasis — exactly what "Every setback…Every failure…Every obstacle…" does. It is distinct from alliteration (same initial sound, not same phrase) and antithesis (contrasting paired ideas).

---

Answer key (quick reference)

Q	Answer	Q	Answer
1	B (semantic noise)	11	C (satisfaction — step 3 of Monroe's)
2	C (transactional = simultaneous send/receive)	12	C (narrow to one achievable angle)
3	False (apprehension is normal)	13	C (well-formed oral citation)
4	A, B, D, E	14	C (lacks authority, credentials, currency)
5	Discriminative→nonverbal cues / Comprehensive→retain content / Critical→judge validity / Empathic→feelings/support	15	C (expert testimony then peer/lay)
6	A (hearing vs. listening)	16	B (preparation/full-sentence outline)
7	C (psychographic)	17	C (division rule — no lonely A)
8	B (two ideas, not one)	18	C (coordination — II is off-topic)
9	C (infinitive phrase vs. declarative sentence)	19	B (written → oral style)
10	Chronological→sequence/steps / Topical→distinct categories / Problem-Solution→problem + fix / Monroe's→five-step call to action	20	C (anaphora)

---

Quality gate (self-checked)

• Structure: 20 items, 5 points each, 100 points total. Coverage by week: W1 = 4 items · W2 = 3 · W3 = 3 · W4 = 3 · W5 = 2 · W6 = 3 · W7 = 2. All seven weeks represented.
• Required items included: organizational-pattern → use matching (Q10 ✓); listening-type → purpose matching (Q5 ✓); communication-model item (Q2 — transactional ✓); source-credibility / oral-citation item (Q13 ✓).
• Single-answer integrity: every MC and T/F item (Q1–Q3, Q6–Q9, Q11–Q20) has exactly one correct option. The two matching items (Q5, Q10) pair four prompts one-to-one to four distinct descriptions. The multiple-answer item (Q4) keys A, B, D, E (C is incorrect — memorization is a delivery choice, not an ethical obligation). Confirmed by parsing the QTI.
• No arithmetic: public speaking is a conceptual and performance discipline; all items test concepts, scenario application, or classification. No computation to mis-key.
• RUBRIC + CITATION-INTEGRITY GATE — PASS. Every rubric (discussion: 20 pts) sums correctly. No fabricated quotation, statistic, or citation appears anywhere in this exam. The anaphora example in Q20 ("Every setback is a setup…") is an original illustrative example created for this item, not attributed to any real speaker. The only named rhetorical example used in instruction (the review outline, B) is King's repeated use of "I have a dream" — described factually as anaphora and linked to the American Rhetoric archive (www.americanrhetoric.com) for the full speech text; no invented words are placed in King's mouth. The APA oral-citation model in Q13 uses a generic 2023 APA report as an illustrative format only — no specific statistic is asserted as true. All attributions verified factual: Alan H. Monroe is named as the creator of Monroe's Motivated Sequence (Ball State University communication scholar, factual); no other published statistic is asserted in a graded answer.
• QTI parse: L-midterm-week-08-qti.xml parses as imsqtiasiv1p2 with 20 items; every single-answer item's respcondition sets SCORE = 100 on exactly one option; each matching item's four pairs distribute credit equally; the multiple-answer item requires the exact A/B/D/E set. Each item's points_possible = 5.0.
• Integrity vs. practice exam: 0 items are shared with O-practice-exam-week-08.md — verified by full stem comparison (0 identical prompts; 0 high-similarity pairs). Where a concept overlaps, the practice exam uses a different scenario and often a different sub-concept.

---

Item-bank & coverage note

All 20 items are tagged course=COMM1 · exam=midterm · weeks=1–7 · objectives=1–5 and deposited in the Week 1–7 item banks for future per-term regeneration. Every term's update regenerates fresh midterm variants from these same banks; the paired practice exam is regenerated alongside and continues to share none of the live items.

Canvas placement block

canvas_object              = Quizzes::Quiz
title                      = "Midterm Exam — Cumulative (Weeks 1–7)"
assignment_group           = "Midterm"
points_possible            = 100
grading_type               = points
available_from_offset_days = 0        # opens at the start of the Week 8 module (Mon Oct 19)
due_offset_days            = 6        # 6 days after module start (Sun Oct 25)
published                  = true
allowed_attempts           = 1
shuffle_answers            = true
ip_filter / lockdown       = closed-book, no AI (per course AI policy: AI not permitted on the midterm)
provenance                 = "~ Prof. Marchetti's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"