Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics MCQs
Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics MCQs
These Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics multiple-choice questions and their answers will help you strengthen your grip on the subject of Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics. You can prepare for an upcoming exam or job interview with these Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics MCQs.
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1: Traditionally, a trajectory describes the road or path that something takes. In interpersonal communication, relationship trajectories can be described as smooth or bumpy. People can move their relationship in which of the following trajectories?
A. Always forward but never backward
B. Either forward or backward
C. Forward, backward, sideways, or in many directions at once
D. Forward or sideways
2: In Chapter 5, we discuss three different perspectives that help describe how relationships change over time. One of these is the dialectic theory, which suggests ______.
A. The focus is on the major events that shape people’s relationships in positive and negative ways
B. People skilled at self-disclosure gradually increase the depth of their disclosure so it becomes more personal
C. There are various stages that relationships go through as people develop their relationships and then, in some cases, break up
D. Rather than conceptualizing relationships in terms of stages, people should view relationships as constantly changing
3: Which of the following is not one of the five types of communication skills that help people build relationships with new friends and romantic partners?
A. Self-disclosure
B. Social bonding
C. Conflict management skills
D. Relationship initiation
4: On Tommy and Olga’s first date, Tommy immediately began the conversation with his frustrations about his lack of success in his previous relationships and his anger about the current political climate. Olga felt uncomfortable with Tommy’s premature and inappropriate oversharing. This can be identified as an example of ______.
A. Skill in self-disclosure
B. Skill in negative assertion
C. Skill in relationship initiation
D. Skill in emotional support
5: The staircase model expanded social penetration theory by describing 10 specific stages relevant to relationship development and disengagement. Within the staircase model, there are five steps leading upward representing the “coming together stages”; there are also five steps leading downward, called the “coming apart stages.” According to the staircase model, people in established relationships ______.
A. Always remain in one stage
B. Often jump from one side of the model to the other
C. Don’t always stay on one stage
D. Never experience the “coming apart” stages
6: How do people move relationships from casual to close? According to social penetration theory, people increase the depth of their self-disclosure and start exchanging information on an emotional level. This represents which of the coming together stages of the staircase model?
A. Experimenting
B. Integrating
C. Initiating
D. Intensifying
7: Lisa and Walter have been having some issues in their marriage lately. Their marriage counselor says they are in the circumscribing stage of coming apart. Choose the answer that best explains what the circumscribing stage is?
A. When people begin to behave as individuals rather than as couple and emphasize difference at the expense of similarities
B. When communication becomes constricted in both depth and breadth. In some ways, the superficial communication that takes place during this stage is similar to small talk, except that the communicators are using talk (and avoidance of talk) to distance themselves from each other instead of to learn more about each other
C. Communication becomes even less frequent; statements such as “I don’t know” and “I don’t care” characterize this stage. People also report feeling annoyed, nervous, and helpless in this stage
D. The relationship seems to be at a standstill. Communication becomes tense and awkward, and the relationship is itself virtually a taboo subject. Couples in this stage tend to give short answers to questions, see discussion about their relationship as “reruns” of past conversations, and perceive relationship talk as futile
8: According to the ______, relationships can follow a choppier path, with both positive and negative events affecting their course.
A. Turning point approach
B. Social penetration theory
C. Ordering and timing of stages
D. Dialectic perspective
9: When Joe and Jamie first met, they claimed it was love at first sight. Select the answer that best defines this phenomenon.
A. Discursive tensions
B. Romantic relationship transition
C. Proximity
D. Turning point analysis
10: Garrett recently moved out of his parents’ home to go to college. Since then, he has noticed that his relationship with his parents has improved, due to the fact that his parents now perceive Garrett as an adult. This is an example of which kind of turning point?
A. Proximity and distance
B. Activities and special occasions
C. Changes in family and social networks
D. Events related to commitment and exclusivity
11: When a person suddenly sees his or her relationship as boring even though nothing has really changed, this is an example of which turning point phenomenon?
A. Positive psychic change
B. Sacrifice or support
C. Negative psychic change
D. Avoiding
12: Paul said to Sam, “I love you, and I think we should move in together. But I think we need more time finding out about ourselves before we commit to marriage.” This is an example of ______.
A. Revelation-concealment
B. Conventionality-uniqueness
C. Inclusion-seclusion
D. Connection-autonomy
13: Sarah and Dan have been dating for nearly a year, but lately have been fighting and having more issues. Sarah has been talking to her friend Rebecca, but since they are not great friends, she has been keeping details private. Sarah will often tell Rebecca, “we’ve been fighting,” but not go into details. This is an example of ______.
A. Disqualification
B. Moderation
C. Topical segmentation
D. Expressive-protective
14: According to work by Baxter, there are four general ways to manage dialectical tensions; one of these methods is separation. Which of the following best describes separation in terms of dialectical tensions?
A. It occurs when people favor each side of the dialectic at different times.
B. It occurs when couples avoid fully engaging either side of the dialectical tension.
C. It is a sophisticated strategy that involves talking about tensions so that they seem complementary rather than contradictory.
D. It involves talking about the tensions in a way that values one side of the dialectic over the other.
15: Which example best expresses the ideal-real dialectic?
A. Danny and his friends often call each other rude nicknames when they are at each other’s house, but not when they are at school.
B. Sheryl has a number of friends who only invite her over to help them with their homework and studying.
C. Candice has many ideas about what her friends “ought to be,” but she knows that no friendship is perfect.
D. Pablo wants to help his friend, who has been working at the same low-paying job for the past few years, but he does not want to insult his friend or risk losing the friendship.
16: Which example best expresses the ideal-real dialectic?
A. Danny and his friends often call each other rude nicknames when they are at each other’s house, but not when they are at school.
B. Sheryl has a number of friends who only invite her over to help them with their homework and studying.
C. Candice has many ideas about what her friends “ought to be,” but she knows that no friendship is perfect.
D. Pablo wants to help his friend, who has been working at the same low-paying job for the past few years, but he does not want to insult his friend or risk losing the friendship.
17: ________ refers to transformative moments that profoundly change the meanings associated with discourses by showing .
A. Management theory
B. Aesthetic moment
C. Centrifugal struggle
D. None of these
18: The tension between commonly accepted (centripetal) and less commonly accepted (centrifugal) discourses is known as _______ .
A. Management theory
B. Aesthetic moment
C. Centrifugal struggle
D. Centripetal-centrifugal struggle
19: Connection-autonomy focuses on how people struggle between their need for closeness and their need for distance in their relationship.
A. True
B. False
20: Conventionality-uniqueness focuses on how people communicate in ways that show ________ with the larger social group.
A. Consistency
B. Inconsistency
C. Both a & b
D. None of these
21: Discourses that have seemingly opposing or contradictory meanings.
A. Dialectical oppositions
B. Discursive mixture
C. Discursive struggle
D. None of these
22: Discourse is a theory, a system of meaning.
A. True
B. False
23: Discursive mixture is when two discourses are combined to create new meaning.
A. True
B. False
24: Discursive struggle is a dialectics theory, the struggle between two competing discourses
A. True
B. False
25: Which strategy for managing dialectical tensions involves being ambiguous so that neither side of the dialectic is engaged ?
A. Discursive mixture
B. Discursive struggle
C. Disqualification
D. None of these
26: A type of discursive mixture where two discourses are put together to create something that is new but can still be separated out is known as _______ .
A. Discursive mixture
B. Hybrid
C. Disqualification
D. None of these
27: A dialectical tension that is expressed when dyads communicate in ways that stress the importance of spending time is known as ______ .
A. Discursive mixture
B. Discursive struggle
C. Disqualification
D. Inclusion-seclusion
28: Logistical talk is a superficial talk revolving around the logistics of things, such as who will pick up dinner or pay the electric bill.
A. True
B. False
29: Which strategy for managing dialectical tensions involves striving to reach a midpoint such that couples engage both sides of the dialectic ?
A. Moderation
B. Neutralization
C. Openness-closedness
D. None of these
30: Neutralization involves avoiding full engagement of either side of the dialectical tension through moderation .
A. True
B. False
31: Openness-closedness focuses on how people struggle between their need to be open with relational partners .
A. True
B. False
32: Predictability-novelty is a dialectical tension that focuses on how people struggle between their needs for _______ in their relationships.
A. Stability
B. Change
C. Both a & b
D. None of these
33: A sophisticated way of managing dialectical tension that involves talking about tensions so that they seem complementary rather than contradictory is known as _______ .
A. Reframing
B. Relational dialectics
C. Responsiveness
D. None of these
34: A perspective that indicates people have opposing interpersonal needs that exist in dynamic tension is known as _______ .
A. Reframing
B. Relational dialectics theory
C. Responsiveness
D. None of these
35: Responsiveness is a communication style that shows _______ .
A. Care
B. Concern
C. Liking
D. All of these
36: Revelation-concealment is a dialectical tension that involves the _______ between wanting to reveal aspects of your relationship to others
A. Push
B. Pull
C. Both a & b
D. None of these
37: A way of managing dialectic tension that involves talking about the tension in a way that values one side of the dialectic over the other is known as ________ .
A. Selection
B. Updated
C. Deleted
D. None of these
38: Separation is a way of managing dialectical tensions that involves favoring each side of the dialectic at different times using either cyclic alternation .
A. True
B. False
39: Topical segmentation is a way of ________ tensions that emphasizes different sides of the dialectic depending on the topic or context.
A. Managing dialectical
B. Controlling
C. Updating
D. None of these
40: Turning point analysis is a method for plotting turning points on a graph to see how various events are related to changes in a relationship.
A. True
B. False
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Stages, Turning Points, and Dialectics MCQs
