Quiz: Communication students, do you know these terms?

31 May 2019

Communication is a broad field that encompasses the vast world of mass communication, including public relations, marketing, advertising interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, journalism, and more.

Students who study communication have plenty of options when they graduate, and can enter many different fields due to the broad nature of their degrees.

Many communication students specialise in a particular area during the latter years of their programme, but they still have to know the basics!

The communication jargon they learn is not just for acing exams but will also be useful in the workplace, where they will need to apply communication concepts to real-world scenarios.

It might be summer now, but that’s no excuse to get soft! Take this quiz to check you’re up-to-date on your communication terms or you need some brushing up.

What does 'high-context' culture mean?

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A culture in which verbal communication is often ambiguous and meaning is drawn from contextual cues, such as facial expressions and tone of voice.

A culture where verbal communication is expected to be explicit and is often interpreted literally.

Correct! Wrong!

What does 'convergence' mean in a communication context?

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The process in which print media is slowly dying.

The ability to have multiple communication skills in the workplace.

The merging of different mass communication channels, such as news and TV, now available through the internet instead of print media and television.

The merging of marketing and public relations to become marketing communications.

Correct! Wrong!

What is copywriting?

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When you copy other people's work and pass it off as your own.

Copying work from your editor.

Writing text for advertising purposes.

Correct! Wrong!

What does 'noise' mean in a communication context?

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Any type of noise that interferes with communication being effectively transmitted.

When a person sings badly at the top of their lungs.

An extinct form of mass media.

Correct! Wrong!

What does 'medium' mean in communication?

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A channel of communication - such as a newspaper or radio.

A psychic person.

A person who works in advertising.

Correct! Wrong!

What is the agenda-setting theory in communication?

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The theory that people who have internal cognitive conflict will find ways to reduce that discomfort to achieve inner harmony.

How we attach and assume meanings to other people's behaviour.

The theory that people are influenced by what the media chooses to report.

Correct! Wrong!

What is interpersonal communication?

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Face-to-face communication between two or more people using verbal and non-verbal cues.

Communicating with yourself.

Communication in a personal setting.

Correct! Wrong!

What is crisis communication?

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When a person communicates to others about a personal crisis.

A sub-sector of public relations responsible for managing and upholding a company's reputation during a crisis.

Teaching others how to handle a crisis at work.

Correct! Wrong!

Which of the following is an example of a 'gatekeeper' in a communication context?

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A reporter who decides which sources to use and what information to include in a news story.

A person in charge of a passageway or gate.

A person who makes sure an organisation isn't wasting resources.

Correct! Wrong!

What is the difference between marketing and public relations?

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There's no real difference between the two - they are basically the same.

Marketing is based on using promotions and advertising to return sales, whereas public relations focuses on managing a company’s reputation and brand image, often through media coverage.

Public relations is meant to drive sales while marketing is based on promoting the company brand.