IIA IIA Certifications IIA-CIA-PART4 Questions & Answers

• Question 101:

  Which of the following perceptual errors is the tendency for one party to attribute his/her traits to the other party when communicating?

  A. Expectancy.

  B. Projection.

  C. The halo effect.

  D. Stereotyping.

  Correct Answer: B

  Perception is the process used to adapt the message to the receiver during encoding or to interpret the message from the sender when decoding. Perceptual errors cause misinterpretation of the intended message. Projection is the tendency for the sender to attribute his/her traits, values, and emotions to the receiver and vice versa.

• Question 102:

  Select an additional deficiency in the communication chain.

  A. The receiver of the communication was inappropriate; the personnel department should have received the memorandum and then informed the buyer.

  B. The message is improperly encoded because the buyer does not know why the termination is to be completed.

  C. Because the supervisor and buyer have conflicting vacation schedules, no possibility exists for feedback.

  D. The supervisor should not be the sender of the memorandum; the personnel department is the appropriate source.

  Correct Answer: C

  The communications process has five elements:1) the sender of the message, 2) symbols used to encode the message, ) the medium chosen to send the message, 4) the receiver of the message, and 5) feedback acknowledging interpretation of the message by the receiver. Because the supervisor and buyer have conflicting vacation schedules, no possibility exists for feedback, and the buyer is not referred to anyone else in the organization for any additional information.

• Question 103:

  What link in the communications chain is defective?

  A. The meaning of the message would be unclear to the buyer.

  B. The supervisor chose the wrong channel for the communication.

  C. The supervisor should not be the source of this type of communication.

  D. The supervisor did not account for the noise in the communication chain.

  Correct Answer: B

  In the communications process, the medium is the channel through which the communication flows. The defect in this case was the channel chosen to inform the employee of his/her loss of job. The supervisor should have spoken directly with the employee. The supervisor ofpurchasing reviewed a memorandum prepared for a buyer in the department. The memo read, "Effective September 30, the corporation has determined that your functions will be absorbed into our parent company's small-unit purchasing function. This will reduce operating costs, improve communications, and facilitate production engineering changes. You will be provided with outplacement support." That should cover the situation," thought the supervisor. Its too bad that I am leaving on vacation before the buyer returns from vacation, but this memo will give the buyer the general idea."

• Question 104:

  All of the following statements about communication are false except:

  A. Managers spend more of the workday involved in written communication than oral communication.

  B. Written communication encourages feedback.

  C. Breakthroughs in electronic technology will blur the distinctions between written and oral communications.

  D. The grapevine rarely provides accurate information.

  Correct Answer: C

  Breakthroughs in electronic technology may lead to oral messages being recorded and subsequently written out. The supervisor of purchasing reviewed a memorandum prepared for a buyer in the department. The memo read, "Effective September 30, the corporation has determined that your functions will be absorbed into our parent company's small-unit purchasing function. This will reduce operating costs, improve communications, and facilitate production engineering changes. You will be provided with outplacement support." That should cover the situation," thought the supervisor. Its too bad that I am leaving on vacation before the buyer returns from vacation, but this memo will give the buyer the general idea."

• Question 105:

  A manager found that instructions given to a subordinate were not followed. A review of the cause of the failure revealed that the manager was interrupted by several telephone calls while issuing the instructions. In terms of problems in the communications chain, the interruptions are:

  A. Noise.

  B. Nonverbal feedback.

  C. Semantics.

  D. Closure.

  Correct Answer: A

  Noise in the communication channel refers to any disruption that impedes the encoding, sending, or receipt of a message, such as being interrupted by several telephone calls while issuing instructions.

• Question 106:

  "But I mailed the order 4 weeks ago, giving the supplier plenty of time," said the parts manager when asked why a critical part was not available. The most likely reason for this failed communication between the parts manager and the supplier was?

  A. Lack of feedback.

  B. Confusing language.

  C. Inappropriate medium.

  D. Perceptual selectivity.

  Correct Answer: A

  The effectiveness of communication can be determined only by the sender seeking feedback and observing the impact of the communication on the receiver. The sender is obligated to solicit feedback to ensure that the communication process is complete. The receiver should give feedback to the sender. The importance of feedback to check the effectiveness of the communication process indicates the limitations of one-way communications e.g., memos). Effectiveness can only be measured when the sender perceives a change in the receiver's behavior. Thus, the parts manager the sender) should have sought and the supplier the receiver) should have provided, feedback.

• Question 107:

  Which of the following is unlikely to cause changes in attitudes?

  A. Make sure that the message is credible.

  B. Present many different issues in as short a time as possible.

  C. Shape the argument to the listener.

  D. Focus the presentation on the ultimate objective.

  Correct Answer: B

  Presenting many different issues in as short a time as possible will confuse the listener and cause the message to be lost or disregarded. To convey a persuasive message effectively, the communicator should make a clear presentation that focuses on the ultimate objective. The argument should be stated one idea at a time, and unrelated subjects and jumping from issue toissue should be avoided. The presentation should guide the recipient of the communication directly to the desired conclusion.

• Question 108:

  Which one of the following statements about the nature of communication is true?

  A. Communication occurs only when people deliberately and consciously decide to communicate.

  B. Accounting terms such as expense, revenue, net income, and variance mean the same to all users.

  C. Because managerial accounting reports classify and summarize vast amounts of data, the reports do not add to the information overload within an organization.

  D. Communication between departments is affected by the level of functional specialization within departments.

  Correct Answer: D

  Communication between departments is sometimes affected by the level of functional specialization within those departments. Noise of any sort can inhibit communication, and that noise can be physical or nonphysical. An example of nonphysical noise is the difference in expertise between the sender and the recipient. A sender must establish a climate that encourages the elimination of interpersonal barriers to communication.

• Question 109:

  Which of the following is an example of a badly encoded message?

  A. Inattention or disinterest in the message.

  B. Inconsistency between verbal and nonverbal messages.

  C. Gesturing to someone who cannot see the gesture.

  D. Sender's dislike of receiver.

  Correct Answer: B

  If body language or tone of voice send a message different from the spoken words, the receiver will not be clear about the meaning of the message.

• Question 110:

  Which one of the following statements about human perception and human perception's role in the communication process is false?

  A. Perception is used to interpret information from the environment.

  B. Perception can distort communication only at the end of the communication process.

  C. Selective perception refers to the tendency to remember what we prefer and to forget what we are uncomfortable with.

  D. Stereotyping is a form of perceptual organization.

  Correct Answer: B

  Managers must always consider the perceptions of a message recipient. Recipients vary in their perception of messages because of background, language, education, attitudes toward the sender such as stereotyping) and job, etc. This variance can result in communication distortion at any stage of the communication process.