CHAPTER 5

SELECTING A TOPIC AND PURPOSE

Short-Answer Questions
1. When your general purpose is to _______________, inform you act as a teacher or
lecturer.
2. When your general purpose is to _______________, persuade you act as a partisan or an
advocate.
specific purpose statement
3. The _______________ reveals precisely what the speaker hopes to accomplish in
his or her speech.
4. List three questions you should ask about the suitability of your specific purpose
for your audience.
a. _______________
Is it relevant to my audience?
b. _______________ Is it too technical for my audience?
c. _______________ Is it too trivial for my audience?
5. “To persuade my audience that the U.S. space program should be continued because it provides
important benefits to society” is an example of a _______________.
specific purpose statement

6. Explain what is wrong with the following poorly written specific purpose
statement for a persuasive speech: “To persuade my audience that something must be done
about America’s national debt.” It is too general
It does not indicate what "must be done”
7. The _______________
central idea usually encapsulates the main points of your speech in a
single sentence.
8. The _______________
central idea indicates precisely what the speaker intends to say in the
speech.
9. “The three steps to breaking a bad habit are becoming conscious of the habit, keeping a log of
what triggers the habit, and finding a way to avoid or substitute for the habit” is an example of
a _______________.
central idea

10. Explain what is wrong with the following poorly written central idea for an
informative speech: “Will an asteroid destroy Earth?” It is written as a question, rather than as a statement
11. Explain what is wrong with the following poorly written central idea for a
persuasive speech: “Lawyers who promote frivolous personal injury suits are just a bunch of
greedy bums!” It is expressed with figurative language
12. What is wrong with the following specific purpose statement for an informative
speech? Rewrite the statement to conform with the criteria given in your textbook
for effective specific purpose statements.
Ineffective
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the Civil War.

Error: _______________
too broad
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More Effective
Specific Purpose: _______________
To inform my audience about the effects of the Civil War.

13. Supply the general purpose, specific purpose, and central idea for a speech with
the following main points:
General Purpose: _______________
to inform
To inform the audience of the factors that shape our self-esteem
Specific Purpose: _______________
Central Idea: _______________
Our self-esteem is shaped by our immediate family,
interactions with friends, and by the media.
Main Points: _______________
I. Our self-esteem is shaped by our immediate family.
II. Our self-esteem is shaped by our interactions with friends.
III. Our self-esteem is shaped by the media.

14. Supply the general purpose, specific purpose, and central idea for a speech with
the following main points:
General Purpose: _______________
to inform

Specific Purpose: _______________

To inform the audience of the basic steps in writing a successful essay

Central Idea: _______________

There are 4 basic steps in writing a successful essay: prewriting, drafting, revising, and
editing
Main Points: _______________
I. The first step in writing a successful essay is prewriting.
II. The second step in writing a successful essay is drafting.
III. The third step in writing a successful essay is revising. IV. The fourth
step in writing a successful essay is editing.

15. Supply the general purpose, specific purpose, and central idea for a speech with
the following main points:
General Purpose: _______________
to inform

Specific Purpose: _______________

To inform the audience of the basic steps in dealing with grief

Central Idea: _______________

There are five basic steps in writing a successful essay: denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, acceptance
Main Points: _______________
I. The first stage in dealing with grief is denial.
II. The second stage in dealing with grief is anger.
III. The third stage in dealing with grief is bargaining.
III. The fourth stage in dealing with grief is depression.
IV. The fifth stage in dealing with grief is acceptance.

16. Supply the general purpose, specific purpose, and main points for a speech with
the following central idea:
General Purpose: _______________
to inform

Specific Purpose: _______________

To inform my audience of the three major causes of decaying
bridges in the United States.
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Central Idea: The three major causes of decaying bridges in the United
States are overloading, weather, and neglect.
Main Points: _______________
1) The first major cause of deteriorating bridges in the United States is overloading.
2) The second major cause of deteriorating bridges in the United States is weather.
3) The third major cause of deteriorating bridges in the United States is neglect.
17. Supply the general purpose, specific purpose, and main points for a speech with
the following central idea:
General Purpose: _______________
to inform
To inform my audience why Devil's Island was called
Specific Purpose: _______________ "the prison from which there is no return."
Central Idea: Devil’s Island was called “the prison from which there is no
return” because escape was virtually impossible and because large numbers of
prisoners died there.
Main Points: _______________
1) Devil's Island was called "the prison from which there is no return" because
escape wasvirtually impossible.
2) Devil's Island was called "the prison from which there is noreturn" because large
numbers of prisoners died there.

residual message
What a speaker wants the audience to remember after they have forgotten everything else in a speech.