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PSA621S - PUBLIC SPEAKING AND ARGUMENTATION - 1ST OPP - NOVEMBER 2025 |
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n Am I BI A u n IVER s I TV
OF SCIEnCE Ano TECHnOLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES
QUALIFICATIONS: BACHELOR OF
COMMUNICATION/ BACHELOR OF ENGLISH
QUALIFICATION CODES:
LEVEL: 6
06BCMM/06BAEN
COURSE CODE: PSA 6215
SESSION: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2025
DURATION: THREE HOURS
COURSE: PUBLIC SPEAKING AND
ARGUMENTATION
PAPER: (THEORY)
MARKS: 100
EXAMINER
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION
DR C PEEL, Ms SALOME
MODERATOR PROF. MAX MHENE
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
Answer THREE questions, and kindly note that QUESTION 1 is compulsory.
2.
Read all the questions carefully before answering them.
3.
Indicate whether you are a FT, PT, or DE student.
THIS EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF _3_PAGES (Including this front page)
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Question 1
(Compulsory)
50 marks
Reflecting on any feelings of nervousness and self-doubt that you may have experienced
as you were preparing for your speech practicals in this course, discuss how you might
have used the following strategies to boost your confidence and transform self-doubt.
(a) The physical strategy .................. .............................................................. ............. 10 marks
(b) The spiritual strategy..............................................................................................10 marks
(c) The mental strategy.................................................. ...... ................................. ...... 10 marks
{d) Research ..... ...................................................... ....................................... ..................20 marks
Question 2
25 marks
Honesty is one of the hallmarks of a credible public speaker. Assess the credibility of
Donald Trump's performance during and after the Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin
in 2016. In particular, focus on whether criticisms of Trump's performance and honesty
were justified when:
a. Trump blindsided his own senior intelligence officers by publicly siding with Putin
against US intelligence reports of Russian meddling in US elections ............5 marks
b. With Washington in uproar, Trump said a day later that his statement was a slip
of the tongue: what he had meant to say was that he did not see why it wouldn't
be Russia involved in the US election interference................ ...... ...... ............. 5 marks
c. From an Ethics and honesty perspective, write a clarification statement that might
have helped President Trump to rectify his rema rks after the Helsinki
summit...... ...... ....................................... ......... ... ................................. ................. 15 marks
Question 3
25 marks
The Direct Effects/Passive Audience theories of communication assume that audiences
passively digest every aspect of a speech's message. Critique this assumption, and draw
on the following two scenarios to support your conclusions :
a) Interference from "noise" and cultu re in the extended transactional model by
Shannon and Weaver..................................... .............................................................. 15 marks
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b). Diverse listening distractions borne out by Dr Paul Cameron's experiment with a
lecture room of learners........................... ...................................................................10 marks
Question 4
25 marks
(a) A speaker needs to make the following pre-speech analyses to ensure that the
audience benefits optimally from the presentation of the speaker's content:
Demographic analysis, psychographic analysis, situational information, and
environmental analysis. Discuss the necessity of undertaking these pre-speech checks and
explain what they each involve..........................................................................(4x5 = 20 marks)
(b) Suggest three possible circumstances where your pre-speech analyses may prompt
you to make changes to the speech ........................... .......................................(5 marks)
Question 5
25 marks
At the first of two funeral ceremonies for the late President of South Africa, Nelson
Mandela, jeers from a feisty audience drowned out the keynote speech by then President
Jacob Zuma. By the end of the programme, the crowd had become so animated that
hardly any of the speakers were audible. It was left to Desmond Tutu, the Retired
Archbishop of Cape Town, to deliver the closing prayer. Despite driving rain and an
animated audience, Archbishop Tutu used five factors to calm the crowd and bring them
to a more respectful silence. What were those factors, and how did Tutu use them?
End of Examination Question Paper
Total: 100 marks
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