COLOUR THEME
Last-week toolkit: theorist tag-lines, the confusions examiners exploit and a keyword-to-answer cue sheet.
6 sub-topics, in the order to study them. Tap one to jump to it.
Revision mode hides the full explanations and keeps each section's key terms, lists and tables and the Memory Capsule. Use it from your second read onward.
In brief
Sequence of the process: Sender → Encoding → Message → Channel → Decoding → Receiver → Feedback (noise anywhere).
Sequence of the process: Sender → Encoding → Message → Channel → Decoding → Receiver → Feedback (noise anywhere).
In brief
Theorist One-line recall Aristotle speaker, speech, audience, ethos–pathos–logos Lasswell Who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect Shannon–Weaver noise and…
| Theorist | One-line recall |
|---|---|
| Aristotle | speaker, speech, audience, ethos–pathos–logos |
| Lasswell | Who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect |
| Shannon–Weaver | noise and mathematical model |
| Berlo | SMCR |
| Osgood–Schramm | circular |
| Dance | helix |
| Newcomb | ABX symmetry |
| Hall | proxemics, high and low context, monochronic and polychronic |
| Hofstede | cultural dimensions |
| Flanders | 10-category classroom interaction analysis |
| Dale | Cone of Experience |
| McLuhan | medium is the message, global village |
| Lazarsfeld | two-step flow, opinion leaders |
| McCombs and Shaw | agenda setting |
| Gerbner | cultivation, mean world |
| Noelle-Neumann | spiral of silence |
| Katz et al. | uses and gratifications |
| Keith Davis | grapevine types |
| Siebert, Peterson, Schramm | Four Theories of the Press |
In brief
Common confusions to avoid:
Common confusions to avoid:
Paralanguage is how you say it (tone, pitch); it is not verbal content, but it is vocal.
Proxemics = space; chronemics = time; haptics = touch; kinesics = body movement; oculesics = eyes; olfactics = smell.
Hypodermic needle = powerful direct effect; two-step flow = effect through opinion leaders; uses and gratifications = active audience.
Agenda setting = what to think about; cultivation = long-term shaping of beliefs about reality.
Downward = superior to subordinate; upward = subordinate to superior; horizontal = same level; diagonal = different level and different department.
Grapevine is informal; its cluster chain is the most common.
Semantic barrier = language and meaning; psychological barrier = emotions and attitudes; physical barrier = noise and environment.
Intrapersonal = within oneself; interpersonal = two people; mass = large, anonymous audience with delayed feedback.
Mehrabian's rule applies only to feelings and attitudes with inconsistent messages.
In brief
Strategy for analysis-type MCQs:
Strategy for analysis-type MCQs:
In statement-based questions, test each statement independently first, then match with the options.
In assertion–reason questions, check (1) whether the assertion is true, (2) whether the reason is true, and (3) whether the reason actually explains the assertion.
In match-the-following questions, lock the pairs you are 100% sure of first and eliminate options.
Watch for absolute words such as always, only, never, all; they often make a statement false.
In "NOT / EXCEPT" questions, underline the negative and check each option against the rule.
No negative marking: never leave a question blank.
In brief
Suggested revision plan: 1) Read these notes once for understanding; 2) make flashcards for names, years and definitions; 3) solve previous-year Communication questions…
Suggested revision plan: 1) Read these notes once for understanding; 2) make flashcards for names, years and definitions; 3) solve previous-year Communication questions topic by topic; 4) revisit your wrong answers and note why each trap worked; 5) do a final 30-minute recap of topics 8, 9 and 10 and of the cue sheet below.
In brief
If the question says The answer is Latin communis to make common / to share Oldest model; ethos, pathos, logos Aristotle Who says what in which channel to whom with what…
| If the question says | The answer is |
|---|---|
| Latin communis | to make common / to share |
| Oldest model; ethos, pathos, logos | Aristotle |
| Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect | Lasswell |
| Mathematical model; noise | Shannon and Weaver |
| SMCR | Berlo |
| Circular; encoder, decoder, interpreter | Osgood and Schramm |
| Helix | Dance |
| Gatekeeper in the model | Westley and Maclean |
| ABX | Newcomb |
| Open, blind, hidden, unknown | Johari Window (Luft and Ingham) |
| Informal channel | grapevine; most common type is cluster chain |
| Body movement | kinesics; "space" → proxemics; "touch" → haptics; "time" → chronemics; "voice qualities" → paralanguage |
| Intimate, personal, social, public distance | Edward T. Hall |
| High context vs low context | Edward T. Hall |
| Power distance, collectivism | Hofstede |
| Forming, storming, norming, performing | Tuckman |
| Idea generation without criticism | brainstorming (Osborn) |
| 10 categories; teacher talk and student talk | Flanders |
| Direct purposeful experiences to verbal symbols | Dale's Cone of Experience |
| Mass media functions: surveillance, correlation, transmission | Lasswell (Wright added entertainment) |
| Opinion leaders | two-step flow (Lazarsfeld) |
| Active audience | uses and gratifications |
| What to think about | agenda setting (McCombs and Shaw) |
| Mean world syndrome | cultivation (Gerbner) |
| Fear of isolation; silence | spiral of silence (Noelle-Neumann) |
| Mr. Gates | gatekeeping (David Manning White) |
| Medium is the message; global village | McLuhan |
| Four Theories of the Press | Siebert, Peterson and Schramm (1956) |
| First Indian newspaper | Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780) |
| Statutory body for press freedom and standards | Press Council of India |
| Doordarshan began | 15 September 1959 |
| Prasar Bharati | Act 1990, operational 1997 |
Final reminder: in analysis-style MCQs, the safest method is to (1) identify the concept being tested, (2) recall its one-line definition and example from these notes, (3) eliminate options that belong to a similar-sounding concept, and (4) watch for absolute words (always, only, never). There is no negative marking, so always mark an answer.
Practise with free MCQs and answer keys, then return here to fix what you got wrong.
↑ Module 5: Revision and Exam Readiness · All 11 topics in Communication · Unit overview and sample MCQs
Last updated: . Notes are a revision aid; check official UGC sources for any rule or scheme that changes over time. Spotted a mistake? Write to netlawverse@gmail.com.