Exercise 1. Communications Problems in Disasters.

1. One of the most consistent observations about disasters is that communication is inadequate; an in-depth 1986 study suggests that this is a ......... problem.

a) Contiguous; b) contingent; c) continuing; d) continuous.

2. One crucial type of information that needs to be shared is that related to a determination of the priority of needed disaster countermeasures and, therefore, resource ..........

a) Alleviating; b) allocation; c) relocation; d) restructuring.

3. Research on disasters suggests that many communications problems are 'people' problems, rather than equipment problems; communication equipment may be in short ........., but more often than not a physical means of communication is available.

a) Shrift; b) stock; c) substance; d) supply.

4. Examples of 'people' problems in communication include the '......... syndrome', or 'we're the only ones on this island'.

a) David Copperfield; b) Don Quixote; c) Huckleberry Finn; d) Robinson Crusoe.

5. Organizations are accustomed to operating ......... and fail to change this approach in disasters where multiple organizations are involved and are dependent on one another; each person gives priority to the information needs of his own organization rather than that of the overall response effort.

a) Alternately; b) alternatively; c) automatically; d) autonomously.

6. Terminology and procedures used to exchange information vary among different organizations; there is a hesitancy to depend on other organizations, often due to lack of trust or familiarity, or due to political, jurisdictional, and personal ..........

a) Disputes; b) distances; c) drives; d) druthers.

7. The importance of pre-disaster contact helps to explain a seemingly .........observation made in a number of disasters, that smaller communities with fewer resources tended to coordinate their disaster responses better than larger, more urban areas.

a) Paradoxical; b) partial; c) practical; d) pragmatic.

8. Unfortunately, the urgency of the disaster situation often ......... the time necessary to exchange preliminary information on-the-spot.

a) Precedes; b) precludes; c) predicts; d) prevents.

9. The result is that, unless preliminary contact has been addressed before the disaster, there is a ......... to depend on the activities of other organizations and a failure to coordinate and communicate with them.

a) Recalcitrance; b) reluctance; c) repulsion; d) resistance.

10. When one is dependent on other team members, particularly in life-.........situations, he needs to feel confident in their competence and reliability, and developing this level of trust often requires pre-incident contact over a period of time.

a) Challenging; b) constraining; c) terminating; d) threatening.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 927