Match List I with List II.List I (Term)List II (Meaning)a. FilteringI. Information exceeding the processing capacityb. Information overloadII. Language relatedc. Semantic barrierIII. Undue anxiety about communicationd. Communication apprehensionIV. Manipulating informationChoose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

The correct matching is a-IV, b-I, c-II, d-III.Filtering is a sender manipulating information so it looks more favourable to the receiver (IV).Information overload is when information exceeds a person's processing capacity (I).A semantic barrier is language-related: words and symbols understood differently (II).Communication apprehension is undue anxiety about communicating (III).Option B swaps information overload with communication apprehension and semantic barriers.

Barriers to Communication Questions and Answers

Q: Semantic barrier of communication is implied when the :

A semantic barrier exists when the receiver fails to understand the meaning.Semantic barriers arise from the meaning of words and symbols: jargon, ambiguous words, words with several meanings, poor translation or differences in language. The message may arrive perfectly clearly, yet the receiver attaches a different meaning to it or none at all.A fully attentive receiver and a loud, clear signal describe the absence of psychological and physical barriers, and a message that is flawlessly understood is the opposite of a barrier, so none of the other options describes a semantic barrier.

Q: A major barrier in the transmission of cognitive data during the process of communication is due to an individual's :

The barrier lies in an individual's coding ability.To transmit an idea, the sender has to encode thoughts into words or other symbols, and the receiver has to decode them back into meaning. Communication models such as Berlo's SMCR list communication skills, the ability to encode and decode, as a basic factor in the source and the receiver. If either party lacks the vocabulary, clarity or skill to code the content, the cognitive message does not get across, however willing both are.Resolution and anticipation are not standard barriers to the transfer of meaning, and societal status affects how freely people communicate across a hierarchy rather than the transmission of the cognitive content itself.

Q: A game played by five students, in their spare time, is to design quirky stories, which they narrate to one another in the form of Chinese whispers. The challenge for the members in the group is to reproduce the story completely. However, rarely are they able to achieve the target. The reason for their failure is indulgence in

The failure comes from marginal listening instead of active listening.In Chinese whispers, each player passes a story on after hearing it once, and the story is distorted at every step. Marginal listening is half-hearted listening, in which the listener catches only parts of the message and fills the rest from guesswork. Active listening means full attention, checking understanding and retaining the details, which is what the players would need to reproduce the story completely.Empathetic and sensitive listening are attentive forms that focus on the speaker's feelings; they would not by themselves cause the details of a story to be lost, so the other two pairings do not explain the failure, and 'None of the above' is wrong because marginal listening does.

Q: Semantic problem relates to

A semantic problem relates to the meaning associated with words.Semantics is the study of meaning. Semantic barriers to communication arise when sender and receiver attach different meanings to the same word or symbol, for example through technical jargon, words with several meanings, ambiguous phrasing or poor translation, so that the message is understood differently from what was intended.The sender's behaviour belongs to personal or psychological barriers, and the speaker's intention concerns motive rather than the meaning of words, so those options are wrong; 'None of the above' is ruled out because meaning is exactly what semantics deals with.

Q: Unattentiveness of receiver may affect .................... .

Inattentiveness of the receiver affects the effectiveness of communication.A receiver who is not paying attention does not decode the message fully or correctly, so the message does not have its intended effect. This is a psychological barrier to communication on the receiver's side.The sender, the message and the medium are unchanged by the receiver's attention; what suffers is whether the communication succeeds.

Q: Cultural difference between sender and receiver may affect ................

Cultural difference may affect the effectiveness of communication.Sender and receiver interpret words, gestures and tone through their own cultural background. When these differ, the message may be decoded in a way the sender did not intend, which makes cultural difference a common barrier to effective communication.The message, the medium and the feedback are individual elements of the process; the cultural gap affects the overall outcome, which is how effectively meaning is shared.

Q: The element which badly affect the effectiveness of communication is called as .........................

The element is called noise.In models of communication, noise is any interference that distorts or blocks the message between sender and receiver. It may be physical (loud sounds), technical (a poor connection), psychological (preoccupation) or semantic (unclear words).Feedback and the message are essential parts of communication, not barriers, and projection is a psychological defence, not the term for this element.Reducing noise, for example by speaking clearly, choosing a quiet setting and checking understanding through feedback, makes communication more effective.

Direction for [ Question No: 1 To 2 ] :

Choose the correct option out of given four.

Semantic barrier of communication is implied when the :

A.Receiver is fully attentive
B.Signal is loud and clear
C.Receiver fails to understand the meaning
D.Message is flawlessly implied

Exam Year(s)

HPPSC HPAS - 2025,

Answer: C

A semantic barrier exists when the receiver fails to understand the meaning.

Semantic barriers arise from the meaning of words and symbols: jargon, ambiguous words, words with several meanings, poor translation or differences in language. The message may arrive perfectly clearly, yet the receiver attaches a different meaning to it or none at all.

A fully attentive receiver and a loud, clear signal describe the absence of psychological and physical barriers, and a message that is flawlessly understood is the opposite of a barrier, so none of the other options describes a semantic barrier.

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A major barrier in the transmission of cognitive data during the process of communication is due to an individual's :

A.Coding ability
B.Resolution
C.Anticipation
D.Societal status

Exam Year(s)

HPPSC HPAS - 2025,

Answer: A

The barrier lies in an individual's coding ability.

To transmit an idea, the sender has to encode thoughts into words or other symbols, and the receiver has to decode them back into meaning. Communication models such as Berlo's SMCR list communication skills, the ability to encode and decode, as a basic factor in the source and the receiver. If either party lacks the vocabulary, clarity or skill to code the content, the cognitive message does not get across, however willing both are.

Resolution and anticipation are not standard barriers to the transfer of meaning, and societal status affects how freely people communicate across a hierarchy rather than the transmission of the cognitive content itself.

Discuss in Forum

A game played by five students, in their spare time, is to design quirky stories, which they narrate to one another in the form of Chinese whispers. The challenge for the members in the group is to reproduce the story completely. However, rarely are they able to achieve the target. The reason for their failure is indulgence in

A.Empathetic listening instead of projective
B.Sensitive listening instead of active
C.Marginal listening instead of active
D.None of the above

Exam Year(s)

Punjab Civil Service - 2018,

Answer: C

The failure comes from marginal listening instead of active listening.

In Chinese whispers, each player passes a story on after hearing it once, and the story is distorted at every step. Marginal listening is half-hearted listening, in which the listener catches only parts of the message and fills the rest from guesswork. Active listening means full attention, checking understanding and retaining the details, which is what the players would need to reproduce the story completely.

Empathetic and sensitive listening are attentive forms that focus on the speaker's feelings; they would not by themselves cause the details of a story to be lost, so the other two pairings do not explain the failure, and 'None of the above' is wrong because marginal listening does.

Discuss in Forum

Semantic problem relates to

A.Behaviour of sender
B.Meaning associated with words
C.Intention of the speaker
D.None of the above

Exam Year(s)

Punjab Civil Service - 2018,

Answer: B

A semantic problem relates to the meaning associated with words.

Semantics is the study of meaning. Semantic barriers to communication arise when sender and receiver attach different meanings to the same word or symbol, for example through technical jargon, words with several meanings, ambiguous phrasing or poor translation, so that the message is understood differently from what was intended.

The sender's behaviour belongs to personal or psychological barriers, and the speaker's intention concerns motive rather than the meaning of words, so those options are wrong; 'None of the above' is ruled out because meaning is exactly what semantics deals with.

Discuss in Forum

Match List I with List II.

List I (Term)	List II (Meaning)
a. Filtering	I. Information exceeding the processing capacity
b. Information overload	II. Language related
c. Semantic barrier	III. Undue anxiety about communication
d. Communication apprehension	IV. Manipulating information

Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

A.a-I, b-II, c-III, d-IV
B.a-IV, b-III, c-II, d-I
C.a-IV, b-I, c-II, d-III
D.a-III, b-IV, c-I, d-II

Exam Year(s)

RSMSSB - 2026, RSMSSB Mahila Supervisor - 2026,

Answer: C

The correct matching is a-IV, b-I, c-II, d-III.

Filtering is a sender manipulating information so it looks more favourable to the receiver (IV).
Information overload is when information exceeds a person's processing capacity (I).
A semantic barrier is language-related: words and symbols understood differently (II).
Communication apprehension is undue anxiety about communicating (III).

Option B swaps information overload with communication apprehension and semantic barriers.

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Unattentiveness of receiver may affect .................... .

A.Sender
B.Message
C.Media
D.Effectiveness of communication

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: D

Inattentiveness of the receiver affects the effectiveness of communication.

A receiver who is not paying attention does not decode the message fully or correctly, so the message does not have its intended effect. This is a psychological barrier to communication on the receiver's side.

The sender, the message and the medium are unchanged by the receiver's attention; what suffers is whether the communication succeeds.

Discuss in Forum

Cultural difference between sender and receiver may affect ................

A.Message
B.Media
C.Effectiveness of communication
D.Feedback

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: C

Cultural difference may affect the effectiveness of communication.

Sender and receiver interpret words, gestures and tone through their own cultural background. When these differ, the message may be decoded in a way the sender did not intend, which makes cultural difference a common barrier to effective communication.

The message, the medium and the feedback are individual elements of the process; the cultural gap affects the overall outcome, which is how effectively meaning is shared.

Discuss in Forum

The element which badly affect the effectiveness of communication is called as .........................

A.Feedback
B.Projection
C.Message
D.Noise

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: D

The element is called noise.

In models of communication, noise is any interference that distorts or blocks the message between sender and receiver. It may be physical (loud sounds), technical (a poor connection), psychological (preoccupation) or semantic (unclear words).

Feedback and the message are essential parts of communication, not barriers, and projection is a psychological defence, not the term for this element.

Reducing noise, for example by speaking clearly, choosing a quiet setting and checking understanding through feedback, makes communication more effective.

Discuss in Forum

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Barriers to Communication Questions and Answers

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