Which of the following is NOT a part of the communication cycle?

• A. Message
• B. Sender
• C. Grapevine
• D. Feedback

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is how a formal communication cycle is structured. In a formal cycle, information starts with a sender who encodes a message, there is a channel through which the message travels, and a receiver who decodes it. Feedback comes back to the sender to show whether the message was understood, and noise can interfere at any point, potentially distorting the message. The grapevine, by contrast, refers to informal, unofficial channels where rumors and information spread outside the formal process. It isn’t a defined step in the formal cycle, even though it can influence what people think. So, the grapevine is not part of the formal communication cycle, while the message, the sender, and the feedback are.