Poverty of speech is best described by which of the following statements?

• A. Monotone
• B. Flight of ideas
• C. Word salad
• D. One- or two-word answers

Answer: (D)

Poverty of speech, or alogia, is a reduction in verbal output, with responses that are brief and lacking in content. In schizophrenia, this is a negative symptom showing decreased spontaneity and information shared in conversation. The description of giving only one- or two-word answers fits this pattern, because the person speaks very little and provides minimal content.

By contrast, a monotone describes the voice's flat affect rather than how much is spoken. Flight of ideas involves rapid, loosely connected thoughts and pressured speech, not simply brief replies. Word salad is severely disorganized, incoherent speech that fails to convey meaning. So the one- or two-word answers statement best captures poverty of speech.