38
85) Whatever the length of your message, you should limit the number of major support points to
roughly
A) two.
B) three.
C) six.
D) ten.
E) fifteen.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
86) Narrative techniques are
A) inappropriate for professional communication.
B) acceptable in business, but only for messages organized in the direct approach.
C) an effective way to organize messages in a variety of business communication scenarios.
D) a great way to help the audience grasp key points about sets of data.
E) a way to minimize the effects of negative information.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
39
87) In a business message, the range of information you present, the overall length, and the level
of detail is known as your
A) coverage.
B) inclusion.
C) depth.
D) requirement.
E) scope.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
88) The ________ of a business message summarizes what you want your audience members to
do or think and why they should do so.
A) topic
B) scope
C) sequence
D) main idea
E) narrative
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
40
89) Use ________ when you need to help your audience grasp key points about sets of data or
visualize connections between ideas.
A) facts and figures
B) descriptions
C) visual aids
D) narratives or stories
E) references to authority
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
90) The scope of a message will generally be longer when
A) the audience is unfamiliar with your topic.
B) the audience is familiar with you and your credibility.
C) the audience is supportive of your ideas.
D) your subject is noncontroversial.
E) the audience is familiar with the topic.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
41
91) Taking the time to outline your points as you prepare business messages
A) will save you time in the long run and lead to better results.
B) is feasible only when you are working on long reports—otherwise it is a waste of valuable
time.
C) is a sign that your writing skills are weak, since good writers work from mental outlines only.
D) eliminates the creative spontaneity you need to create dynamic messages.
E) generally causes undue confusion, since you may not know exactly what you want to say.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
92) To bolster a case while adding variety and credibility, ________ to back up your major
supporting points.
A) add facts and figures
B) use a description
C) include a story
D) use a specific description
E) reference an authority respected by the audience
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
42
93) A well-developed message will include a main idea that will identify what the audience
should do or think and
A) how long the action will take.
B) be direct.
C) tell the audience why they should do so.
D) include references.
E) use persuasive techniques to gain support.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
94) To present major points and supporting detail in the most logical and effective way,
A) use a direct format for the communication.
B) include meaningful visual aids for each main idea.
C) treat complex messages as a series of smaller messages.
D) incorporate storytelling.
E) create an outline for key points.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
43
95) The ________ begins by explaining evidence and builds up to the main idea.
A) narrative approach
B) outline
C) direct approach
D) process of building consensus
E) indirect approach
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
96) To help generate creative ideas, ________ starts with the main idea and allows the writer to
branch out and connect other related ideas.
A) mind mapping
B) storyteller’s tour
C) a question and answer chain
D) a journalistic approach
E) brainstorming
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
97) The ideal length of a message depends on your topic, your audience members’ familiarity
with the material, their receptivity to your conclusions, and your credibility.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
44
98) Poorly organized messages are unlikely to be effective, regardless of their content.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
99) Briefly distinguish between the direct and indirect approaches to organizing business
messages.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages
100) Explain the advantages of thinking about the organization of a message before sending it
out.
tasks involved in organizing a message.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Synthesis
Learning Outcome: Plan and prepare business messages