Business Communication Today, 14e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 14 Planning Reports and Proposals
1) Which type of report offers data and facts without any analysis or recommendations?
A) Proposals
B) Informational
C) Internal
D) Analytical
E) Persuasive
2) Which of the following is an advantage to using the three-step writing process when creating
reports?
A) The report can be used for internal and external audiences
B) An analytical report can be easily converted to a proposal
C) The purpose will be easier to define
D) There will not be a need to develop a statement of purpose
E) Less time is needed to write an effective report
3) Which of the following is the most common purpose of creating analytical reports and
proposals?
A) As a response to a perceived problem or opportunity
B) To address predetermined needs of the organization
C) To provide expected information in a predetermined format
D) To monitor the response to progress of a corporate activity
E) As part of a government compliance effort
4) Which of the following steps will help ensure nothing is overlooked when determining a
schedule for the production of a report or proposal?
A) Identify the information the audience will be most interested in
B) Know the goal of the report or proposal
C) Determine the timeframe and scope of the project
D) Create a work plan
E) Gather all relevant data before beginning
5) Which aspect of the formal work plan describes what you plan to accomplish and defines the
limits of your work?
A) Statement of the purpose and scope of your investigation
B) Statement of the problem and opportunity
C) Discussion of tasks to be accomplished
D) Working outline
E) Statement of the products or activities that will result from the investigation
6) Which of the following is a customized, highly summarized online presentation of business
information and reports?
A) An executive dashboard
B) A working outline
C) A formal work plan
D) A statement of purpose
E) An analytical report
7) If using the direct approach to organize a report or proposal, which of the following should be
used to begin the report?
A) Background information that created the issue
B) A general outline as to how the report or proposal is structured
C) Key findings and conclusions
D) An indication of each main topic addressed
E) A logical argument structure
8) All of the following EXCEPT ________ are elements in the planning phase of the three-step
writing process.
A) analyzing the situation
B) adapting to your audience
C) gathering information
D) selecting the right medium
9) When should you consider using the indirect approach for a report or proposal?
A) When the message is exceptionally long
B) When the audience will be most focused on recommendations
C) When you wish to sound more forceful and confident
D) When you wish to save the audience time
E) When the audience is skeptical or hostile
10) How can informative headings in an outline help the collaborative writing process?
A) By reducing ambiguity about topics
B) By identifying general content areas
C) By introducing general topic areas
D) By indicating the need for an indirect or direct approach
E) By allowing writers to identify areas of expertise
11) The ________ for a report describes what you plan to accomplish and outlines the
boundaries of your work.
A) mission brief
B) purpose statement
C) outcome forecast
D) intention statement
E) summary statement
12) Answering the question, ________, will help you define the problem you need to address in
an analytical report.
A) What needs to be determined?
B) Why is this issue important?
C) Who is involved in the situation?
D) All of the above
13) The basic purpose of informational reports is
A) to persuade the audience to act.
B) to present recommendations and conclusions to a superior for how to solve a particular
problem.
C) to present data, facts, feedback, and other types of information without analysis or
recommendations.
D) to convince the reader of the soundness of your thinking.
E) to solve a problem with well-researched alternatives.
14) In addition to offering information and analysis, ________ can also include
recommendations.
A) indirect reports
B) analytical reports
C) informational reports
D) directive reports
E) direct reports
15) When you’re outlining your report, using ________ requires you to really think through the
content, whereas using ________ simply requires you to identify topic areas.
A) prescriptive headings; parallel headings
B) effective headings; ineffective headings
C) informative headings; descriptive headings
D) multilateral headings; unilateral headings
E) parallel headings; descriptive headings
16) When you’re preparing a formal work plan, include a ________ to clarify the problem you
face and a ________ to describe what you plan to accomplish.
A) statistical analysis; hypothesis
B) problem statement; purpose statement
C) yardstick; problem statement
D) descriptive standard; goal analysis
E) summary statement; conclusion
17) The CEO of a pharmaceutical company asks you assess the company’s adherence to laws
governing television ads for prescription drugs. The CEO has requested a
A) personal activity report.
B) work plan.
C) compliance report.
D) policy report.
18) The best way to phrase the purpose statement of a report is with
A) complex language.
B) an infinitive phrase.
C) a controversial statement.
D) jargon.
E) definitive statements.
19) When selecting the right medium for a report
A) you should choose the one that is most convenient.
B) you should choose the one that is most economical.
C) your decisions should reflect your audience’s expectations.
D) you should always present your report in writing.
E) you should choose the one that allows you to cut and paste data from other sources.
20) A public corporation filing a quarterly tax report would be providing
A) a progress report.
B) a compliance report.
C) a justification report.
D) a periodic operating report.
21) When outlining the content of your report
A) it is preferable to use informative headings as opposed to descriptive ones.
B) you should use complex language for all headings.
C) keep in mind that you will have to use this same outline for your final report.
D) incorporate headings that will generate interest because they are fun and vague.
E) you should use headings that indicate how you want the reader to feel about the information.
22) An employee who describes the data she collected from six different plant managers without
drawing any conclusions is preparing
A) an analytical report.
B) an informational report.
C) a proposal.
D) a work plan.
E) a series of recommendations.
23) Compliance reports are generally required by
A) parent companies.
B) accounting departments.
C) government agencies.
D) marketing departments.
E) customers.
24) Unlike proposals, justification reports
A) are designed to affirm decisions after they have been made.
B) are internal as opposed to external reports.
C) are always in memo format.
D) do not require a great deal of supporting data.
E) act as requests for proposals.
25) Whereas ________ reports focus on facts, ________ reports offer interpretation and can also
include recommendations.
A) internal; external
B) assessment; documentation
C) solicited; unsolicited
D) informational; analytical
26) The problem-factoring process involves
A) looking at a problem from multiple perspectives.
B) considering how to allocate blame for a problem.
C) creating problems instead of solving them.
D) dividing a complex problem into a series of logical, connected questions.
E) assigning various team members specific aspects of the problem to solve individually.
27) The direct approach and the indirect approach ________; therefore, businesspeople
________.
A) are unrelated; use them randomly
B) are both inadequate; never use them
C) both have merit; often combine them
D) both have merit; never combine them
28) Breaking down a problem into a series of specific questions is called
A) problem factoring.
B) solution development.
C) deconstruction.
D) systematic inquiry.
E) hypothesis testing.
29) Internal reports are more likely to be misinterpreted than external reports.
30) The statement of purpose for analytical reports will usually need to be more comprehensive
than one for informational reports.
31) An executive dashboard is a customized online presentation of highly summarized business
information.
32) Operating reports establish expectations and guidelines to direct future action.
33) A justification report is an internal report designed to persuade top management to approve a
proposed investment or project.
34) The statement of purpose for an analytical report is often more comprehensive than for an
informational report.
35) An analytical report always ends by presenting recommendations.
36) List three types of reports commonly used to monitor and control operations in business.
37) List and describe the seven elements that usually are part of a formal work plan.
38) Describe several benefits and one potential drawback of organizing business reports using
the direct approach.
39) Discuss the differences in information reports, analytical reports, and proposals.
40) Discuss how to define your purpose when using the three-step writing process for
informational and analytical reports and proposals.
41) Briefly explain problem factoring.
42) Which category of informational reports establishes expectations and guidelines for future
actions?
A) Operating reports
B) Plans
C) Policy reports
D) Position papers
E) Compliance reports
43) Which category of reports includes an outline of an organization’s position on issues that will
affect the company’s success?
A) Compliance papers
B) Reports to document progress
C) Reports to monitor operations
D) Position papers, also known as white papers
E) Reports to control operations
44) Which topical organizations discusses advantages and disadvantages between two or more
entities?
A) Comparison
B) Importance
C) Sequence
D) Chronology
E) Category
45) When arranging an informational report to shows the steps in a process, which type of
organization is being followed?
A) Comparison
B) Importance
C) Sequence
D) Category
E) Chronology
46) Which type of document describes a company’s mission, objectives, structure, and
operations?
A) Topical report
B) Compliance report
C) Operating report
D) Business plan
E) Summary
47) Which of the following would typically be found in the Mission and Objectives section of a
business plan?
A) The purpose and goals of the business
B) The origins and structure of your venture, and the industry
C) What distinguishes you from the competition
D) Projections on sales volume and market share, and how they will be achieved
E) Facilities, equipment, and personnel
48) Which type of report is written to convey information on sales calls, conferences, trips, and
other activities?
A) Operating
B) Personal activity
C) Plans
D) White papers
E) Backgrounders