55) Informal techniques for gathering insights and focusing your research efforts do NOT
include
A) listening to the community.
B) asking the audience for input.
C) distributing questionnaires and surveys.
D) reviewing reports and other company documents.
56) When should you begin to gather information for your message?
A) When the first draft reveals weaknesses in your message
B) After you have a clear understanding of the audience
C) As soon as you determine the message is needed
D) When it is determined the purpose is realistic
E) During the writing phase of the three-step writing process
57) What technique is being used when you consider the feelings and thoughts of the audience
and the information needed?
A) Listening to the community
B) Reading reports and documents
C) Considering the audience’s perspective
D) Asking the audience for input
E) Talking with supervisors and colleagues
58) A good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the ________ to ask whether
the message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how.
A) contrarian approach
B) journalistic approach
C) rhetorical approach
D) storytelling approach
59) Why is it important to talk to supervisors, colleagues, or customers when finding and
evaluating information for an audience you are unfamiliar with?
A) To be sure to acknowledge how people feel
B) To gauge interest by the online community
C) To ensure company documents are up-to-date
D) To better identify the needs of the target audience
E) To get input from the audience
60) What is a knowledge management system?
A) A centralized database that collects insights of customers and suppliers
B) A communication technology that allows access to blogs
C) The right combination of digital and written communication styles
D) Input technology for those who text often
E) A centralized database that collects insights of employees
61) What should be done if you are unsure of the types of information the audience will need
from you?
A) Ask them
B) Follow their blogs
C) Access the knowledge management system
D) Cover all key points in detail
E) Gather more information than needed
62) At which point in the planning process should you determine the precise information
required for an audience?
A) When gathering information
B) When uncovering audience needs
C) When finding your focus
D) When ensuring accurate information
E) When ensuring all information is ethical
63) When receiving a request for information, why is it helpful to ask the requestor questions
about how the information will be used?
A) To gather additional information
B) To help find focus
C) To better uncover audience needs
D) To ensure information is accurate
E) To ensure information is ethical
64) Which of the following is an advantage of free writing?
A) It helps you determine which information is ethical
B) It limits how much information you need to find
C) It helps you uncover the information needed by audience members
D) It helps you find your focus
E) It allows for more concise and accurate information
65) What is a good way to make sure you satisfy the informational needs of the audience?
A) Use free writing
B) Listen to your “inner critic”
C) Use discovery techniques
D) Only include quality information
E) Use a journalistic approach
66) In addition to the quantity of the information provided, how else can you be sure the
information is meaningful to the audience?
A) Use quality, accurate information
B) Use free writing
C) Listen to their inner critic
D) Find a focus
E) Write only to primary audience members
67) How can you be sure the information you are using is accurate and of good quality?
A) Verify that the information was gathered using the journalistic approach
B) Verify that the information is current and reliable
C) Only use information generated by a knowledge management system
D) Use information that is most interesting to the primary audience members
E) Use free writing to cover all key ideas
68) Which of the following could make a message unethical?
A) Not including all available information
B) Including all information that is legally required
C) Not including all important information
D) Including enough details for a general understanding
E) Identifying your sources
69) When gathering information, why is it important to focus on information that concerns your
audience the most?
A) The information will be more ethical
B) The information will answer all questions in the journalistic approach
C) You will cover all your legal bases
D) You increase your chances of accomplishing your goals
E) The message will be shorter and easier to write
70) How can you help a large audience with diverse interests be more understanding and
accepting of your message?
A) Use multiple channels and mediums
B) Focus on one key point only
C) Keep the quality of information consistent
D) Use knowledge management systems to poll the audience on their concerns
E) Help the audience understand points of interest
71) Which of the following approaches involves asking questions such as who, what, where,
why, and how to distill major ideas from unorganized information?
A) The question-and-answer chain
B) The journalistic approach
C) The Storyteller’s Tour
D) Mindmapping
E) Brainstorming
72) How can you help make information more pertinent to your audience and increase your
chances of acceptance?
A) Send the information through several channels
B) Incorporate knowledge management systems
C) Prioritize the information needed and get rid of what is not needed
D) Be sure all information is ethical
E) Send the information to as large an audience as possible
73) Drawing pictures, or sketching, is one way to find your focus when writing.
74) It is ethically acceptable to omit some important information if you think your audience will
not be interested.
75) You’ve been asked to prepare a report on whether your company should consider other health
insurance providers. List four informal techniques for gathering information to include in your
report.
76) How can the journalistic approach help you include all required information in your business
messages?
77) Briefly describe how to meet an unfamiliar audience’s informational needs.
78) List at least three strategies to help ensure the accuracy of information you include in
business messages.
79) How can your audience’s level of understanding help you determine the appropriate amount
of information to include in a business message?
80) Discuss the ways a writer can find his or her focus when working on a message with a vague
or unclear objective.
81) Why is it important to research carefully and use accurate information during the planning
phase?
82) How can you be sure your message is ethical, and how can you correct mistakes that might
affect the ethics of the message?
83) Which one of the following is the “leanest” communication medium?
A) Podcasts
B) Posters and signs
C) Telephone conversations
D) Multimedia presentations
84) What is a communication medium?
A) The system used to deliver a message
B) The completion of steps in the journalistic approach
C) A knowledge management system
D) The form a message takes
E) The use of digital technology for research
85) Despite your numerous emails and voicemail messages, a normally dependable vendor has
not responded to your important question. Which of the following would be a sensible next step?
A) Consider sending a printed message.
B) Broadcast “high-priority” or “urgent” emails at ten-minute intervals.
C) Use social media to vent your frustrations with the vendor.
D) Bombard the vendor with text messages until he responds.
86) How can media choices be categorized when determining channel and medium?
A) In-person, digital, and nondigital
B) Primary and secondary
C) Ethically and unethically
D) Digital and nondigital
E) Oral, written, and visual
87) Phone calls are
A) incapable of conveying nonverbal signals.
B) only acceptable for external communication.
C) capable of offering the give-and-take of in-person conversations.
D) no longer practical due to IM and texting.
88) Which of the following is an advantage of using an oral, in-person channel and medium
combination?
A) There is an opportunity for immediate feedback
B) There is no permanent record
C) There is increased control over the message
D) It is less tedious for the sender and receiver
E) There is less nonverbal interference
89) Which channel and medium combination provides rich nonverbal cues and allows you to
express the emotion behind the message through the uses of physical gestures and vocal
inflection?
A) Oral, digital
B) Oral, in-person
C) Written, digital
D) Visual, printed
E) Visual, digital
90) The ________ is the form a message takes, and the ________ is the system used to deliver a
message.
A) channel; network
B) medium; channel
C) format; medium
D) channel; medium
91) Which of the following is an advantage of a written, printed communication?
A) It can be used to create immediate interaction
B) It emphasizes inappropriate emotional components
C) It gives the recipient time to process the message before responding
D) It creates distortion that can shape a message in a positive way
E) It is fast to deliver
92) According to the concept of media richness, the richness of a medium does NOT depend on
its ability to
A) facilitate feedback.
B) establish a personal focus.
C) handle multiple information cues simultaneously.
D) convey a sense of affluence and exclusivity.
93) Which of the following is a key requirement of the oral medium, in-person channel
combination?
A) The sender and the audience must have compatible mobile technology
B) The sender and the audience must understand nonverbal cues
C) The sender and the audience must reach a consensus or decision
D) The sender and the audience must be in the same location
E) The sender and the audience want to establish a strong working relationship
94) A ________ is the richest communication medium.
A) telephone conversation
B) retweet with a comment
C) video podcast
D) face-to-face conversation
95) Which of the following is an example of an oral medium and digital channel combination?
A) Memo
B) PDF files
C) Photograph
D) Animation
E) Voicemail message
96) When should you consider developing a message using a written medium with a print
channel?
A) When you want to make a formal impression
B) When you want to avoid creating a permanent record of the message
C) When you want the message to be added to other electronic messages
D) When you want to be able to change the message at a later date
E) When your audience is geographically dispersed
97) What channel and medium combination is used in the majority of business communication
efforts?
A) Visual medium, print channel
B) Written medium, digital channel
C) Visual medium, digital channel
D) Written medium, print channel
E) Oral medium, digital channel
98) All of the following EXCEPT ________ are challenges inherent in using a written digital
channel to deliver a business message.
A) compromising employee productivity
B) delivering messages quickly
C) requiring online connectivity
D) raising security and privacy issues
99) What is one of the advantages of creating a message using a visual medium with a digital
channel?
A) Complex ideas can be broken down by steps
B) The message creates a permanent, legal record
C) Complex ideas can be effectively described
D) The screen size is easy to adjust
E) The message has a more formal impression
100) Which of the following is an important consideration when developing messages for the
smaller screen on mobile devices?
A) Cost
B) Visuals are more effective on mobile devices
C) Messages are easier to create for mobile devices
D) Clarity can suffer as users zoom in and out to grasp the whole message
E) Parts and relationships are easily identifiable
101) The ________ of a message is its overall subject, while the ________ is a specific
statement about that overall subject.
A) medium; theme
B) topic; main idea
C) scope; purpose
D) focal point; rationale
102) What is the term for a medium’s ability to convey a message through several informational
cues?
A) Formality
B) Straightforwardness
C) Cost
D) Urgency
E) Richness
103) Which of the following is an example of when a richer medium would help the audience
understand the message?
A) When the message is non-routine
B) When the message is simple
C) When the audience does not have a preference
D) When a message is urgent
E) When the sender is trying to contain costs