Business Communication Today, 14e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 6 Completing Business Messages
1) Which of the following should be the goal of a well-written document?
A) To verbally and nonverbally convey the intended message
B) A mobile friendly typeface
C) Visual appeal
D) Understanding the readers intent
E) A high score on a readability index
2) When you begin the ________, focus your attention on content, organization, style, and tone.
A) production process
B) editing process
C) revision process
D) research process
3) Why is it important to revise messages carefully?
A) To verify the research
B) To ensure the message gets results
C) To compose it based on writer’s needs
D) To keep the message flexible and unfocused
E) To allow the message to be viewed on a mobile device
4) In business communication, the ________ of a message usually have the greatest impact on
the readers.
A) body paragraphs
B) appendix sections
C) topics and subtopics
D) beginning and ending sections
5) The optimum amount of time and effort required for the revision step depends on
A) Whether you’ve chosen the direct or indirect approach
B) Whether you initiated the message or it was assigned to you
C) The medium you’ve chosen and the nature of your message
D) Your status in the organization
E) The action you are asking your readers to take
6) When you need to revise a long, complex document
A) start the process as soon as you’ve finished your first draft.
B) start by focusing on misspelled words and grammar errors.
C) save time by multitasking while you’re revising the document.
D) try to put your draft aside for a couple of days before you start.
7) Which of the following will an audience judge based on the quality of your writing?
A) The depth of the research
B) The focus of the topic sentences
C) The amount of time spent proofreading
D) The quality of your thinking
E) The readability index
8) Which of the following should be considered during the first round of proofreading and
revision?
A) Checking spelling and grammar
B) Making sure visual aids match the text
C) Inserting heading and subheadings
D) Including all the key points researched
E) Making sure the document accomplishes its goals
9) After ensuring a document accomplishes its goals, what should be looked at in the next review
of the document?
A) Readability, clarity, and conciseness
B) Proper channel
C) Audience analysis
D) Mechanics
E) Format
10) Which of the following is an important point to verify when you are evaluating the content of
a draft?
A) That the primary readers are clearly identified
B) That all information is accurate, relevant, and complete
C) That no points are repeated
D) That headings and subheadings are incorporated
E) That all information is given the same space and attention
11) Which of these is an important goal when you are evaluating the content of a message?
A) Verifying that it’s easy to identify sources of information
B) Making sure all ideas get the same amount of space
C) Ensuring a good balance of general and specific information
D) Verifying that the message is long enough for corporate guidelines
E) Showing an interesting use of color and contrast
12) When reviewing a message for organization what should you look for?
A) Enough information to satisfy the readers needs
B) If the reader has enough background information to understand the message
C) If all the information is accurate
D) All points are covered in a logical order
E) If the information is relevant to the audience
13) During the revision process, how should you treat the most important ideas in a message?
A) Verify your research
B) Use bold and italics generously to highlight important ideas
C) Prioritize ideas based on corporate norms
D) Do a second pass at the outline to make sure you hit all the key points
E) Make sure they get the most attention in the document and are in the most prominent
positions
14) During the revision process, when does it make the most sense to review the organization of
a message?
A) After you have verified that you have the right content
B) Right before printing or sending, as a final quality check
C) While you are reviewing technical issues such as typeface selection
D) After you replace all the headings
E) During proofreading
15) During which part of the review process should you check to see if a better arrangement of
information would be more effective?
A) When evaluating for content
B) When evaluating for organization
C) When evaluating for style
D) When evaluating for tone
E) When evaluating for accuracy
16) Which of the following should be the goal when evaluating and revising the work of others?
A) Rewriting the message in your style
B) Adding interest to the message
C) Making the piece more effective
D) Changing the emphasis of the message
E) Helping the writer learn editing skills
17) Revising your message is important because readers are likely to equate the quality of your
writing with the quality of your thinking.
18) When you edit someone else’s work without knowing their goal, you run the risk of making
the piece less effective.
19) When reviewing the conclusion, you must make sure the recommendations are complete.
20) Briefly explain what the opening of a document should accomplish.
21) Why is it important to revise the first draft of your writing?
22) What should be your focus when you evaluate the content and organization of your message?
23) How can you provide meaningful feedback to other writers when reviewing their work?
24) Readability indexes measure ________, so they offer a useful reference point for improving
your writing.
A) style and syntax
B) sentence length
C) tone of voice
D) proper word usage
25) When does it make the most sense to review the readability of a document?
A) During the research phase
B) Right after you assess the audience’s reading level
C) After the target audience has received and read it
D) After you have confirmed its content, organization, style, and tone
E) While you are writing it
26) Using short paragraphs will help you improve the readability of your business messages
because
A) they will make your writing look inviting.
B) they can help you emphasize your ideas.
C) they are easier to read than long paragraphs.
D) all of the above.
27) Which of these is a potential benefit of making sure all your messages are well crafted efforts
that respect the audience’s time?
A) You will no longer be tasked with writing routine messages
B) You’ll be more popular with audience members
C) You will be able to proofread the work of others, gaining insight into organizational activities.
D) If you earn a strong reputation as a writer, you will no longer need to provide supporting
evidence
E) People will pay more attention to your work in the future
28) Business writers use bulleted and numbered lists to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT
A) simplifying complex subjects.
B) helping readers locate key points.
C) enhancing the visual impact of their ideas.
D) adding decorative elements to their messages.
29) Which of the following is a good way to improve the readability of a message?
A) Make it easy to skim
B) Avoid lists and bullets
C) Highlight every key detail
D) Use long paragraphs
E) Avoid all use of jargon
30) When you’re writing a business message, use headings and subheadings to
A) reveal how your document is organized.
B) capture the attention of your readers.
C) indicate shifts from one idea to the next.
D) all of the above.
31) Which of the following is one way to make a document easier to skim and allow the reader
to quickly find key ideas?
A) Keep sentence length consistent
B) Use shorter paragraphs
C) Avoid lists and bullets
D) Build a strong narrative
E) Eliminate headings and subheadings
32) Which of the following is a good way to make a key point stand out when it is in a long
paragraph?
A) Start the paragraph with the conclusion
B) Add bullet points to the paragraph
C) Highlight the conclusion with a short sentence
D) Highlight or italicize the key evidence
E) Break the paragraph into several smaller paragraphs
33) Which of the following is an advantage of using short sentences?
A) They are useful for showing relationships
B) They quickly convey complex ideas
C) They effectively summarize previous information
D) They can be processed quickly
E) They can quickly alert the reader as to what will follow
34) When would medium-length sentences be most effective in a document?
A) When the writer wants to alert the reader as to what will follow
B) When summing up information for non-native English speakers
C) When information needs to be processed quickly
D) When a specific point needs to be made
E) When the writer wants to show relationships among ideas
35) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using too many short sentences in a document?
A) The writing becomes choppy
B) Short sentences will lack the punch and impact of longer sentences
C) Short sentences usually have complicated structures
D) Short sentences are more difficult to skim
E) Short sentences don’t contain enough information to be usable
36) Skillful writers use informative headings and subheadings to
A) conceal the basic structure of the document.
B) guide readers to think a certain way about the topics covered.
C) add a decorative flair to mundane documents.
D) take up space so the document doesn’t look too short.
37) To make a message visually inviting and easy to read, what is the ideal length for most
paragraphs?
A) One screen of a mobile device
B) Short to medium
C) At least one page
D) Between 300 and 500 words
E) One sentence
38) The ________ assesses the readability of a document by ranking it on a 100-point scale.
A) Plain Language manifesto
B) Carnegie Readability ratio
C) Flesch Reading Ease formula
D) Simplified Technical English equation
39) In what way can headings help the reader understand the organization of a message?
A) Headings always give away key conclusions
B) Headings prevent readers from superficially skimming
C) Headings label groups of related paragraphs
D) Headings keep paragraph length to a minimum
E) Headings can replace bullet points
40) ________ headings identify a topic but do little more; ________ headings guide readers to
think in certain ways about a topic.
A) Topical; interrogative
B) Universal; relational
C) Descriptive; informative
D) First level; second level
41) Which of the following can be used to help the reader transition from one key idea to the
next?
A) Long sentences that explain structure
B) Bullets
C) A series of short sentences
D) Headings and subheadings
E) Short paragraphs
42) How descriptive headings differ from informative headings?
A) Descriptive headings require more creative skill to write
B) Descriptive headings target the primary audience segment; informative headings target
secondary readers
C) Descriptive headings are always longer and more detailed
D) They are essentially identical
E) Descriptive headings simply identify section topics without giving away conclusions or
recommendations
43) In what way do informative headings help the reader save time?
A) The reader can gain knowledge of the topic from the headings and subheadings without
reading the entire document
B) The reader can identify keywords in the heading and read only sections of interest
C) The parallel construction used in the headings will allow for emphasis of key ideas
D) Informative headings are “mini paragraphs” about key topics
E) Informative headings will invite the audience to read further
44) Although you should vary the length of paragraphs in your business messages, in general you
should strive for short paragraphs.
45) Readers can get a more out of a document just by reading its descriptive headings than by
reading its informative headings.
46) Headings should identify the topic, and do nothing else.
47) Briefly describe at least three advantages of using lists in business documents.
48) What three functions do effective headings serve in business documents? Explain each one.
49) Briefly explain the difference between descriptive headings and informative headings.
50) Describe the advantages and disadvantages of various sentence structures.
51) How is parallel construction used in writing?
52) When you are reviewing for clarify, what are the three areas you should review?
A) Readability, persuasion, and effectiveness
B) Paragraph organization, sentence structure, and word choices
C) Spelling, grammar, and other mechanical issues
D) Sentence length, sentence strength, and word power
E) Short words, medium sentences, and long paragraphs
53) Which of the following will help improve the clarity of a document?
A) Incorporate hedging sentences
B) Vary parallel construction
C) Break up overly long sentences
D) Add dangling modifiers
E) Use noun sequences whenever possible