54) What does it mean to avoid hedging whenever possible?
A) Adding predictions as facts
B) Using modifiers
C) Incorporating parallel construction
D) Using confident, definitive statements rather than weak, tentative statements
E) Building a logical order to the information
55) Which of the following can be used to show that ideas are related and of similar importance?
A) A variety of grammar tools
B) Multiple nouns to replace a single noun
C) Clarification of awkward references
D) Keeping the subject and predicate as close as possible
E) Parallel grammatical construction
56) Which of the following helps clarify sentence structure?
A) Keeping the subject and predicate as close together as possible
B) Incorporating references
C) Using camouflaged verbs to replace adjectives
D) Using long words and phrases
E) Adding redundancy
57) Which of the following is an advantage of using specific pointers instead of words such as
“the above mentioned,” “the former,” and “the latter”?
A) Clarification of sentence structure
B) Elimination of awkward references
C) Replaced camouflaged verbs
D) Parallelism
E) Corrected dangling modifiers
58) Do all of the following EXCEPT ________ when you’re editing a document for conciseness.
A) eliminate redundancies
B) shorten long words and phrases
C) delete unnecessary words and phrases
D) convert sentences to “it is” or “there are” structures
59) Which of the following is achieved by removing unneeded words and phrases from a
document?
A) Clarity
B) Mechanics
C) Conciseness
D) Readability
E) Organization
60) Which of the following is an example of a hedging sentence?
A) The employee’s performance appears to be less than satisfactory.
B) The deadline is next Tuesday.
C) The financial statement needs to have two sections.
D) None of the above are hedging.
61) Which of the following can be done to edit a document for conciseness?
A) Clarify awkward references
B) Clarify sentence structure
C) Replace camouflaged verbs
D) Delete unnecessary words and phrases
E) Impose parallelism
62) Which of the following is an advantage of using short words and phrases in a document?
A) They eliminate non-essential words
B) Redundancies can be added
C) It is easier to begin the sentences with “It is” or “There are” starters
D) The sentence structure is clarified
E) They tend to be more vivid and easier to read
63) What are word combinations that essentially say the same thing as single words?
A) Redundancies
B) Starters
C) Clarifiers
D) Hedges
E) Nouns
64) What should be your focus when editing for conciseness?
A) Building simple sentences
B) Making sure each word contributes to an effective sentence and each sentence helps build a
coherent paragraph
C) Replacing paragraphs with bullets and lists
D) Ensuring consistent tone throughout
E) Checking readability
65) When editing for conciseness, which of the following should be eliminated?
A) Headings
B) Verbs
C) “It is” and “There are” starters
D) Short paragraphs
E) Bullets and lists
66) How do overly long sentences affect the quality of the writing?
A) They over-qualify a sentence, making the writing more meaningful
B) They cause dissimilar construction for similar ideas and add interest
C) They cause nouns and verbs to have the wrong modifiers
D) They make the writing less effective by overdoing the idea of complex sentences
E) They can change verbs to nouns, making the writing less effective
67) “Visible to the eye” is an example of
A) a cliché.
B) a redundancy.
C) the passive voice.
D) obsolete language.
68) When you have two or more similar ideas to express in writing, use parallelism to show that
the ideas
A) are related.
B) of similar importance.
C) are on the same level of generality.
D) all of the above.
69) A ________ is a verb that has been changed into a noun or an adjective.
A) transitive verb
B) transformed predicate
C) predicate nominative
D) camouflaged verb
70) Word combinations such as basic fundamentals, anonymous stranger, and future plans are
examples of
A) predicates.
B) redundancies.
C) squinting modifiers.
D) camouflaged verbs.
71) Doing all of the following EXCEPT ________ will improve the message’s readability.
A) using a mix of short, medium, and long sentences
B) using bulleted and numbered lists to emphasize key points
C) using headings and subheadings to make the document easy to skim
D) making sure that the information is accurate, relevant, and sufficient
72) To increase the sophistication of your message, make liberal use of references such as “the
latter,” “the former,” “the aforementioned,” and “as mentioned above.”
73) When you’re using digital media to write a message, you don’t need to worry about grammar,
spelling, or clarity.
74) Clarity can be improved by looking closely at organization, structure, and word choices.
75) When a document is short and concise, readers will feel that not enough time was devoted to
the writing process.
76) Briefly describe two strategies for clarifying sentence structure.
77) Explain why editing for conciseness is important, then list the four steps it involves.
78) Describe steps that will help when editing for clarity.
79) What can be done to make a message more concise?
80) Which of the following describes the total effect of the page or screen design, graphics,
typography, and other aspects that help to display professionalism in a message?
A) Mechanically sound
B) Document starters
C) Incorporating clarifiers
D) Information appeal
E) Production quality
81) How do poor design decisions affect the readability and the effectiveness of the message?
A) They act as a barrier to communication
B) They establish the tone of the document
C) They add to the consistency of the message
D) They add balance
E) They encourage subjective understanding of the message
82) Which of the following is an advantage of an effective design?
A) The design helps to eliminate ineffective tone
B) The design helps guide the reader through the message
C) The design acts as a barrier to poor communication
D) The design replaces the nonverbal messages for the reader
E) The design minimizes the effect of production quality
83) What is the study of touch in a communications context?
A) Production quality
B) Balance
C) Haptics
D) Focus
E) Relevancy
84) How do serif and sans serf typefaces differ?
A) Serif typefaces present an informal look, whereas sans serif faces create a formal look
B) Serif typefaces work only below 10 or 12 points; sans serif work at any size
C) Serif typefaces are used for print messages; sans serif are used for digital messages
D) Serif typefaces have small crosslines (serifs) at the ends of each letter stroke; sans serif faces
do not
E) Serif typefaces are obsolete in business
85) Which of these is an important consideration when you communicate with the same audience
multiple times?
A) Balance of text and graphics
B) Restraint
C) Haptics
D) Technical detail
E) Design and layout consistency
86) How is the visual balance of a message’s design similar to the tone of its writing?
A) Visual balance, like tone, can be too formal, just right, or too informal
B) Visual balance should always contrast the formality of the tone
C) Visual balance is subjective, whereas tone is always objective
D) Visual balance and tone are both objective, measurable qualities
E) Writers and readers rarely agree on formality, in either design or writing
87) To improve the design of a document, which of the following should be emphasized?
A) Detail
B) Restraint
C) Bolded and underlined sections
D) Redundancies
E) Haptics
88) Which of the following design elements creates visual contrast and resting points for the
reader?
A) Restraint
B) Justified margins
C) White space
D) Varying type styles
E) Boldface
89) Which of the following makes pages feel less intimidating and encourages the reader to look
at the document?
A) Restraint
B) Justified margins
C) White space
D) Varying type styles
E) Boldface
90) How does using justified paragraphs change the look of a document?
A) It creates a lighter look in the document
B) It increases the amount of white space along the right margin
C) It is easier to read
D) It looks more formal and less personalized
E) There are fewer gaps between words
91) Which of these is a good combination of type sizes for a typical printed business document?
A) 8 points for regular text; 32 points for headings
B) 6 points for regular text; 32 points for headings
C) 18 points for regular text; 12 points for headings
D) 72 points per inch for regular text; 36 points per inch for headings
E) 10 points for regular text; 18 points for headings
92) What are the decorative type elements such as boldface, italics, and color referred to as?
A) Type style
B) Typeface
C) Justification
D) White space
E) Balance
93) What is the “quality inspection” stage of the revision process called?
A) Design
B) Proofreading
C) Mechanics
D) Haptics
E) Consistency
94) Specialty typefaces such as Bauhaus, Stencil, or Calligraphic are
A) the default typeface for routine business messages.
B) easy to read in long blocks of text.
C) rarely used in business communication.
D) preferred for highly formal business messages.
95) All of the following EXCEPT ________ will make your messages mobile friendly.
A) thinking in small chunks
B) avoiding the use of white space
C) using simple formats
D) considering horizontal and vertical layouts
96) Businesspeople who compose messages for mobile devices should
A) keep formats simple.
B) write complex paragraphs.
C) fill in all on-screen white space.
D) assume device compatibility.
97) Which of the following design elements would be the easiest to measure objectively?
A) Paying attention to the details of design
B) Balancing the various elements on a page
C) Exercising restraint when applying design elements
D) Using margins, typeface, type size, and spacing consistently
98) The ________ of a message involves the total effect of elements such as page or screen
design, typography, and graphics.
A) resonance
B) semantic structure
C) production quality
D) information value
99) The term type style refers to
A) the space around text and between text columns.
B) any modification that lends contrast or emphasis to type.
C) a combination of text, graphics, photographs, audio, video, and interactivity.
D) the letters, numbers, and other text characters in a message.
100) For effective document design in business communication, you should
A) fit as much material as possible on each page.
B) mix different typefaces and decorative touches throughout the document.
C) let “simpler” and “fewer” be your guiding concepts.
D) use a one-size-fits-all approach to balance design elements.
101) Using white space in a document
A) is considered “cheating.”
B) is only an option when you can’t use color.
C) makes your document look unappealing.
D) provides visual contrast.
102) According to your textbook, lines of text that are justified are
A) set flush or aligned vertically on both the right and left.
B) presented in bold and italics.
C) set flush left and ragged on the right.
D) set flush right and ragged on the left.
103) Centered type is commonly used for
A) making the document easier to read.
B) text paragraphs.
C) headings and subheadings.
D) all of the above.