Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Chapter 5: Getting to Know Your Diverse Workplace
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. What process shapes our attitudes?
a. assimilation
b. socialization
c. orientation
d. cultural identity
2. The period of time in which people starting a new job adjust and “settle in” is called which of
these?
a. probationary period
b. workplace networking
c. the socialization process
d. the assimilation process
3. The assimilation process begins at what point?
a. during the recruitment process
b. after a coworker has finished training
c. when the applicant arrives for an interview
d. from the point of hiring
4. Jackson needs information about a grant submission that one of his colleagues has been
awarded in the past. He approaches the colleague and asks about the kinds of things the
committee is looking for. Jackson is using which tactic?
a. direct questioning
b. overt questioning
c. perception checking
d. third-party questioning
5. Richard wants to know how his company handles late lunches but does not want to ask
anyone. Instead, he watches others take late lunches and observes the manager’s reaction.
Richard is doing which of these activities?
a. using surveillance
b. observing
c. spying
d. indirectly questioning
6. Sally is a nurse at a hospital. Her new coworkers speak using nursing acronyms and have
various words for policies and procedures that are unique to the profession she is in. This
language is referred to as which of the following?
a. banter
b. jargon
c. workplace slang
d. hospital talk
7. Which of the following statements is true concerning language in the workplace?
a. Employees are more productive if they all speak the same language.
b. The use of more than one language in a workplace is preferred.
c. Employees who are bilingual are always paid more.
Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
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d. Language choice has implications for the way in which individuals are treated.
8. In the United States, people from various regions use different words when referring to Coca-
Cola, such as soda, pop, soda pop, for example. These word choices refer to which of these
speaking styles of a region?
a. dialect
b. syntax
c. accent
d. language
9. Professor Jansen tells the class that men and women are part of very different cultures.
Julianna has never thought of this possibility and researches to find that it is, indeed, backed by
research. Julianna is learning about which of these areas?
a. ethnicity
b. race
c. religion
d. gender
10. Women tend to tag questions at the end of their statements for what purpose?
a. for confirmation of their opinion
b. for moral support
c. for a response from the other person
d. to question their statement
11. The act of excluding or denying people of products, rights, or services based on their race,
ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or disability is known as which of these
terms?
a. defamation
b. discrimination
c. denying
d. excluding
12. The categorization of people based on physical characteristics such as skin color,
dimensions of the human face, and hair is which of these?
a. ethnicity
b. race
c. creed
d. culture
13. We come to understand the organizational culture and one another through which of
these?
a. water cooler talk
b. narratives or stories
c. memos
d. evaluations
14. Cultural diversity awareness is being ______ of diversity that’s present in any working or
social environment, while cultural competence refers to the level of ______ a person has about
others who differ in some way in comparison to him or herself.
a. tolerant; understanding
b. aware; knowledge
c. knowledgeable; awareness
d. considerate; empathy
15. Which of the following does your text list as a common mistake among professionals?
a. neglecting to take an inventory of others in the working environment
b. failing to develop a rapport with their superiors
c. failing to develop a rapport with their subordinates
d. befriending the “wrong type” of employees
16. David’s company’s office is characterized by modern furniture, a classic architectural design,
and extensive displays of the company logo on office supplies. These characteristics are known
as which of these below?
a. artifacts
b. organizational assets
c. company culture
d. organizational culture
17. The activity of professors passing out syllabi on the first day of class or college graduations
is known as which of the following?
a. organizational norms
Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
b. institutional routines
c. cultural rituals
d. rites of passage
18. Which of the following is culture’s orientation to supernatural, human, and natural entities
in the cosmological universe and other philosophical issues influencing how its members see
the world?
a. philosophy
b. worldview
c. doctrine
d. belief
19. Jenny is new to the law firm and is confused about some of the company’s organizational
culture. She asks several of her coworkers to clarify if her perceptions and understanding are
correct. Jenny is engaging in which of these activities?
a. reinforcing
b. fact checking
c. cultural competence
d. perception checking
20. Which of these terms refers to a social group that may be joined together by factors such as
shared history, shared identity, shared geography, or shared culture?
a. race
b. nationality
c. ethnicity
d. community
21. The process that brings businesses into greater contact with the rest of the world and gives
our daily lives an increasingly international orientation is known as what?
a. globalization
b. convergence
c. global unity
d. economic unification
22. Lauren has a new coworker who pronounces English words differently than she does, which
leads her to believe that her coworker is from a different country. Lauren is making an
assumption based on which of these areas of communication?
a. dialect
b. accent
c. slang
d. jargon
23. Shawn’s company meetings are characterized by open dialogue and understanding others
with an open mind. Shawn’s company is engaging in which of the following?
a. debate
b. open communication
c. empathetic listening
d. mutual respect
24. Which of the following refers to a social group that may be joined together by factors such
as shared history, shared identity, shared geography, or shared culture?
a. race
b. culture
c. ethnicity
d. none of these
25. Alice works for a hospital in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. To ensure everyone
receives competent health care, the hospital places multilingual instructions and warning signs
all around the complex. These practices are known as which of the following?
a. interpretation systems
b. language barriers
c. translation services
d. cultural competence
26. Which of the following includes the rules of living and functioning in society?
a. society
b. ideology
c. worldview
d. culture
27. Which of these refers to the way an organization operates, the attitudes the employees
have, and the overall tone and approach to any given business?
a. culture
b. organizational culture
c. organizational worldview
d. worldview
28. Which of these are temporary embellishments or objects characteristic of a particular
culture or institution?
a. emblems
b. artifacts
c. fixtures
d. illustrators
29. Sally was working on a team that comprised of colleagues from a different cultural
background who value time differently. Sally was consistently frustrated with the way in which
the team worked together, lamenting that meetings often started late and went well beyond
their scheduled end time. While her colleagues were focused on developing relationships
across the team, Sally just wanted to get her work done and move onto the next task. What is
Sally lacking in this scenario?
a. self-awareness
b. global view
c. cultural competence
d. none of these
30. A culturally competent professional has the knowledge of difference and does which of
these?
a. is always striving to learn more
b. uses that knowledge to advance her or his agenda
c. strives to educate others about how to act in our culture
d. keeps people of different cultures separated
31. Which of these is a specific competency in which you ask others if your understanding is
correct or incorrect?
a. perception checking
b. discussion
c. reiterating
d. discriminating
32. Which of these is about people seeking understanding through the vehicle of open
dialogue?
a. compassion
b. understanding
c. mutual respect
d. bias
33. The process that is the adjustment period and “settling in” that’s common for anyone
starting a new job in known as which of the following?
a. stimulation
b. intermodulation
c. assimilation
Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
d. ambulation
34. The assimilation process is really part of a much larger phenomenon that is the experiences
that shape our attitudes, perceptions, emotions, and communication choices. This process is
called which of the following?
a. socialization
b. assimilation
c. dissimilation
d. epilation
35. Which of the following refers to the way in which an organization operates, the attitudes
the employees have, and the overall tone and approach to any given business?
a. organizational socialization
b. organizational assimilation
c. workplace dissimilation
d. organizational culture
36. Charlene believes that her attempt to learn more about the organizational culture at her
new job will be better served and she may get more accurate answers through observation
instead of asking questions directly and potentially receiving the politically correct response,
rather than the truth. This observation technique is also called which of these?
a. testing limits
b. surveillance
c. disguising conversation
d. indirect questioning
37. Which of the following is the most direct way to gain information?
a. testing limits
b. surveillance
c. overt conversation
d. indirect questioning
38. Ryan has been with his company for five years and just received his service pin for those five
years. A special meeting was held to present the pin to Ryan. This meeting would be considered
which of the following?
a. artifact
b. cultural ritual
c. disguising conversation
d. jargon
39. Taking time to learn the organizational culture is essential to your success as a
communicator and a necessary part of the KEYS approach. Which part of the KEYS approach
does this represent?
a. know yourself
b. evaluate the professional context
c. assimilating college students with others
d. step back and reflect
40. Biff’s boss is complementing Biff on his high level of knowledge about other employees who
differ in some way in comparison with him. This complementing is about which of Biff’s skills?
Quintanilla, Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
a. cultural competence
b. assimilation
c. discrimination
d. prejudice
41. Eduardo knows that some people live with one or more disabilities and has seen evidence
of people who use wheelchairs or other medical assists to move from place to place. Eduardo
has just learned that not all disabilities can be seen, yet those disabilities exist, nonetheless.
Which lesson has Eduardo learned?
a. If it can’t be seen, it is not a disability.
b. Some forms of disability are invisible.
c. Appearance will tell whether a person lives with a disability.
d. Only people with disabilities that can be seen should be considered to be part of the
diverse workforce.
42. What should you do if your organization has translation services?
a. direct others to use them
b. discourage people from using them
c. recommend that people speak your language so that you can understand them
d. use them yourself
43. When Dixie meets a new person and there seems to be a language barrier, which of these
actions should Dixie take?
a. speak louder
b. be prepared to ask and answer many questions to ensure a clear understanding