Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 7: Writing in the Workplace
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Which one of the following was not mentioned as an advantage of writing over oral
communication?
A. economy
B. efficiency
C. accuracy
D. immediate feedback
2. Which of the following is an advantage of collaborative writing?
A. Everyone is a team leader.
B. group decision-making
C. Everyone contributes to the project at all times.
D. It fosters formal chains of communication and authority.
3. Writing “he made five errors in six attempts” instead of “he really messed up” is an
example of ______.
A. abstraction
B. conciseness
C. sexism
D. concreteness
4. The team leader in a collaborative writing group is responsible for ______.
A. setting the guidelines for the group
B. coordinating the team’s collaborative efforts
C. resolving conflicts among individuals and functional departments
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
D. Both coordinating the team’s collaborative efforts and resolving conflicts among
individuals and functional departments
5. What is the term for a group of people who think in similar ways about how to
communicate subjects to be dealt with and how to approach them?
A. social network
B. workgroup
C. discourse community
D. culture
6. The context of managerial writing includes ______.
A. the fragmented workday
B. the extent of collaboration and delegation
C. the size and culture of the organization
D. all of these
7. On the average, the executives that Mintzberg observed had a full half hour of
uninterrupted time only once every ______ day(s).
A. 4
B. 2
C. 6
D. 5
8. A business writer should always ______.
A. consider the power positions of both sender and receiver
B. closely scrutinize all information
C. disregard previous communication problems
D. conduct an audience analysis, even for routine messages
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
9. When in the planning stage of writing, which of the following considerations is
necessary?
A. who: intended readership
B. when: timing of a message
C. why: justification for a message
D. all of these
10. Which of the following meanings of a word is the subjective one that is largely
determined by a person’s previous experiences or associations?
A. denotation
B. connotation
C. euphemism
D. malapropism
11. Written business messages should be ______.
A. economical and efficient
B. wordy and intelligent
C. effective and ambiguous
D. accurate and complex
12. Words that create sharp, vivid images and stimulate reader interest are known as
______.
A. jargon
B. denotation
C. concrete
D. abstract
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
13. The technical language or specialized terms that become part of the everyday
vocabulary of an organization or discipline are known as ______.
A. clichés
B. jargon
C. wordy phrases
D. hackneyed expressions
14. Studies show most effective sentences in business messages have an average
length of ______.
A. five to 10 words
B. 10 to 15 words
C. 15 to 20 words
D. 20 to 40 words
15. Which of the following is not a guideline that helps writers to develop effective
paragraphs?
A. start writing all ideas on paper
B. decide whether a deductive or inductive pattern is appropriate
C. present one major idea in a paragraph
D. keep paragraphs relatively short
16. Which of the following is a type of mechanical transition?
A. repeating key words
B. a smooth line of thought
C. using jargon
D. using clichés
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
17. Revising involves which of the following?
A. writing a paper with as few errors as possible
B. rewriting the paper as many times as necessary
C. neatness
D. reading what has been written for clarity, accuracy, and tone
18. Writing in a conversational style means using ______.
A. colloquialisms
B. jargon and slang
C. words in your speaking vocabulary
D. answers to your own questions
19. “It is thought that interest rates will fall” is an example of a(n) ______.
A. fact
B. tautology
C. passive voice
D. expletive
20. Although active voice is usually preferred over passive in business writing, its main
advantage is that it is ______.
A. diplomatic
B. shorter
C. direct
D. emphatic
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
21. A deductive pattern in a paragraph means the main idea is in which position?
A. at the end
B. in the middle
C. at the beginning
D. anywhere
22. Which of the following is not a strategy for emphasizing a main idea?
A. repeating it
B. highlighting it in boldface
C. using the “you” viewpoint
D. being indirect
23. Accordingly, again, also, and additionally are examples of ______.
A. transitions
B. pronouns
C. overused words
D. parallelism
24. A Janus statement consists of a(n) ______.
A. explanation
B. review and preview
C. calendar for January
D. deduction
25. When should a writer edit a document?
A. before revising
B. at the same time as revising
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. after revising
D. instead of revising
26. Which of the following is not a disadvantage of collaborative writing?
A. Collaboration takes more time.
B. Collaboration causes conflicts.
C. Members may not contribute their fair share.
D. The final document has a corporate style.
True/False
1. Research shows that managers spend about 20 hours per week writing messages
such as e-mails, memos, letters, and reports.
2. Oral managerial communications offer strategic advantages such as economy,
efficiency, accuracy, and official permanence.
3. Collaboration is thought to improve writing quality.
4. One of the more serious problems associated with collaborative writing is dealing with
conflicts that arise.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
5. Only collaborative writing groups with reoccurring conflicts should elect a team leader.
6. The way in which managers communicate messages is influenced by the type of
authority they are perceived to have.
7. Denotative meanings are subjective while connotative meanings are objective.
8. A euphemism is an expression with intended positive connotations.
9. Many states have plain language statutes designed to ensure that government
messages are clear, concise, well-organized, and easy to read.
10. Concrete words are more efficient and stay with the reader longer than abstract
words.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
11. Using more words guarantees that a message will be easier to understand.
12. When writing to readers outside the organization, managers should use jargon since
this will impress the readers and increase credibility.
13. Generally speaking, the more positive the stimuli in a written message, the more
positive the response.
14. The difference between positive and negative wording is more a matter of content
than emphasis.
15. To avoid sexism in writing, switching to “he or she” or “he/she” is preferred over
switching to “you.”
16. A conversational style is important in the writing of business letters, as it aids in
developing the “you viewpoint.”
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
17. Paragraphs bring separate thoughts together and arrange them to convey a single
important idea.
18. Good writing is useful only in business settings.
19. Using online collaborative writing technology will minimize emotional conflicts among
collaborators.
20. Business managers are a discourse community because they have unique writing
challenges.
SHORT ANSWER
1. The chapter suggests that when revising and editing, a manager should be guided by
the “Seven C’s” of good business writing. List and discuss four of these principles.
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. What are four strategic advantages of written managerial communication?
3. What can a manager do to encourage collaboration when the team is tackling a
writing task?
4. Your boss says, “Don’t waste time revising or editing your documents. People will
figure out what you mean, even if there are some grammar and spelling errors.” How
should you reply? (Hint: Give reasons to revise)
Hynes, Managerial Communication 7e
SAGE Publishing, 2019