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Test Item File for Excellence in Business Communication, Fourth Canadian Edition
Chapter 1
1) Communication and effective communication are basically the same thing.
A) True
B) False
2) Unclear communication not only results in errors and missed deadlines, but also lies at
the root of many other serious workplace issues.
A) True
B) False
3) Employers start judging your ability to communicate on the day you show up for the
first interview.
A) True
B) False
4) Most often you will be communicating with people who are similar to you in age,
profession, and ethnic background.
A) True
B) False
5) The formal communication network is typically shown as the organizational chart.
A) True
B) False
6) Most of the information that flows downward in an organization is geared toward
helping employees do their jobs.
A) True
B) False
7) Grapevines flourish when employees don’t receive information they want or need.
A) True
B) False
8) Although companies often communicate with outsiders in a formal manner, informal
contacts with outsiders are not important.
A) True
B) False
9) The “grapevine” is another name for formal horizontal communication.
A) True
B) False
10) Only 20 percent of the information that travels along the grapevine in an organization
pertains to business.
A) True
B) False
11) The grapevine helps employers determine if their formal means of communication
are effective.
A) True
B) False
12) The first step in the communication process is “the sender has an idea.”
A) True
B) False
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13) A diverse workforce can yield a significant competitive advantage by bringing more
ideas and broader perspectives to bear on business challenges.
A) True
B) False
14) Most messages aimed at important external receivers, such as the press, investors,
and customers are drafted by the president of the company.
A) True
B) False
15) Information has become one of the most important resources in business today.
A) True
B) False
16) Company outsiders may form an impression of your organization based on subtle,
unconscious clues you transmit through your tone of voice, facial expression, and general
appearance.
A) True
B) False
17) Whether you’re listening or speaking, communication is a two-way process.
A) True
B) False
18) The communication process is a simple one consisting of two phases: the sender
transmits the message and the receiver gets the message.
A) True
B) False
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19) Technology always helps a company.
A) True
B) False
20) A message is interpreted correctly when the receiver assigns to the words the same
meaning as the sender intended and then responds in the desired way.
A) True
B) False
21) Your communication efforts will also be influenced by the organization’s corporate
culture.
A) True
B) False
22) When interference in the communication process distorts or obscures the sender’s
meaning, it is called noise.
A) True
B) False
23) A major barrier to effective communication is competing messages.
A) True
B) False
24) The more your audience members share your experiences—personal, professional,
and cultural—the more likely they are to extract the same meanings that you encode in
your messages.
A) True
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B) False
25) Setting aside time to attend to email and telephone messages all at once is one way to
help minimize distractions.
A) True
B) False
26) Sending more messages is usually better than not sending enough.
A) True
B) False
27) With the audience-centred approach, communicators try to learn as much as possible
about their receivers.
A) True
B) False
28) Your ability to empathize with, be sensitive to, and generally consider your
audience’s feelings is the best way to be effective in your communication.
A) True
B) False
29) React emotionally when you receive constructive feedback.
A) True
B) False
30) Constructive feedback focuses on the process and not the outcomes of
communication.
A) True
B) False
31) Three principles of etiquette that will get you through almost any situation are
respect, fun, and courtesy.
A) True
B) False
32) Communicating in today’s business environment nearly always requires some level
of technical competence.
A) True
B) False
33) Inappropriate web surfing while at work can leave employers open to lawsuits for
sexual harassment if inappropriate images are displayed.
A) True
B) False
34) When people must choose between conflicting loyalties and weigh difficult trade-
offs, they are facing an ethical lapse.
A) True
B) False
35) A message that means to mislead or manipulate the audience is unethical.
A) True
B) False
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36) Because of technology’s speed and efficiency, it is the best choice for every
communication situation.
A) True
B) False
37) “Knowledge workers” are those employees that specialize in acquiring, processing,
and communicating information.
A) True
B) False
38) Your own skills as a communicator will be as much a factor in your business success
as anything else.
A) True
B) False
39) The stakeholders in an organization do NOT include _____________
A) employees.
B) competition.
C) supervisors.
D) government.
40) To make your messages effective __________
A) give facts rather than impressions.
B) present a lot of information.
C) use a lot of body language.
D) use arguments.
41) Today’s successful companies _____________
A) use teams and collaborative work groups to arrive at quick decisions.
B) limit decisions to a few managers at the top of a formal hierarchy.
C) realize that the traditional management structure still works best.
D) make all important decisions by going through a painstaking, careful, time-consuming
process.
42) Employers often express frustration at the poor communication skills of many
employees—particularly ____________
A) managers.
B) recent graduates.
C) sales personnel.
D) contract employees.
43) One example that is NOT an example of horizontal communication is communication
that flows _________
A) from the Sales department to the Accounting department.
B) from V.P. Finance to the V.P. Marketing.
C) from one project team member to another project team member.
D) from a Warehouse manager to a Warehouse employee.
44) An example of downward communication flow is ___________
A) a junior staff person giving information to a staff supervisor.
B) a sales manager giving instructions to a salesperson.
C) an email message about sick leave sent from one staff secretary to another.
D) a company briefing held on the organization’s top floor.
45) Statements to the press, letters to investors, advertisements, and price announcements
require ________
A) group meetings.
B) vendors.
C) annual reports.
D) extremely careful planning.
46) The director of advertising writing a memo to the plant manager is an example of
_______________
A) upward communication flow.
B) downward communication flow.
C) horizontal communication flow.
D) informal communication flow.
47) A casual conversation between co-workers is an example of ______________
A) upward communication.
B) downward communication.
C) interdepartmental communication.
D) informal communication.
48) How much of the information that travels along the grapevine actually pertains to
business?
A) almost none of it
B) half of it
C) more than three-quarters of it
D) none of the above
49) Some executives are wary of informal communication channels, possibly because
they ______________
A) fear the spread of misinformation.
B) believe only formal channels are efficient carriers of information.
C) object to casual conversations on company time.
D) fear a loss of their control over the flow of information.
50) An example of external communication would be ____________________
A) an email from a salesperson to a customer.
B) a memo from a manager at headquarters to a manager at a store in another state.
C) a teleconference among company sales representatives in several states.
D) talking on a cell phone to a colleague.
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51) In the first step of the communication process, ________________
A) the sender decides what to say.
B) the sender has an idea.
C) the sender chooses a medium of transmission.
D) the sender transmits the message.
52) The final link in the communication process is _________________
A) sending the message.
B) receiving the message.
C) giving feedback to the sender.
D) interpreting the message.
53) Communication is effective only when _____________________
A) the sender has a meaningful idea, sends it, and it is received.
B) the idea becomes a message.
C) the message gets transmitted without noise.
D) others understand your message correctly and respond to it in the way you want.
54) The most extreme example of how backgrounds can impede communication occurs
when the communicators _________________
A) are different ages.
B) are of different social status.
C) come from different countries or cultures.
D) have opposing political views.
55) Companies that restrict the flow of information limit their _______________
A) competitive potential.
B) potential employee promotions.
C) audience base.
D) management control.
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56) Bad connections, poor acoustics, and illegible copy are all examples of
_______________
A) problems with feedback.
B) physical distractions.
C) problems with background differences.
D) overload problems.
57) On a typical day, the average office worker sends and receives about __________
email messages.
A) 20
B) 50
C) 90
D) 120
58) The term “corporate culture” refers to ______________________
A) the number of organizational levels within a corporation.
B) the extent to which corporations dominate a particular culture.
C) the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give a company its atmosphere or
personality.
D) a company’s sponsorship of cultural events.
59) A flatter organizational structure ___________________
A) decreases the chance of misunderstandings occurring.
B) increases costs and reduces productivity.
C) can reduce profit.
D) creates more opportunities in middle management.
60) To make your messages more effective __________________
A) send fewer of them.
B) mark all your messages with HIGH PRIORITY.
C) send messages frequently.
D) include as much detail as possible, even if it is not immediately needed.
61) Which of the following is an example of an ethical dilemma?
A) Deciding whether or not to inform employees that layoffs are coming, when a big
project needs to be finished
B) Deciding whether or not to sell company stock when you have inside information on a
coming downturn
C) Deciding whether or not to use the copy machine for your personal papers
D) Deciding whether or not to declare the costs of your vacation travel as a deductible
business expense
62) Which of the following is an example of an ethical lapse?
A) Putting suggestions in the company suggestion box without signing your name
B) Informing a new employer about your previous (competing) employer’s major clients
C) Telling your supervisor that another employee is stealing office supplies
D) Providing incorrect data in a report, even though you didn’t know it was incorrect at
the time
63) An organization can foster ethical communication by _______________
A) helping top managers to become more frequent communicators.
B) setting ethical examples with ethical company leadership.
C) using an ethical lapse.
D) creating a mission statement.
64) Regardless of your specialty, most companies also expect you to be a competent
communicator. Which of the following is NOT a communication skill desired by most
businesses?
A) Organizing ideas logically
B) Presenting ideas persuasively
C) Communicating forcefully
D) Listening effectively
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65) To make your business messages more effective you should _______________.
A) include as many details as possible.
B) give facts not impressions.
C) use “smart” words.
D) be sure to put in a lot of pictures.
66) Plagiarism includes ___________
A) selectively misquoting.
B) disrepresenting numbers.
C) distorting visuals.
D) violation of a copyright.
67) There are many new technologies available to improve Business Communications.
Which of the list below are NOT among them?
A) Blogging
B) Email
C) Online chats
D) Ergonomic offices
68) Ethics in the workplace is an increasingly important issue. Which of the following
examples is not considered unethical?
A) Self promotion
B) Plagiarism
C) Misrepresenting numbers
D) Distorting visuals
69) Collectively, the people with whom you interact—your colleagues, employees,
supervisors, customers, and so on—are referred to as __________.
70) Whether exchanging emails, giving a formal presentation, or chatting with co-
workers at lunch, you are engaging in __________.
71) __________ (communication, teamwork, problem solving) are just as important as
technical abilities, as employers look for well-rounded individuals who will integrate well
into their companies.
72) Increased globalization and workforce __________ mean that employees must be
able to communicate with people from other cultures.
73) The exchange of information within an organization is referred to as __________
communication.
74) The informal communication network within an organization is referred to as the
__________.
75) When you put your idea into a message that your receiver will understand, you are
__________ the message.
76) Your receiver must cooperate by __________ your message—absorbing and
understanding it.
77) After getting a message, a receiver responds by giving the sender __________.
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78) __________ is interference in the communication process that distorts or obscures the
sender’s meaning.
79) Some business communicators try to manipulate their receivers by using __________
tactics.
80) An organization’s __________ is the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that
give a place its atmosphere or personality.
81) An ethical __________ involves choosing among conflicting alternatives that aren’t
clear-cut.
82) An ethical __________ involves making a clearly unethical or illegal choice.
83) How does the primary function of upward-flowing communication differ from that of
downward-flowing communication?
84) List at least three examples of formal external communication.
85) When is the grapevine most active within an organization?
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86) Describe three things you can pay attention to in an attempt to improve the odds that
your message will be successfully perceived by your audience.
87) Briefly explain the nature and importance of the final phase in the communication
process.
88) Briefly define “knowledge workers.”
89) Discuss the evolution of organizational structures and how these structures affect
communication.
90. What is a restrictive communication environment?
91) How can the exchange of many messages become a barrier to effective
communication?
92) To adopt an audience-centred approach to communication, what do you need to learn
about your audience? List at least three specific examples.
93) Briefly explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse.
94) Describe at least five common characteristics of effective business messages.
95) Describe the various directions communication flows through an organization’s
formal hierarchy, and give an example of each one.
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96) Describe the seven phases of the communication process.
97) Describe four common types of communication barriers.
98) Describe five strategies for overcoming communication barriers and briefly explain
what each one of these strategies requires.
99) Describe “constructive feedback” and compare it with “destructive feedback.”
Why is feedback important? How should you receive feedback?
