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Test Item File for Excellence in Business Communication, Fourth Canadian Edition
Chapter 10
1) Persuasion can be defined as asking somebody to do something.
A) True
B) False
2) Psychographics and demographics are strongly influenced by culture.
A) True
B) False
3) To devise an effective persuasive message, you need to analyze audience members and
then appeal to their needs.
A) True
B) False
4) “Demographics” refers to the psychological characteristics of an individual, such as
personality, attitudes, and lifestyle.
A) True
B) False
5) Supporting your message by providing objective evidence is one way to build
credibility.
A) True
B) False
6) All persuasive messages are by nature unethical.
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A) True
B) False
7) The most ethical persuasive messages influence audience members by providing
information and aiding understanding.
A) True
B) False
8) The wording of a persuasive message may be perfectly legal and yet still be offensive
to your audience.
A) True
B) False
9) The best persuasive messages always employ the indirect approach.
A) True
B) False
10) When deciding on the approach to take in composing a persuasive message, an
important factor to take into account is your corporate culture.
A) True
B) False
11) Sending an email is just as good as sending a letter when delivering a persuasive
message; the delivery method is not an important consideration.
A) True
B) False
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12) When writing persuasive messages, one should be careful not to mix emotional and
logical appeals.
A) True
B) False
13) Abstract concepts such as freedom, prestige, or success can be used to enhance the
emotional content of persuasive messages.
A) True
B) False
14) Induction refers to reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
A) True
B) False
15) Logical flaws include circular reasoning.
A) True
B) False
16) With deduction you work from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
A) True
B) False
17) Organize persuasive messages using the AIDDO model.
A) True
B) False
18) An example of faulty logic is to assume that one event caused another just because it
happened first.
A) True
B) False
19) The term AIDA refers to a computer program used to compose persuasive messages.
A) True
B) False
20) In the attention phase of a persuasive letter, you tell the audience what is in the
message for them.
A) True
B) False
21) The interest section of a persuasive letter provides details on how the message is
related to the audience.
A) True
B) False
22) The purpose of the desire section of a persuasive letter is to reduce resistance by
identifying and answering in advance any questions the audience might have.
A) True
B) False
23) Persuasive messages end with a section that urges specific action.
A) True
B) False
24) For a persuasive message to be successful, you must convince your audience to make
major changes in their attitudes or beliefs.
A) True
B) False
25) If you expect a hostile audience, you should be careful to present all sides of an issue
before making the case for your own argument.
A) True
B) False
26) When it comes to persuasive messages, an up-front, hard-sell approach is usually the
most successful.
A) True
B) False
27) Persuasion is a process, not a one-time event.
A) True
B) False
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28) When making a persuasive request, you can offer no benefits to the reader and thus
must appeal to his or her altruistic tendencies.
A) True
B) False
29) The AIDA model is ideal for the indirect approach.
A) True
B) False
30) Generally speaking, persuasive business messages rely more heavily on logical
appeals than on emotional appeals.
A) True
B) False
31) The purpose of a sales letter is to motivate people to spend money on products.
A) True
B) False
32) The main idea in a sales letter revolves around a selling point and related consumer
benefits.
A) True
B) False
33) If low price is a major benefit of your product, you can display it prominently in your
sales letter.
A) True
B) False
34) Sales letters are prepared according to the AIDA plan.
A) True
B) False
35) The best way to handle objections to sales messages is to wait until they appear and
then address them; this way you don’t waste time and energy worrying about what might
happen.
A) True
B) False
36) Your consideration of audience needs is more than ethical; it’s the proper use of
persuasion.
A) True
B) False
37) Selling points focus on the product; benefits focus on the user.
A) True
B) False
38) An attempt to change an audience’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions is called
_____________
A) strategic planning.
B) persuasion.
C) coercion.
D) nonverbal communication.
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39) Persuasive messages need which type of scope to be sure only the information needed
to help your audience take the next step toward a favourable decision is included?
A) Broad scope
B) Narrow scope
C) Limited scope
D) No scope
40) If a supervisor approaches a worker who consistently arrives late by saying, “I know
your job is important to you,” the supervisor is addressing the worker’s need for
_____________
A) safety and security.
B) acceptance.
C) status and esteem.
D) self-actualization.
41) Which of the following is not an example of demographic information?
A) Age
B) Occupation
C) Lifestyle
D) Income
42) Personality, lifestyle, and attitudes are assessed through _____________
A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) inkblot tests.
D) examining census data.
43) To build credibility with your audience, you _____________
A) come right out and state that you are trustworthy.
B) let them know that you’re not rigid about what you have to say.
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C) establish common ground with them.
D) point out ways in which your knowledge is superior to that of your audience members.
44) An ethical persuasive argument _____________
A) is a contradiction in terms.
B) focuses on how the audience’s actions will benefit the sender.
C) includes any evidence the sender can come up with, whether or not it’s relevant.
D) influences audience members by providing information that allows them freedom to
choose.
45) When it comes to persuasive messages, the indirect approach _____________
A) is often preferable when using the “you” attitude.
B) is often preferable when trying to persuade higher-level managers.
C) is used only by top management.
D) does not require inclusion of justifications or explanations.
46) An advertisement stating that Bubbly bubblebath “will free you of all your worries
and cares” is using _____________
A) an emotional appeal.
B) an analogy.
C) an inductive appeal.
D) a deductive appeal.
47) When writing persuasive messages, one way to avoid faulty logic is to
_____________
A) avoid induction.
B) avoid deduction.
C) avoid praising your opponent.
D) avoid hasty generalizations.
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48) AIDA stands for _____________
A) appeal, indirect, direct, action.
B) anticipate inquiry in doing adjustments.
C) assume, insist, describe, act.
D) attention, interest, desire, action.
49) The purpose of the interest section of a persuasive message is to _____________
A) capture attention.
B) stress how the information in the message will benefit the audience.
C) increase the audience’s desire to take the action that is recommended in the message.
D) get the reader to act immediately.
50) The purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to _____________
A) introduce the main idea.
B) create interest in the main idea.
C) increase your audience’s willingness to take action.
D) suggest the action your audience should take.
51) An effective ending for a persuasive message would be _____________
A) “Return the enclosed coupon by June 15 and you’ll receive your bonus ‘early bird’ key
chain.”
B) “Please respond as soon as possible.”
C) “Wouldn’t you like to save some money?”
D) “Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.”
52) To overcome audience resistance to your message _____________
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A) use the hard-sell approach.
B) present all sides of the issue before making the case for your position.
C) resist compromise.
D) do all of the above.
53) When writing a persuasive request for action, you _____________
A) use the direct approach.
B) demonstrate that helping you will indeed solve a significant problem.
C) ask for more than you actually want so that you’ll have a cushion for negotiation.
D) avoid flattery.
54) When writing a persuasive claim letter _____________
A) assume that the other person is trying to cheat you.
B) use a confident and positive tone.
C) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company.
D) do all of the above.
55) Which of the following would be considered a selling point of a car phone?
A) Status
B) Safety
C) Portability
D) None of the above
56) Which of the following would be the best wording in a sales letter?
A) “The NuForm desk chair is so comfortable that you won’t want to go home from
work.”
B) “The NuForm desk chair is designed to give your lower back the ultimate in support
and to relieve pressure on your legs as well.”
C) “The NuForm desk chair supports your lower back and relieves pressure on your
legs.”
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D) “The incredibly handsome NuForm desk chair is functional as well as impressive; it
provides a great deal of lower back support.”
57) If price is one of your strong selling points, you _____________
A) mention special offers, such as volume discounts, before actually stating the price.
B) compare the price to the cost of some other product or activity (“This exercise
equipment costs less than a health club membership”).
C) break the total price into smaller units (“Just six easy payments of $19.95 each will
bring you this lovely collector’s item”).
D) emphasize it in the opening of the sales letter.
58) Which of the following is not one of the tried and true attention-getting devices used
in sales letters?
A) Offering a free sample of the product
B) Insulting the reader
C) A provocative question
D) A solution to a problem
59) Asking “What does the competition offer?” “What is special about my product?” and
“What are potential buyers really looking for?” helps you determine _____________
A) which tried-and-true attention-getter to use.
B) your product’s central selling point.
C) the price for your product.
D) which type of mailing list to use.
60. If the audience for your sales letter promoting a new security system is made up of
affluent suburbanites, the consumer benefit you would most want to emphasize in your
letter is _____________
A) the reliability of the system when protecting the consumer’s property.
B) the low cost.
C) the attractive appearance of the device.
D) easy, do-it-yourself installation.
61) __________ is the attempt to change people’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions.
62) __________is the need to reach one’s full potential as a human being.
63) __________is the human need that is the central motivation in fundraising messages
and other appeals to charity.
64) __________refer to information about people’s age, gender, occupation, income, and
education.
65) __________refers to information about an individual’s personality, attitudes, lifestyle,
and other psychological characteristics.
66) It is particularly important to establish __________ with a skeptical or hostile
audience.
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67) If you can’t be sure you can reach most or all of your audience with a single medium,
you need to use __________.
68) Limit your __________ to include only the information needed to help your audience
take the next step toward making a favourable decision.
69) __________ is reasoning from specific evidence to a general conclusion.
70) __________ is reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
71) Persuasive messages often follow a specialized form of the indirect approach called
the __________ plan.
72) The purpose of __________ letters is to motivate people to spend money on products.
73) __________ are the most attractive features of a product.
74) __________ are the particular advantages that readers will realize from the features
of a product or idea.
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75) A sales letter begins with some sort of _________ device.
76) In preparing to write persuasive messages, what two types of information are vital to
assess the needs of your audience?
77) When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?
78) What does AIDA stand for?
79) When your AIDA message uses an indirect approach and is delivered by memo or
email, what are two goals to keep in mind as you write the subject line?
80) Rewrite the following email subject line in order to make it more interesting without
revealing the main idea: “Proposal to switch to new medical insurance provider.”
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81) What are three methods of reasoning you can use when making a logical appeal?
82) List five guidelines that will help you avoid logical flaws (faulty logic).
83) Describe how an effective persuasive claim letter should be written.
84) Briefly explain the difference between selling points and benefits, and then give an
example of each.
85) Why is it important in marketing and sales messages to avoid implying offers or
promises you cannot deliver on?
86) Describe two legal aspects of marketing and sales communication a writer should pay
close attention to.
87) Describe at least five strategies for establishing credibility when preparing persuasive
messages.
88) Describe each of the four phases of the AIDA plan for persuasive messages.
89) Explain how to balance emotional appeals and logical appeals to persuade an
audience.
90) Describe several ways you can de-emphasize price in sales letters.
91) Describe at least five common techniques for attracting an audience’s attention at the
beginning of a marketing or sales message.
92) Give three considerations you need to make when selecting the right medium for your
persuasive message.