75. The three distinct steps for revising reports are
a.
Clarity, conciseness, and redundancy
b.
Tone, language, and wordiness
c.
Content, style, and correctness
d.
Passive voice, action verbs, and mechanics
76. Conclusions should be presented at the beginning of the report unless the reader prefers
a.
The indirect plan, will not like the outcome, or if the topic is complex
b.
Additional source support
c.
Additional graphics for clarity
d.
Reading the recommendations first
77. An effective executive summary should not
a.
be written in the same writing style that is used for the report body.
b.
assume that the reader will also read the entire report.
c.
be more than 10% of the length of the report.
d.
be used if the reader is resistant to the recommendations.
e.
hint at the conclusions or recommendations shown in the report.
78. Identify the correct guideline for constructing a table of contents.
a.
Use the same wording for the headings as in the report body.
b.
Include all levels of headings in the table of contents.
c.
List both the starting and the ending page number of each section.
d.
Draft the table of contents as an outline for writing the report.
e.
Use the table of contents to emphasize important headings.
79. Which of the following should not be included in an appendix?
a.
a copy of the questionnaire mailed to the sample population
b.
a copy of the cover letter that accompanied the questionnaire
c.
a list of secondary sources cited in the report
d.
forms and additional details that some readers may find helpful
e.
supplementary tables not shown in the body of the report
80. In case readers want to locate the source of secondary data used in your report, make your ____
accurate in both content and format.
a.
executive summary
b.
reference list
c.
appendix
d.
table of contents
e.
transmittal document
81. An effective writing style for a report
a.
incorporates colloquial expressions.
b.
should be humorous to lighten the mood.
c.
should be less objective than the transmittal document.
d.
should be as subjective as possible.
e.
should be less conversational than a casual memo.
82. The topics and amount of detail in an introduction vary according to
a.
The length of the report
b.
The type and complexity of the report and the audience’s needs
c.
A well-developed thesis
d.
The sources used for support
83. Which statement regarding the use of pronouns is correct for most business reports?
a.
The phrase the writer is a good substitute for first-person pronouns.
b.
Using passive voice is a good alternative to using first-person pronouns.
c.
Because formal reports focus on the information instead of on the writer, third-person
pronouns should be used.
d.
Second-person pronouns should be used to draw the reader into the report.
e.
Use the word he as a generic pronoun when referring to an unidentified person.
84. When writing a business report, use the ____ tense to describe findings from other studies and your
procedures; use the ____ tense for your conclusions.
a.
past; present
b.
present; past
c.
past; past
d.
present; present
e.
present; future
85. The statement “Two of the three previous surveys showed that employees prefer Health Plan A” uses
a.
the present tense to report data from the current study.
b.
the past tense to describe the findings of earlier research.
c.
the past tense, reflective of the writer’s time.
d.
the present tense to describe the conclusion of the report.
e.
the past tense to describe the procedure of the surveys.
86. You can achieve coherence in a lengthy report by
a.
emphasizing the most important headings in each section.
b.
repeating the words of your headings in the narrative.
c.
dividing subtopics before you factor the main headings.
d.
using previews, summaries, and transitions in each section.
e.
omitting text when you follow one heading with another.
87. When you include another person’s ideas in a report, you should
a.
include the entire section so readers can see it in context.
b.
put quotation marks around any information you paraphrase.
c.
avoid plagiarism by rearranging or omitting a few words.
d.
paraphrase various sources, without attribution, as needed for your purpose.
e.
use direct quotations when you cannot improve on the wording.
88. Which of the following is not a good guideline for documentation?
a.
Include documentation of any unpublished source in the narrative.
b.
If you mention a certain study twice on the same page, you need not cite it more than
once.
c.
Include enough documentation in your citation that your reader can locate the source.
d.
Carefully document facts that are common knowledge to the reader.
e.
Facts that can be verified easily do not need to be documented with source citations.
89. When you use the author-date format to document sources, you should
a.
omit quotation marks for text drawn from original material.
b.
renumber all endnotes to ensure continuity and coherence.
c.
provide the complete reference at the bottom of the page.
d.
include complete bibliographic details in the Notes section.
e.
set them off with semicolons or colons, as appropriate.
90. The ____ method of citing sources provides the complete reference at the bottom of the report page on
which the citation occurs.
a.
endnote
b.
footnote
c.
author-date
d.
reference list
e.
documentation
91. One reason for using the author-date form of documentation is that
a.
many writers prefer tracking endnotes and footnotes consecutively.
b.
omitting citations would leave an inaccurate impression of the report’s conclusions.
c.
subsequent citations in the narrative will require less space.
d.
it subordinates sources based on direct quotations rather than paraphrased text material.
e.
it provides some information about the source on the page where the citation occurs.
92. Distortion by omission occurs when
a.
you base your conclusions on a small database.
b.
the statistics you quote reflect hypotheses, not conclusions.
c.
you do not explain how you factored the problem.
d.
you use quotations out of context.
e.
you do not document all sources.
93. Revising for style involves all of the following except
a.
ensuring that you have used nondiscriminatory language.
b.
checking to see that you have used a variety of sentence types.
c.
ensuring that you have not included extraneous information.
d.
ensuring that paragraphs are both unified and coherent.
e.
checking for an overall tone of confidence, sincerity, and objectivity.
94. Revising for correctness involves
a.
ensuring that your writing is clear and confident.
b.
being sure you have included sufficient supporting evidence.
c.
checking for distortion by omission or commission.
d.
checking that you have met the reader’s needs.
e.
fixing any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.
95. You can distinguish among major and minor heading levels by using all of the following except
a.
different horizontal placement.
b.
different heading lengths.
c.
different font sizes.
d.
different font styles, such as bold and italic.
e.
different fonts.
96. A reader’s first impression of your report is based on
a.
how professional it appears.
b.
how many headings are in the table of contents.
c.
how you use passive and active voice.
d.
how you apply formal and informal writing styles.
e.
how you document your sources.
97. When proofreading a document, you need not check
a.
closely for typographical errors.
b.
that the pages are in the correct order.
c.
that pages are free of wrinkles and smudges.
d.
whether you inadvertently deleted a line when moving text.
e.
for short, simple, and vigorous words.
SHORT ANSWER
98. What style and component characteristics are appropriate in formal reports?
99. Briefly list and describe the four major organizational patterns for business reports.
100. Write a conclusion and a recommendation for the following findings: The population in Orem has
increased by 18% in the last two years. Customers must wait an average of ten minutes to conduct
business with a teller at our bank.
101. Write a conclusion and recommendation based on the following findings: Over 75% of customers
surveyed stated that the sales representatives lacked specific knowledge about the company’s products.
Over 50% of the customers surveyed stated that sales representatives demonstrated inappropriate
interpersonal communication skills.
102. How does preparing an outline help the report writer?
103. Contrast talking headings and generic headings.
104. List three examples of supplementary information.
105. Give two reasons why we document sources in writing reports.
106. List at least four items that are usually found in the introduction section of the body of a report.
107. Discuss the findings section of a business report.
108. Define paraphrasing.
109. What information should be contained on the title page?
110. What is the purpose of an executive summary?
111. What is an appendix, and what specific types of items does it usually contain?
112. What type of tone is appropriate in a business report? What type of tone should be avoided?
113. Rewrite the following sentence to achieve a tone appropriate for a business report: The company lost a
bundle with the new product line.
114. Rewrite the following sentence, assuming that 15 out of 500 people were affected: The corporation
laid off an enormous number of people at the Texas factory.
115. What should you remember about using pronouns in business reports?
116. Explain the general rule for verb tense usage in business reports and list specific sections that use each
verb tense.
117. Rewrite the following sentence to reflect appropriate pronoun use in a business report: I recommend
that the company reduce its workforce by 5%.
118. Rewrite the following sentence to reflect appropriate verb tense: The findings will be discussed in the
next section of the report.
119. Rewrite the following procedure to reflect appropriate verb tense: Over 60% of the sample is returning
the questionnaire.
120. How can you achieve coherence in a business report?
121. Define plagiarism and briefly explain its consequences in the classroom environment and on the job.
122. What types of information obtained by others do not need to be documented?
123. Describe the three forms of documentation.
124. What does “distortion by omission” mean?
125. What are the three major forms for documenting the ideas, information, and quotations of other people
in a report?