Business Communication Essentials, 8e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 10 Understanding and Planning Reports and Proposals
1) Which of the following offers data and other information in the report, without analysis or
recommendation?
A) Indirect reports
B) Long reports
C) Proposals
D) Analytical reports
E) Informational reports
2) Which of the following offers both information and analysis?
A) Indirect reports
B) Long reports
C) Proposals
D) Analytical reports
E) Informational reports
3) Which of the following presents persuasive recommendations?
A) Indirect reports
B) Long reports
C) Proposals
D) Analytical reports
E) Informational reports
4) Which of the following explains why you are preparing the report and what you plan to cover
in the body of the report?
A) Opening statement
B) Statement of purpose
C) Infinitive phrase
D) Work plan
E) Executive dashboard
5) A detailed list of tasks to be accomplished while writing a report is called what?
A) Opening statement
B) Statement of purpose
C) Analytics
D) Work plan
E) Executive dashboard
6) During the planning phase of the writing process, which of the following will help you
prioritize informational needs and focus on the most important questions?
A) Statement of purpose and audience needs
B) Work timeline
C) Executive dashboard
D) Analytics matrix
E) Statement of purpose
7) A graphical presentation of key performance parameters is called what?
A) Executive dashboard
B) Analytics matrix
C) Channel and medium
D) Intranet graphics
E) Wikis
8) When your audience will be receptive or open minded to the data in your report, which
approach is most effective?
A) Persuasive
B) Direct
C) Analytical
D) Indirect
E) Proposals
9) If the audience is unsure about your credibility or is not ready to accept your main idea, which
approach is the best choice?
A) Executive dashboard
B) Direct
C) Analytical
D) Indirect
E) Proposals
10) Which approach would be most effective when writing an unsolicited proposal?
A) AIDA
B) Direct
C) Analytical
D) Indirect
E) Proposals
11) The three-step writing process is easily adapted to reports and makes larger projects easier by
using a methodical and efficient approach to planning, writing and completing.
12) The direct approach begins with a summary of your key findings, conclusions and
recommendations.
13) Every report should be viewed as an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of your
audience’s challenges and your ability to contribute to your organization’s success.
14) Identify and discuss issues to consider when selecting the channel and medium for a report or
proposal.
15) What is the first step in effective research?
A) Conduct a Google search to see what information is available.
B) Plan the research.
C) Manage information efficiently.
D) Locate the data and information needed.
E) Apply each finding to the report or proposal.
16) Summarizing information, drawing conclusions and developing recommendations are steps
in which aspect of supporting your message with reliable research?
A) Locating the data needed
B) Processing the data
C) Applying the findings
D) Managing the information
E) Planning the research
17) The first step in planning research is what?
A) Accessing a knowledge information system
B) Generating questions that will constitute research areas
C) Conducting primary research
D) Developing a problem statement
E) Identifying information needed
18) Which of the following will most likely prevent an ethical lapse while researching?
A) Using only data that supports your purpose
B) Being vague about what you want to do with the end results
C) Only using data that can be found online
D) Quoting all sources
E) Respecting the intellectual property rights of the data
19) Which of the following is a source of primary research?
A) Interviews
B) Reports
C) Websites
D) Newspapers
E) Books
20) When beginning the process of locating data, which of the following is frequently the best
place to start?
A) Corporate websites
B) Secondary research
C) Knowledge management systems
D) Executive dashboards
E) Primary research
21) Which of the following is an example of secondary research?
A) Surveys
B) Interviews
C) Reports
D) Personal studies
E) Executive dashboards
22) Which of the following is least important when evaluating potential sources?
A) Is the information accurate?
B) Is the information objective?
C) Is the information unique?
D) Is the information current?
E) Is the information verifiable?
23) Which of the following is not indicated when considering how sources conduct fact
checking?
A) The information is independently verified.
B) The material was designed to support the outcome.
C) The source used proper methods to collect its data.
D) The source has a reputation for honesty and reliability.
E) The author is credible.
24) To accurately interpret a source’s point, what information do you need to know?
A) The source’s experience in fact checking
B) What the purpose of the material is
C) Whether or not the material can be independently verified
D) If the author used primary data
E) If the source is potentially biased
25) Which of the following is completed before using research results?
A) Identifying direct quotes
B) Verifying critical facts and figures
C) Paraphrasing research
D) Summarizing textual information
E) Drawing conclusions
26) Reproducing material exactly as you found it is called what?
A) Summarizing
B) Paraphrasing
C) Quoting
D) Secondary reporting
E) Primary reporting
27) Which of the following is the best way to maximize the impact of secondary material in your
writing?
A) Summarizing
B) Paraphrasing
C) Quoting
D) Secondary reporting
E) Primary reporting
28) How can a writer apply research to a document while maintaining a consistent tone and
making the data meaningful to the audience?
A) Use an executive dashboard
B) Use quotes
C) Paraphrase
D) Use a knowledge management system
E) Summarize the data
29) What can be done when the writer wants to include the ideas of the research but leave out
specific details and less important concepts of the research?
A) Use an executive dashboard
B) Use quotes
C) Paraphrase
D) Use a knowledge management system
E) Summarize the data
30) When research is presented as your own, what ethical issue is taking place?
A) Selective misquoting
B) Plagiarism
C) Data manipulation
D) Incomplete information
E) Inclusion of biased material
31) A logical interpretation of facts and other information is called what?
A) Summary
B) Data manipulation
C) Conclusion
D) Paraphrasing
E) Recommendation
32) Suggesting what to do about the information gathered is done through which of the
following?
A) Summary
B) Data manipulation
C) Conclusion
D) Paraphrasing
E) Recommendation
33) Research should begin by developing a problem statement that defines why you are
conducting the research.
34) Primary research includes sources such as magazines, public websites, books and other
reports.
35) Using too many quotes creates choppy writing that gives the impression that all you did was
piece together the work of others.
36) Discuss strategies to conduct effective research needed to support your message.
37) Define plagiarism and discuss how to properly use information gathered from research.
38) To research facts and statistical information regarding countries, politics or the labor force,
what type of resource should be used?
A) Almanacs and other statistical resources
B) Business books
C) Wikipedia
D) Newspapers and periodicals
E) Online databases
39) When seeking information in specific areas such as business, technology or law, which of the
following would be the best resource?
A) The business librarian
B) Databases
C) Government publications
D) Almanacs and statistical resources
E) Directories
40) Websites such as Google and Bing use what technique to help boost rankings in results?
A) Human editors
B) Monitoring algorithms
C) Search engine optimization techniques
D) Hidden Internet
E) Metasearch engines
41) Which of the following is an advantage of using a conventional search engine for research?
A) No human editors rank search results.
B) Each search engine uses a different search technique.
C) Users can access a web directory to evaluate websites.
D) Search engines are easy and powerful.
E) Search engines can identify all relevant data quickly.
42) Which of the following is a shortcoming of conventional search engines?
A) They all find the same material.
B) They reach all content on a website, creating overload.
C) They all use similar search techniques.
D) Results are not evaluated by human editors.
E) Results are automatically ranked according to need.