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Test Item File for Excellence in Business Communication, Fourth Canadian Edition
Chapter 11
1) Business reports help companies make decisions and solve problems.
A) True
B) False
2) Analytical reports are primarily intended to educate readers.
A) True
B) False
3) A “statement of purpose” lists the reason(s) for conducting the research project.
A) True
B) False
4) The most useful way to phrase your purpose statement is to begin with an infinitive
phrase (to plus a verb), which helps pin down your general goal (e.g., to inform, to
identify, to analyze).
A) True
B) False
5) A memo summarizing an employee’s trip to a trade show would be an example of a
personal activity report.
A) True
B) False
6) Position papers spell out lasting guidelines on company policies and procedures.
A) True
B) False
7) Interim progress reports to clients are rarely needed.
A) True
B) False
8) A summary takes a side in an issue and offers support for that side.
A) True
B) False
9) Analytical reports are used to assess opportunities, to solve problems, and to support
decisions.
A) True
B) False
10) A justification report is an internal report designed to persuade top management to
approve a proposed investment or project.
A) True
B) False
11) When you speculate on the cause of a problem, you’re forming a hypothesis.
A) True
B) False
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12) Solicited proposals spend a great deal of time explaining why the client should take
action.
A) True
B) False
13) When writing informational reports, it’s important to begin by developing a problem
statement.
A) True
B) False
14) Use problem factoring to divide a complex problem into more manageable pieces.
A) True
B) False
15) The statement of purpose for a report is always presented as a question.
A) True
B) False
16) Very few reports require a work plan.
A) True
B) False
17) Secondary research consists of information that others have gathered (and published,
in many cases).
A) True
B) False
18) When using the internet to conduct research, you can be reasonably sure that any
information you find will be accurate.
A) True
B) False
19) To conduct an effective database search on the Web, you should use multiple search
engines.
A) True
B) False
20) You can improve your database search results by using Boolean operators.
A) True
B) False
21) Observation, surveys, and interviews are all types of primary research.
A) True
B) False
22) Start with primary research for your project; it will give you a grounding in the area,
and it can save considerable time and money for the overall assignment.
A) True
B) False
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23) A survey is considered valid if it measures what it is intended to measure.
A) True
B) False
24) The online surveys you see on many websites today potentially suffer from sampling
bias.
A) True
B) False
25) When conducting an interview, you should ask both open-ended and closed-ended
questions.
A) True
B) False
26) A focus group is a group of employees working on a very specific project.
A) True
B) False
27) Making notes about research materials is one area where computers aren’t very
helpful.
A) True
B) False
28) Directories are considered invaluable for marketers, job seekers, and others who need
to establish a prospect list.
A) True
B) False
29) A good paraphrase should be the same length as or slightly longer than the original
passage.
A) True
B) False
30) Even if you paraphrase material, it’s best to give credit to the source you obtained the
original information from.
A) True
B) False
31) According to the fair-use doctrine, you can use other people’s work only as long as
you do not unfairly prevent them from benefiting as a result.
A) True
B) False
32) If sales for the first six months of the year were $24,000, $20,000, $23,000, $20,000,
$19,000, and $21,000, the mean for the six months would be $20,000.
A) True
B) False
33) The mode is the number that occurs most often in a set of figures.
A) True
B) False
34) Trends analysis is common in business.
A) True
B) False
35) Unsolicited proposals offer less flexibility than solicited proposals since recipients
are expecting to receive them.
A) True
B) False
36) Evidence is the support for the thinking behind your conclusion.
A) True
B) False
37) Most information reports use a topical organization.
A) True
B) False
38) The longer the message, the more effective the indirect approach is likely to be.
A) True
B) False
39) The direct and indirect approaches are never combined in a business report.
A) True
B) False
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40) Although it is persuasive, the 2 + 2 = 4 approach is not an efficient way to organize
an analytical report.
A) True
B) False
41) One way to reduce the confusion presented by having two or more alternatives is to
establish a yardstick for evaluating all of them.
A) True
B) False
42) Conclusions and recommendations are stated at the beginning of a report
_____________
A) if readers are likely to be receptive or open-minded.
B) if the indirect format is being used.
C) if the report is analytical.
D) never.
43) Which of the following is not a common type of organization for informational
reports?
A) According to importance
B) According to chronology
C) According to logic
D) According to spatial orientation
44) Which of the following is not a common type of organization for analytical reports?
A) The 2+2 approach
B) The chronological approach
C) Focus on conclusions or recommendations
D) The yardstick method
45) In the 2 + 2 = 4 approach, the main points in your outline are ________________
A) quantitative in nature.
B) the main reasons behind your conclusions.
C) less important than your recommendations.
D) more important than your recommendations.
46) When writing analytical reports for skeptical readers, the most persuasive and
efficient structure is ________________
A) the spatial approach.
B) the sequential approach.
C) the 2 + 2 = 4 approach.
D) none of the above.
47) A drawback of the yardstick approach is that ________________
A) it’s not very logical.
B) your audience needs to agree with the criteria you’re using.
C) it’s not very useful for proposals.
D) your audience may consider it too short and simple when it comes to comparing many
criteria.
48) Monitor/control reports include ________________
A) policies and procedures.
B) plans, operating reports, and personal activity reports.
C) solicited and unsolicited sales proposals.
D) research, justification, and troubleshooting reports.
49) Progress reports ________________
A) describe what occurred during a convention or conference.
B) give approval to proceed with an idea, project or task.
C) persuade top management to approve a project.
D) range from updates in simple memo form to comprehensive status reports.
50) A Policy report may be ________________
A) used as a compliance report.
B) an external report only.
C) a document listing changes over time.
D) a brief description of business procedures.
51) An informational report that summarizes a proposed business venture is called a(n)
____________
A) business plan.
B) compliance report.
C) operating report.
D) personal activity report.
52) A justification report ______________
A) provides the history of a problem, and then presents and analyzes possible solutions.
B) describes what has happened in a department or division during a particular period.
C) is an internal proposal to persuade top management to approve a project.
D) explains a decision that has already been made.
53) To paraphrase effectively, ______________
A) give a brief summary of what the writer meant to say, but from your point of view.
B) use the word “paraphrase.”
54) Solicited proposals are prepared ______________
A) by companies attempting to obtain business.
B) by government regulatory agencies.
C) by companies at the request of clients who need something done.
D) by clients who wish to acquire the services of highly regarded companies.
55) In an unsolicited proposal, the writer ______________
A) might have to convince the audience that a problem exists.
B) uses the direct approach since it works best for unsolicited proposals.
C) uses a style approved by the company or the organization.
D) enumerates the client’s options regarding such business decisions as product-line
expansion.
56) Some external parties prepare a formal invitation to bid on their contracts, called
_______________
A) an investigation report.
B) a request for proposal.
C) an alternate hypothesis report.
D) a request for project report.
57) When you factor a problem, you ______________
A) develop a schedule for your research.
B) limit the scope of your investigation.
C) develop alternative hypotheses.
D) break the problem into a series of questions.
58) To overcome the shortcomings of search engines, _______________