Business Communication Today, 11e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 12 Designing Visual Communication
1) Compared to poorly written text, badly designed visuals are ________ to be noticed by your
audience.
A) less likely
B) more likely
C) just as likely
D) not eligible
2) U.S. government research shows that about ________ percent of the adult population in the
U.S. has the literacy skills needed for success in today’s workplace.
A) 1
B) 10
C) 50
D) 75
3) Clip art cluttering a bar chart is an example of
A) a pictogram.
B) chartjunk.
C) a good way to grab reader interest.
D) all of the above.
4) Examples of ethical lapses to avoid in business visuals include all of the following except
A) including photos that play on racial or gender stereotypes.
B) expanding the detail of a graphic in order to make it more readable.
C) altering photos or graphs to hide information that could make you look bad.
D) distorting the axes on a line chart to make sales look like they have increased significantly
over previous years.
5) If you have a great deal of detailed, specific information to present to allow users to find
specific data point values in decimal form, the best visual to use would be a
A) table.
B) pie chart.
C) diagram.
D) Gantt chart.
6) When preparing numerical tables, you should
A) be sure to identify the units you are using.
B) use at least three colors to hold the audience’s attention.
C) use a font no larger than 9 points.
D) do all of the above.
7) The best type of visual for showing that annual consumer spending has decreased over the
past ten years would be
A) a table.
B) a pie chart.
C) a line chart.
D) an organization chart.
8) When preparing a line chart, keep in mind that you should
A) never leave out increments from the vertical axis.
B) be especially careful to avoid distorting the data.
C) never include negative numbers on the vertical axis.
D) all of the above.
9) The best visual for illustrating a manufacturer’s quality control process would be a
A) line chart.
B) flowchart.
C) scatter diagram.
D) pie chart.
10) A surface chart is
A) a type of three-dimensional pie chart.
B) a form of line chart in which all the lines add up to the top line.
C) a type of map showing various terrains.
D) used to show interrelationships within an organization.
11) A bar chart would be particularly useful for
A) illustrating what percentages of a company’s monthly budget are spent on utilities and other
expenses.
B) comparing sales totals of three breakfast cereals from 2007 to 2009.
C) showing the stages in production of a jet engine.
D) depicting links between employees at a large firm.
12) A segmented or stacked bar chart
A) shows how individual components contribute to a total number.
B) shows the correlation between two items.
C) compares quantities that require different intervals.
D) identifies positive and negative values.
13) A chart that uses symbols or graphic images instead of words or numbers to portray data is
called a
A) Gantt chart.
B) surface chart.
C) combination chart.
D) pictogram.
14) A Gantt chart is a type of
A) pictogram.
B) line chart.
C) time line chart.
D) pie chart.
15) To track your team’s progress toward completing an important project, you should use
A) an organizational chart.
B) a Gantt chart.
C) a pie chart.
D) a pictogram.
16) The best way to illustrate what percentage of your firm’s annual budget is spent on what
would be a
A) pie chart.
B) line chart.
C) organizational chart.
D) flowchart.
17) For determining numerical values, pie charts are generally ________ than bar charts or line
charts.
A) much better
B) worse
C) about the same
D) slightly better
18) Flowcharts are used to
A) summarize large amounts of statistical data.
B) show the relative sizes of the parts of a whole.
C) show how something looks or operates.
D) illustrate processes and procedures.
19) The best graphic element to identify the communication channels of an entire business
organization is a(n)
A) organization chart.
B) bar chart.
C) scatter diagram.
D) Gantt chart.
20) Microsoft Visio is one example of specialized software used to create
A) professional-quality illustrations.
B) complex spreadsheets.
C) cash flow tracking systems.
D) none of the above.
21) CAD stands for
A) charts automatically designed.
B) complete audiovisual display.
C) computer-aided design.
D) computer adaptable display.
22) A potential drawback of using photographs in reports is
A) that they can show too much detail.
B) that they are difficult to change or manipulate.
C) that appropriate photos are difficult to find.
D) all of the above.
23) When it comes to using photographs in business communication, learning basic functions
such as how to crop an image is
A) best left to professional designers.
B) too difficult for most people.
C) helpful, since it can improve the effectiveness of your messages.
D) worthwhile only if you tend to rely more heavily on images than on text.
24) If you find a photograph online that you want to use in a document,
A) you don’t need permission—you are protected by fair use doctrine.
B) you don’t need permission unless you are using it in marketing materials.
C) if it is not specifically offered for free, you should assume that you will need to obtain
permission to use it.
D) none of the above.
25) Using video to enhance business messages
A) has become difficult and expensive, since audiences now have such high expectations.
B) is generally a bad idea, since it takes away from the main idea.
C) is easier than ever, thanks to low-cost video cameras and video sharing sites such as
YouTube.
D) is effective for tech-savvy audiences, but a turn-off for most others.
26) When designing important visuals in business,
A) consider having a professional designer set up a template for the types of visuals you often
create.
B) use online clip art to enhance the effectiveness of what you produce.
C) the more colors you can incorporate, the better.
D) the best rule of thumb is to include as little text and as many photos as possible.
27) In computer graphics, a template
A) is a tool for creating curves and geometric shapes.
B) helps ensure an effective design, saves time, and makes decision making easier.
C) is any kind of chart generated by a spreadsheet or illustration program.
D) is a tool for creating classic architectural views.
28) The style and quality that you choose for your visuals depends mostly on
A) the gender of your audience.
B) whether or not your topic is controversial.
C) the subject matter and the situation at hand.
D) all of the above.
29) The ideal balance between the visual and the verbal depends on
A) the nature of your audience.
B) the length of the report/presentation.
C) the amount of money available for underwriting the costs of graphics.
D) internal company guidelines.
30) The reference to a bar chart in your report on advertising costs should
A) come directly after the chart itself appears.
B) precede the chart.
C) come on the page following the chart, and refer to it as “the abovementioned pie chart.”
D) include copyright information.
31) In business reports, it is best to place each visual
A) within, beside, or immediately after the paragraph it illustrates.
B) just before the paragraph referring to it.
C) together with other visuals at the end of each chapter.
D) together with other visuals in an appendix at the end of the report.
32) The primary difference between titles and captions of visuals is that
A) titles are usually longer than captions.
B) captions usually appear above visuals, whereas titles appear below.
C) captions offer discussion of the visual’s content.
D) titles provide detailed descriptions of visuals, but captions give only short descriptions.
33) Which of the following is an example of a descriptive title for a visual?
A) How CamCo Reduces Costs
B) CamCo Cost Reductions Are Increasing Each Year
C) Reducing Costs Is a Number-One Goal at CamCo
D) Whither Camco: Is the Rollercoaster Ride Over?
34) Legends should be included with
A) controversial reports.
B) all visuals in business reports.
C) complex graphs.
D) all of the above.
35) When creating visuals, it is highly unethical to
A) leave out important information.
B) “airbrush” the photos of company executives to make them look more attractive.
C) overload your report with unnecessary tables and charts.
D) simplify data from other sources.
36) Unlike words, visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across cultures.
37) When designing visuals, you should keep in mind that elements such as shapes and colors
have meanings, which can vary among cultures.
38) Including visuals in your report or presentation is a particularly powerful way to
communicate with a culturally diverse audience.
39) Poorly planned visuals are often more noticeable than grammatical errors in the text of your
report.
40) U.S. government research suggests that only half of the adult population in the U.S. now has
the literacy skills needed for success in the workplace.
41) “Visual literacy” describes the abilities to create effective images and correctly interpret
visual messages.
42) In business presentations, maintaining consistency among your visuals is less important than
impressing the audience with a wide range of special effects.
43) A good way to distinguish between “operating expenses” and “equipment costs” on a pie
chart illustrating monthly expenses would be to use contrasting colors.
44) In business presentations, images should always be arranged symmetrically around a central
point or axis.
45) The more decorative elements you can add to a graphic, the more interesting and useful it
will be to the audience.
46) Altering the horizontal or vertical scale on a line graph can profoundly influence your
audience’s perception of the data you present.