Business Communication Today, 11e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 14 Writing Reports and Proposals
1) To gain credibility with your audience in business reports, do all of the following except
A) research all sides of your topic.
B) make the report lengthy.
C) avoid setting unrealistic expectations.
D) document your findings with credible sources.
2) When you write in a formal style, you should
A) eliminate references to I and me.
B) open with a humorous anecdote.
C) use many colorful adjectives or adverbs.
D) still include contractions such as “We’ve” to retain a conversational tone.
3) The writing style for a report should be more formal if
A) you know your readers reasonably well.
B) your report is internal.
C) the subject is controversial or complex.
D) the report is relatively short.
4) Which of the following statements has the most formal tone?
A) The financial analysis clearly shows that buying TramCo is the best alternative.
B) I think we should buy TramCo.
C) In my opinion, we should consider the purchase of TramCo.
D) We therefore conclude that acquiring TramCo would (based on information we have
gathered) be in our company’s best interest.
5) When writing business reports for outsiders (such as customers or suppliers), it is best to
A) use a more formal tone than you would for an internal audience.
B) use a less formal tone than you would for an internal audience.
C) include personal references such as “you” and “us.”
D) use a great deal of idiomatic language.
6) Whereas a(n) ________ file in a report requires readers to be online so the file can be updated,
a(n) ________ file does not.
A) embedded; linked
B) linked; embedded
C) pdf; Microsoft Word
D) Microsoft Word; pdf
7) The introduction (or opening) of a business report or proposal should always
A) outline your conclusions or recommendations.
B) list all the sources from which you draw information.
C) provide a detailed description of your qualifications to write the report.
D) indicate why the subject of the report is important.
8) The detailed proof needed to support your conclusions and recommendations should appear in
the ________ of your report.
A) opening
B) body
C) close
D) appendix
9) The close of a report should
A) emphasize the main points of the message.
B) summarize reader benefits if the document suggests a change.
C) bring all action items together and give details about who should do what, when, where, and
how.
D) achieve all of the above.
10) In the introduction to a report on how to establish a paperless office, explaining the historical
conditions or factors that led up to the report
A) enables readers to understand how the opportunity developed.
B) is unnecessary in internal reports.
C) diminishes your credibility by wasting readers’ time.
D) is necessary only in very formal reports.
11) A public health expert is writing a report on lead hazards for a widespread audience. Any
terms in the report that are unfamiliar to her audience should be defined in the
A) introduction.
B) body.
C) explanatory notes.
D) any of the above.
12) In the close of a report intended to prompt sales personnel to meet specific goals, you should
A) provide hints on what the audience should do so you don’t sound like you’re giving orders.
B) instruct your audience to contact you about what they should do next.
C) make sure your readers understand exactly what’s expected of them and when it’s expected.
D) imply that they will be fired if the goals are not achieved.
13) If you end up with a large number conclusions, recommendations, or actions in your report,
it is a good idea to
A) go back to the drawing board and cut them down to one or two, at the most.
B) combine similar items to make it easy on your readers.
C) number and list them.
D) leave them out of the report itself and include them in an appendix.
14) Generally speaking, an effective proposal can
A) follow the AIDA model.
B) follow the plan for good-news messages.
C) avoid the “you” attitude.
D) be as vague as possible.
15) The introduction of a solicited proposal
A) need not be as detailed as that of an unsolicited proposal.
B) should refer specifically to the RFP that initiated it.
C) should downplay the magnitude of the problem you’re addressing.
D) is expected to be much longer than that of an unsolicited proposal.
16) Which of the following is not an element normally included in the introduction of a
proposal?
A) Background/statement of the problem or opportunity
B) Proposed solution to the problem
C) The scope of the report
D) Statement of qualifications
17) “Delimitations” refer to
A) market conditions that allow a company to adopt your proposal.
B) employee restraints that have recently been lifted.
C) the scope of your proposal.
D) harsh realities that may prevent your audience from adopting your proposal.
18) In the body of a proposal, the section describing the concept, product, or service you have to
offer can be called
A) Technical Proposal.
B) Research Design.
C) Issues for Analysis.
D) any of the above.
19) In a proposal, the work plan
A) is presented in the conclusion.
B) is contractually binding if the proposal is accepted.
C) outlines the costs of the proposed actions.
D) involves all of the above.
20) Describing your organization’s qualifications in a formal proposal is
A) considered arrogant and should be avoided.
B) appropriate, but only in the introduction.
C) an essential part of the body.
D) a good idea only when your recommendations are controversial.
21) The close of a proposal should
A) be extremely low key to avoid your audience thinking you are overconfident.
B) avoid restating why you or your firm are the ones to perform the service in question.
C) make clear that your company is not desperate for business.
D) do all of the above.
22) When writing content to post on the web, keep in mind that readers can be ________ of
online content.
A) respectful
B) receptive
C) skeptical
D) none of the above
23) In a proposal to install an air conditioning system, statements such as “Our company has over
25 years of experience installing heating, plumbing, and air conditioning systems” should appear
in what section?
A) Introduction
B) Body
C) Close
D) Appendix
24) Smooth transitions between sections and links to other documents and sources of information
are important
A) in online reports, but not usually necessary in written ones.
B) whether your report appears in print or online.
C) in print reports, but not in those published online.
D) in any report longer than 2 pages.
25) In an online report, headlines
A) should rarely be used.
B) can be used to provide links to other sections of the report and other websites.
C) are considered trendy and should usually be avoided.
D) complicate the organization of your report by enabling readers to jump from section to
section.
26) Transitional words and phrases
A) tie ideas together and show how one thought is related to another.
B) help overcome poor organization.
C) are essential to analytical reports but unnecessary in informational reports.
D) do all of the above.
27) Effective transitions in business reports
A) should never be longer than a short phrase.
B) may be as long as a sentence.
C) may be as long as a paragraph.
D) are included only between major sections–never within each section.
28) Which of the following would be the most effective preview in a formal report?
A) Our sales in the eastern region have plummeted but we think we know the cause and it is
definitely not our fault.
B) First, let me begin by introducing our team.
C) The next section discusses the advantages of Internet advertising, something that can make or
break your company.
D) Okay, now for the important part.
29) When preparing review sections in a report,
A) always write them in narrative form, not as lists.
B) use multiple review sections if the report is long and complex.
C) introduce new facts and information to support the review points.
D) do all of the above.
30) Which of the following would be the most effective review in a formal report?
A) As this section has shown, our current marketing strategy is highly effective.
B) The next segment illustrates potential challenges that our company faces in the coming
decade.
C) Having outlined the details, I will now offer a few other points.
D) Now that the body of the report is finished, supporting evidence needs to be provided.
31) Using templates in preparing reports
A) limits your creativity and makes your report look ordinary.
B) is a sign of incompetence.
C) saves time by providing a format and identifying the specific sections required for the type of
report you are writing.
D) is costly and time-consuming.
32) Your report contains a spreadsheet with figures that are updated daily. To ensure currency,
you should include the spreadsheet as a(n) ________ file.
A) linked
B) embedded
C) encrypted
D) none of the above
33) In an online report regarding your region’s potential for market growth, the best way to
include a spreadsheet containing last year’s sales figures would be to
A) embed the spreadsheet in your report.
B) include the spreadsheet in an appendix.
C) simply insert the spreadsheet using Microsoft Word.
D) link the spreadsheet to your report.
34) When drafting content for online reports, it is helpful to use the inverted pyramid style of
organization in which you
A) cover the most important information first and then gradually reveal more detail.
B) cover the least important information first and work your way to the main idea.
C) make readers believe you are headed in one direction, and reveal your true intentions at the
end.
D) walk readers through arguments you don’t support, and then explain why.
35) The primary value of a wiki stems from
A) its revolutionary technology.
B) its focus on a single, expert perspective.
C) the collective insight of all its contributors.
D) none of the above.
36) Using words such as I and we decreases the formality of your report.
37) Communicating with people within your organization usually calls for more formality than
one would use in reports for customers or suppliers.
38) Documenting your sources is important for reports you write in school, but it is not necessary
in business reports.
39) Linking a spreadsheet to your report will help ensure that readers are always seeing the most
up-to-date information.
40) Any formal business report should include all of the following elements in the introduction:
authorization, problem/purpose, scope, background, sources/methods, definitions, limitations,
and report organization.
41) If your report is intended to prompt others to action, in the close you should specify exactly
what should happen next.
42) In a business report, you should not introduce new facts as part of a conclusion or
recommendation.
43) Combining conclusions and recommendations under one heading is not acceptable in
business reports.
44) In solicited proposals, you have more freedom in terms of scope and organization than you
do in unsolicited proposals.