Chapter 4—The Writing Process
TRUE/FALSE
1. The first step of the writing process is to compose a first draft of the message.
2. The writing process consists of planning, drafting, revising, formatting, and proofreading.
3. Without identifying the primary audience for a message, you cannot know whether you’ve achieved
your goal.
4. Email is neither as formal as a letter nor as informal as a telephone call.
5. You can more easily personalize a message addressed to several people than a message addressed to
one person.
6. Even if you cannot satisfy everyone, your first priority is to satisfy the needs of the primary audience.
7. Messages for readers outside your organization tend to be less formal than those written for readers
inside your organization.
8. When you write to someone higher in your organization, you usually present the main idea in your
first paragraph.
9. When communicating with subordinates, you should encourage collaboration and corporate ownership
of your proposal.
10. You should criticize the action, not the person, when writing a message to say something negative to a
subordinate.
11. When praising or criticizing, it is important to be specific and to criticize the action, not the person.
12. Praise in public; criticize in private.
13. If you expect that a reader will react negatively to your message, use a direct approach.
14. If your reader is likely to reject your proposal, provide external evidence and several examples to
support your position.
15. If you do not know how much your readers know about a topic, gear the amount of detail in your
message to the needs of the secondary audience.
16. When you personalize the content of a message, you make the reader feel important.
17. When you face writer’s block, you should minimize distractions by turning off the audible incoming
message alert feature on your email account and by switching your smartphone to vibrate only.
18. People often delete or read email based upon the subject line alone.
19. Every business communication contains an element of persuasion.
20. Concise writing, short paragraphs, and formal style are hallmarks of writing for the web.
21. Persuasion is a form of coercion.
22. Using “BCC” (blind computer copy) is advisable whenever you want to show your manager how you
are handling a difficult coworker situation⎯to protect yourself against recriminations later.
23. Use attachments for any email messages over 100 words.
24. The expression of the general purpose of a message should state the response or action that the writer
desires from the reader.
25. A clearly stated purpose guides you in planning the content of your message.
26. When you brainstorm ideas before composing a message, you should strive for quality, not quantity.
27. You can use mind mapping to develop a step-by-step list of ideas to include in a message.
28. When preparing a rough draft, you should write down your ideas as quickly as possible, without
worrying about format or style.
29. You will write more creatively and efficiently if you edit while composing your first draft.
30. Writer’s block is the inability to draft a message and focus on the writing process.
31. You can overcome writer’s block by creating a perfect first draft.
32. Choosing an environment conducive to work and scheduling a reasonable block of time are two ways
to avoid writer’s block.
33. Free writing is a method that helps some writers get past writer’s block.
34. Allowing some time between drafting and revising helps you distance yourself enough to identify
weaknesses in logic or diction.
35. Writers should revise for content first and then look at audience appeal and the mechanics of putting
together the document.
36. When you revise for content, you should check whether the purpose of your message will be clear to
the reader.
37. Revising for content includes determining whether your sentences have the proper rhythm and flow.
38. The final step in the revision process is to check your writing style and be sure it conveys a suitable
image of you as the writer.
39. You can detect overly long sentences by reading your message out loud.
40. Editing to identify grammar errors should precede revising for content and style.
41. If you are confident in your writing skills, the drafting stage of the business writing process is not
essential and can be skipped to save time.
42. Blogs use far more text than websites and typically allow for customer comments.
43. Regardless of who types a document, the writer is ultimately responsible for its accuracy and
appearance.
44. You will catch more errors when proofreading your final document if you proofread it on your
computer screen where you have access to a spell-checker.
45. Typically, people are willing to spend time reading long blocks of text on websites that they have
selected themselves.
46. Static websites let people retrieve information but also create strong relationships with customers.
47. Engaging graphics, useful content, and helpful links on company websites, are more user-friendly than
well-crafted paragraphs of text.
48. Proofreading for content includes ensuring that the document makes sense.
49. Well-written web pages are highly skimmable.
50. When you proofread for format errors, you should check that all the parts of the document are included
and in the proper position.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
51. Identify the correct sequence of the steps in the writing process.
a.
drafting, brainstorming, audience analysis, formatting, revising, proofreading
b.
brainstorming, audience analysis, planning, revising, proofreading, formatting
c.
audience analysis, planning, drafting, revising, formatting, proofreading
d.
formatting, planning, audience analysis, drafting, proofreading, revising
e.
audience analysis, planning, drafting, proofreading, revising, formatting
52. Which of the following statements about primary and secondary audiences is not correct?
a.
The cooperation of the primary audience is needed to achieve the objectives of your
message.
b.
The secondary audience approves or rejects the request presented in your message.
c.
The primary audience is often the highest-ranking person who receives your message.
d.
Not all of your messages will have both primary and secondary audiences.
e.
You can try to satisfy the needs of the secondary audience after you satisfy the needs of
the primary audience.
53. When you analyze your audience, you
a.
identify the reaction you will have to the reader’s needs.
b.
adapt your message tone after observing any negative reaction.
c.
examine your relationship with the reader.
d.
present external evidence to support your logos.
e.
decide on the purpose that suits each reader.
54. Upward communication is usually
a.
more formal than downward communication.
b.
front-loaded with pathos.
c.
geared toward the secondary, higher-level audience.
d.
adapted to the writer’s preference of style and diction.
e.
more authoritarian in tone than other messages.
55. Which advice about analyzing the audience reaction is correct?
a.
Regardless of the anticipated reader reaction, use the indirect approach.
b.
If the reader is likely to oppose your ideas, supply additional evidence and supporting
facts.
c.
If the reader is likely to have a positive reaction, use little jargon and strong persuasion.
d.
If you expect the reader to react negatively to you, prove that your colleagues strongly
agree with you.
e.
If you anticipate a neutral reaction, open your message with your strongest point.
56. What is the most important reason why you should determine what your audience knows about the
topic of your message?
a.
You can decide on personal touches that show readers they are important.
b.
You can anticipate whether the reader’s reaction will be positive or negative.
c.
You can gain the cooperation of your colleagues in presenting persuasive arguments.
d.
You can move through the steps of the writing process more quickly.
e.
You can decide how much jargon to use and what readability level is appropriate.
57. ____ use far more text than websites and typically allow for customer comments.
a.
IMs
b.
Tweets
c.
vlogs
d.
Letters
e.
Blogs
58. If your supervisor is hesitant about accepting your ideas, your best strategy would be to
a.
write a direct and to the point opening paragraph.
b.
add a paragraph to establish your credibility.
c.
preview your conclusion before you begin.
d.
praise your supervisor for her past insights.
e.
end your message with specific action steps.
59. Which of the following statements is not true about indirect opening paragraphs?
a.
They create a softer tone for the reader, compared to a direct format.
b.
They include a purpose statement.
c.
They omit a preview statement.
d.
They provide more background information than a direct format.
e.
They are appropriate if you anticipate a negative response.
60. Which of the following is the best example of an effective business email subject line?
a.
Project deliverables with notations.
b.
Need your input on the proposal revisions by 8/12.
c.
Customer question forwarded for your review.
d.
Please reply to the V.P. ASAP.
e.
Even if you don’t read any other emails today, you must read this one!
61. Planning includes all of the following except
a.
identifying the general and specific purposes of your message.
b.
organizing the message.
c.
analyzing the audience.
d.
revising for correctness.
e.
deciding on the content.
62. Which of the following is not true of the purpose of a message?
a.
It is easier to start with a general purpose and then identify your specific purpose.
b.
It is important to determine what the reader is supposed to do as a result of reading your
message.
c.
The success of the message lies in whether or not you achieved your communication
objective.
d.
The purpose serves as a yardstick for judging the success of the message.
e.
Your communication may be successful even if you did not meet your communication
objective.
63. Which component of the writing process serves as a yardstick for determining whether your message
is successful?
a.
analyzing the primary audience
b.
identifying the specific purpose
c.
revising for technical content
d.
proofreading for grammatical errors
e.
organizing the content
64. In contrast to a message’s general purpose, the specific purpose
a.
identifies the specific needs of the primary and secondary audiences you want to reach.
b.
defines the specific information you can offer as persuasive evidence.
c.
includes background details that enhance your credibility as the writer.
d.
serves as a starting point for mind-mapping the format of a specific message.
e.
is sufficiently clear-cut to guide your decisions about content and organization.
65. Which of the following is not true about determining content?
a.
Do not start writing until you have planned what you want to say.
b.
Include enough information so that you do not lose your reader.
c.
Avoid using irrelevant material that obscures important data.
d.
Use brainstorming or mind mapping to assist you.
e.
Begin evaluating ideas as they occur to you.
66. Which of the following statements about content is not correct?
a.
Brainstorming is often an effective method to determine the content of your message.
b.
Mind mapping produces a visual outline that allows more flexibility than a step-by-step
list.
c.
Start writing immediately and decide about content as you write.
d.
Determine the content after identifying the purposes and analyzing the audience.
e.
Many communication tasks require a number of decisions about content.
67. Which of the following correctly describes the use of brainstorming?
a.
Strive for quantity of ideas, not quality of ideas.
b.
Evaluate your output before you list your ideas.
c.
Organize the ideas into categories as soon as possible.
d.
Refine, delete, and combine ideas at the start.
e.
Arrange every idea in its proper sequence.
68. Which step is not a part of the organization process?
a.
grouping related ideas together
b.
matching the order to anticipated audience response
c.
differentiating major and minor points
d.
determining the most effective sequence of ideas
e.
mind-mapping ideas into step-by-step lists
69. Which of the following is not true about the drafting phase?
a.
Avoid rushing through.
b.
Go with the flow of your ideas.
c.
Do not worry about style, correctness, or format.
d.
Separate drafting from revising.
e.
Remember that writing and rewriting are most effective when done together.
70. Identify the correct statement about drafting.
a.
Messages should be drafted during brainstorming sessions.
b.
A writer should concentrate on style and accuracy when drafting a message.
c.
Revising while drafting is an effective way to enhance creativity.
d.
Writers should compose a first draft after letting their ideas flow.
e.
Drafting is the process of producing the final version of the message.
71. Which of the following does not cause writer’s block?
a.
questioning your ability to produce an effective message
b.
becoming impatient with how much time a project takes
c.
waiting until the last minute to draft a message
d.
expecting to write a perfect message on the first try
e.
producing too many ideas through brainstorming
72. An effective strategy for treating writer’s block is to
a.
schedule brief blocks of time to prepare a draft.
b.
write the most difficult parts first to get them out of the way.
c.
strive for perfection now to save time during revision.
d.
select an environment in which you can concentrate.
e.
state your objective as simply as possible.
73. When you use free writing, you are
a.
allowing time to plan, draft, and revise a message in one sitting.
b.
brainstorming freely about a writing project.
c.
deciding how freely to revise a first draft.
d.
evaluating the results of your first draft as freely as possible.
e.
writing continuously for several minutes without stopping.
74. Thinking out loud can help you get through writer’s block because it enables you to
a.
brainstorm without worrying about content.