Test Item File for Excellence in Business Communication, Fourth Canadian Edition
Chapter 4
1) The writing process includes three major phases: planning, writing, and completing.
A) True
B) False
2) During the planning stage, you organize your message by preparing an outline.
A) True
B) False
3) Analyzing your audience needs is something you do after you send the message in
order to prepare for questions.
A) True
B) False
4) When allocating your time among the three stages of the writing process, you should
use about a fourth of the time for planning, half the time for writing, and a quarter of the
time for completing.
A) True
B) False
5) The three general purposes of business messages are to inform, to persuade, and to
collaborate.
A) True
B) False
6) If your message is intended strictly to inform, you control the message.
A) True
B) False
7) If you seek to persuade your audience, you surrender all control over your message.
A) True
B) False
8) Collaborative messages are high in audience participation but low in communicator
control.
A) True
B) False
9) Once you have established your purpose, it’s best to consider whether it is worth
pursuing at this time.
A) True
B) False
10) To collaborate with audience members, you need maximum participation.
A) True
B) False
11) For some messages, certain audience members might be more important than others.
A) True
B) False
12) No matter how you feel personally about a situation, your communication reflects
your organization’s priorities.
A) True
B) False
13) If audience members share your general background, they’ll probably understand
your material without difficulty.
A) True
B) False
14) Most audiences expect your messages to supply complete details and not just a
summary of the main points.
A) True
B) False
15) If you expect your audience to be skeptical, you will need to provide more proof and
introduce your conclusions and recommendations more gradually.
A) True
B) False
16) Informal means of gathering information include browsing through company files,
chatting with colleagues, and asking your audience for input.
A) True
B) False
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17) Using the journalistic approach you can quickly tell whether a message fails to
deliver.
A) True
B) False
18) When you get a vague request for information, the best way to handle it is to provide
all the information you can and to allow audience members to pick and choose what is
useful to them.
A) True
B) False
19) Selecting the right medium for your message does not matter as long as the message
arrives undamaged.
A) True
B) False
20) A good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the journalistic
approach: asking yourself whether you have covered the who, what, where, why, and
how.
A) True
B) False
21) A medium is a verbal form of communication.
A) True
B) False
22) Memos are short, printed messages for external audiences.
A) True
B) False
23) Messages can be unethical simply because information is omitted.
A) True
B) False
24) In any kind of business communication, it’s best to emphasize the points that you
think will have the most impact on your audience.
A) True
B) False
25) To use many electronic media options successfully, a person must have at least some
degree of technical skill.
A) True
B) False
26) Media richness refers to the relative costs of advertising in the various mass media.
A) True
B) False
27) Face-to-face communication is the richest medium.
A) True
B) False
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28) If you want to emphasize the confidentiality of a message, use a medium such as a
fax or an email.
A) True
B) False
29) Time is not a significant consideration when you are selecting a medium for your
message.
A) True
B) False
30) A disadvantage of electronic media is that it is not conducive to speedy feedback.
A) True
B) False
31) The main advantage of written communication is that the writer has an opportunity to
plan and control the message.
A) True
B) False
32) The biggest disadvantage to email is that it reduces the communicator’s control over
the message.
A) True
B) False
33) It doesn’t matter how well your message is organized as long as you feel you’re
getting your point across.
A) True
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B) False
34) Brainstorming is when someone has an emotional outburst.
A) True
B) False
35) Organizing ideas using a graphic method is called a “storyteller’s tour.”
A) True
B) False
36) A message’s topic, purpose, and main idea are virtually identical.
A) True
B) False
37) The scope of your message is the range of information you present.
A) True
B) False
38) When you know your audience will be receptive to your message, use a direct
approach.
A) True
B) False
39) The direct approach suggests that you start with the evidence first and build your case
before presenting the main idea.
A) True
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B) False
40) The most straightforward business messages are routine and positive ones.
A) True
B) False
41) When choosing between the direct and indirect approaches, analyze your audience’s
likely reaction to your purpose and message.
A) True
B) False
42) When you have bad news, try to put it somewhere in the middle, cushioned by other
more positive ideas.
A) True
B) False
43) When you are preparing a long and complex message, an outline is indispensable.
A) True
B) False
44) A persuasive message asks your audience to give up something such as time, money,
power, and so on.
A) True
B) False
45) Without an outline you may be inclined to ramble.
A) True
B) False
46) The only way to plan a business message is to use a formal alphanumeric outline.
A) True
B) False
47) You’ll need a lot of facts and figures to demonstrate your points if your subject is
complex and unfamiliar or if your audience is skeptical.
A) True
B) False
48) Even if your subject is routine and the audience is positively inclined toward your
message, you need to include a lot of facts and figures to demonstrate your points.
A) True
B) False
49) In the direct approach, the evidence comes first, and the main idea comes later.
A) True
B) False
50) The direct approach is used for short messages, such as memos and letters; the
indirect approach is used for long messages, such as reports and proposals.
A) True
B) False
51) Routine messages call for the direct approach.
A) True
B) False
52) The three-step writing process consists of ________________
A) planning, writing, and completing.
B) informing, persuading, and collaborating.
C) defining the purpose, the main idea, and the topic.
D) satisfying the audience’s informational, motivational, and practical needs.
53) The three-step writing process consists of planning, writing and ___________
A) feeling.
B) delivering.
C) completing.
D) feedback.
54) Which of the following is not a general purpose common to business
communication?
A) To inform
B) To persuade
C) To negotiate
D) To collaborate
55) The general purpose of a business message determines ________________
A) the gender of the speaker or writer.
B) the amount of audience participation that is needed.
C) the location of the audience.
D) none of the above.
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56) Test your purpose by asking __________________
A) is your news is bad.
B) does someone else want to deliver it.
C) is your audience highly receptive.
D) is the timing is wrong.
57) If audience members have different levels of understanding of the topic,
_________________
A) give a brief overview only.
B) aim your message at the most influential decision makers.
C) aim your message at the lowest common denominator.
D) give a lot of detail to ensure everyone fully understands.
58) The primary audience for your message is made up of __________________
A) all who receive it.
B) the decision makers.
C) those people with the highest status.
D) those people who represent the opinions and attitudes of the majority.
59) A report meant for a wide distribution requires _________________
A) you to expect a favourable response.
B) a more formal style.
C) that you and your audience share the same general background.
D) many printed copies.
60) If you require a lot of collaboration with your audience, then _____________
A) communicator control will be high and audience participation will be low.
B) communicator control will be high and audience participation will be high.
C) communicator control will be low and audience participation will be low.
D) communicator control will be low and audience participation will be high.