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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following is true of a deductively organized message?
a.
It uses a buffer or goodwill opening to soften the approach and the reader's reception.
b.
It starts with a direct introduction followed by a brief overview of the contents of the message.
c.
It starts with an explanation and details followed by the main idea of the message.
d.
It announces the purpose of the message from the sender's perspective.
2. For an inductively organized message, which of the following can be used to soften the approach and the reader's
reception?
a.
An agenda
b.
A memo
c.
A paradox
d.
A buffer
3. Which of the following is true of the topic sentence in a paragraph?
a.
It is positioned in the middle of a paragraph.
b.
It is not used in a deductive paragraph.
c.
It presents the central idea of a paragraph.
d.
It precedes details in a paragraph that is inductive.
4. Which of the following is true of topic sentences?
a.
They are used for de-emphasizing insignificant ideas.
b.
They are clearly linked with details that precede or follow.
c.
They are not used in deductive paragraphs.
d.
They are avoided when listing steps of a process.
5. Which of the following statements is true of paragraph lengths?
a.
Paragraphs in business reports are usually shorter than the paragraphs in emails and memos.
b.
A long first paragraph is more inviting to read than a short first paragraph.
c.
A long last paragraph should be used to enable a writer to emphasize parting thoughts.
d.
As a general rule, paragraphs should be no longer than eight to ten lines.
6. Business communicators normally use active voice more heavily than passive voice because active voice:
a.
subordinates an unpleasant thought.
b.
conceals the doer of an action.
c.
conveys ideas more vividly.
d.
avoids finger-pointing.
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
7. Active voice differs from passive voice in that active voice:
a.
places greater emphasis on the subject's concerns.
b.
conveys ideas less vividly.
c.
avoids finger-pointing.
d.
subordinates an unpleasant thought.
8. In comparison with active voice, passive voice:
a.
reveals the doer of an action.
b.
subordinates an unpleasant thought.
c.
reinforces finger-pointing.
d.
conveys ideas more vividly.
9. Miranda is preparing a report on her company's monthly business activities. Which of the following sentences from
Miranda's article is in passive voice?
a.
The sales department did not meet its targets last month.
b.
The project team has achieved great results.
c.
A great job was done by the marketing research department.
d.
A new manager in the company has given a few suggestions.
10. To emphasize an idea in a simple sentence:
a.
position it in the middle of the sentence.
b.
let it appear only once in the sentence.
c.
use a small amount of space.
d.
place it in an independent clause.
11. "The training session was worthwhile; it was worthwhile because employees learned to do the task correctly" is an
example of the emphasis technique of _____.
a.
position
b.
repetition
c.
words that label
d.
space and format
12. A _____ reminds the reader of the key points of the body of a message in a more general way.
a.
topic conclusion
b.
call-to-action conclusion
c.
goodwill conclusion
d.
summary conclusion
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
13. Which of the following is true of a call-to-action conclusion?
a.
It is typically used for short routine messages.
b.
It encourages readers to take the next step in a process.
c.
It emphasizes an important topic or takeaway from a message.
d.
It reminds readers of the benefits of a process.
14. Even for the most routine messages, a(n) _____ should be provided to provide closure and convey goodwill to the
reader.
a.
buffer
b.
agenda
c.
dependent clause
d.
conclusion
15. Malcolm is a professional writer. He has published many bestsellers. One of his friends expressed interest in knowing
more about his writing process, so Malcolm showed his friend a few of his first drafts. The friend observed that the drafts
were nothing like the final book, and the writing seemed amateurish compared with Malcolm's published work. In this
scenario, which of the following is a likely reason for the difference in Malcolm's first drafts and the final books?
a.
Malcolm would have revised his work many times before he was satisfied with it.
b.
The publishing company would have changed Malcolm's books entirely before publishing them.
c.
Malcolm would have spent time making sure the first drafts are perfect.
d.
Writers only create first drafts; other people produce all subsequent drafts.
16. In order to effectively revise and proofread a document, you should:
a.
avoid using visual enhancements at all times as they clutter the document.
b.
avoid taking suggestions from others on rewriting the document.
c.
revise the document until you find new ways to improve it.
d.
attempt to see things from the audience's perspective.
17. In a document, enumerated or bulleted lists:
a.
should be placed only in the appendix section.
b.
result in divergence from the flow of the written message.
c.
can be used to add visual impact to items in a series.
d.
result in too much white space, making the page look less organized.
18. Joe maintains a blog where he shares his experience of teaching martial arts. In his next blog, he plans to include the
steps to be taken to improve the balance of postures. In this scenario, which of the following should he use to write about
the steps?
a.
A boxed text
b.
A bulleted list
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
c.
A bar graph
d.
An enumerated list
19. In the context of written messages, _____ are signposts that direct the receiver from one section of a document to
another.
a.
enumerations
b.
tables
c.
headings
d.
graphs
20. Which of the following is considered an outdated expression?
a.
As you requested
b.
As per your request
c.
The enclosed
d.
Sincerely
21. Martha writes a letter to a movie producer sharing a screenplay that she has written. Her letter ends with the words
"Enclosed please find a copy of the script. Very truly yours, Martha." In terms of readability, what mistake has Martha
made in her letter?
a.
She has used clichés.
b.
She has used active voice.
c.
She has used outdated expressions.
d.
She has used very informal words.
22. _____ are overused expressions that can cause their users to be perceived as unoriginal, unimaginative, lazy, and
perhaps even disrespectful.
a.
Chunks
b.
Prototypes
c.
Clichés
d.
Jargons
23. Which of the following carries the risk of creating a hostile working environment?
a.
A cliché
b.
Jargon
c.
Profanity
d.
A meme
24. Which of the following is an important step for fostering human relations in a professional setting?
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
a.
Avoiding the use of jargon
b.
Minimizing the use of profanity
c.
Avoiding redundancies in speech
d.
Using clichés in business messages
25. When is it appropriate to use jargon?
a.
Only while delivering bad-news messages
b.
Only when speaking to professionals in the same field
c.
Only when speaking in informal settings
d.
Only during international business communication
26. Which of the following is true of concise messages?
a.
They use outdated expressions and have a dull and unnatural tone.
b.
They divert attention from the real message to emotional issues that have little to do with the message.
c.
They save time and money for both the sender and the receiver.
d.
They include jargons and clichés.
27. A good practice for communicating concisely is to:
a.
avoid using second person when presenting ideas.
b.
use clichés to convey the message in a single sentence.
c.
use passive voice whenever possible.
d.
shorten sentences by using suffixes or prefixes.
28. To reduce the sting of an unpleasant thought, _____.
a.
employ active voice
b.
use second person pronoun
c.
state ideas using positive language
d.
avoid using the subjunctive mood
29. While communicating, sentences in subjunctive mood:
a.
distract the receiver from paying sufficient attention to the statements that follow.
b.
include a reason that makes a negative idea seem less objectionable and thus improves the tone.
c.
divert attention from the real message to emotional issues that have little to do with the message.
d.
restate ideas that are sufficiently implied.
30. Mustafa is the president of ZoneIn Industries Inc., a company that manufactures PVC pipes and fittings. Due to losses
incurred by the company, Mustafa reduced a major portion of the workers' pay and called it "temporary economic
adaptation." In this scenario, the term used to represent the cutback exemplifies:
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
a.
jargon.
b.
a euphemism.
c.
libel.
d.
a redundancy.
31. Which of the following is most likely to generate a favorable response from the receiver?
a.
Using connotative tone extensively
b.
Using euphemistic terms rather than negative terms
c.
Using doubletalk extensively
d.
Using active voice to convey negative ideas
32. Which of the following is true of a dysphemism?
a.
It makes an idea seem negative or disrespectful.
b.
It is a kind word substituted for one that may offend.
c.
It helps build and protect goodwill.
d.
It is also known as corporate speak.
33. In which of the following ways can effective communicators protect goodwill?
a.
By avoiding the use of dysphemism
b.
By using connotative instead of denotative words
c.
By using passive voice instead of active voice
d.
By avoiding the use of subjunctive sentences
34. The _____ of a word is the literal meaning of the word plus an extra message that reveals the speaker's or writer's
qualitative judgment.
a.
connotative meaning
b.
stylistic meaning
c.
denotative meaning
d.
direct meaning
35. Which of the following is a difference between connotative words and denotative words?
a.
Connotative words reveal the speaker's or writer's qualitative judgment, whereas denotative words do not
reveal the speaker's or writer's qualitative judgment.
b.
Denotative words involve messages that are implied, whereas connotative words involve messages that are
explicit.
c.
Denotative words are interpreted based on the context, whereas connotative words are not interpreted based on
the context.
d.
Connotative words distract the receiver from paying attention to the statements that precede, whereas
denotative words distract the receiver from paying attention to the statements that follow.
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
36. Which of the following sentences has a connotative meaning?
a.
"Please do not hassle the customer service representatives with too frequent questions."
b.
"Research and development has developed an outstanding production process."
c.
"Rita's drive and enthusiasm make her successful at sales."
d.
"Your ability to meet deadlines is satisfactory."
37. Which of the following sentences uses specific language?
a.
The public outcry was huge.
b.
Please supply me with changes to the proposal by this Friday at noon.
c.
Sam is a great manager.
d.
Please get back to me soon about what we have already discussed.
38. Which of the following statements is ethnically biased?
a.
"Please give your form to Sheila, the Asian woman."
b.
"George is the older gentleman who works downstairs."
c.
"Blind employees receive special treatment."
d.
"Employees with vision impairments receive compensation."
39. When proofreading, which of the following questions should you ask to locate errors in the organization of a
document?
a.
Is the information in the document complete?
b.
Does the document pass the "skim test"?
c.
Have words been omitted in the document?
d.
Does the message treat the receiver honestly and ethically?
40. When communicating about people with disabilities, one must:
a.
use words that have ambiguous connotations.
b.
adhere to people-first language.
c.
focus on the disability rather than the person.
d.
use a dysphemism.
41. Which of the following is true of business writing?
a.
It should be elaborate and detailed.
b.
It requires providing sufficient "entry points" into a message to enable skimming.
c.
It is contrary to technical writing.
d.
It uses a formal style complete with multisyllabic words and long sentences.
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
True / False
42. Writing a message rapidly with intent to rewrite certain portions can be frustrating and can reduce the quality of the
finished work.
a.
True
b.
False
43. Business communicators normally use passive voice more heavily than active voice because passive voice conveys
ideas more vividly.
a.
True
b.
False
44. To emphasize an idea in a simple sentence, place it in a dependent clause.
a.
True
b.
False
45. To emphasize a word or an idea, position it first or last in a sentence, clause, paragraph, or presentation.
a.
True
b.
False
46. Overuse of visual enhancements will cause a document to appear cluttered and will defeat the purpose of creating an
appealing, easy-to-read document.
a.
True
b.
False
47. In a document, numerals are typically preferred over bullets unless the sequence of the items in a series is critical.
a.
True
b.
False
48. The Fog Index and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level calculator consider the length of sentences and the difficulty of
words to produce the approximate grade level at which a person must read in order to understand the material.
a.
True
b.
False
49. Writing a passage with a readability index appropriate for the audience guarantees the message will be understood.
a.
True
b.
False
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
50. Routinely used clichés capture the receiver's attention because they are interesting.
a.
True
b.
False
51. Business writers prefer simple, informal words that are readily understood and less distracting than more difficult,
formal words.
a.
True
b.
False
52. Using passive voice reduces the number of words required to express an idea and thus saves the reader a little time.
a.
True
b.
False
53. Condescending words seem to imply that the communicator is temporarily coming down from a level of superiority to
join the receiver on a level of inferiority.
a.
True
b.
False
54. Human relations can suffer when denotative words are inadvertently used instead of connotative words.
a.
True
b.
False
55. Most often, using specific words while communicating negative ideas keeps the ideas from receiving more emphasis
than they deserve.
a.
True
b.
False
56. The word "salesman" has a gender bias.
a.
True
b.
False
57. The following statement shows racial bias: "The chairman of the committee will be delivering a speech."
a.
True
b.
False
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
58. For the sake of efficiency, you should finish proofreading a document with one revision.
a.
True
b.
False
59. To produce a finished product that is free of errors, one must use the spell checker to locate simple keying errors and
repeated words in the document.
a.
True
b.
False
60. In business writing, one should use third person for presenting pleasant ideas and second person for presenting
unpleasant ideas.
a.
True
b.
False
Essay
61. Discuss the techniques employed by writers to link ideas together.
62. Discuss why effective communicators should vary sentence and paragraph length in their writing.
63. What are active voice and passive voice? Discuss their purposes in detail.
64. Discuss in detail the various techniques employed to emphasize an idea or a word in a message.
65. Revise the following paragraph from an email message to employees. Focus on the voice, appropriate sentence length,
and word selection to make the passage effective.
With the approach of the end of this fiscal year, it has been recommended by our accountant that the monies allocated in
the budget to capital equipment be used as soon as it is expedient. Therefore, as has been our practice in the past, we are
requesting that each of you compile a comprehensive detailed list outlining your requests for new equipment that you may
have put on the back burner, so to speak. It would be appreciated if you could provide this information to me by the first
of next month so that I can begin to process all orders prior to the expiration of the fiscal year. It is anticipated that a
multitude of requests will be simultaneously submitted by department heads; it is highly probable that requests for
equipment will be processed in the order received and delayed requests may not be funded. I sincerely appreciate your
cooperation in our efforts to upgrade some of our capital equipment.
66. List and briefly explain five visual enhancements a writer can use to draw attention to important
information.
67. Revise the following paragraph to add appropriate visual enhancements, such as enumerations, bullet lists, headings,
tables or graphs, and so forth.
TO: John Henry, Personnel Director
FROM: Lena Rose, Vice President
DATE: xxx
SUBJECT: EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
You will recall the recent telephone survey we conducted on over 200 employees from the past five years to determine
why so many of our workers leave our firm to take jobs elsewhere. The analysis of the data gathered on employee
terminations has been completed. Our investigation resulted in two findings that are particularly noteworthy. Most
workers who leave our firm to work elsewhere do not leave because they believe they are poorly paid. Their primary
complaint is that they did not have satisfactory working relationships with their supervisors while working for us. The
need for better communication throughout our work force is clear. Accordingly, the following steps will be taken to meet
this important need. All supervisors will interview their subordinates once each quarter rather than once each year, as in
the past. Also, seminars in management communication skills will be provided for all supervisors and department heads to
help them develop more effective communication techniques. We believe these efforts will open channels of
communication among our employees and eliminate most of the frustration revealed by former workers in our recent
survey. We have also designated an employee relations officer to personally deal with worker complaints of a particularly
serious nature. Also, those who come up with ways to improve communication will be rewarded in the form of incentives.
Finally, a company newsletter will be published monthly to provide an opportunity for employees to express their views
publicly and to improve the flow of information throughout the firm. Appointments to the newsletter staff will be
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Chapter 04: Preparing Written Messages
announced shortly.
These changes will go into effect on July 1 and will be officially announced to all employees next week. We believe these
initiatives will be effective in our efforts to improve communication among employees, upgrade worker morale, and
reduce the firm's costly and disruptive employee turnover problems. We will need your support as well as that of other
first-level officers if the desired results are to be obtained in this undertaking. Feel free to make suggestions or
recommendations that you believe may be helpful. We are hopeful that these changes will be well received by employees
at all levels.
68. Explain how electronic tools aid in making computations and identifying changes that can improve readability.
69. Discuss the techniques you should follow to communicate concisely in a document.
70. Tom is the general manager at Glorious Solutions, a content development company. He was impressed with
Stephanie's work and considered promoting her to the position of team leader. To judge her leadership qualities, Tom
asked Stephanie to handle a sensitive issue regarding an employee who was on leave for two weeks without obtaining
prior permission from anyone in the workplace. He asked Stephanie to send an email issuing an ultimatum to the
concerned employee. Unsure of how she should handle the matter, Stephanie sought James's help; James is a team leader
at a multinational corporation and is used to handling such sensitive issues in a constructive manner. Discuss in detail the
suggestions James should give to Stephanie.
71. Why is it necessary to avoid discriminatory language? List the guidelines that help in avoiding bias in a
document.
72. In the context of written messages, list the procedures you should follow to produce a finished product that
is free of errors.
73. While proofreading a document onscreen, what questions should you ask to locate errors in content,
organization, and style?
74. How does business writing differ from academic writing? List down the various points of difference between these
two genres of writing.
