Business Communication Today, 11e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 5 Writing Business Messages
1) Which of the following statements that would appear in a business letter best reflects the
“you” attitude?
A) You failed to enclose a check for $25.
B) We need a check from you for $25 so that we can send the merchandise by May 15.
C) We will send you the merchandise as soon as we receive your check for $25.
D) You will have your merchandise by July 15 if you send us your check for $25 today.
2) Select the sentence with the best “you” attitude:
A) Because your report was poorly written, we cannot accept it.
B) Your report failed to meet company requirements.
C) When we receive a report that is professional, we can act on your recommendations.
D) Once your application is complete, you should receive a response within two weeks.
3) It is best to limit your use of the word “you” in business messages if
A) you know your audience well.
B) your organization prefers an informal, personal style.
C) you are filling your audience’s informational needs.
D) it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusing.
4) In part because of limited opportunities for feedback, written and most forms of electronic
communication require ________ than oral communication.
A) less care
B) fewer nouns
C) more tact
D) more informality
5) Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis:
A) We failed to complete the process audit on time.
B) We hope to complete the process audit by Friday.
C) We haven’t completed the process audit.
D) Because of Joan’s inaccurate figures on the Haymen project, we are not finished with the
process audit.
6) When you are criticizing or correcting, it is best to
A) focus on what the audience members can do to improve.
B) emphasize the audience’s mistakes so that they will not make the same ones again.
C) be honest and call attention to the audience’s failures or shortcomings.
D) single out the guilty audience members as an example for everyone else to learn from.
7) A euphemism is a word or phrase that is
A) possibly offensive.
B) general or abstract in meaning.
C) highly technical.
D) a milder term for one with negative connotations.
8) The preferred title for women in business is ________, unless the individual says otherwise.
A) Mrs.
B) Miss
C) Ms.
D) Madam
9) Using the term crippled in business communication is an example of
A) the “you” attitude.
B) emphasizing the positive.
C) disability bias.
D) none of the above.
10) To establish credibility with your audience, you should
A) impress them with a long list of your accomplishments.
B) be modest and deferential.
C) show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.
D) use hedge words (“maybe,” “perhaps”) to demonstrate your knowledge that no issue is fully
cut and dried.
11) In business messages, using terms such as “if,” “hope,” and “trust” is
A) usually a bad idea since it takes away from the writer’s credibility.
B) a good way to show your modesty.
C) common courtesy.
D) acceptable for very formal contexts.
12) The casual, acronym-laden language used in text messaging and IM is
A) generally considered inappropriate and unprofessional in business.
B) accepted and even appreciated among today’s busy professionals.
C) a good way to display your technical savvy to coworkers and managers.
D) none of the above.
13) Which of the following is not an example of pompous language?
A) We are in receipt of
B) Please be advised that
C) Please let us know
D) We wish to inform you
14) Using humor in business messages is
A) an effective way to build strong relationships with clients you are not familiar with.
B) usually not effective, and is always inappropriate for formal and intercultural messages.
C) appropriate for external messages, but never for internal.
D) none of the above.
15) Plain language is a style of writing
A) used only for casual correspondence.
B) designed to make complex materials more understandable to the audience.
C) aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language.
D) inappropriate for business communication.
16) Which of the following sentences contains the strongest and most effective wording?
A) Given the parameters of the situation, the most propitious choice would be to make
adjustments in certain budget areas.
B) We need to cut the operating budget by 12 percent or profits will plummet.
C) Someone’s going to need to do some budget cutting around here or heads will roll.
D) Perusal of budgetary figures reveals that a 12 percent reduction in operations is called for if
we are to stave off a negative impact on profits.
17) Identify the voice in the following sentence: “Based on negative client feedback, the
marketing department abandoned the campaign.”
A) Active
B) Passive
C) Vocative
D) State of being
18) Using the passive voice makes sense when
A) you want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
B) you want your sentence to be easier to understand.
C) you need to make your sentences shorter.
D) you want to emphasize the subject.
19) The rules of grammar and usage
A) used to be very complex, but have become simpler than ever.
B) have not changed in decades, and tend to remain constant over time.
C) are complex and some evolve over time.
D) no longer matter in business writing.
20) The connotative meaning of a word is
A) its dictionary meaning.
B) its literal meaning.
C) all the associations and feelings the word evokes.
D) its objective meaning.
21) Which of the following words are the most abstract?
A) Two, contract, performance
B) Software, code, signal
C) Kick, move, walk
D) Productivity, excellence, motivation
22) “Although our servers are stable, the telephone system is a serious concern” is a
A) simple sentence.
B) compound sentence.
C) complex sentence.
D) compound-complex sentence.
23) “Insurance premiums have increased, and cost-of-living raises have not kept up” is a
A) simple sentence.
B) compound sentence.
C) complex sentence.
D) compound-complex sentence.
24) Which of the following is a compound sentence?
A) Interest rates are low, and now is an excellent time to buy a home.
B) Because interest rates are low, now is an excellent time to buy a home.
C) Low interest rates make this an excellent time to buy a home.
D) With interest rates low, now is an excellent time to buy a home.
25) A complex sentence consists of
A) two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
B) a single subject and a single predicate plus any modifying phrases.
C) two or more independent clauses along with all modifying phrases.
D) one main thought and one or more subordinate thoughts.
26) You can emphasize key points by
A) using extra words to describe them.
B) making important ideas the subject of the sentence.
C) placing them at the beginning or end of a sentence.
D) doing all of the above.
27) To downplay a dependent clause in a complex sentence, you should
A) place it at the beginning of the sentence.
B) place it at the end of the sentence.
C) place it in the middle of the sentence.
D) set it off with a semicolon.
28) A typical paragraph contains the three basic elements of
A) a topic sentence, support sentences, and transitional words and phrases.
B) simple, compound, and complex sentences followed by compound-complex sentences.
C) the main idea, supporting ideas, and evidence.
D) a problem, discussion, and a solution.
29) Words such as “nevertheless,” “however,” “but,” and “therefore”
A) are called pointer words.
B) introduce modifiers.
C) occur only in complex sentences.
D) are useful for making transitions.
30) Which of the following identifies a paragraph that focuses on the reasons that something gets
developed?
A) Illustration
B) Comparison and contrast
C) Cause and effect
D) Problem and solution
31) When you want to develop a paragraph by showing how a general idea is broken into
specific categories, which of these methods would you use?
A) Illustration
B) Comparison and contrast
C) Cause and effect
D) Classification
32) To ensure a consistent look for all company documents, many organizations provide
employees with approved
A) autocompletion software.
B) spreadsheets.
C) macros.
D) style sheets.
33) Boilerplate is
A) a piece of computer hardware used to increase modem speed.
B) a standard block of text used in various documents without being changed.
C) a list of most-used email addresses.
D) a machine used in professional printing.
34) A piece of text copied from the main body of the document and formatted as a large, eye-
catching visual element is known as a
A) boilerplate.
B) pull quote.
C) template.
D) style sheet.
35) Which type of software feature inserts a ready-made block of text when you type the first
few characters?
A) Machine translation
B) Mail merge
C) Autocompletion
D) Autocorrection
36) Adopting a “you” attitude in business writing is simply a matter of using the pronoun “you”
as much as possible.
37) In general, the word “you” should be avoided when you are assigning responsibility for a
mistake or problem.
38) When delivering negative news, it is misleading to emphasize any positive aspects of the
situation.
39) You should always avoid using euphemisms, because they are inherently dishonest.
40) Using the word “young” to describe an employee can have negative implications.
41) Being too modest can reduce your credibility with your audience.
42) Bragging about your company’s accomplishments can be offensive to readers.
43) A conversational tone is not appropriate for most business messages.
44) Good business letters use language that is as formal as possible and use proven terminology
such as “please be advised that” and “attached please find.”