Short words are generally more vivid and easier to read than long words.
Answer:
Presentations offer important opportunities for you to put all your communication skills
on display.
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A linking verb is always followed by a noun, pronoun, or adjective.
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In a formal report, the index provides a list of secondary sources used to prepare the
report.
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Unproductive meetings are rare in today’s business environment.
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When the bad news appears to be a logical outcome of the reasons that precede it, the
reader is more prepared to accept it.
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If you anticipate objections to your persuasive message, it is best not to bring them up.
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“The qualification of the runner in the race took one hour” is an example of a sentence
with a camouflaged verb.
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One of the best ways to gain credibility for your message is to support it with objective
evidence.
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The planning phase of developing a wiki doesn’t require a long-term perspective.
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Unlike other business presentations, podcasts require little planning and are most
effective when delivered impromptu.
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Adopting a “you” attitude in business writing is simply a matter of using the pronoun
“you” as much as possible.
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The statement of purpose for a report is always presented as a question.
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An application letter can follow the AIDA format for persuasive messages.
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An example of faulty logic is to assume that one event caused another just because the
two seem to coincide in time or place.
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The primary goal of empathic listening is to solve the speaker’s problem.
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If you find a strong correlation between employee use of company stress-reduction
programs and increased worker productivity, you can conclude that such programs do
indeed cause increased productivity, without considering any other variables.
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You don’t have to worry about documenting your sources of information, when you’re
writing a report or proposal in the workplace.
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These days, no one is bothered when employees use mobile phones in meetings.
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A work is not considered copyrighted until it is legally registered.
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As a rule, most abstract terms relate to the tangible material world.
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If you are writing a business letter to someone you know well, it is acceptable to use his
or her first name in the salutation.
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Use direct statements such as “I must refuse” and “We cannot allow” to help your
audience accept the bad news you are delivering.
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If you are writing to someone to request a recommendation letter for a job or
scholarship, you should include a stamped, preaddressed envelope for mailing.
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The rumor mill tends to be most active when employees receive too much information
about their company.
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Most RFPs spell out exactly what you should cover in your report and in what order.
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When preparing numerical tables, you should express all items in a column in the same
unit.
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Because you can adapt to your audience while you are speaking, don’t worry about
analyzing the audience for an oral presentation.
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Your résumé should always include membership or significant activity in religious or
political organizations.
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In business reports, it is never appropriate to combine the direct and indirect approaches
by revealing conclusions and recommendations as you go along.
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In rejecting a proposal you solicited, you should use the indirect approach and provide
an explanation.
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If you’re still in school, you should present your educational background in depth on
your résumé, since that is probably your strongest selling point.
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If you provide inaccurate information in a business message, the best course of action is
to say nothing and hope that no one notices.
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Even when you grant a dissatisfied customer’s request for adjustment, he or she will
most likely not return to your business.
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Gamification links the virtual world of online social networking with the physical world
of retail stores and other locations.
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When responding to social networking recommendation requests, a single sentence that
focuses on one positive aspect is often all that is necessary.
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Asking, “Did you know that almost 90% of American homeowners are underinsured?”
would be a good way to get the audience’s attention at the beginning of a presentation
on homeowner’s insurance.
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If the price of a baseball cap in six different stores was $22, $20, $18, $20, $19, and
$21, the mean price would be $21.
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Readers can get a more out of a document just by reading its descriptive headings than
by reading its informative headings.
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Your ability to listen effectively will have little effect on your long-term career
prospects.
Answer:
At the last staff meeting, someone suggested that using parliamentary procedure would
help make the meetings more efficient. To learn more about parliamentary procedure,
which of the following should you consult?
A) SEC Standards of Ethics
B) Robert’s Rules of Order
C) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
D) Fundamental Meeting Management
Answer:
A ________ is a logical interpretation of the facts and other information in a report.
A) referendum
B) correlation
C) conclusion
D) recommendation
Answer:
In a simple request for information or action, ________ will get the job done.
A) using a direct approach
B) using a dramatic approach
C) using an indirect approach
D) using a tangential approach
Answer:
Which of the following would be the most effective way to phrase a 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.
Answer:
An example of horizontal communication is
A) a junior staff person giving information to a staff supervisor.
B) a company briefing held on the organization’s ground floor.
C) an email message about sick leave sent from one department secretary to a secretary
in a different department.
D) all of the above.
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If there is a lack of consensus among the audience at the end of your presentation, you
should
A) gloss over it as quickly as possible.
B) make the disagreement clear and be ready to suggest a method for resolving the
differences.
C) identify the individuals causing the disagreement and ask them pointed questions.
D) do all of the above.
Answer:
Questions such as, “Do you shop at the mall often?” are
A) perfect for most surveys.
B) too ambiguous to yield useful information.
C) likely to offend your respondents.
D) too personal and will offend most audiences.
Answer:
An advertisement stating that a new resort offers “freedom and comfort along with $20
savings per month” is using
A) an emotional appeal.
B) an analogy.
C) an inductive appeal.
D) both logical and emotional appeals.
Answer:
Compared to poorly written text, badly designed visuals are ________ to be noticed by
your audience.
A) less likely
B) more likely
C) just as likely
D) not likely
Answer:
When creating a list for a business document,
A) always use bullets, rather than numbers or letters.
B) mix listed items as phrases and sentences.
C) be sure to introduce it clearly.
D) any text in the list should be typed in all caps.
Answer:
All of the following statements except ________ represent opportunities associated
with online presentations.
A) Online presentations enable communication with a geographically dispersed
audience.
B) Online presentations facilitate human moments that travel across the digital divide.
C) Online presentations allow project teams to meet at a moment’s notice.
D) Online presentations save time and money by minimizing or eliminating travel costs.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
After sending project cost estimates to a longtime client, you realize you failed to
include information on some discount options. The best thing to do is
A) take no action.
B) blame someone else.
C) contact the primary audience immediately and correct the error.
D) start looking for a new job.
Answer:
The best reason to defer or cancel a message is if
A) your news is bad.
B) someone else wants to deliver it.
C) your audience is highly receptive.
D) the time is wrong.
Answer:
“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.
Answer:
Formal speeches differ from informal ones in that
A) formal speeches always include obscure, unfamiliar vocabulary.
B) formal speeches are always much longer.
C) formal speeches are often delivered from a stage or platform.
D) when delivering a formal speech, you should speak more rapidly.
Answer:
A company can use ________ as a measure of how effectively it is engaging online
stakeholders in a mutually beneficial exchange of information.
A) brand socialization
B) brand standardization
C) brand management
D) brand equilibrium
Answer:
When mailing a résumé, it is a good idea to
A) have it delivered via Priority Mail.
B) use a standard 5 x 7 envelope.
C) send it via parcel post.
D) use a large kraft envelope.
Answer:
Companies can use a research technique called ________ to track social networks and
other media to take the pulse of public opinion and identify opinion makers.
A) cold calling
B) sentiment analysis
C) brand socialization
D) location-based networking
Answer:
Business communicators can use ________ to extract broad meaning from giant masses
of data or to put data into context.
A) bubble charting
B) data visualization
C) flowcharting
D) social media
Answer:
One way to overcome audience resistance to your message is to
A) use the hard-sell approach.
B) address possible concerns that your audience has.
C) emphasize the positive.
D) do all of the above.
Answer:
An index in a formal report
A) lists names, places, and subjects mentioned in the report.
B) lists only the names of authors cited in the report.
C) lists the names of things and ideas, but not individual people or authors of works.
D) involves all of the above.
Answer:
A business plan
A) is useful only before a company is launched.
B) always contains the same elements.
C) should not identify risks and problems, since these might discourage potential
investors.
D) is sometimes prepared after a company is up and running.
Answer:
During the process of composing a negative message, you should try to
A) choose a buffer that will distract your reader.
B) gain the reader’s acceptance of the bad news.
C) leave the reader with hope that you will change your decision.
D) avoid stating the bad news.
Answer:
As a logical fallacy, ________ involves attempting to support your claim by restating it
in different words.
A) collapsing complexity
B) deductive postulation
C) circular reasoning
D) oversimplification
Answer:
The business applications of blogging do NOT include
A) anchoring your social media presence.
B) recruiting potential employees.
C) enabling word-of-mouth marketing.
D) encouraging collaboration on writing projects.
Answer:
“Latest Investment Performance” is an example of a message topic, whereas “Poor
Investment Performance Continues” is an example of a main idea.
Answer:
Applying the findings of your research can involve all of the following except
A) summarizing your results.
B) making recommendations.
C) drawing conclusions based on your results.
D) developing a problem statement that defines your research.
Answer:
All of the following except ________ will make your business messages more
effective.
A) providing practical information
B) clarifying expectations and responsibilities
C) presenting information concisely and efficiently
D) discussing personal issues and complaining about problems
Answer:
When you speculate about the cause of a problem, you are forming a ________, a
potential explanation that needs to be tested.
A) hypothesis
B) prospectus
C) quandary
D) supposition
Answer:
Social networks are a natural tool for bringing together ________, people who engage
in similar work, and ________, people who share enthusiasm for a particular product or
activity.
A) private networks; public networks
B) virtual networks; brand societies
C) communities of practice; communities of interest
D) special interest groups; word-of-mouth conclaves
Answer:
When writing to accept a job offer, include all of the following except ________ in
your message.
A) saying that you look forward to reporting for work
B) identifying the job you’re accepting
C) negotiating the job’s salary and benefits
D) accepting the position and expressing thanks
Answer:
Which one of the following visuals would do the best job of illustrating trends over
time?
A) Table
B) Line chart
C) Pie chart
D) Organization chart
Answer:
Explain the difference between a high-context culture and a low-context culture, and
provide at least one example of each difference.
Answer:
What are some viable options for refusing social networking recommendation requests?
Answer:
Explain how to apply the three-step writing process to instant messages.
Answer:
Briefly explain the primary differences between solicited application letters and
prospecting application letters.
Answer:
Briefly describe the circumstances in which the yardstick approach would be
particularly useful for organizing your proposal, and provide an example of a report that
would benefit from this organizational approach.
Answer:
List three techniques for deemphasizing bad news.
Answer:
Describe four common types of communication barriers.
Answer:
Identify and discuss four important elements of successful business blogs.
Answer:
List three types of reports commonly used to monitor and control operations in
business.
Answer:
What two types of artwork can be included in the foreground of presentation slides?
Briefly explain the distinction between these types.
Answer:
Define and discuss performance reviews.
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List the three major categories of common routine requests.
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List three categories of common persuasive business messages.
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Briefly compare blogging and microblogging.
Answer:
What is culture?
Answer:
What is the difference between delivering negative news and being negative?
Answer: