Effective interview-preparation techniques include practicing answers to possible
questions, preparing to explain problem areas on your résumé, deciding on professional
attire, and
a. informing your current employer of your plans.
b. preparing success stories.
c. writing a resignation letter.
d. purchasing a gift for the interviewer.
Answer:
The need for persuasive skills has diminished in today’s corporate world.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Business writing should be purposeful. In this context purposeful can best be defined as
a. presenting ideas clearly and concisely.
b. concentrating on the receiver’s perspective instead of your own.
c. solving problems and conveying information.
d. getting your audience to believe and accept your message.
Answer:
Social media experts advise that consumers exhaust all other options for complaints
with a company before venting online.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
While conducting business with a customer from Italy, Zoe was careful to speak slowly
and clearly, using short sentences and familiar words. However, she noticed that the
customer had a glazed expression and did not understand her. Zoe should
a. repeat what she has said in a louder voice.
b. graciously accept the blame for not making her meaning clear.
c. end the conversation until an interpreter can be found.
d. require the Italian businessperson to restate the message in simple words.
Answer:
In what phase of team development do teams select members, become acquainted, build
trust, and form a collaborative culture?
a. Storming
b. Forming
c. Norming
d. Performing
Answer:
When writing a resignation letter to your employer, you should
a. allow more than the standard two-week notice if you have a high or responsible
position within the company.
b. offer thanks and end with a forward-looking statement.
c. remind the employer of your contributions.
d. All answer choices are correct.
Answer:
Persuasive requests are generally more effective when they are organized directly.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Analyzing your audience can help you decide how to organize your presentation.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Most recruiters favor a
a. video résumé.
b. functional résumé.
c. chronological résumé.
d. plain-text résumé.
Answer:
If another person has criticized you unfairly, you should disagree respectfully and
constructively.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following statements is most accurate?
a. The need for well-written messages has declined in today’s workforce.
b. Employers rank soft skills as less valuable than hard skills.
c. Social media are playing an increasingly prominent role in business.
d. Today’s use of digital media requires less written communication.
Answer:
Summary reports are typical in academic settings but rarely used in business settings.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following sentences avoids buzzwords and slang?
a. Our stock prices tanked last quarter.
b. All companies must follow the guidelines outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
c. The architects blew the budget for the design of the new energy center.
d. The company decided a new paradigm shift was needed to increase sales.
Answer:
Because postscripts make letters appear poorly organized and unprofessional, you
should avoid adding them to sales messages.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Although writing a résumé is part of the job-search process, you should begin the
process by analyzing your interests and goals and evaluating your qualifications is an
example of a compound sentence.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The purpose of a cover message is to secure a job interview.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
What is the best advice for writing goodwill messages?
a. Focus the message solely on the sender.
b. Make a good impression by giving a ready-made card instead of writing your own
message.
c. Send a goodwill message promptly.
d. Send a goodwill message to show appreciation for only a gift or monetary award.
Answer:
What is the most appropriate response on a job application form to a question that asks
your reason for leaving your last position?
a. Fired
b. Quit
c. None of your business
d. Accepted a position with more responsibility
Answer:
Another name for a video résumé is an infographic résumé.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Hard skills refer to a whole cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes,
communication skills, and social graces.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In what order should you organize your ideas when you believe your audience will be
agreeable to the suggestions in your justification/recommendation report?
a. Announce the recommendation, explain the recommendation, identify the problem or
need, and provide necessary action.
b. Provide necessary action, identify the problem or need, announce the
recommendation, and explain the recommendation.
c. Identify the problem or need, announce the recommendation, explain the
recommendation, and provide necessary action.
d. Identify the problem or need, provide necessary action, announce the
recommendation, and explain the recommendation.
Answer:
Megahertz Technology Solutions, Inc., recently suffered a discrimination lawsuit.
Advice to improve its workforce diversity is likely to include understanding the value
of differences, providing diversity training for employees, building on similarities, and
a. hiring a more homogenous work group.
b. making fewer assumptions.
c. requiring all employees to use jargon that conveys stereotypes.
d. making sure all employees conform to a standard company culture.
Answer:
Today, most jobs are filled through the open job market.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
To build paragraph coherence, a writer should
a. repeat a key idea by using the same expression or a similar one.
b. use pronouns to refer to previous nouns.
c. show connections with transitional expressions.
d. All answer choices can build paragraph coherence.
Answer:
Which of the following is the best title for a blog?
a. Read Now
b. Attention
c. Five Ways to Get Your Résumé Read
d. Résumé Information
Answer:
Which of the following statements about speaking skills is most accurate?
a. Speaking skills are not necessary for entry-level workers.
b. Recruiters rank speaking skills as an important ‘soft skill” desired in employees.
c. Effective speaking skills are not important for a successful career.
d. Speaking skills are important only when communicating face-to-face with others.
Answer:
The following sentence demonstrates effective writing: Please do not hesitate to call me
if you have any questions.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Microblogging
a. is illegal in businesses today.
b. involves adding website links to a blog to encourage feedback from others.
c. consists of short messages exchanged on social media networks.
d. is performed by only corporate officials who write comments about their companies.
Answer:
Your goal as a business writer is to impress your reader.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When you are rejected for a job that you considered perfect, you should give up on this
company and move rapidly to identify similar positions in other organizations.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Business letters are more confidential than electronic media such as e-mail.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
A job interview is a two-street. The employer will be judging you, and you will be
evaluating the employer.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
What is the best advice to follow when developing a bibliographic list of sources for a
formal report?
a. Include only published sources within your bibliographic list.
b. Label the page “Works Cited” when using either the APA or MLA format.
c. List the sources in alphabetical order.
d. Avoid developing a bibliographic list of sources because the in-text citations will
identify each source used within the report.
Answer:
A job applicant should never answer an illegal or inappropriate interview question.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
____________________ or directives moving downward from superiors to
subordinates usually require little persuasion.
Answer:
A(n) ____________________ appeal focuses on making or saving money, increasing
efficiency, or making good use of resources.
Answer:
A ____________________ modifier results when the word or phrase the modifier
describes is missing from its sentence.
Answer:
One of the best ways to improve the tone of a message is through the use of
____________________ language.
Answer:
____________________ interviews occur when a company interviews several
candidates for the same position at the same time.
Answer:
A(n) ____________________ of qualifications, which presents three to eight bulleted
statements identifying your most impressive accomplishments to prove that you are the
ideal candidate for the position, appears near the top of your résumé.
Answer:
Define success story as it is used in an interview and provide an example of asuccess
story.
Answer:
The ____________________ of a communication channel describes the extent to which
a channel or medium recreates or represents all the information available in the original
message.
Answer:
Interpersonal skills such as working in teams, possessing a positive attitude, prioritizing
work tasks, listening, and demonstrating workplace manners are all examples of
____________________ skills.
Answer:
The list of topics to be discussed at a meeting is called a(n) ____________________.
Answer:
The ________________ job market consists of jobs that are advertised or listed.
Answer:
Messages such as information about procedures, equipment, or customer service should
be organized using the ____________ strategy.
Answer:
Using the ideas of someone else without giving credit is called ____________________
and is unethical.
Answer:
A(n) ____________________ condenses the primary ideas of a book, report, article,
website, meeting, or convention.
Answer: