Workman, chairman, and airhostess are examples of neutral titles.
An interview session is not necessarily a question and answer session.
Open body positions suggest that people are accepting and open to new ideas.
In a letter or memo, one should type main headings by capitalizing all letters of the
heading.
White space in a document can be created by eliminating headings and using uniform
paragraph lengths.
Employers don’t want longer letters, but they will read them if the letter is well written.
In a negative message, it is best to deemphasize the refusal by placing it in a paragraph
by itself.
The second paragraph of a prospecting letter should focus on the applicant’s skills and
experience.
Informational dimensions focus primarily on promoting friendliness, cooperation, and
team loyalty.
While writing about things that one has done, said or seen, phrases like “this writer”
should be used and the word “I” should be avoided because it may seem egocentric.
In written direct requests, it is important to put the request, the topic of the request, or a
question in the body of the message instead of the subject line.
In order to summarize a document, one should start with supporting evidence or details
of a message.
When writing a sales report, one needs to assume that the buyer understands why a
product or system is good.
Audience benefits refer to advantages that the audience gets by using services, buying
products, following policies, or adopting ideas.
Polychronic cultures focus on clock time rather than relationships.
Impersonal expressions omit things and focus on talking about people.
In complicated direct requests, one should avoid anticipating possible responses
because they often tend to confuse the audience.
Deep bicultural fluency and experience in several countries are key qualities that
headhunters look for while recruiting.
Noncompetitive proposals are compared with one another, and only one or a few are
selected to receive the limited resources available.
Analytical reports interpret data for the reader and recommend actions or solutions.
The body of a fund-raising me message must prove that the problem is massive and
cannot be resolved.
The best way to present audience benefits is by presenting good news in the middle of a
message.
Use all present tense verbs in your rsum, when describing all the jobs and positions you
have held.
Application letters should be addressed to the company in general or the personnel
office, not to a specific person by name.
While practicing for a videoconference interview, one should watch the video with
sound turned off to check one’s gestures, facial expressions, and clothing.
Indented quotations do not need quotation marks because the indentation shows the
reader that the passage is a quote.
It is good to use the word “you” while writing formal documents and in situations when
the audience is not known because it helps address the audience better.
A country with a high-context culture gives more importance to relationships than
low-context cultures.
The conclusions and recommendations section presents new information that has been
missed out or not yet been mentioned in the report.
The data, evidence, and facts required to produce a report must be both available and
comprehensible to the person preparing the report.
While communicating with an international audience, it is important to remember that
people have their own personal characteristics.
According to team-building expert Bob Frisch, when a team is unable to reach a
consensus, one should allow team members to make their decisions confidentially.
Captain J’s, a popular burger joint in California, recently improved on their quality of
burgers by adding more layers of meat and cheese to it. To spread the word about their
improved burgers, they distributed fliers to passers-by at streets. Which of the following
would best help Captain J’s promote their new burgers by creating positive emphasis?
A. “Captain J’s now has appetizing burgers on their menu!"
B. “We assume you will like Captain J’s new burgers!"
C. “Captain J’s now has even better tasting burgers!"
D. “Now you can try out delicious burgers at Captain J’s!"
E. “We think you will now like Captain J’s tasty burgers!"
What guidelines should be followed while using colors and decorative devices?
A. Using colors to highlight small points or information in the body of a text
B. Using as many highlighting devices as possible to make the document look
appealing
C. Analyzing an audience before making color choices because meanings of colors may
vary
D. Avoid using color to highlight points because it deemphasizes remaining information
E. Using all kinds of decorative devices to make a document attractive to the audience
Angie has written the following description of her work as a receptionist: “drafted
letters, reorganized filing system, reordered office supplies, interviewed new clients,
and answered phones.” On Angie’s rsum, the phrase, “answered phones” should be:
A. kept precisely where it is to emphasize it.
B. put first in the series to emphasize it.
C. put in the middle of the paragraph to deemphasize it.
D. omitted to deemphasize it.
E. put in the end to deemphasize it.
Which of the following statements about the use of color in visuals in professional
reports is appropriate?
A. The author should select colors that he or she prefers to make a personal statement in
the visual.
B. The choice of colors is insignificant as long as those selected do not clash with one
another.
C. The meanings assigned to colors differ depending on the audience’s national
background and profession.
D. Each color has one specific, cross-cultural meaning and should therefore be selected
to reflect the context of the discussion.
E. The color preferences of people remain constant over time and are safest with a
heterogeneous audience that you know well.
Racquets and Billiards, a popular club in California, has increased their membership fee
for the year 2012. They now need to inform all their members about the update. They
know that many of their members will not be happy to hear about this change. In the
letter, they want to use a buffer before proceeding to give details about the change in
membership rates. Which of the following is the club most likely to use as a buffer if
they want to present good news before the bad news?
A. “Thank you for being a loyal member of our 150-year-old club."
B. “January 2012 onwards, you can avail facilities for lawn tennis and squash."
C. “Continue enjoying full facilities of the club with our revised membership
rates."
D. “We would like to inform you that the membership rates have been revised."
E. “Please refer to the enclosure for details on our revised membership rates."
Alicia Watkins works at a fashion house in London and recently received an e-mail
from a new client requesting for a discount on the 50 pieces of winter overcoats that
they ordered. However, the company offers only a 20 percent discount on bulk orders of
200 pieces. Watkins knows that she can offer free delivery charges but cannot offer the
discount the client is asking for. Which of the following would be the best way to offer
a reason to support her refusal in the letter?
A. “I cannot offer you a discount on the order because our company does not allow me
to do so."
B. “I know it is an unreasonable rule to not offer discounts to new customers. But I am
unable to help you because of company policy."
C. “Our company cannot offer this discount because of our financial constraints due to
the economic slump in the market right now."
D. “Our company offers discounts only for orders of 200 pieces or more. However, we
offer deliveries free of charge."
A negative message to subordinates and peers should start with:
A. a buffer which uses a positive statement and allows one to delay a negative.
B. a clear description of the problem explaining precisely what is wrong.
C. a request to the employees to ask them to form teams and find a solution.
D. a good reason to show that one is not at fault and justifying one’s actions.
E. an alternative to the problem and convincing them that it is workable.
Angela Howard who works for Global Aid, a relief non-profit organization, is writing a
letter to raise funds from their supporters for the Campaign on Climate Change. In the
body of the message, she writes, “According to the Stanley Climate Reports, climate
change will leave a billion people homeless by 2012.” Which of the following does this
statement in the body of message prove?
A. The problem of climate change can be solved.
B. The problem of climate change deserves attention.
C. Global Aid organization can resolve the issue.
D. Global Aid will use funds wisely for the campaign.
E. The issue of climate change is too critical to be solved.
Sarah Lawson works at a luxury clothing brand. She needs to write to Loretta Franklin,
a client with who she has over the years established a personal relationship. Which of
the following should she use to address her client?
A. Madam
B. Mrs. Franklin
C. Loretta
D. Loretta Franklin
E. Ms. Loretta Franklin
Which of the following is an example of nonverbal communication?
A. Composing an email to a customer about delivery details for a product
B. Giving a presentation to a board of directors for approval on a project
C. Marketing a product by blogging about its features and benefits
D. Negotiating with a client about quotation for a product
E. Making eye contact with a speaker to convey that one is listening
_____ uses images to create the bars.
A. A subdivided bar chart
B. A grouped bar chart
C. A histogram bar chart
D. A paired bar chart
E. A deviation bar chart
A chronological rsum is more appropriate than a skills rsum when:
A. you have significant periods of unemployment throughout your career.
B. you want to combine experience from paid jobs, activities or volunteer work, and
courses to show the extent of your experience in a particular field.
C. you have humble, unimpressive job titles, offices, or honors.
D. your education and experience are a logical preparation for the position for which
you are applying.
E. your education and experience are not the usual route to the position for which you’re
applying.
A way to ensure that a reader stays long enough on a home page is to:
A. avoid letting the reader know about the organization sponsoring the page.
B. make completion of tasks difficult which challenges a reader and increases interest.
C. prevent showing an overview of a page because it makes a reader skim through it.
D. make it clear what readers will get if they click on a certain link.
E. provide navigation bars vertically at the centre of a screen.
Listening on a job is more difficult than listening in a class because:
A. jobs have unclear signposts about tasks that need to be done.
B. they comprise repetition of points which makes data boring.
C. one needs to identify and understand feelings of co-workers.
D. it involves reading reports before understanding what one is saying.
E. one always has a better understanding of things compared to others.
Michelle Oliver works at a fashion boutique in California and recently received an
e-mail from a client enquiring about details on their new line of winter clothing. In
response, she sent all the important details on time; however, she made a small blunder
of leaving out information on minor handling tips for the clothing. Which of the
following should she say in her follow-up e-mail to the client?
A. “I am extremely sorry about skipping out the details on handling tips. Please find
enclosed the details on the same."
B. “Please accept my sincere apologies for missing out information on handling tips for
the clothing line."
C. “I am sorry I missed out information on handling tips for the clothing line. I can
ensure you this will not happen again."
D. “Please find enclosed the details on handling tips for the winter line of clothing
which I missed out last time."
A negative message to a customer should end with:
A. a positive, forward-looking statement.
B. a statement restating the problem.
C. clear data about the negative information.
D. explanation of the history of the problem.
E. account of how the problem took place.
April Burton who works at an art gallery in Paris recently worked on marketing their
line of renaissance exhibits. The marketing strategies worked very well across the city
and the gallery sold a large number of paintings during the month of the marketing
campaign. Burton was asked by her manager last week to give a presentation to the
board of directors on the marketing strategies she implemented. Though she initially
agreed, due to a personal emergency, she now realizes that she cannot make it to the
date of the presentation. Which of the following should she do to convey the negative
message in the best manner possible to her manager?
A. Let her manager know at the earliest that she will be unable to give the presentation
B. Ask her manager to postpone the date of presentation to another day
C. Ask if she can send her colleague who also worked on marketing the exhibits
D. Ask her manager for possible solutions to solve the problem and take action
E. Inconspicuously mention her unavailability to give the presentation
Which of the following is true of threats?
A. They produce permanent change.
B. They invariably produce the action one wants.
C. They prevent creation of stress and tension.
D. They produce tension in a work place.
Margaret Moore who runs a small lifestyle store in Michigan, recently designed a
website to publicize her products and increase customer base. While designing the site,
she used snapshots of her products, and photos of local celebrities who visited her store.
In addition, she also used a bar chart to show why her eco-friendly products are better
than other regular items available in the market. Which of Charles Kostelnick’s level of
design did Moore use?
A. Supra
B. Extra
C. Intra
D. Outer
E. Inter
According to the survey conducted by the National Commission on Writing, _____ is
considered to be a writing ability which all employees must know.
A. technical writing
B. blogging
C. instant messaging
D. e-mailing
E. tweeting
The _____ dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures how individuals
prefer to focus their attention and derive energy.
A. extroversion-introversion
B. sensing-intuition
C. thinking-feeling
D. judging-perceiving
E. channeling-formatting
Which of the following questions should an interviewee ask at an interview?
A. How soon can I get promoted from this position?
B. What are the kinds of perks this job will offer?
C. What would be my gross salary package for this position?
D. What kind of insurance benefits will I be offered?
E. What would I be doing on a day-to-day basis?
Which of the following are ways in which a document can be made more visually
inviting?
A. Avoid using subject lines since they disorient the reader.
B. Use headings to group unrelated ideas.
C. Use lists and indented sections to emphasize examples.
D. Avoid numbering the points to make the document look clean.
E. Use long paragraphs consisting of more than ten typed lines.
Tracy Thompson has finished writing a progress report for her manager on the project
she has been working on. However, when she browsed through the report on
completion, she noticed a fundamental error in document design. Which of the
following design errors did Thompson most likely notice?
A. Usage of headings to divide work undertaken every month
B. Usage of a short first paragraph which summarized the report
C. Usage of numbers to show chronology of completed tasks
D. Usage of Arial, Courier, Verdana, and Calibri fonts
E. Usage of 12 type font for the body of the progress report
Which of the following, if included in the application letter, makes it look
unprofessional?
A. Creating your letter in a word-processing program
B. Addressing your letter to a specific person
C. Printing on the same paper you used for your rsumé
D. Using a computer to print the envelope address
E. Adding personal information
Which of the following is a standard guideline to follow in order to manage time
efficiently while writing a document?
A. Spending only 10 percent of one’s time revising the draft
B. Using 50 percent of one’s time analyzing an audience
C. Utilizing half of one’s time organizing what one has to say
D. Spending one third of one’s time writing a document
E. Using half of one’s time editing a late draft to remove errors
Which of the following would be classified as an informative message?
A. Denying an increase in credit limit by a bank to a customer
B. Informing a student that an application to the college has been rejected
C. Minutes of a meeting being distributed to all members of the meeting
D. A letter to an employer informing that he/she has accepted another job offer
E. An announcement to a customer that the payment date for a policy has lapsed
In a compare/contrast pattern of organizing data, it is best to focus on the criteria when:
A. the criteria are difficult to differentiate or separate from one another.
B. one alternative is clearly superior from the other alternatives.
C. the audience grasps the alternative as a whole rather than its parts.
D. the audience wants to compare options independent of recommendations.
E. the audience focuses on the idea behind the alternative instead of its components.
Cynthia is writing a proposal to the Wildlife Foundation (WLF) for a project on
“Protection of the endangered Snow Leopard in Sri Lanka”. The project will aim at
providing a safe habitat for the species which will protect them from hunters and
collectors. Which of the following is most likely to be a primary goal of her proposal?
A. To get the project accepted by the Wild Life Foundation
B. To review the feasibility of the project and possible outcome
C. To analyze the costs and resources required for the project
D. To monitor the current statistic figures of the species
E. To analyze if the snow leopard species can still be protected
Taylor is writing a progress report on development of a new software program for a
client. She and her team faced a technical glitch last week which however, has been
solved now. Which of the following is the best way to present this information to the
client?
A. “I’m really sorry, but we’re running 2 days behind schedule. We will however be
back on schedule by the end of the month."
B. “We have had a major problem last week because of which our work is affected to an
extent. However, we should be able to finish by the due date."
C. “We overcame a major technical glitch last week. We are now on track and expect to
finish the work by the due date."
D. “After correcting the huge problem we had last week, we should be back on track by
due date if we face no other glitches."
E. “Please accept our sincere apologies. We will be unable to complete the work
according to the estimated deadline."
Goodwill endings should focus on the reader’s hobbies, family, or personal life.
FALSE
Goodwill endings should focus on the business relationship one shares with the reader
rather than on the reader’s
List out some common purposes of using e-mails.
How are informative presentations different from goodwill presentations?
What are some guidelines that one needs to follow in a phone interview?
With the help of an example, explain when a direct request pattern should be used in a
message.
Explain the trend of environmental concerns in the business environment.
The Perkins Store, a retail chain which sells lifestyle products, is launching its outlet in
Ireland.
What is a topic sentence? How does it strengthen a piece of writing?
How can headings be used effectively?
Discuss with the use of an example, the methods section of a proposal.
What is an organizational culture and discourse community?
What are the three criteria for determining which things you should emphasize on your
rsum?
What are some of the guidelines one should follow in order to write a good report, even
when a market test is a failure?
What are some key points to ensure that one is using nonracist and nonageist language?
