The purpose of most business presentations is to inform or persuade.
Answer:
No. 10 envelopes used in U.S. businesses measure 8 1/2 inches in length to
accommodate standard letters that are 8 1/2 inches wide.
Answer:
During the question-and-answer phase of an interview, try to keep your answers short;
usually just a yes or no will do.
Answer:
The following sentence uses all words correctly: She was disinterested in paying me a
complement.
Answer:
In a workplace report, refer to each visual before readers see it in a document or
onscreen.
Answer:
Machine translation software usually outperforms human translators.
Answer:
Although intellectual property laws were once a serious concern, the ease of sharing
information through social media has decreased the need to be concerned with them.
Answer:
Most organizations that embrace the 2.0 approach to business communication will still
follow a more traditional approach for some communications (such as strategic plans
and policy documents).
Answer:
Although you should vary the length of paragraphs in your business messages, in
general you should strive for short paragraphs.
Answer:
Including hyperlinks in a presentation limits your ability to customize it for different
audiences and situations.
Answer:
Although virtual meetings have become popular, evidence suggests that companies do
not save much money by utilizing them.
Answer:
In low-context cultures, businesspeople tend to focus on the results of the decisions
they face.
Answer:
Plagiarism is only a problem in the classroom. In the business environment, it’s just
another term for information sharing.
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To fit everything on one page, it’s okay to sacrifice white space on your résumé.
Answer:
Skilled business writers keep all their sentences as short as possible.
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In the final section of a request message, you should thank the reader in advance for
cooperating.
Answer:
It is never helpful to create a corporate culture that encourages employees to disagree
with the boss.
Answer:
When conducting business over a meal, you should wait to bring out business papers
until after the entrée plates have been removed.
Answer:
In intercultural conversations, speaking slowly is usually regarded as a sign of
disrespect.
Answer:
When responding to social networking recommendation requests, a single sentence that
focuses on one positive aspect is often all that is necessary.
Answer:
When communicating with people from other cultures, it is best to apologize when you
make a mistake.
Answer:
Short words are generally more vivid and easier to read than long words.
Answer:
In business messages, using phrases such as, “We trust that this will resolve the issue”
A) requires care, since it can diminish the writer’s credibility.
B) is a good way to show your modesty.
C) displays common courtesy.
D) is acceptable for very formal contexts.
E) is generally ineffective unless a potential sale is involved.
Answer:
When you’re writing promotional messages for social media, use ________ to initiate
and facilitate discussions in your networked community.
A) traditional promotions
B) bait-and-switch tactics
C) opt-in scenarios
D) stealth marketing
E) conversation marketing
Answer:
When making a routine request, you should begin with
A) an indication of the importance of your request.
B) a statement of who you are.
C) a clear statement of the main idea or request.
D) a question.
E) a humorous comment.
Answer:
An effective ending for a persuasive message would be
A) “Simply take the enclosed coupon to any of our service centers by June 15 for your
free oil and filter change.”
B) “Please respond as soon as possible.”
C) “Wouldn’t you like to save some money?”
D) “Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.”
E) “Well, I guess that’s it.”
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of a hedging sentence?
A) The employee’s performance appears to be less than satisfactory.
B) The deadline is next Tuesday.
C) The financial statement needs to have two sections.
D) We must act on these recommendations.
E) None of the above is hedging.
Answer:
To help ensure accuracy, the table of contents for a formal report should be prepared
A) before the text is written.
B) as you are drafting the text.
C) as you prepare the list of references.
D) along with the footnotes or endnotes.
E) after the report is complete, thoroughly edited, and proofed.
Answer:
The letter of transmittal should
A) discuss the scope and methods of the project.
B) highlight important sections of the report.
C) thank the reader for the assignment, if appropriate.
D) do all of the above.
E) do nothing more than thank readers for their interest in your report.
Answer:
Multimedia documents
A) are generally too expensive to produce to be useful in business.
B) require highly technical training in order to create.
C) convey information more slowly than traditional documents.
D) can allow recipients to personalize the communication process to their own needs.
E) are fine for use in technical fields, but not otherwise.
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of an ethical lapse?
A) Putting unsigned suggestions in the company suggestion box
B) Sharing confidential information with a new employer about your previous
(competing) employer’s major clients
C) Telling your supervisor that another employee is stealing office supplies
D) Providing incorrect data in a report, even though you did not know it was incorrect
at the time
E) Sharing a negative earnings report with your supervisor
Answer:
A writer who wants to use a ________ to build an informational report can choose from
a number of arrangement patterns, such as geography, sequence, chronology, category,
or importance.
A) talking pattern of organization
B) topical pattern of organization
C) demonstrative pattern of organization
D) tectonic pattern of organization
E) All of the above are included
Answer:
Which of the following is not one of the five ways to get the audience to notice your
messages?
A) Acknowledge the importance of the situation.
B) Address the audience’s wants and needs.
C) Use words, images, and designs that are familiar.
D) Consider audience expectations.
E) Ensure ease of use.
Answer:
In most cases, withholding or delaying negative information in the workplace
A) can help your audience accept it.
B) will increase your credibility.
C) may be unethical or illegal.
D) will allow the situation to resolve itself.
E) can forestall legal action.
Answer:
If you must refer to someone’s disability, the best wording would be
A) an employee with physical handicaps.
B) a handicapped employee.
C) a crippled employee.
D) any of the aboveall are equally effective.
E) none of the aboveall are equally offensive.
Answer:
Business people can use text messaging for
A) marketing.
B) customer service.
C) crisis management.
D) process monitoring.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
When you are refusing a routine request, you should
A) use the direct approach exclusively.
B) let company policy justify all of your decisions.
C) assume that your audience will accept your refusal without question.
D) use the indirect approach to decline a request that you might have said yes to in the
past.
E) not worry about the tone of your message because your audience won’t care.
Answer:
When posting comments and critiques on a social media site,
A) don’t worry about minor details, such as spelling and punctuation.
B) exercise your free-speech rights by ranting and raving at length.
C) promote your products and services aggressively.
D) provide short “chunks” of information that can help others who visit the site.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
You’ve prepared a 7-page report for a local government official, outlining the potential
for your company’s involvement with downtown revitalization. In this short report, it
would be reasonable to
A) not include an executive summary.
B) not include a synopsis.
C) combine the executive summary with the letter of transmittal.
D) do any of the above.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
A ________ identifies the topic of an illustration; however, an ________ calls attention
to the conclusion that should be drawn by the data in the illustration.
A) descriptive title; informative title
B) decorative sidebar; integrated title
C) descriptive heading; informative subheading
D) descriptive legend; informational caption
E) declarative caption; informational legend
Answer:
Skillful writers use transitional elements to
A) automate text entry and correction.
B) track footnotes and endnotes.
C) ensure consistent formatting throughout a document.
D) erect a verbal cushion between themselves and their readers.
E) connect ideas and show the relationships between them.
Answer:
Justified type is
A) set flush on the left and flush on the right.
B) centered between the left and right margins.
C) set flush left and ragged on the right.
D) set flush right and ragged on the left.
E) none of the above
Answer:
When you write in a formal style, you should
A) eliminate references to I and me.
B) open with a humorous anecdote.
C) use many colorful adjectives or adverbs.
D) still include contractions such as we’ve to retain a conversational tone.
E) use as much jargon as possible.
Answer:
Effective text slides should do all of the following except
A) highlight key points.
B) display your entire speaking script.
C) summarize and preview your message.
D) signal major shifts in thought.
E) illustrate concepts.
Answer:
You can use the AIDA approach for persuasive messages with
A) the direct approach only.
B) the indirect approach only.
C) either the direct or the indirect approach.
D) neither the direct nor the indirect approach.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Openness and inclusiveness
A) are not characteristics of many cultures, whose members display a general
unwillingness to accommodate outsiders.
B) characterize all cultures, wherever they are found.
C) are not truly characteristic of any culture, although some try to claim them.
D) are typical only of small, dying cultures.
E) will eventually weaken and destroy any culture.
Answer:
With the exception of ________, all of the following represent unethical
communication.
A) using technical jargon
B) selective misquoting
C) distorting visuals
D) plagiarizing the work of others
E) omitting information that doesn’t support your argument
Answer:
Group members who are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs play a(n) ________
role.
A) team-maintenance
B) task-oriented
C) self-oriented
D) coordinating
E) empathic
Answer:
Attempting to promote products and services to customers who don’t know they’re
being marketed to is known as ________ marketing.
A) viral
B) surprise
C) undercover
D) stealth
E) hidden
Answer:
The preferred title for women in business is ________, unless the individual requests
otherwise.
A) Mrs.
B) Miss
C) Ms.
D) Madam
E) Mme.
Answer:
Using short paragraphs will help you improve the readability of your business messages
because
A) they make your writing look inviting.
B) they won’t intimidate typical readers.
C) they can help you emphasize your ideas.
D) they’re easier to read than long paragraphs.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Using a variety of type styles in a document
A) helps readers stay interested in what you have to say.
B) generally slows your audience’s progress through the message.
C) makes your document look especially professional.
D) is a helpful way to emphasize key information.
E) makes it more legible.
Answer:
To make email more readable, you should do all of the following except
A) limit subject lines to describing the general topic of your message.
B) make your message easy to understand.
C) personalize your message.
D) observe email etiquette.
E) All of the above are strategies to make email more readable.
Answer:
Explain how information architecture functions as an outline for website design.
Answer:
In a formal proposal, how do you determine the organizational approach to use in the
letter of transmittal?
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between a structured interview and an open-ended
interview.
Answer:
Describe the characteristics of effective links in online content.
Answer:
Describe four common types of communication barriers.
Answer:
Briefly describe two strategies for clarifying sentence structure.
Answer:
How does the primary function of upward-flowing communication differ from that of
downward-flowing communication?
Answer:
What does it mean to impose parallelism on your writing, and what are the results of
doing so?
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between word processing software and desktop
publishing software.
Answer:
List and briefly explain five characteristics of effective report content.
Answer:
What three main parts make up the text of a report?
Answer:
Describe six strategies (in addition to using the AIDA format) for strengthening your
argument in business proposals.
Answer:
Briefly describe the characteristics of an effective email subject line.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between an informative synopsis and a descriptive
synopsis.
Answer:
In preparing a formal proposal, how should you determine whether to treat the letter of
transmittal as a positive, negative, or persuasive message?
Answer: