With collaborative writing, the usual outcome is a document that is inferior to one that
would have been produced by a single individual.
Answer:
To resolve conflicts successfully, it is helpful to get opponents to fight together against
an “outside force” (such as increased competition) instead of against each other.
Answer:
Many reports, especially short ones, require neither a synopsis nor an executive
summary.
Answer:
In business documents, items in a list should always be numbered—using bullets or
other graphics is unprofessional.
Answer:
Unlike words, visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across
cultures.
Answer:
The most common supplementary parts to include in a formal report are the appendix,
the bibliography, and the index.
Answer:
A wiki is a website that allows anyone with access to add new material and edit existing
material in collaborative documents.
Answer:
Face-to-face communication is the richest medium.
Answer:
Once you have established your purpose, it’s best to consider whether it is worth
pursuing at this time.
Answer:
There is no reason to put requests to fellow employees in writing.
Answer:
Compliance reports, progress reports, and monitor/control reports are all types of
informational reports.
Answer:
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to have an equally unbiased view of all ethnic groups.
Answer:
If you have a personal webpage or e-portfolio, you should list it on your résumé under
“Contact Information.”
Answer:
When composing a draft you should strive to write and edit at the same time. This will
speed up the writing process.
Answer:
In general, you should use a conversational style when speaking to small groups and a
more formal style for large groups.
Answer:
Most people belong to only one culture.
Answer:
Using a wiki for employee training purposes is an example of the 2.0 approach to
business communication.
Answer:
In the final section of a request message, you should thank the reader in advance for
cooperating.
Answer:
Most employers interview an applicant multiple times before deciding whether to offer
a person a job.
Answer:
The ending is the least important part of a presentation.
Answer:
The opening paragraph of an application letter states the reason for writing and gives
the recipient a reason to keep reading.
Answer:
For college students, attempting to develop a job-search strategy before the senior year
is a waste of time.
Answer:
The rumor mill tends to be most active when employees receive too much information
about their company.
Answer:
When listing work experience on a résumé, you should emphasize significant
achievements in each job.
Answer:
Members of low-context cultures place more emphasis on nonverbal communication
than on verbal communication.
Answer:
Since termination letters are highly controversial, you should never deliver them in
person.
Answer:
Generally speaking, a line chart should never contain fewer than 2-3 lines.
Answer:
One drawback of current blogging software is that it takes a great deal of time to post
new material.
Answer:
Solving a temporary problem involving office renovations would call for the formation
of a task force rather than a committee.
Answer:
The components of a formal proposal are entirely different from those of other formal
reports.
Answer:
The best background for your slides is one with a colorful, interesting pattern that will
grab the audience’s attention.
Answer:
The direct approach is never used for negative messages.
Answer:
The best approach to résumé writing is to create a single, solid version and send it to all
employers regardless of their differences.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
Most employers now conduct online searches to learn more about promising
candidates, and many have rejected applicants because of what those searches yield.
Answer:
If you are asked a potentially unlawful question during a job interview, you are legally
obligated to refuse to answer.
Answer:
In an unsolicited proposal, the writer
A) must convince readers that a problem or opportunity exists.
B) analyzes the client’s business in light of the competition.
C) uses a style approved by the American Association of Business Writers.
D) enumerates the client’s options regarding such business decisions as product-line
expansion.
E) has the upper hand.
Answer:
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
E) Dative
Answer:
“Environmental impact consultant study results” is an example of
A) redundancy.
B) a dangling modifier.
C) a dependent clause.
D) a long noun sequence.
E) hedging.
Answer:
The primary value of a wiki stems from
A) its revolutionary technology.
B) its focus on a single, expert perspective.
C) the collective insight of all its contributors.
D) the legal protection it provides for users.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
In corresponding with customers, making statements such as, “Thank you for
purchasing the most durable notebook computer you can buy” is
A) to be avoided in routine positive messages.
B) a good way to build customer relationships.
C) an important part of all negative responses to claim letters.
D) insulting and self-serving, unless you include a check or free product.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
When your message is complex and includes a large amount of information,
A) a variety of techniques (such as brainstorming) can help determine your main idea.
B) it is best to allow the audience to figure out the main idea on their own.
C) effective communicators realize that trying to find a single main idea is a waste of
time.
D) it is not necessary to determine a single main idea, as long as you are clear about
your topic.
E) audiences will not expect you to have only one main idea.
Answer:
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.
E) words that are hard to understand.
Answer:
When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to
A) avoid composing as a group.
B) begin by letting all members “do their own thing” and then seeing what they all
produce.
C) let all members use their own preferred software.
D) make the team as large as possible so that every possible area of expertise will be
covered.
E) insist that no one is leaving the room until the task is complete.
Answer:
Using templates in preparing reports
A) limits your creativity and makes your report look ordinary.
B) is a sign of incompetence.
C) saves time by providing a format and identifying the specific sections required for
the type of report you are writing.
D) is costly and time-consuming.
E) usually makes reports more difficult to read.
Answer:
Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis:
A) We failed to complete the process audit on time.
B) We will 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.
E) We wish we could finish this interminable audit.
Answer:
Cross-functional teams
A) are rare, and generally less effective than other types of teams in business.
B) are vulnerable to tensions, since the diversity of opinions and experiences they bring
together.
C) consist of employees from the same department, tasked with addressing a wide array
of issues.
D) are effective only in large organizations.
E) should never contain more than three members, if they are to be effective.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a typical element in a formal work plan?
A) Statement of purpose
B) Statement of the scope of the investigation
C) Discussion of tasks to be accomplished
D) Conclusions and recommendations
E) Preliminary outline
Answer:
Briefly explain several guidelines for adapting marketing and sales messages for social
media.
Answer:
Websites specifically designed to pool the inputs of multiple users in order to benefit
the community as a whole are known as ________ websites.
A) hidden
B) open
C) user-friendly
D) community participation
E) open-source
Answer:
The purpose of a résumé is to
A) induce the reader to hire you.
B) list all your skills and abilities.
C) get you an interview.
D) take the place of an application letter.
E) exaggerate your qualifications and impress potential employers.
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of an effective subject line for an email
requesting information about the August inventory for bananas?
A) Information needed
B) Banana inventories
C) Banana information needed
D) Please send August banana inventory
E) I need to know the exact inventory on bananas for August—please send it right
away. Thanks.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a good way to deal with speaking anxiety?
A) Prepare more material than necessary.
B) Concentrate on your nervousness.
C) Take a few deep breaths before speaking.
D) Have your first sentence memorized and on the tip of your tongue.
E) Visualize success.
Answer:
The tendency to delay, downplay or distort bad news
A) is natural, and you should de-emphasize the news at all costs.
B) can lead to problems with internal communication, but generally not with external
audiences.
C) can lead to unethical decisions and even lawsuits.
D) can be eliminated by punishing employees who regularly deliver bad news.
E) is not an issue unless money is involved.
Answer:
An executive summary
A) is shorter than a synopsis.
B) gives a fully developed “mini” version of the report.
C) provides additional information (not covered in the report) that executives will need.
D) is unnecessary if the report is not intended for executives.
E) should be written in a tone that is much less formal than the report itself.
Answer:
The introduction (or opening) of a business report or proposal should always
A) outline your conclusions or recommendations.
B) list all the sources from which you draw information.
C) provide a detailed description of your qualifications to write the report.
D) indicate why the subject of the report is important.
E) begin with a humorous anecdote.
Answer:
Describing your organization’s qualifications in a formal proposal is
A) considered arrogant and should be avoided.
B) appropriate, but only in the introduction.
C) an essential part of the body.
D) a good idea only when your recommendations are controversial.
E) a bad idea, since it suggests that you are not confident in those qualifications.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a strategy for structuring reports focused on logical
arguments?
A) 2 + 2 = 4 approach
B) Direct approach
C) Yardstick method
D) Indirect approach
E) None of the above are logical approaches.
Answer:
Compared to email, instant messaging
A) is slower and more complicated to use.
B) has not caught on in the business community.
C) is much faster, but more costly as well.
D) offers greater speed and is less susceptible to privacy problems.
E) has become much less popular for personal and business use.
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:
In developing business messages, the step during which you evaluate whether you have
expressed your ideas clearly is
A) planning.
B) writing.
C) completing.
D) feedback.
E) following up.
Answer:
If you are asked back for a final job interview, you should expect the interviewer to
focus on
A) your previous job experience.
B) selling you on the advantages of joining the organization.
C) your educational background.
D) checking your references.
E) concerns with whether or not you will truly be a good fit for the organization.
Answer:
In high-context cultures,
A) people rely more on nonverbal circumstances and cues to convey meaning.
B) people rely less on the environmental setting to convey meaning.
C) the rules of everyday life are highly explicit.
D) aggressive negotiation is expected and common.
E) all of the above occur.
Answer:
Sending reports and proposals as PDF files
A) reduces the likelihood of inadvertently spreading macro viruses and other
contaminations.
B) increases the chances of inadvertently spreading macro viruses and other
contaminations.
C) gives you less control over how the document is displayed on the audience’s
computer.
D) is likely to frustrate audiences, since they require expensive software to open.
E) makes it especially difficult to gather comments and other input on the document
from reviewers.
Answer:
In a negative message, which of the following would be the most effective alternative to
stating, “We cannot afford to continue this program”?
A) The program will conclude on May 1.
B) Much as we would like to support it, the program will be stopped.
C) Due to a new company policy, we can no longer fund this program.
D) There’s no more money to extend this program.
E) To no one’s surprise, this program will be cut as of May 1.
Answer:
In which of the following organizational structures do employees report to two
managers at the same time?
A) virtual organization
B) matrix structure
C) network structure
D) modern structure
E) none of the above
Answer:
Describe six strategies (in addition to using the AIDA format) for strengthening your
argument in business proposals.
Answer:
Describe three strategies for effectively organizing a website.
Answer:
What six stages should you go through in preparing an effective outline for a
presentation?
Answer:
What is normally included in the body of a business report?
Answer:
Briefly explain the concept of corporate culture.
Answer:
What does it mean for an audience to “decode” a message?
Answer:
What potential risk should you consider before including a career objective on your
résumé?
Answer:
Describe several benefits and one potential drawback of organizing business reports
using the direct approach.
Answer:
Briefly describe the elements of a negative message that uses the indirect approach.
Answer:
Explain the function of each phase of an application letter written in the AIDA format.
Answer:
________ is reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
Answer:
List at least five items that you should take to every interview.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse.
Answer:
Provide an example of a conclusion, and then give an example of a recommendation on
the same topic.
Answer:
In addition to your name, what should be included in the Contact Information section of
your résumé?
Answer:
What is telepresence?
Answer: