The basic purpose of informational reports is
A) to persuade the audience to act.
B) to present recommendations and conclusions to a superior for how to solve a
particular problem.
C) to present data, facts, feedback, and other types of information, without analysis or
recommendations.
D) to convince the reader of the soundness of your thinking.
Answer:
In closing a request for a recommendation, you should include
A) an expression of appreciation.
B) an indication that you’ve enclosed a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
C) the full name and address of the person to whom the letter should be sent.
D) all of the above.
Answer:
When responding to a request for adjustment when a third party is at fault, the best
approach is to
A) refuse the claim and suggest that the customer sue the third party.
B) refuse the claim but forward the paperwork to the third party.
C) avoid placing blame and focus on the solution.
D) advise the customer never to do business with that third party again.
Answer:
When you’re considering the use of color in your slides, keep in mind that
A) color can account for a large part of an audience’s acceptance or rejection of an idea.
B) color tends to distract viewers, which reduces their retention of the material.
C) you should use as many colors as possible to maintain viewer interest.
D) your choices are not that important as long as your slides are colorful.
Answer:
Because application letters are ________ messages, the AIDA approach is ideally suited
for them.
A) positive
B) negative
C) persuasive
D) routine
Answer:
Nonverbal signals can ________ a verbal message.
A) strengthen
B) weaken
C) replace
D) all of the above
Answer:
A ________ is a type of chart that uses symbols instead of words or numbers to portray
data.
A) pixel track
B) bubble matrix
C) pictogram
D) symbiosis
Answer:
Generally speaking, limitations of the formal communication network
A) discourage employees from taking advantage of social media.
B) have not affected the popularity of social media in the business environment.
C) have helped to spur the growth of social media in the business environment.
D) do none of the above.
Answer:
A ________ usually has a long life span and typically deals with regularly recurring
tasks.
A) task force
B) work group
C) committee
D) problem-solving team
Answer:
All of the following tips except ________ will help succeed when posting résumés in
an online environment.
A) taking advantage of social networking
B) remembering that your online presence is a career-management tool
C) expecting that employers will retrieve your résumé from a website
D) submitting your résumé via the method and medium that each employer prefers
Answer:
What is wrong with the following sentence? “To waste time and missing deadlines are
bad habits.”
A) Similar ideas are not parallel.
B) It contains a dangling modifier.
C) It contains a split infinitive.
D) Nothing it is grammatically correct as written.
Answer:
Transitional words and phrases
A) connect ideas by helping readers move from one thought to the next.
B) should be removed from written material to make it more concise.
C) are essential to analytical reports but unnecessary in informational reports.
D) aren’t necessary in a report that uses a system of headings and subheadings.
Answer:
A wiki is an ideal solution when a company wants to
A) deliver new information quickly.
B) recruit new employees and business partners.
C) encourage participation in collaborative writing.
D) transmit the headlines of new blog posts.
Answer:
A special class of diagrams called ________ can feature stylized versions of charts and
graphs or offer structured narratives.
A) informatics
B) pictograms
C) infographics
D) monograms
Answer:
A Gantt chart is a type of
A) pictogram.
B) line chart.
C) time line chart.
D) pie chart.
Answer:
When making a claim or requesting an adjustment, your close should
A) clearly state how angry and disappointed you are.
B) explain the specific details of the problem.
C) request the specific action required to resolve the problem.
D) explain that you are planning to seek legal counsel.
Answer:
A good way to test the thoroughness of your message is to use the ________ to ask
whether the message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how.
A) contrarian approach
B) journalistic approach
C) rhetorical approach
D) storytelling approach
Answer:
Companies are wrestling with the ________, in which employees want to use their
personal tablets and smartphones to access company networks and files.
A) BAPD phenomenon
B) BMSP phenomenon
C) BYOD phenomenon
D) BCNU phenomenon
Answer:
When you’re preparing a formal work plan, include a ________ to clarify the problem
you face and a ________ to describe what you plan to accomplish.
A) statistical analysis; hypothesis
B) problem statement; purpose statement
C) yardstick; problem statement
D) descriptive standard; goal analysis
Answer:
All of the following except ________ will help you integrate visuals and text in
business documents.
A) referring to visuals in the text
B) maintaining a balance between text and visuals
C) identifying the visuals with titles, captions, and legends
D) putting the visuals into a separate section, such as an appendix
Answer:
________ control how one slide replaces another slide on the screen; ________ control
the release of text, graphics, and other elements on individual slides.
A) Agendas; moving blueprints
B) Slide transitions; builds
C) Storyboards; hyperlinks
D) Builds; slide transitions
Answer:
When you’re applying the three-step writing process to blogging, the planning step will
include
A) writing a concise statement of your blog’s purpose.
B) targeting the audience that you intend to reach.
C) narrowing the scope of subjects you plan to cover.
D) all of the above.
Answer:
When using thinner fonts in electronic presentations,
A) use a wide variety of them, to keep the presentation interesting.
B) include decorative fonts to help maintain audience interest.
C) use boldface type so that letters won’t look washed out.
D) use all capital letters so type will stand out.
Answer:
The primary value of a wiki stems from
A) its revolutionary technology.
B) its unwavering focus on individual experts.
C) the collaborative efforts of its contributors.
D) its potential to replace popular online social networks.
Answer:
A ________ offers additional discussion of the content of a visual; a ________ helps
readers decode a visual.
A) legend; tag cloud
B) table; chevron
C) caption; legend
D) diagram; matrix
Answer:
Persuasive messages often follow a specialized four-phase format called the
A) PDQ plan.
B) AIDA model.
C) ASAP model.
D) DEFF approach.
Answer:
To reject someone as clearly and kindly as possible, do all of the following except
A) use phrases such as, “Much as I would like to help you.”
B) de-emphasize the bad news.
C) use a conditional statement.
D) tell the audience what you can or will do rather than what you cannot or will not do.
Answer:
Sending preview materials to the audience prior to an online presentation
A) will cause most audience members to ignore what you present later.
B) suggests that you are not confident.
C) can be helpful.
D) is an example of the backchannel in action.
Answer:
If you’re writing an unsolicited proposal, you won’t need to
A) convince readers that a problem or opportunity exists.
B) prove that you can solve the problem or opportunity.
C) explain why readers should take action.
D) follow every detail of the request-for-proposals format.
Answer:
Large and geographically dispersed companies can benefit greatly from ________ that
connect experts who may work in different divisions or different countries.
A) global peer groups
B) colonies of practitioners
C) communities of interest
D) dispersed social networks
Answer:
In requesting a sales report from a coworker, you should
A) use the indirect approach.
B) get straight to the point.
C) maintain a formal style and tone.
D) do all of the above.
Answer:
A ________ is a simultaneous change in two variables that you’re measuring.
A) variance
B) divergence
C) correlation
D) breakout
Answer:
In the reasons section of a negative message, you should
A) prepare the reader for the negative news.
B) state the bad news directly.
C) apologize for the negative decision.
D) establish common ground with the reader.
Answer:
The ________ of a wiki is a ‘safe,” non-published section where team members can
practice editing and writing.
A) sandbox
B) recycle bin
C) bulletin board
D) drafting domain
Answer: