Psychographic characteristics are quantitative rather than qualitative.
Answer:
To use big data effectively, organizations need to find employees who are adept at
understanding visuals and data displays.
Answer:
An informative message has the primary purpose of de-emphasizing any negative
elements.
Answer:
You should not include study abroad experience on a résumé if you did not earn college
credit for it.
Answer:
In order to summarize a document, you should start with some supporting evidence or
the details of a message.
Answer:
While communicating with a client, Karen, a sales executive, should consider all
characteristics of the client including those which may seem irrelevant.
Answer:
While conveying bad news messages, straightforward negatives always damage
credibility.
Answer:
In written direct requests, it is important to put the request, the topic of the request, or
the question in the body of the message instead of in the subject line.
Answer:
The purpose statement appears in your proposal, but not in your final report.
Answer:
Hiroku, the sales manager of a manufacturing firm in Japan, apologizes to Samantha,
the purchasing manager of Nezzles Inc., a consumer goods manufacturer in America for
sending her defective goods. It is likely that Samantha will interpret his apology to
mean that he is expressing regret, but not taking responsibility for the mistake.
Answer:
As soon as you arrive on campus, it is considered useful to begin an informal
preparation toward job search by checking out the college placement services.
Answer:
Understanding an audience’s initial reactions and positions helps make your message
more effective and prevents it from alienating the audience.
Answer:
In an oral presentation, it is best to simplify complex numbers by reducing them to two
digits and putting them in context.
Answer:
Which of the following statements is TRUE of business communications?
A. E-mails with attachments are the costliest form of communication.
B. Costs for retrieval of corrupted messages are not included in the cost of
communication.
C. Costs for storage of e-mails are included in hardware costs and not in the cost of
communication.
D. Cost of hardware is included in the cost of communication.
E. Longer e-mails cost less than smaller e-mails.
Answer:
A line graph should be used to compare one item to another item.
Answer:
Accident reports can list the nature and causes of accidents, analyze the data and
recommend ways to make conditions safer.
Answer:
The best way to handle the thinking type of audience is to use emotion and personal
revelations to show how your ideas value the people needs of the organization.
Answer:
Steffi includes a visual on the cover of her post-graduate thesis. She wants the visual to
tell the readers what the thesis contains, in one sentence. This sentence is the visual’s
story.
Answer:
Knowing an organization’s larger goals enables you to show how your specific work
will help the company meet its goals.
Answer:
It is best to avoid using a startling statement or a question as an opener to an oral
presentation.
Answer:
While evaluating data sources, it is vital to check the currency of all data except
technology figures.
Answer:
To create you-attitude talk about your own emotions in a message of congratulations or
condolence.
Answer:
During the formalization stage, teams need to develop social cohesiveness and
procedures for meeting and acting.
Answer:
A tally of responses to each question in a survey may be included in an appendix.
Answer:
In persuasive messages, audience benefits give reasons to comply with the information
and suggest that the information is good.
Answer:
Gestures, such as swaying your feet or twisting your button, work well for an oral
presentation, as they help you appear natural.
Answer:
Claire arrives for a job interview on time, but is made to wait an hour for the
interviewer to arrive. Making Claire wait is an example of the interviewer’s verbal
behavior.
Answer:
When preparing a budget for a proposal, it is important to ask for few requirements to
help the funder think that you understand the scope of the project.
Answer:
When a message includes an argument for a decision, reasons and audience benefits are
always financial in nature.
Answer:
In a summary of a conversation for internal use, you should identify the people who
were present, the topic of discussion, the decisions made, and who does what next.
Answer:
The easiest way to ask many questions to a group of people is to conduct an interview.
Answer:
Having the audience accept the bad news is a secondary purpose of negative messages.
Answer:
Fredrick is creating a brochure. To make the brochure more appealing, he should use
paragraphs with more than eight lines.
Answer:
Wikis are an online form of content knowledge management used by companies to
advertise products for consumers.
Answer:
Which of the following statements is TRUE about writing skills required at work?
A. Firefighters do not require writing skills.
B. Almost every entry-level professional requires good communication skills.
C. Managerial jobs require good management skills and not good communication
skills.
D. Managers do not require writing skills, as they have assistants to do their writing
work.
E. Higher authorities in an organization do not need to write, as they will have form
letters and templates.
Answer:
Processing information before presenting it to the audience is considered a
manipulation of the data and should be completely avoided.
Answer:
The phrase “unfortunately” is appropriate in a negative message and helps a writer
empathize with the audience.
Answer:
Proofreading all your written messages, including tweets and texts, is a good coping
strategy for your first full-time job.
Answer:
Jeremy is not sure about the reliability of the data his team has collected for the visuals
in his presentation to the client. Jeremy should go ahead and use the visual, because he
has included a verbal disclaimer.
Answer:
When a person writing a message knows neither the name nor the gender of the reader,
the person should:
A. assume that the reader is female.
B. send an informal message to the reader.
C. find out the reader’s name and assume the reader’s gender.
D. use a general group to which the reader belongs.
E. omit the salutation and subject, and proceed with the body of the message.
Answer:
A mirror question _____ the content of a previous answer.
A. paraphrases
B. plagiarizes
C. debates
D. denies
E. rebuts
Answer:
Elaine creates a visual for her presentation to Enviro Inc., an environmental
conservation company. The visual demonstrates how various companies’ pollution
systems are destroying undersea life. She wants to ensure that her visual contains
enough detail to make her point clear, so that Enviro Inc. takes action. In this scenario,
which visual or data display is Elaine most likely to use to display her data?
A. Drawing
B. Bar chart
C. Chartjunk
D. Clip art
E. Pie chart
Answer:
Webstop Inc., an e-commerce company, encourages innovation. As a novel initiative, it
asks its employees to complete a multiple-choice test while logging into their systems.
The test requires them to name a randomly selected employee whose picture is
displayed, so that ultimately, employees will get to know each other better. This
initiative best exemplifies a(n) _____.
A. talent acquisition program
B. employee recognition program
C. serendipitous interpersonal interaction
D. planned intrapersonal interaction
E. structured employee retention program
Answer:
Kayla needs to write a report for a class assignment, and she has already finished
planning and gathering all the necessary information for the report. Which of the
following fonts should Kayla use if she wants a font that uses an equal amount of space
for all letters?
A. Times Roman
B. Palatino
C. Helvetica
D. Courier
E. Arial
Answer:
While creating a brochure, the designer should:
A. use fixed fonts.
B. use only one font.
C. minimize white space.
D. repeat design elements.
E. underline many words.
Answer:
Regarding the different sections of a report, which of the following allows a reader to
evaluate the report on appropriate grounds?
A. A scope statement
B. An assumptions section
C. A methods section
D. A purpose statement
E. A criteria section
Answer:
List several reasons why giving the audience an alternative is a good idea.
Answer:
Which of the following should you do when creating subject lines to help ensure that an
e-mail is read?
A. Make the subject line ambiguous and general to cater to a large audience.
B. Highlight the subject line if the information is neutral or negative.
C. Use generic tags, such as “hello” or “thank you” to give the message a friendly note.
D. Name drop in the subject line to make an appropriate connection.
E. Ensure the reader does not recognize the sender to eliminate possible bias.
Answer:
When using visuals, you should:
A. use chartjunk for decoration.
B. use as little shading as possible.
C. include as much color as possible.
D. try to add clip art to make them look more artistic.
E. use stripes and wavy lines to indicate different segments in black-and-white graphs.
Answer:
Which of the following is a characteristic of successful student teams?
A. They set ambiguous objectives and deadlines to allow flexibility in work.
B. They make decisions together instead of having individuals make decisions.
C. They respond only to words or verbal communication and not to emotions.
D. They expect members to complete their own specific tasks instead of working
together.
E. They recognize but do not acknowledge the contribution of every team member to
the team’s success.
Answer:
An updated version of a focus group is a(n) _____.
A. offline community
B. online network
C. ad hoc panel
D. traditional network
E. discourse community
Answer:
While adding positive emphasis to a message, negatives should be placed in the _____
to de-emphasize the negative.
A. first line of the message
B. middle of the message
C. last sentence of a paragraph
D. first sentence of a paragraph
E. first paragraph of the message
Answer:
A country that has fewer rules and a greater tolerance for a variety of ideas and beliefs
typically has a _____.
A. lower uncertainty avoidance index
B. higher power-distance index
C. higher uncertainty avoidance index
D. collectivistic culture
E. highly masculine culture
Answer:
A direct persuasive request:
A. is used to make people guess what you want.
B. always contains benefits.
C. does not need to overcome objections.
D. does not involve asking for an action you want openly.
E. should not anticipate possible responses.
Answer:
A _____ helps a job seeker tap into the hidden job market.
A. letter of engagement
B. follow-up letter
C. prospecting letter
D. letter of credit
E. solicited letter
Answer:
Which of the following is a useful guideline to follow in order to manage time
efficiently when writing a document?
A. Spend only 10 percent of your time revising the draft.
B. Use 50 percent of your time analyzing the audience.
C. Utilize half of your time organizing your writing.
D. Spend one-third of your time writing the document.
E. Use half of your time editing the final draft of the document.
Answer:
Which of the following is a difference between oral and written styles of presenting
information?
A. The oral style of presenting information uses more personal pronouns than the
written style.
B. The oral style of presenting information uses longer sentences and words than the
written style.
C. The oral style of presenting information uses more varied vocabulary than the
written style.
D. The oral style of presenting information uses less repetition than the written style.
E. The oral style of presenting information uses more complex words than the written
style.
Answer:
Which of the following documents is used for performance appraisals, salaries, and
hiring?
A. Annual report
B. Job description
C. Monthly report
D. Thank-you letter
E. Procedure bulletin
Answer:
David is the chief automobile engineer at Acceleration Inc. David’s team has been
assigned the task of developing the prototype of a new car model. Before designing the
model, David prepares a presentation for his team. In his presentation, David discusses
the flaws of the previous model and asks his team members to suggest ways of
overcoming these problems in the new model. Such a presentation is an example of a(n)
_____.
A. monologue presentation
B. instructional presentation
C. guided discussion
D. goodwill presentation
E. disquisition
Answer:
Laila recently made a sales presentation on: “The Benefits of Investing in Frank Jenson
Mutual Funds.” The seminar was well received, and Laila attributed its success to a
careful analysis of the audience’s psychographic characteristics. Which of the following
characteristics did Laila best infer from the analysis?
A. The majority of the audience believes in living a secured old age.
B. The majority of the audience is Christian.
C. The majority of the audience earns $200 per day.
D. The majority of the participants are Asian.
E. The majority of the participants are women.
Answer:
Which of the following is a desirable tone for business writing?
A. Submissive
B. Begging
C. Confident
D. Stiff
E. Arrogant
Answer:
According to research, which of the following is a NOT a challenge faced by
international teams?
A. Members of such teams have to learn to share information.
B. Members of such teams have to work hard to overcome language and cultural
barriers.
C. Members of such teams tend to attribute problems in the team to prejudice.
D. Members of such teams produce less and lower-quality ideas.
E. Members of such teams start giving more importance to cultural differences over
time.
Answer:
An orphanage recently held a campaign under the banner “Give today, help our
tomorrow”. The campaign was organized through posters and social media. Each day a
page was dedicated to one of the children and spoke of the life of the child and that
child’s hobbies, likes, and dislikes. The page concluded with a plea to the audience to
help sustain the child’s needs. Which of the following did the organization use in their
message?
A. Psychological reactance
B. Emotional appeal
C. Appeal to popularity
D. Appeal to authority
E. Fear appeal
Answer:
The best way to learn the conventions in a particular workplace is to:
A. see what other workers are doing.
B. read documents on office guidelines.
C. interact with the human resources department.
D. get updated by the manager or supervisor.
E. research online about the organization.
Answer:
Monica is an executive assistant at a campaigning organization and needs to organize an
important project meeting in the upcoming week. Although she has made all
arrangements well ahead of time, the project manager needs to travel out of town on the
day of the scheduled meeting. She needs to find a way to still organize the meeting with
the active participation of all members including the project manager. Which of the
following would help Monica arrange this meeting?
A. Smartphone
B. MP3 player
C. Videoconference
D. Portable media player
E. iPod
Answer:
Which of the following should you say when asked to speak about yourself during a job
interview.
A. You should focus on one strength and elaborate on that.
B. You should speak in detail, giving the interviewer an autobiography.
C. You should provide both professional and personal information.
D. You should give specific examples to prove all the strengths you mention.
E. You should give details that are vague to avoid further questioning.
Answer:
_____ refer to words that indicate relationships, and the examples for these include
words such as “with,” “in,” and “under.”
A. Adjectives
B. Nouns
C. Prepositions
D. Pronouns
E. Interjections
Answer:
Laila works for an environmental organization in Brussels and recently submitted a
report on ways to curb climate change to her manager. However, her report stated that
the only way to curb climate change was by reducing energy consumption. Her
manager gave her feedback on the report saying, “There are several ways to tackle
climate change including switching to renewable energy. The report lacks a thorough
understanding of the issue.” Which of the following logical fallacies is illustrated in
Laila’s report?
A. False cause
B. Weak analogy
C. Appeal to authority
D. Appeal to popularity
E. False dichotomy
Answer:
Earl, a sales manager, conducted a competition to see which of his team members sold
the maximum products in the previous month. In order to decide the winner, he
collected his data and created a bar chart. Which of the following bar charts will best
help him identify a winner?
A. Gantt chart
B. Pictogram
C. Deviation bar chart
D. Stacked bar chart
E. Histogram
Answer:
Which of the following statements is true of a letter of transmittal?
A. It should inform the reader what is being sent at the end.
B. It should begin with summarization of the main points of a document.
C. It should have important primary purposes rather than secondary ones.
D. It should not include details of what will happen next, as it might be a distraction.
E. It should include information that would help the reader understand the document.
Answer:
Agnese lives in the United States. Before scheduling a meeting with her colleague in
India, she emphasizes that she has a particular view and attitude toward time.
Considering the culture in the United States, which of the following is most likely to
reflect Agnese’s attitude toward time?
A. She calculates time by what she calls an internal body clock.
B. She measures time based on the season.
C. She measures time based on her personal feeling that the time is right.
D. She measures time by the calendar and the clock.
E. She calculates time looking at the size and position of the moon.
Answer:
To create an effective PowerPoint presentation you should:
A. present complex ideas on a single slide.
B. use your slides as a mnemonic device.
C. present the visuals and text separately.
D. try to limit all your information to a single slide.
E. create slides that the audience will have to spend more than a minute on each of
them to understand the information.
Answer:
Johanna, who is appointed as a software engineer, thinks that she will not need to have
any writing ability for the job, because she is joining as an engineer and not as a writer.
Explain why this belief is fundamentally flawed.
Answer:
Ming is preparing a proposal on a marketing plan for a new line of leather boots. In the
proposal, she states, “I believe that marketing the Chic line of leather boots through new
media offers a great opportunity to showcase the product.” Explain whether Ming has
used the correct wording required for a proposal.
Answer:
What are some key points you should follow as a candidate in a group interview?
Answer:
What are the three questions on which an interview strategy should be based?
Answer:
Gina is attending an interview where she is asked questions about her past job, such as,
“Tell me what you did when you had to make quick decisions at your previous job.”
What kind of an interview is Gina attending? Explain some guidelines that she needs to
follow to be successful at this interview.
Answer:
Explain how verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and interpersonal
nonverbal signals differ from each other.
Answer:
According to Deborah Tannen, what are the different conversational styles? Name and
define each one and explain the difference between the two styles.
Answer:
With the help of an example, illustrate two primary purposes of a negative message.
Answer:
Sandra is currently pursuing her degree in public relations and mass communication.
She does well in her subjects and often receives high grades. On completion of her
studies, she intends to pursue an international career which will give her substantial
exposure to international business settings. What can she do, in addition to studying, to
help her gain more international career experience?
Answer:
Explain the criteria for an effective message?
Answer:
What is the importance of writing style in direct mails and what are some points to
remember while preparing such mails?
Answer:
Insta Bank. cannot increase the credit amount for Mr. Davis’s credit card, because of his
poor credit history with the bank. While explaining this to Mr. Davis in an e-mail, what
should the bank manager, Yolande, consider?
Answer:
Discuss, with examples, how informative presentations are different from goodwill
presentations.
Answer:
Ariel, the leader of her team, is given an assignment that is to be worked on by all team
members, who are currently spread across four different time zones. Suggest ways in
which Ariel can coordinate the work with her team using technology.
Answer:
List four ways of planning a strong conclusion.
Answer:
With the help of an example, explain when a direct request pattern should be used in a
message.
Answer:
Describe big data and explain what an organization needs in order to use it effectively.
Answer:
What features should a good subject line have?
Answer: