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CHAPTER 16. Informal Reports
True/False Questions
1. Most informal reports are formatted as a memorandum.
2. Periodic activity reports and progress reports are the same—they are two
names for the same type of report.
3. Progress reports for external clients should be delivered via email.
4. A peer review report is a type of recommendation report.
5. Peer review reports should avoid suggesting alternative courses of action
when providing constructive criticism.
6. Minutes serve as an official record of a meeting.
7. Minutes are often distributed via email.
8. Feasibility reports provide the background of a problem but do not offer
recommendations or possible solutions.
9. Trip reports help managers monitor employee activities.
10. Recommendation reports include extensive feasibility analysis.
Fill-in-the-blank Questions
11. The two categories of informal report
are
.
12. To give a colleague constructive criticism, write a
and
report.
13.
time period, whereas
specific project.
Multiple-choice Questions
reports summarize general activities during a specific
reports summarize accomplishments on a
14. Analytical reports
(a) provide information.
(b) provide conclusions.
(c) evaluate and interpret information.
(d) provide information and conclusions.
(e) provide information, conclusions, as well as evaluate and interpret information.
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15. Trip reports should
(a) avoid cluttering the document with the details of who was spoken with and where,
since the focus is on the financial details of the trip.
(b) avoid expressing personal impressions.
(c) express a willingness to answer follow-up questions.
(d) avoid expressing personal impressions and express a willingness to answer follow-up
questions.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
16. Feasibility reports and recommendation reports are similar in that they both
(a) have managers and other decision makers as their primary audience.
(b) emphasize expected rather than possible benefits.
(c) discuss the problem or situation before the recommendation.
(d) have managers and other decision makers as their primary audience, as well as
emphasize expected rather than possible benefits.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
17. Types of informational reports include
(a) trip reports and peer review reports.
(b) progress reports, activity reports, and meeting minutes.
(c) feasibility and recommendation reports.
(d) peer review reports and progress reports.
(e) trip reports, meeting minutes, and recommendation reports.
18. For meeting minutes, do all of the following except
(a) list attendees.
(b) describe agenda items.
(c) include personal commentary.
(d) include a title and the meeting date.
(e) record all decisions made.
19. Choose the statement that is most accurate.
(a) Progress reports are written for internal personnel only.
(b) Managers use progress reports to monitor employees and evaluate projects.
(c) Using the memo format for a progress report is appropriate for an internal audience.
(d) Progress reports are written for internal personnel only, and managers use them to
monitor employees and evaluate projects.
(e) Managers use progress reports to monitor employees and evaluate projects, and using
the memo format for a progress report is appropriate for an internal audience.
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20. When writing recommendation reports,
(a) begin with a long and detailed subject line.
(b) discuss the background in detail but keep the recommendation as brief as possible.
(c) use an obsequious tone.
(d) end with a list of benefits for taking action.
(e) make headings broad and general.
21. Peer review reports
(a) are written by one employee about another and submitted to the manager.
(b) support criticism by offering specific examples.
(c) are never written in memo format.
(d) avoid offering suggestions or resources.
(e) end by re-emphasizing all the negative points.
22. Choose the statement below that is least accurate.
(a) A trip report is a type of periodic activity report.
(b) Periodic activity reports are written for internal audiences.
(c) Like progress reports, periodic activity reports summarize activities over a specific
period.
(d) Periodic activity reports help managers monitor workload.
(e) Periodic activity reports include essential information but not minor details.
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CHAPTER 16 ANSWER KEY