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1. As long as you use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling in your business writing, you will be able to
communicate your meaning.
a. True
b. False
2. Style consists of the way your message is expressed, including the effectiveness of the words, sentences,
paragraphs, and tone.
a. True
b. False
3. While composing a first draft, you should be less concerned with style and more concerned with getting your ideas
down in some form.
a. True
b. False
4. Elements of written communication such as spelling, abbreviations, and punctuation are known as mechanics.
a. True
b. False
5. Although informal, slang expressions are vivid and widely understood.
a. True
b. False
6. A writer using the phrase "thinking outside of the box" would be admired for fresh, original thinking.
a. True
b. False
7. Completeness is the most important attribute of a business message.
a. True
b. False
8. Your written message will be clearer if it is accurate, makes use of familiar words, and includes a number of
dangling expressions.
a. True
b. False
9. Any message that omits key information is not accurate.
a. True
b. False
10. You may use long words in your business writing if the language is familiar to you and to your reader.
a. True
b. False
11. A misplaced modifier is one common type of dangling expression.
a. True
b. False
12. To be sure your message is understood, use as much specific jargon as possible when communicating with people
outside your organization.
a. True
b. False
13. Effective business writers select words to impress their readers by evoking a reaction such as excitement, anger, or
amusement.
a. True
b. False
14. Instead of using a longer, somewhat vague word such as substantial, it is better to use a shorter, more specific
word such as large.
a. True
b. False
15. Concrete language is vigorous only if it is sufficiently emotionally charged to stimulate a response.
a. True
b. False
16. Rather than eliminating long words from your business communication, use them in moderation when appropriate.
a. True
b. False
17. Youcanbesthelpreadersgraspyourmeaningbyusingold,familiarclichésratherthanfresh,originallanguage.
a. True
b. False
18. Aclichéisaphrasethathasbeenusedforsolongthatitisnotconsideredoriginal.
a. True
b. False
19. Effective communicators avoid slang in business writing because it does not represent standard word usage.
a. True
b. False
20. Because slang words are in use for long periods, people who read business documents that are several years old
should have no problem understanding them.
a. True
b. False
21. Using buzzwords in business writing is a good way to show your familiarity with issues and trends in contemporary
media.
a. True
b. False
22. Readers will see your writing as unoriginal and even monotonous if you add the ending -ize to transform nouns into
verbs (such as agenda into agendize).
a. True
b. False
23. Redundancy is an effective method of repeating and reinforcing an idea that you expressed earlier in your message.
a. True
b. False
24. Businesspeople value redundancy in messages because they need more data on which to base their decisions.
a. True
b. False
25. By substituting a single word for a phrase, you are "getting rid of the lard" in a sentence.
a. True
b. False
26. Hidden verbs weaken sentences because they do not emphasize the main action.
a. True
b. False
27. The phrase made a payment contains an expletive.
a. True
b. False
28. An expletive at the beginning of a sentence can make the subject of the sentence unclear.
a. True
b. False
29. In some messages, you can save space by stating information and substituting clauses for adjectives or adverbs.
a. True
b. False
30. A sentence that consists of one independent clause that can stand alone as a complete thought is a simple sentence.
a. True
b. False
31. The three basic sentence types are compound-complex, complex, and simple.
a. True
b. False
32. When you want to give equal weight to two closely related ideas in a single sentence, use a compound sentence.
a. True
b. False
33. The first clause in a compound sentence receives more emphasis than the second, independent clause.
a. True
b. False
34. The independent clause of a complex sentence should contain the supplemental information.
a. True
b. False
35. You can keep your business writing interesting and express relationships between ideas by varying the pattern and
length of your sentences.
a. True
b. False
36. An effective business message includes sentences that range from 22 to 32 words in length.
a. True
b. False
37. The passive voice focuses attention on the entity receiving the action rather than performing the action.
a. True
b. False
38. When you use the active voice, you are emphasizing the doer rather than the receiver of the action in that sentence.
a. True
b. False
39. You should use active-voice verbs to convey negative news tactfully or to reduce emphasis on the doer of the
action.
a. True
b. False
40. Repeating a particular word in several sentences within a paragraph highlights separate ideas and demonstrates
parallelism.
a. True
b. False
41. A sentence lacks parallelism if similar ideas are expressed using different grammatical structures.
a. True
b. False
42. The purpose of parallel structure is to connect topic sentences and enhance the unity within a message.
a. True
b. False
43. By matching nouns with nouns and adjectives with adjectives, you can achieve parallel structure.
a. True
b. False
44. "Our school is buying both pens and pencils for students' use" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.
a. True
b. False
45. "Our school is not only buying students pens but also buying them pencils" is a sentence with proper parallel
structure.
a. True
b. False
46. To summarize a paragraph's content, you should position your topic sentence at the end.
a. True
b. False
47. The purpose of a paragraph is to group topic sentences in logical order for the reader's convenience.
a. True
b. False
48. Including examples or more analysis in a paragraph helps you develop the main idea.
a. True
b. False
49. Effective writing avoids both redundancy and repetition.
a. True
b. False
50. A paragraph lacks unity when it contains sentences or details that are not directly related to the topic.
a. True
b. False
51. When each sentence flows smoothly from the sentence before it and connects smoothly to the sentence after it, the
resulting paragraph has coherence.
a. True
b. False
52. You can signal a change in direction within a message by starting a new sentence to introduce an additional topic.
a. True
b. False
53. The purpose of using transitional words is to integrate the discussion points and unify the paragraphs.
a. True
b. False
54. The transitional word nevertheless shows a contrasting relationship.
a. True
b. False
55. The transitional word therefore indicates a step-by-step movement.
a. True
b. False
56. Pronouns can bind sentences and ideas together to create a more coherent paragraph.
a. True
b. False
57. To achieve coherence, effective writers use different terms for the same idea, such as manager and supervisor.
a. True
b. False
58. The length of a paragraph depends on the organization's requirements, not on the reader's comprehension level.
a. True
b. False
59. Paragraphs provide readers with a physical break, keeping your message from looking either boring and too
simplistic or intimidatingly complex.
a. True
b. False
60. One reason to control paragraph length is to avoid obscuring a key idea that appears in one of the middle
paragraphs.
a. True
b. False
