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112. Which sentence does not containaclichéoroverusedexpression?
a. According to a review of the records, you paid your bill after the due date.
b. Please review the enclosed report and send your comments to the president before November 20.
c. It goes without saying that customer service representatives must be polite at all times.
d. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the development team for its extraordinary effort on the project.
e. Under separate cover you will receive three copies of the contract.
113. Which is not a reason to avoid slang in business writing?
a. It is too informal.
b. It is not businesslike.
c. It is identified with a specific group of people.
d. It is short-lived.
e. It may not be understood by the general population.
114. Which of the following is a "buzzword"?
a. prioritize
b. under separate cover
c. it turns my stomach
d. can of worms
e. dangling expression
115. Identify the sentence that does not contain a redundant phrase.
a. Young adults should plan ahead for retirement at the start of their careers.
b. Understanding absolute and relative cell references is fundamental to working with spreadsheets.
c. The company will give each and every employee a year-end bonus.
d. Receive a free gift when you subscribe to our magazine.
e. When and if profits increase by 15 percent, all employees will receive a raise.
116. Which sentence has the lowest "lard factor"?
a. The project is delayed due to the fact that the members are of the opinion that the results were tainted.
b. In the event that the project is canceled, please send a memo with regard to the cancellation to the president.
c. The president of the corporation plans to retire at the end of the fiscal year if profits remain high.
d. The customer complaint is pertaining to the recent standards for the purpose of providing safer children's
toys.
e. In view of the fact that sales are increasing, each individual employee will receive a 3 percent bonus.
117. The phrase came to an agreement is an example of
a. an expletive.
b. concrete, specific language.
c. the active-passive voice.
d. jargon.
e. a hidden verb.
118. Which sentence does not contain a hidden verb?
a. The lab assistant gave a demonstration on how to create a suitable sample.
b. The office manager analyzed the financial reports.
c. The associate dean arrived at the conclusion that the computer labs are outdated.
d. The information technology department has a requirement for technical training.
e. Do you have a need for a new laser printer?
119. The phrase "there is" is an example of
a. an expletive.
b. a hidden verb.
c. a buzz word.
d. the active-passive voice.
e. jargon.
120. An expletive
a. obscures the subject of the sentence.
b. clarifies the meaning of a sentence.
c. contributes to conciseness.
d. provides a strong antecedent to a noun.
e. substitutes for redundant language.
121. A(n) ____ sentence is often used to emphasize a single idea.
a. passive-voice
b. compound
c. complex
d. simple
e. active-voice
122. Which of these is a compound sentence?
a. Plans A and B are safe and convenient retirement programs for all workers.
b. Jill will photocopy the letters, and Adam will type the envelopes.
c. Although the data was received after the deadline, we still managed to complete the project within one
week.
d. Please purchase paper clips, pencils, and notebooks when you go to the office supply store.
e. If I can buy the printer at a discount, I will; however, if I cannot, I'll wait for a sale.
123. To subordinate additional information, you can place it in
a. a simple sentence.
b. the second independent clause of a compound sentence.
c. the independent clause of a complex sentence.
d. the dependent clause of a complex sentence.
e. a passive-voice sentence.
124. Which of these statements about sentence variety is not true?
a. Using too many simple sentences makes writing seem choppy.
b. Mixing negative and positive sentences maintains reader interest.
c. Readers may have difficulty reading a message with too many long sentences.
d. If you use different sentence patterns and lengths, your messages will be more interesting.
e. A message that contains one long sentence after another can bore readers.
125. The point of sentence variety is to
a. subordinate negative language within the document.
b. balance lengthy jargon phrases with more familiar language.
c. retain the goodwill of your readers.
d. mix the subjunctive mood with more abstract language.
e. keep readers interested and clarify relationships between ideas.
126. Which sentence illustrates appropriate use of the active voice?
a. The academic reports were prepared by the associate vice president.
b. The office contest was suggested by Nick Anderson.
c. The First Bank and National Bank announced that they will merge.
d. The national budget reform will be announced later this week by the president.
e. The application for the loan extension is being processed today.
127. Which of the following is not a true statement about passive voice?
a. You want to inform an applicant tactfully that he was not chosen for the job.
b. The identity of the person doing the action is unimportant.
c. It emphasizes the receiver of the action instead of the doer of the action.
d. It may not indicate who performed the action.
e. The verb voice, either active or passive, directly affects the verb tense.
128. In an active sentence,
a. the subject is the receiver of the action.
b. the subject is subordinated to the action.
c. the action is subjunctive to the doer.
d. the subject performs the action.
e. the verb tense describes the doer.
129. A passive sentence
a. contains some form of the verb to be.
b. is usually shorter than an active sentence.
c. includes a verb expressed in the past tense.
d. calls reader attention to the doer of the action.
e. is appropriate when using negative language.
130. Which of the following is not a passive sentence?
a. The expense report will be prepared by Tony's supervisor.
b. My supervisor submitted the expense report on Tuesday.
c. Ten complaints have been received by headquarters staff.
d. If the power goes out, flashlights will be distributed by the supervisor.
e. Last night's power outage was described as responsible for the decrease in production.
131. Which sentence lacks parallelism?
a. The seminars will be held on February 14, March 15, and April 1.
b. Victoria is proficient not only in word processing but also in database management.
c. Our word processing program includes pull-down menus, scroll bars, and sentences can be checked for
grammatical errors.
d. Students will learn how to write effective messages, make persuasive speeches, and handle themselves in
interviews.
e. The new smoke detector is both efficient and effective.
132. When you use parallelism, you match
a. transitional expressions to their logical application.
b. short, simple sentences with complex, compound sentences.
c. technical terminology with corresponding definitions.
d. infinitives with infinitives and nouns with nouns.
e. reader benefits with key points in each paragraph.
133. Which of the following statements about parallel structure is not true?
a. It gives sentences and paragraphs a pleasing rhythm.
b. It should be used within bulleted lists on presentations slides.
c. It involves the use of similar grammatical structure for similar ideas.
d. It should be used in report headings that have equal weight.
e. It clarifies unrelated ideas through repetition and reinforcement.
134. Which of the following sentences is a good example of parallel structure?
a. Our company offers both vacation pay but also employee discounts.
b. Our company is not only an industry leader and it is highly profitable.
c. Our company will neither merge with a start-up firm nor sell its largest division.
d. Our company is also one of the largest in the field, not only the most profitable.
e. Our company will either boost its profitability or reduce its expenses.
135. Parallel structure should be used for
a. adding interest to unbroken blocks of text.
b. numbered and bulleted lists.
c. avoiding the appearance of nonsexist language.
d. enhancing the authoritative tone of your message.
e. writing with confidence.
136. When all your sentences work together to develop a single idea, the result is
a. the "you" attitude.
b. paragraph unity.
c. coherence.
d. parallelism.
e. reader benefits.
137. A paragraph has coherence when each sentence
a. is connected smoothly to the sentence before and the sentence after.
b. uses parallel construction to develop one idea consistently and logically.
c. demonstrates the "you" attitude through implied or stated reader benefits.
d. uses nondiscriminatory language.
e. uses the appropriate typeface and mechanics.
138. A unified paragraph
a. helps readers comprehend ideas that are important yet unrelated.
b. avoids language that suggests discrimination by gender, religion, or nationality.
c. has a confident, courteous, and sincere tone.
d. includes sentences linked smoothly to those before and after it.
e. provides information in a logical order and without irrelevant details.
139. Three ways to achieve coherence are to use
a. unity, passive voice, and active voice.
b. short paragraphs, a confident tone, and topic sentences.
c. transitional words, pronouns, and repetition.
d. white space, headings, and justification.
e. transitions for cause and effect, sequence, and contrast.
140. Which of the following sentence pairs contains a transitional phrase that detracts from coherence?
a. First, productivity will improve by 12%. For example, employees will be happy.
b. Salaries will increase by 6%. In contrast, the sick-day allowance will decrease by 2%.
c. The fliers should arrive by 5:00 p.m. Then our interns will post them on campus bulletin boards.
d. The new computer is being repaired. However, the repair service loaned us another system.
e. The union strike should help teachers receive higher salaries. On the other hand, students will suffer if
teachers go on strike.
141. Which transition does not reflect a cause-and-effect relationship?
a. as a result
b. consequently
c. because
d. finally
e. hence
142. The appropriate length of a paragraph in a business document depends on
a. the needs of the reader rather than the convenience of the writer.
b. the benefits being offered to the reader.
c. the logical and visual units being developed by the writer.
d. how many different ideas are being introduced and supported.
e. which ideas are being emphasized and in what order.
143. If your paragraphs are excessively long, you may
a. have difficulty maintaining parallel structure throughout.
b. distract the reader with your confident tone.
c. unintentionally obscure an important idea buried in the middle.
d. need transitional expressions to highlight reader benefits.
e. use simple sentences to smoothly link one idea with another.
144. If your paragraphs are extremely short, you may
a. be using words that are too long.
b. intimidate readers who fear that the message is needlessly complex.
c. need to break the ideas up into subordinate points for better comprehension.
d. obscure the underlying relationships that link your ideas.
e. be using mechanics to demonstrate the "you" attitude.
145. Logically, a paragraph should
a. cover a single topic.
b. connect the previous paragraph to the topic sentence.
c. be divided into simple and compound sentences.
d. use parallel structure for coherence.
e. contain no fewer than 25 characters.
146. A paragraph is a visual unit because it
a. discusses only one topic but does so in great detail.
b. uses white space to enhance readability.
c. signals readers to pause and digest the information it contains.
d. adds coherence to the document's unity.
e. uses a single typeface for emphasis and subordination.
147. Your message will have a confident tone if you
a. believe that your decision is based on sound logic.
b. start the topic sentence with "I hope."
c. use self-conscious words and phrases.
d. demonstrate arrogance.
e. use transitional expressions to connect related ideas.
148. Which sentence displays a confident writing style?
a. I hope that my explanations make sense to you.
b. To take advantage of this special offer, call our toll-free number.
c. If you have any further problems, please don't hesitate to call me.
d. Why not order the new exercise equipment today?
e. If you agree with my proposal, please let me know.
149. Which guideline about confident writing is correct?
a. Use confident phrases such as "I hope."
b. Encourage the reader to provide excuses for denying your request.
c. Imply that something might not work out satisfactorily.
d. Avoid using presumptuous language such as "I know you will agree."
e. Use helpful statements such as "Let us know if you have other problems."
150. Which of the following is not a good strategy for writing with confidence?
a. Leave out details suggesting that a reader might be dissatisfied.
b. Avoid implying that something might go wrong.
c. Use transitional expressions to reinforce reader benefits.
d. Be convinced that your request is reasonable.
e. Write with conviction without being pushy.
151. Which statement does not appear overconfident?
a. If you know what's good for your company, you'll order these tone cartridges.
b. I'm sure that you will want to subscribe to the new online training series.
c. I know that these clip-art images are perfect for your business.
d. Because I'm sure you want these wrist pads, I will call you tomorrow.
e. After completing two training sessions, you should see your productivity increase.
