Business Communication Essentials, 6e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 9 Writing Persuasive Messages
1) A message that attempts to change an audience’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions is a(n) ________
message.
A) routine
B) negative
C) persuasive
D) positive
E) unethical
2) Why are persuasive messages more difficult to write than routine messages?
A) because they necessarily involve getting people to act against their own best interests
B) because they invariably convey negative news to the audience
C) because they are always unethical, and often illegal, to use
D) because they involve tricking the audience into believing that they have limited choice in a
matter
E) because they ask audiences to give something of value or take substantial action
3) The first task in planning persuasive messages is to ________.
A) gather information
B) select the right medium
C) organize your information
D) analyze the situation
E) choose the format for your message
4) The demographics of a group of individuals can include information about their ________.
A) personalities
B) attitudes
C) education
D) lifestyles
E) cultures
5) The psychographics of a group of individuals can include information about their ________.
A) occupation
B) age
C) education
D) lifestyles
E) gender
6) Information about the personality, attitudes, lifestyle, and other psychological characteristics
of a group of individuals constitutes their ________.
A) psychographics
B) demographics
C) psychogenesis
D) psychogeography
E) geography
7) An advertisement for a luxury car will appeal to consumers who are motivated by ________.
A) safety and security
B) basic physiological requirements
C) achievement
D) helping others
E) self-actualization
8) Which of the following is true about organizing your information for persuasive messages?
A) Persuasive messages should be about you, the sender, and not about the receiver.
B) Persuasive messages should have as wide a scope as possible.
C) Most persuasive messages use the direct approach.
D) If you are not in a position of power in an organization, a direct approach is most appropriate
for persuasive messages.
E) When you have a close relationship with your audience and the message is welcome, the
direct approach can be effective.
9) Using an indirect approach in persuasive messages involves ________.
A) presenting a problem without suggesting a solution
B) explaining your reasons and building interest before asking for a decision or for action
C) avoiding attention-grabbing statements in the introduction
D) merely implying the purpose of the message, without stating it clearly
E) making a clear call to action at the outset and supporting it in later paragraphs
10) You are the president of the Literary Club of your college and are writing a letter to a famous
writer requesting him to grant you an appointment to interview him for the club’s journal. How
would you go about organizing the information in your persuasive message?
A) You would first explain your reasons and build interest before asking for a decision or for
action.
B) You would state the purpose of your message in the first line and then build your case.
C) You would only imply the purpose of your message and not state it clearly to avoid being
perceived as pushy.
D) You would present your problem but avoid suggesting a solution, thus showing respect for
the receiver.
E) You would avoid using attention grabbing statements in the opening of the message.
11) When writing a persuasive message ________.
A) imply how the audience has made poor choices in the past
B) be forthright and direct regardless of the cultural context
C) use complex language to show the audience you know what you are talking about
D) persuade with logic, evidence, and compelling narratives
E) use high-pressure, hard-sell tactics
12) To establish your credibility when persuading a hostile or skeptical audience, you should do
all of the following except ________.
A) use jargon and technical terms
B) identify and name your sources
C) display your willingness to keep your audience’s best interests at heart
D) establish common ground with the audience
E) provide objective evidence for the claims and promises you make
13) Which of the following is the first essential strategy of effective persuasive business
messages?
A) anticipating objections
B) framing your arguments
C) using analogies to reason from specific evidence to specific evidence
D) reinforcing your position
E) balancing emotional and logical appeal
14) Which of the following scenarios presents the strategy of anticipating objections while
developing persuasive business messages?
A) Gary, CEO of OnDemand Cars Inc., uses the AIDA model for indirect approach to introduce
the new line of luxury cars for privileged customers of his company.
B) Martha is the research advisor of a pharmaceutical company that has discovered a new infant
milk formula. She decides to draft a message using words such as compassion, comfort, and
freedom to call on the feelings of the audience, especially mothers.
C) Hilda uses inductive reasoning to draft a message for her colleagues to persuade them to
switch to a different production process that will increase profits.
D) John is preparing to introduce a new line of “smart” cell phones and expects criticism about
the phone’s size and inbuilt memory capacity. He decides to add arguments to support phone
specifications.
E) Ben has worked out the basic elements of his argument for a new life insurance scheme for
the employees of a leading manufacturing firm. He decides to use anecdotes to reinforce his
position.
15) Which of the following terms stands for the first phase in the AIDA model of organizing
persuasive messages?
A) attention
B) action
C) analysis
D) assessment
E) appraisal
16) Which of the following terms stands for the second phase in the AIDA model of organizing
persuasive messages?
A) intensity
B) investment
C) information
D) intimation
E) interest
17) Which of the following terms stands for the third phase in the AIDA model of organizing
persuasive messages?
A) defend
B) desire
C) deemphasize
D) demonstrate
E) deliver
18) Which of the following is the final phase in the AIDA model of organizing persuasive
messages?
A) attention
B) interest
C) actualization
D) action
E) desire
19) When your AIDA message uses the indirect approach and is delivered by memo or email,
your subject line should ________.
A) be of a routine nature
B) reveal the main idea
C) be interesting
D) not be relevant to the main idea
E) be left blank
20) Which of the following is true about the use of the AIDA model in organizing persuasive
messages?
A) AIDA is a unidirectional method that essentially talks at audiences, not with them.
B) The AIDA model can only use the indirect approach to persuasive messages.
C) AIDA is especially useful for building a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship with the
audience.
D) The AIDA model is tailor-made for using the direct approach in persuasive messages.
E) When an AIDA message uses the indirect approach and is delivered by memo or email, the
subject line should reveal the main idea.
21) Which of the following approaches is more compatible with persuasive messages for today’s
social media?
A) conversational approach
B) AIDA approach
C) unidirectional approach
D) formal approach
E) advertising approach
22) Which of the following is true about the use of emotional and logical appeals in persuasive
messages?
A) A good persuasive business message should rely solely on logical appeals.
B) All persuasive appeals are either purely logical or purely emotional.
C) The use of emotional appeals in marketing and sales messages is unethical.
D) Using words such as freedom, success, and compassion calls on feelings and audience
sympathies.
E) An emotional appeal uses analogies, inductive reasoning, and deductive reasoning.
23) When using an analogy to create logical appeal, you ________.
A) work from specific evidence to a general conclusion
B) work from a generalization to a specific conclusion
C) reason from specific evidence to specific evidence
D) present a specific problem using words such as freedom, success, and free
E) present evidence for a claim by repeating the claim
24) “After a grueling 5-hour hike up the hill, the Jungle Lodge seemed like heaven, only with a
rather rough-hewn arch for the pearly-gates and an indifferent old man in overalls for St. Peter.”
This sentence creates logical appeal by using the reasoning method of ________.
A) deduction
B) abductive reasoning
C) induction
D) extrapolation
E) analogy
25) Which of the following is an example of an analogy?
A) The results of this survey showed that people like our product more than our competitor’s
product.
B) There is a national trend toward healthier eating; as a result we should see an increase in the
sales of our low-fat items.
C) Our office operates like a pride of lions with one Alpha male on top and everyone else
answering to him.
D) All employees have health coverage. Therefore, since Tom is an employee, he must have
health coverage.
E) All large multinational corporations have offices in Japan. Therefore, we should also consider
doing the same.
26) Using an induction to create logical appeal in a persuasive message involves ________.
A) working from a generalization to a specific conclusion
B) working from specific evidence to a general conclusion
C) presenting a specific problem using words such as freedom, success, and free
D) reasoning from specific evidence to specific evidence
E) supporting a claim by restating it in different words
27) In a bid to persuade consumers to buy your product, you quote the results of a taste test in
which most individuals preferred your product over the competitor’s. Which kind of reasoning
device are you using in this case?
A) analogy
B) induction
C) deduction
D) circular reasoning
E) abductive reasoning
28) “Our profits were up by 10 percent last quarter. Employee turnover has been cut by almost
half from last year. Last, but not the least, our market share has increased by 15 percent over the
past 9 months. Considering these figures, we can safely say that our short-term growth strategy
has been a great success.” Identify the reasoning method used in this message to create logical
appeal.
A) abductive reasoning
B) analogy
C) inductive reasoning
D) deductive reasoning
E) metaphor
29) An individual works from a generalization to a specific conclusion when creating logical
appeal with ________.
A) inductive reasoning
B) abductive reasoning
C) analogies
D) metaphors
E) deductive reasoning
30) Which of the following statements uses a deductive approach to persuasion?
A) Because the stock market is expected to fall next month, shares of our company stock will
probably decline too.
B) It is important for our department to operate like a well-oiled machine.
C) We must see ourselves as marathon runners and progress toward our goals slowly but
steadily.
D) Eight out of the ten toddlers tested showed a preference for red-colored objects. Therefore, it
is recommended that we incorporate that color in all the toys manufactured by our company.
E) The unemployment rate is showing a consistent decline. This means that the economy is in
the process of recovering from the recession.
31) “It is widely believed that the economy is now well on its way to recovery. Therefore, it is
only a matter of time before our company also sees a turnaround.” This message uses the
reasoning method of ________ to create logical appeal.
A) induction
B) analogy
C) abductive reasoning
D) deduction
E) circular reasoning
32) “You can rely on us to deliver on our promises because we are completely trustworthy.”
What is the best criticism for this statement?
A) It uses a faulty analogy.
B) It fails to use jargon and is too simple.
C) It makes hasty generalizations.
D) It supports a claim by restating it in different words.
E) It makes mistaken assumptions of cause and effect.
33) Which of the following is a guideline for avoiding faulty logic in a persuasive message?
A) You should be able to isolate the impact of a specific factor before assuming that it’s the
cause of whatever effect you’re discussing.
B) You should try to support your claim by restating it in different words.
C) You should try to attack your opponent’s character, not the argument your opponent is
making.
D) You should try to reduce a complex situation to a simple “either/or” statement if the situation
isn’t that simple or clear-cut.
E) You should attribute a causal relationship if one event precedes the other.
34) “Shortly after Annie’s Craft Store advertised in ‘The Ridgewood Chronicle,’ their sales went
up by 10 percent.” Which of the following facts, if true, would prove the cause and effect
relationship implied in this message?
A) Annie’s Craft Store had advertised in several newspapers, including the “The Ridgewood
Chronicle.”
B) Some of Annie’s Craft Store’s new customers said that they visited the store after seeing the
advertisement in “The Ridgewood Chronicle.”
C) Annie’s Craft Store had its winter clearance sale shortly after it advertised in “The Ridgewood
Chronicle.”
D) The increase in sales at Annie’s Craft Store was preceded by the appearance of their
advertisement in “The Ridgewood Chronicle.”
E) Annie’s Craft Store reported being very happy with the advertising rates and terms they
received from “The Ridgewood Chronicle.”
35) All of the following are ways to reinforce your position in persuasive messages, EXCEPT
________.
A) using vivid language
B) using metaphors
C) using anecdotes
D) pointing out benefits to the audience
E) using jargon and complex language
36) Which of the following is a guideline to address audience objections in a persuasive
message?
A) Avoid addressing objections not pointed out by the audience.
B) When presenting the pros and cons of each option in a situation, avoid making a
recommendation to the audience.
C) Anticipate as many objections as you can and address them before your audience brings them
up.
D) It is important to offer a sincere apology for each objection raised by the audience.
E) If you expect a hostile audience that is biased against your plan, be sure to focus purely on
your side of the situation.
37) Which of the following is a common mistake made when developing persuasive arguments?
A) connecting with your audience on an emotional level
B) resisting compromise
C) using a conversational approach
D) using vivid language
E) using a soft sell approach
38) When putting together persuasive arguments ________.
A) avoid compromising
B) rely solely on great arguments
C) recognize that persuasion is a one-shot effort
D) communicate through vivid language
E) use a hard sell
39) The bulk of persuasive business messages will involve ________.
A) presentation of ideas
B) requests for adjustment
C) requests for action
D) actionable claims
E) persuasive claims
40) Which of the following is true of persuasive requests for action?
A) They should always use the direct approach.
B) They must begin with a request for some specific action.
C) The suggested course of action in these messages should be as easy to follow as possible.
D) They should avoid specifying the action required; leave the decision to the audience.
E) This category of persuasive messages is rarely used.
41) Adelphia Technologies has recently launched an “I am an Adelphian” campaign that uses
posters and lectures to educate employees about the importance and advantages of having a
diverse workforce. What type of persuasive business message does this constitute?
A) persuasive requests for action
B) persuasive presentation of ideas
C) persuasive requests for proposal
D) persuasive claims
E) persuasive requests for adjustment
42) Persuasive presentations of ideas are made in situations where you ________.
A) simply want to change attitudes or beliefs about a particular topic
B) wish to influence readers to take a particular course of action immediately
C) seek to influence the reader to make a decision in your favor
D) want to present your proposals so as to gain the approval of the audience
E) present various ideas so that the best course of action can be determined