61. Wedges in a pie chart are usually arranged clockwise in descending order or in another logical order, starting at 12
o’clock.
a. True
b. False
62. Charts are easier to comprehend and interpret when they are presented in a three-dimensional format.
a. True
b. False
63. You should reinforce key points in your report by presenting the information in both tables and charts.
a. True
b. False
64. Before you begin interpreting data, be sure the information is relevant, complete, and accurate.
a. True
b. False
65. When analyzing data, first look at each piece alone, then look at each in combination with other data, and finally
synthesize all your findings.
a. True
b. False
66. When you synthesize data, you look at how the tables and charts explain or deviate from the trends you are
interpreting.
a. True
b. False
67. Pace your analysis of the data in your report to avoid overwhelming your reader with too many facts and figures
presented too quickly.
a. True
b. False
68. You should discuss the overall finding(s) in your report before discussing cross-tabulation data and pointing out
questions raised by the data.
a. True
b. False
69. Researchers have an ethical obligation to truthfully disclose all data when respondents ask.
a. True
b. False
70. Which of the following statements about reports is not correct?
a. The report must provide the information that managers need to make sound decisions or solve problems.
b. The information contained in the report must be based on factual data.
c. Subjective statements such as conclusions and recommendations must be ethical.
d. The data must be presented objectively so decision makers can rely on the report when making decisions
that affect the organization’s well-being.
e. As long as all the information is included, a disorganized report will not prevent the reader from locating
needed data.
71. A business report must be
a. well supported.
b. changed.
c. developed.
d. located.
72. Before a writer collects data, they must
a. define the report purpose.
b. interpret the data.
c. solve the problem.
d. consider ethical dimensions.
73. Which of the following do not generally yield primary data?
a. surveys
b. observations
c. interviews
d. diaries
e. experiments
74. Which of the following is not a source of secondary data?
a. interviews concerning the problem at hand
b. company records of personnel data
c. books, brochures, pamphlets, and technical reports
d. Internet resources
e. scholarly journals and business magazines
75. When you rely on primary data, you have more control over all of the following except
a. accuracy.
b. completeness.
c. factoring.
d. relevance.
e. objectivity.
76. Which statement about primary and secondary data collection is correct?
a. It is important to start your data collection by designing primary data-collection instruments.
b. Most reports do not include secondary data.
c. Studying secondary data can provide the researcher with sources for additional information.
d. After collecting primary data, you will discover ways of collecting secondary research.
e. Rediscovering existing information is preferable to spending time collecting secondary data.
77. You should not use secondary data if
a. the researcher had a vested interest in the study’s outcome.
b. appropriate procedures were used to collect the data.
c. the data reflects a high number of responses.
d. the data is old but remains accurate and relevant.
e. it is confirmed by several independent sources.
78. If you conduct a search using the keyword communicate, the results will include citations for
a. the word communication.
b. the word communicators.
c. the word communicate.
d. the word communicating.
e. the root commun.
79. Which of the following statements about information on the Internet is not accurate?
a. Web-based sources are dynamic and therefore credible.
b. No central group is responsible for checking the accuracy of posted information.
c. Users need to scrutinize Web-based data more carefully than published, peer-reviewed data.
d. Anyone can put nearly any type of information on a website.
e. The quality of information on the Internet can vary widely.
80. Users should be especially careful to evaluate the information on ____ for accuracy, fairness, and coverage.
a. government websites
b. advocacy websites and personal home pages
c. peer-reviewed journal pages
d. Boolean websites
e. educational institutions’ websites
81. To get valid and reliable data from your audience your language must be
a. clear and concise.
b. in English.
c. well-developed.
d. decision-based.
82. You should evaluate the objectivity of Internet resources because:
a. not all site sponsors have the same motivation in presenting information.
b. content that is current should have appropriate citations with hyperlinks.
c. all statistical data should be clearly labeled and in a form that is easy to read.
d. you need to know whether the material is copyrighted or can be copied into your document.
e. you don’t want grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors.
83. When considering the quality of a Web-based information source, you should:
a. steer clear of commercial pages operated with a profit motive in mind.
b. check newsgroups for background about the pages you have consulted.
c. avoid using sites that include material protected by copyright.
d. use pages that have abundant hyperlinks to outside sources protected by copyright.
e. check for phone numbers or addresses to verify the legitimacy of the site sponsor.
84. What is one way you can determine the authority of an Internet resource?
a. Check whether the sponsor recently updated the page.
b. Check for the name of the copyright holder.
c. Check for well-supported arguments on both sides.
d. Check for links to multiple sites.
e. Check for typographical errors.
85. Which of the following do you not have to consider when evaluating the quality of Internet resources?
a. the date the content was written or revised
b. sources for factual information on a page
c. the sponsorship of the website
d. the name, address, and telephone number for verification
e. the number of links to related newsgroups and listservs
86. The most frequently used method of collecting data for business research is the
a. questionnaire.
b. interview.
c. experiment.
d. observation.
e. online database search.
87. The questionnaire has an advantage over other methods of collecting primary data because
a. the anonymity of a questionnaire reduces the validity of some responses.
b. obtaining a representative sample over a large geographical area can be expensive.
c. the target audience has widely differing interests and education.
d. respondents note their answers at the most convenient time for researchers.
e. no interviewer is present to possibly bias the results.
88. What are two primary disadvantages of mail questionnaires?
a. The mailing costs are high, and the response rate is low.
b. The response rate may be low, and the respondents may not be representative of the population.
c. The mailing costs are high, and the validity may decrease because of the survey’s anonymity.
d. Completing the questionnaire may be inconvenient, and respondents may not be representative of the
population.
e. An interviewer is usually present to bias the responses, and respondents may not be totally honest.
89. When asking a question, a writer should maintain a list of overlapping questions that lead to:
a. The audience’s understanding
b. Well-rounded answers
c. Putting the solution and the end of the report
d. More questions
90. Mail questionnaires should not be used in which circumstances?
a. The questions allow respondents to answer quickly and easily.
b. The target audience is homogeneous.
c. The researcher has one week to collect and analyze all data.
d. The sample consists of people with similar interests and socioeconomic backgrounds.
e. The questionnaire does not require complex responses.
91. Some types of raw data are:
a. Surveys
b. Copies of journal articles
c. Completed reports
d. Demographics
92. Which of the following statements is an accurate guideline for constructing questionnaires?
a. Avoid multifaceted questions.
b. Use straightforward, blunt wording to ask sensitive questions.
c. Ask for information that is readily available from a variety of sources.
d. Avoid questions that have exhaustive choices.
e. Use neutral wording that suggests the desired answer to each question.
93. What term applies to categories of question alternatives that are independent of each other?
a. hypothetical
b. exhaustive
c. mutually exclusive
d. paired
e. overlapping
94. What term applies to categories of question alternatives that cover all possible responses?
a. hypothetical
b. exhaustive
c. mutually exclusive
d. paired
e. overlapping
95. To avoid the possibility of biasing responses to your questionnaire, you should
a. include an “other” category as the first alternative.
b. omit “other” from the listing of alternatives in most questions.
c. use broad categories for all alternatives.
d. recruit a homogeneous population of the sample.
e. arrange alternatives alphabetically or in another logical order.
96. When asking respondents about their income, you should
a. offer narrow categories of alternatives, such as “$20,000 to $22,000” and “30,000 to $32,000.”
b. request a specific figure, rounded to the nearest $100.
c. use interviewers who are trained in eliciting answers about sensitive topics.
d. position this question at the end of the questionnaire, to avoid losing the cooperation of respondents.
e. offer broad categories of alternatives, such as “Less than $20,000” and “30,000 to $40,000.”
97. Well-designed charts and graphs can
a. look good in a report.
b. emphasize certain data.
c. give a sense of audience awareness.
d. contain details.
98. The purpose of pilot-testing your questionnaire on a small sample is to
a. verify that response choices are homogeneous.
b. include sensitive questions where needed.
c. indicate the reason for asking each question.
d. be sure that all questions function as intended.
e. learn what motivates respondents to participate.
99. A cover letter that accompanies a questionnaire should be written as a(n) ____ letter.
a. request
b. bad-news
c. good-news
d. persuasive
e. informative
100. All of the following are reasons to use visual aids in business reports except:
a. to convert raw data into meaningful facts.
b. to help readers comprehend the information.
c. to enhance reader interest.
d. to show readers the meaning of the data.
e. to provide the reader with insight.
101. Which statement correctly describes the use of tables in reports?
a. Tables have more visual impact than graphs.
b. The structure of a table makes comparison of numerical values more difficult.
c. Tables are less interesting than narrative text.
d. Readers can identify trends more easily from data in tables than from data in graphs.
e. Tables can present numbers more efficiently than text.