A large company has been experiencing a steady decline in business over the past year
and its employees have been informed that there is a freeze on salary increases for at
least the next six months. The talks of layoffs have been going on among employees,
although the company has vowed to do whatever it can to avoid this. As the year draws
to a close Kat, an executive in the corporate headquarters, needs to inform the regional
managers that there is no budget for year-end bonuses. She schedules a conference call
with them to discuss year-end issues. When Kat considers how to deliver this news, she
is most likely to come to the conclusion that ________.
A) she should not end this discussion with goodwill because she will be delivering bad
news to the audience
B) the direct approach would be a good idea
C) the indirect approach is her only option because she has to deliver bad news
D) she should provide detailed explanation before putting forward the bad news
E) she should use the indirect approach because this bad news will come as a surprise
for the audience
Answer:
You will not be able to meet the deadline you originally agreed to with a client. Asking
for an extension instead of just stating that they will have to accommodate for the delay
________.
A) will be perceived as a sign of weakness
B) will likely be seen as aggression
C) is never recommended
D) is more likely to generate goodwill and achieve a good business result
E) may lead to confusion and dishonesty
Answer:
Emma and Jessica work together and both want to increase sales at their company.
Emma argues this is best achieved by investing in research and development so they
can create the best possible products. Jessica believes that increasing their sales force is
the way to go.
What potential danger is involved in Emma and Jessica using a compete to win
technique to resolve their conflict?
A) While this may result in a quick solution, it might lead to a relational conflict.
B) It will result in a situation where everyone loses.
C) Both of them will experience a loss of self-esteem.
D) This technique usually leads to groupthink and ineffective solutions.
E) It will result in both Emma and Jessica getting what they want.
Answer:
Candace is getting ready to attend her first career fair. She knows that you have already
been to several career fairs, so she asks you to help her prepare.
Which of the following advice would you give to Candace while she is preparing for
the career fair?
A) Review the websites of the companies you want to meet before going to the career
fair.
B) Dress casually and avoid formal attire as this is just a preliminary interview.
C) Arrive at the career fair later in the day, after recruiters have finished meeting most
of the job seekers.
D) Do not make the first move to start a conversation.
E) Avoid asking any questions to the recruiters.
Answer:
Tyrone decides that the best medium to use for his business message is a letter. Which
of the following is true about the message Tyrone is communicating?
A) It must be delivered immediately.
B) It requires immediate feedback.
C) It needs to project a less formal image than email.
D) It should leave a permanent record.
E) It should allow interactive communication.
Answer:
Which of the following buffers would be the best choice to use in your opening
remarks?
A) In spite of the bad economy, we have managed to maintain our high standards of
customer service.
B) Our industry has been less affected by the financial downturn than many others.
C) We appreciate all the hard work you have put into trying to boost our store’s
performance; however, sales continue to drop significantly.
D) We expected better performance from all of you because that would have improved
our sales.
E) I’m so sorry, but, unfortunately, people will lose their jobs today.
Answer:
Employee turnover is increasing at your company and morale is low, and this is
becoming costlier every day. The company is unsure about the causes of this
dissatisfaction, but wants to determine them so they can be remedied before things get
worse. As a result, upper management asks you to do a survey to assess employee
satisfaction and determine the areas that are most in need of change. The early thinking
is to survey all 10,000 of its employees, including those overseas, to demonstrate how
serious the company is about its commitment to improving the satisfaction of all its
employees.
Given your company’s particular situation, which of the following options would likely
be the best choice?
A) doing telephone surveys with a targeted sample
B) doing face-to-face interviews with a convenience sample
C) doing a print survey with a random sample
D) doing a web survey with the entire population
E) doing an email survey with a random sample
Answer:
Compared to the indirect approach, the direct approach is more likely to ________.
A) be difficult to understand
B) include a request at the end of the message
C) be the better choice for most requests
D) take more time to get to the point
E) get to the point slowly
Answer:
In Mexican business culture ________.
A) persuasive techniques are not used
B) egotism is an accepted part of business relationships
C) valuing a colleague’s work will build credibility
D) email appeals are preferred to phone conversations
E) the same persuasive content and techniques that work in the United States are
effective
Answer:
Which of the following statements is most likely to be true of academic research?
A) The goal of most academic research is for the researcher to learn.
B) It does not prepare you for the research you will need to do in the workplace.
C) The aim of the research is to find, analyze, and organize information that will solve a
problem.
D) The skills required for it are not applicable to workplace research.
E) Its starting point is typically a specific question or problem.
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of a routine business message providing
instructions?
A) notifying customers of a price increase
B) explaining how to complete a requisition form
C) confirming a project deadline with a client
D) informing a coworker that you have the data she requested
E) requesting assistance on a project from a colleague
Answer:
You work in a small office of fewer than 20 employees that has no dedicated IT staff.
As the resident technical expert you are called on to deal with computer issues and
technology-related decisions. Lately this has been taking up more of your time and you
feel that it is no longer an efficient arrangement. You speak to your boss about
contracting with an IT company to oversee these needs, and she tells you to research
some options.
You find a website with some interesting information about your topic, and the author is
a well-known expert in the field. There is some useful data, for which the author has
taken care to provide citations. There are also some promising looking links, but when
you try to click through, they are broken. You find that the page was last updated almost
a year ago. How will you evaluate this source?
A) This source should be cited in your report, as it amply meets all 3 A’s.
B) This source has some accuracy issues so it should not be cited.
C) This source is not very recent, but given the nature of your research it is acceptable.
D) This source fares well as to authorship and accuracy, but it is not current enough to
be cited for a technology project.
E) This source is problematic regarding all 3 “A’s.
Answer:
Satisfaction Ratings: {6, 3, 6, 6, 9, 1, 4}
What is the range of the satisfaction ratings reported above?
A) 2-4
B) 5-9
C) 3-8
D) 1-4
E) 1-9
Answer:
Which of the following best describes a responsibility you had at a previous job in your
résumé?
A) Wrote content for a weekly website
B) I formatted fliers, memos, and newsletters
C) I helped with general office duties
D) I worked with computers
E) Strong interpersonal skills
Answer:
Your audience will be more likely to remember what you say in which of the following
situations?
A) smiling as you reveal the declining sales figures
B) frowning while you explain a serious matter
C) pacing as you ensure your audience that there is no cause for alarm
D) sounding hesitant as you describe the reorganization plan
E) continuing to stare at your computer while you agree to help a coworker
Answer:
Which of the following guidelines should be followed to use your voice effectively
during a presentation?
A) Speak to the front, rather than the back, of the room because it will help you adjust
your volume.
B) Modulate your voice.
C) Avoid speaking slowly, especially at the beginning of the presentation.
D) Avoid pausing intentionally.
E) Maximize the use of verbal tics.
Answer:
Unambiguous language ________.
A) has only one meaning
B) means different things to different people
C) is likely to lead to errors
D) can confuse the listener
E) should be avoided for the sake of clarity
Answer:
A colleague stops by your desk and asks if you have some time to help her right now.
You reply, “Sure.”
Which of the following nonverbal gestures would most likely indicate your happy
willingness to assist her?
A) sighing
B) looking away from her
C) muttering under your breath
D) pulling out a chair for her
E) rolling your eyes
Answer:
When you write an unsolicited cover letter, ________.
A) gaining attention is relatively easy
B) you are replying to a posting that requests applications
C) your audience is actively looking for someone to fill the job
D) do not end the letter by requesting an interview
E) you need to persuade your audience to read your letter rather than discard it
Answer:
Which of the following would likely require persuasion?
A) exchanging a sweater for one in a smaller size
B) getting an extension on a deadline
C) congratulating a coworker on her promotion
D) giving a colleague the link to a website you think he’ll find useful
E) thanking a business associate for her help on a project
Answer:
In persuasive situations, you will increase your chances of getting a positive response
by ________ the analyzing phase of the ACE communication process.
A) devoting less time to
B) changing the order of
C) omitting
D) spending more time on
E) completing the evaluation phase before
Answer:
Body language, posture, and gestures ________.
A) reveal little about the attitude of the speaker
B) can help you interpret attitude without listening to any words
C) only express attitudes of shame or uncertainty
D) should be interpreted without regard to facial expressions
E) must be interpreted independent of cultural context
Answer:
You joined a team just as it was finishing up a big and much anticipated project at your
company, and feel a little insecure as its newest member and the one who contributed
the least to this project. At the next staff meeting your boss thanks you for all your hard
work in making the project a success. Instead of this making you feel good you feel
uncomfortable, interpreting the comment as a sarcastic remark about how little you
actually participated in this project. This is an example of a ________.
A) psychological barrier
B) semantic barrier
C) language barrier
D) physiological barrier
E) mixed message
Answer:
Once you know the organization of your content, you can begin outlining it as a series
of slides by creating a ________.
A) dot leader
B) header
C) marker
D) footer
E) storyboard
Answer:
In all cases, avoid ________, as it requires your audience to figure out exactly what you
want.
A) mentioning the context of your request
B) simply implying your request
C) emphasizing on your request
D) providing a detailed analysis with your request
E) explicitly expressing your request
Answer:
Including customer testimonials with a proposal ________.
A) is unprofessional
B) is unethical
C) establishes credibility
D) undermines the effectiveness of your proposal
E) is ethical but ineffective
Answer:
Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding the
communication styles of women?
A) Compared to men, women are more likely to communicate in ways that assert
independence.
B) Compared to women, men are more likely to feel silenced.
C) Compared to women, men are more likely to communicate in ways that preserve
equity and relationships.
D) Men tend to interrupt more than women do.
E) Compared to men, women are more likely to communicate in ways that assert
power.
Answer:
The active listening skills used when you listen to the spoken word are ________ when
you “listen” to what people say in their writing.
A) inapplicable
B) equally useful
C) much more required
D) far less effective
E) rarely used
Answer:
Which of the following types of research is most likely to involve watching people
perform activities relevant to your research?
A) secondary research
B) quantitative research
C) tertiary research
D) qualitative research
E) observational research
Answer:
You had to let a client know that her portfolio experienced losses. Which of the
following would be the best choice to use in the closing of your message?
A) Again, we are sorry that we were not able to do better with your investments this
year.
B) Unfortunately many investors experienced losses in this tough economic climate.
C) To increase your investment return going forward, we suggest that you adjust your
portfolio according to our recommendations.
D) We hope that you can overlook this past year’s poor performance and trust that we
will do better for your portfolio in the coming years.
E) We appreciate your understanding for the losses you incurred and look forward to
doing business together in the future.
Answer:
Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding instant
messaging?
A) It allows multitasking with multiple medium options.
B) It hampers the efficiency for geographically dispersed workgroups.
C) It is completely secure.
D) It is typically used for sending out confidential information
E) It does not allow for real-time communication of information.
Answer:
Emphasizing how your product or service meets your audience’s needs is part of which
aspect of the AIDA approach for organizing sales messages?
A) grabbing your audience’s attention
B) creating a sense of desire in your audience
C) making it easy for the audience to act
D) building your audience’s interest
E) letting your audience know how to respond
Answer:
Which of the following statements is true about memos?
A) Memos and emails are both typically sent only to internal audiences.
B) Memos and emails have very little in common.
C) Unlike emails, memos should address multiple topics.
D) Like emails, memos should include complimentary closings and signatures at the
end.
E) Memos are often longer than the recommended length for emails.
Answer:
Telephone interviews ________.
A) are typically used by companies to filter candidates before conducting the first round
of on-campus interviews
B) never require you to place the call
C) always require you to use a cell phone rather than a landline
D) are considered a form of an onsite interview
E) allow you to easily refer to resources during the interview
Answer: