A conversational tone is not appropriate for most business messages.
Answer:
In rejecting a proposal you solicited, you should use the indirect approach and provide
an explanation.
Answer:
Leaving the subject line out on important email messages will spark your readers’
curiosity and increase their desire to read your email.
Answer:
With today’s technology, preparing a paper résumé is a waste of time.
Answer:
Delivering your entire business presentation from memory is generally not very
effective.
Answer:
Even when you grant a dissatisfied customer’s request for adjustment, he or she will
most likely not return to your business.
Answer:
Of the total time you spend writing your oral presentation, you should devote only a
minimal amount to writing your introduction.
Answer:
In business, you can usually count on having your audience’s full attention for
important messages.
Answer:
To fit everything on one page, it’s okay to sacrifice white space on your résumé.
Answer:
If the middle section of your request letter contains a series of questions, the most
important question should be saved for last.
Answer:
A dangling modifier is one that has no connection to the subject of the sentence.
Answer:
When applying for jobs, you should assume that every interested employer will conduct
a general online search on you.
Answer:
A good way to open a marketing or sales message would be “We here at Colbert
Corporation are proud to announce our new, improved all-weather tent.”
Answer:
With so much information available online, professionals have little need for libraries
when it comes to finding secondary information.
Answer:
Because promotional messages are not legally binding contracts in most states, it is
usually acceptable to imply offers or promises you cannot deliver.
Answer:
Data visualization is focused on extracting broad meaning from data (rather than on
clarifying individual data points).
Answer:
Skilled presenters are careful to discourage audience members from engaging in
“backchannel” communication during a presentation.
Answer:
Online reports are always preferable to paper reports in today’s business environments.
Answer:
A semicolon is used to separate independent clauses when the second one begins with a
word such as “however” or “therefore.”
Answer:
Induction refers to reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
Answer:
By the time you are ready to check visual aids in the completing step for formal reports,
you can normally assume that all the data are correct.
Answer:
One characteristic of effective teams is that one leader tends to take charge and make all
the major decisions.
Answer:
Body language is particularly important during the warm-up phase of a job interview.
Answer:
To avoid legal problems in your business messages, you should use as many hedging
words (such as may or seems) as possible.
Answer:
You should always end business presentations in a cheerful, optimistic tone—even if it
means glossing over obvious disagreements among your audience members.
Answer:
A crisis management plan includes information on which individuals are authorized to
speak for the company in the midst of a crisis.
Answer:
Recommendation letters have created so many legal problems that many companies no
longer allow employees to write them.
Answer:
Downward communication flows from employees to executives, providing accurate,
timely reports on problems, trends, opportunities, grievances, and performance.
Answer:
Focusing on conclusions in an analytical report involves using the direct approach to
organization.
Answer:
In some cultures, planning for the future is regarded as a waste of time.
Answer:
Email etiquette requires that writers do all of the following except
A) make sure every email they send is absolutely necessary.
B) respect the chain of command.
C) be careful to keep their emotions in check when composing messages.
D) mark all emails as “urgent” to make sure they are read.
E) use an email signature file to give recipients your contact information.
Answer:
Media richness refers to the relative costs of advertising in the various mass media.
Answer:
In business presentations, the backchannel is
A) the “notes” portion of an electronic slide, which only the presenter can see.
B) subtle, nonverbal cues the presenter sends during the presentation.
C) electronic communication among audience members during the presentation.
D) password-protected electronic slides that only certain audience members are allowed
to view.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Which of these documents would not qualify as primary research?
A) A recent survey of your company’s top clients
B) The most recent issue of a trade magazine in your industry
C) Notes from a conversation you recently had with a local government official
D) Your company’s latest balance sheet
E) All of the above are examples of primary research.
Answer:
Every organization has
A) an intranet.
B) an extranet.
C) an informal communication network.
D) a tall communication structure.
E) a flat structure.
Answer:
In revising an important report, you want to make sure all numbers are written with
numerals rather than being spelled out. Which of the following tools can help with this
task?
A) Spell checker
B) Style checker
C) Thesaurus
D) Link checker
E) Commenting
Answer:
Starting a sentence with “It is” or “There are” is
A) usually a sign that the sentence could be shorter and more active.
B) perfectly acceptable, and you need not try to rewrite the sentence.
C) a sign that you are using active voice.
D) a sign that you are using passive voice.
E) a good way to emphasize your point.
Answer:
When answering requests and a potential sale is involved, one important goal is to
A) leave your audience with a good impression of you and your firm.
B) provide negative information about any possible competitors.
C) use hard sell techniques to pressure the reader into making the purchase.
D) make negative comments about your competition.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following would be the most effective review in a formal report?
A) As this section has shown, our current marketing strategy is highly effective.
B) The next segment illustrates potential challenges.
C) Having outlined the details, I will now offer a few other points.
D) Now that the boring stuff is out of the way …
E) All of the above are effective.
Answer:
Email messages
A) generally require less care than other messages, since email is temporary and easily
deleted.
B) should be written with the assumption that they will be stored forever.
C) should always be less formal in business than messages in other media.
D) are preferable to face-to-face conversations when delivering bad news.
E) None of the above.
Answer:
Briefly describe the contents and importance of a meeting agenda.
Answer:
Materials in an appendix are not incorporated into the text because
A) they are controversial.
B) they include bad news.
C) they are too long, or not relevant to everyone in the audience.
D) they are boring.
E) they are completely unrelated to the report.
Answer:
One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other
members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a(n)
________ role.
A) team-maintenance
B) task-oriented
C) self-oriented
D) coordinating
E) empathic
Answer:
Regardless of a candidate’s work experience, the prime source of jobs in general
appears to be
A) recommendations from current employees.
B) online job posting services.
C) college job fairs.
D) postings on company websites.
E) all of the above equally.
Answer:
The introduction of a solicited proposal
A) need not be as detailed as that of an unsolicited proposal.
B) should refer specifically to the RFP that initiated it.
C) should downplay the magnitude of the problem you’re addressing.
D) is expected to be much longer than that of an unsolicited proposal.
E) should always shock the audience in order to get their attention.
Answer:
If you have 10 minutes or less to deliver a presentation, you should
A) speak as quickly as you possibly can.
B) limit yourself to four or five main points.
C) assume your audience is already interested.
D) organize your presentation as you would a brief written message.
E) not waste time on an introduction; instead, jump straight to the body of your
message.
Answer:
In describing activities and achievements on your résumé, you should
A) use mild exaggerations—everyone else does, so you’ll be at an unfair disadvantage if
you don’t.
B) include only what makes you a more attractive job candidate.
C) use significant amounts of jargon and technical terms.
D) leave out any awards you’ve won unless they are specifically relevant to your current
career objective.
E) omit any volunteer activities.
Answer:
An analogy lets you
A) reason from one specific piece of evidence to another specific piece of evidence.
B) reason from specific evidence to a general conclusion.
C) reason from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
D) make generalizations without backing them up.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
You are more likely to have a successful interview if you
A) begin speaking immediately after the employer finishes asking the question, even if
you haven’t formed an answer in your mind yet.
B) ask the interviewer to repeat each question before you begin answering.
C) speak as quickly as possible throughout.
D) pause for a moment to gather your thoughts before answering each question.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
In a working interview,
A) the candidate meets with an interviewer as the interviewer performs normal duties.
B) no questions are asked—the candidate simply shows up and begins working so that
those involved with the hiring decision can evaluate him or her.
C) interviewers avoid asking about anything other than work: hobbies and other
personal matters are not addressed.
D) the candidate ‘shadows” several employees, and is asked to explain which job seems
best and why.
E) the candidate actually performs a job-related activity during the interview.
Answer:
To conduct an effective database search,
A) choose one search engine and stick with it.
B) consider questions such as where useful information might be found.
C) use long search phrases rather than short ones or single terms.
D) avoid Boolean operators.
E) use no more than one search term at a time.
Answer:
Using the indirect approach, the negative news comes
A) immediately after the buffer.
B) immediately before the reasons.
C) immediately after the reasons.
D) at the very end.
E) nowhere—”indirect” means you only imply the bad news.
Answer:
Emotional appeals
A) have no place in persuasive business messages.
B) can help audiences care enough to respond positively to your persuasive message.
C) often backfire, and should be used only when addressing internal audiences.
D) are usually sufficient, on their own, to convince the audience to make important
decisions.
E) are most effective in persuasive messages designed for international audiences.
Answer:
When it comes to length, an application letter should
A) be at least two pages long, since it shows the prospective employer that you write
well and are serious.
B) be no more than a single paragraph.
C) contain one paragraph for every 5 years of full-time employment.
D) be short—no more than three paragraphs.
E) be long enough to cover everything that appears on your résumé.
Answer:
A contractor receives a request from the owner of a company to bid on a large-scale
construction project. The contractor will prepare a(n)
A) unsolicited proposal.
B) solicited proposal.
C) business plan.
D) request for proposal.
E) operations report.
Answer:
A hidden agenda refers to
A) a meeting agenda that is not revealed to others outside the meeting group.
B) individuals’ private, counterproductive motives.
C) an agenda that members must look for before they can attend a meeting.
D) an approach to group dynamics that helps facilitate group functioning.
E) an agenda that is not shared until the meeting begins.
Answer:
If you find a photograph online that you want to use in a document,
A) you don’t need permission—you are protected by fair use doctrine.
B) you don’t need permission unless you are using it in marketing materials.
C) if it is not specifically offered for free, you should assume that someone owns it and
is entitled to credit and/or payment.
D) you can do so without permission unless you have to pay to download it.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Companies concerned that religious differences may cause friction among employees
A) must still, by law, allow workers to engage in religious activities at work.
B) have, in many cases, forbidden employees from engaging in religious activities at
work.
C) should hire workers who are all of the same religion.
D) have found that it rarely occurs, no matter the size of their workforce.
E) have found that it is best to let employees work out differences on their own, even
when it interferes with productivity.
Answer:
Effective keywords to list on your résumé include
A) business and technical terms.
B) industry-specific jargon.
C) names or types of products or systems.
D) job titles.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Questions such as, “What is one job-related achievement that best illustrates your work
ethic?” are likely to be asked during a ________ interview.
A) structured
B) stress
C) behavioral
D) situational
E) working
Answer:
Encouraging additional communication in the close of a negative message
A) is expected, even if you are not really willing to discuss the matter any further.
B) should be avoided unless you are truly willing to discuss the matter further.
C) is appropriate for internal audiences, but never for external.
D) should be done only if you direct the audience to contact someone else.
E) is never a good idea.
Answer:
Briefly explain the function builds play in electronic presentations.
Answer:
How can career counseling aid your search for employment?
Answer:
Describe four challenges of effectively managing communication in a social media
environment.
Answer:
Why are appreciation messages important? What should they include?
Answer:
While working in a country with a high-context culture, you schedule a meeting with a
vendor who lives there. When he shows up 20 minutes after the meeting was supposed
to begin, should you take it as a sign of incompetence or disrespect? Explain.
Answer:
Briefly describe the advantages social media releases have over the traditional news
release.
Answer:
List at least five types of visual aids commonly used to present data in business
documents. Provide an example of a specific task for which one type would be
especially useful.
Answer:
If your routine message must convey some mildly disappointing information, what is
the best way to present it?
Answer:
List at least five common mistakes that can severely hinder your job search.
Answer:
A positive email announcing a new, more convenient travel reimbursement policy
should follow the ________ approach for organizing messages.
Answer:
Briefly explain problem factoring.
Answer:
What is circular reasoning?
Answer:
Explain why editing for conciseness is important, then list the four steps it involves.
Answer:
List three types of reports commonly used to monitor and control operations in
business.
Answer:
Explain how to apply the three-step writing process to instant messages.
Answer:
What does AIDA stand for?
Answer: