Which of the following questions would be asked as part of a behavioral interview?
A. Why do you think we should hire you for this job?
B. Are you comfortable working night shifts?
C. How will you tackle a project with a deadline that you’re sure you can’t meet on
your own?
D. You have an excellent college record, but how does it translate into you being an
efficient employee?
E. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Answer:
Which of the following is a defining characteristic of qualitative researchers?
A. They primarily deal with numeric data.
B. They use research tools that generate verbal data.
C. They are comparatively less interpretive than quantitative researchers.
D. They avoid using primary research methods.
E. They apply statistical tests to the data they generate.
Answer:
When presenting your education in your résumé, you should _____.
A. include details such as your age, religion, and political affiliation
B. provide an explanation if your GPA is low (e.g., you worked 40-hours per week)
C. include your GPA no matter how low it is
D. emphasize grades, projects, honors, or special recognition
E. omit study abroad experiences .
Answer:
Which of the following sentences uses technical words?
A. The new business plan wasn’t considered feasible.
B. We will deliver the goods by Friday.
C. We regret to inform you that the conference room is not available.
D. It is advisable to invest in an annuity.
E. Several employees attended the meeting.
Answer:
Dario Alcalca’s work involves creating and submitting sales reports every week. The
sales reports have a standardized form and format. Dario should use a(n) _____ to
increase the efficiency of his task.
A. structured coherence plan
B. informal structure
C. template macro or merge document
D. title fly and table of contents
E. theme
Answer:
An individual’s style of talking _____.
A. refers to the way that pitch, speed, and volume combine to give personality to the
individual’s oral expression
B. does not vary when delivering messages in different cultures and different social
situations, work situations, and classrooms
C. is directly related to his or her vocabulary
D. refers to the pitch and resonance of the sounds that he or she makes while talking
E. refers to the pitch and resonance of the sounds the listeners hear during a
conversation
Answer:
Which of the following sentences uses a cluttering phrase?
A. Can you arrange these boxes in the loft?
B. The reason Victor skipped the meeting was because he had to go to the bank.
C. I will reschedule the meeting to an earlier date.
D. Could you call a computer technician to fix this machine?
E. Thank you for approving my leave request.
Answer:
_____ provide a written record of a group’s activities and decisions, a history that
includes announcements, reports, significant discussions, and decisions.
A. Feasibility studies
B. Prefatory pages
C. Checklists
D. Minutes
E. Agendas
Answer:
Which of the following is the most ideal approach to refusing requests?
A. Place the blame on your company’s policy or other external factors.
B. Assume that you are right and that your reader is wrong.
C. Avoid de-stressing the bad news when it is obvious that you are refusing a request.
D. Ask your reader to place himself in your shoes.
E. Find a fair and reasonable explanation for your refusal.
Answer:
Which of the following is an important step in planning a direct mail or an email sales
message?
A. Formatting the message for readability
B. Developing the main appeal
C. Gaining attention
D. Determining the makeup of the mailing
E. Holding attention in the opening
Answer:
Which of the following headings from a report violates parallelism of construction?
A. Managers prefer to communicate via mails.
B. U.S. employees waste a lot of time on social media sites.
C. A virtual team is preferred by overseas employees.
D. Employees everywhere form informal networks at workplace.
E. The recent recession has greatly affected the U.S. job market.
Answer:
Identify the impact of new media on communication.
A. New media have increased rigidity in thinking and reduced people’s
problem-solving skills.
B. New media have decreased the average social intelligence of people at work.
C. New media have increased the ease of tapping the intelligence of people outside an
organization.
D. New media have reduced the need for cross-cultural competency.
E. New media have lowered the quality of communication at the workplace.
Answer:
In the absence of any grounds establishing Ms. Catherine Larson as a good credit risk,
you conclude she is a poor risk and turn down her application for credit. Which fallacy
is most likely to undermine the validity of your decision?
A. Irrelevant data
B. Acceptance of lack of evidence as proof to the contrary
C. Comparison of noncomparable data
D. Illogical cause-effect conclusions
E. Unreliable data
Answer:
Which of the following is true of short reports?
A. Short reports such as inventory reports do not require introductory material.
B. Short reports are intended for relatively large audiences.
C. Short reports are intended for people who aren’t likely to understand their context
and purpose.
D. Short reports tend to deal with complex, non-routine problems.
E. Short reports are likely to use only the third person rather than personal pronouns.
Answer:
Which of the following claim messages presents its content in the most appropriate
manner?
A. It was highly disappointing that our order was not fulfilled as per your SLA.
B. I have been a long-standing customer, and I’m not happy with your service.
C. I expected your company to be more professional than the others I’ve dealt with.
D. Please replace the broken product by tomorrow.
E. I am not happy about receiving the wrong product. I wish you would be more
careful.
Answer:
What is the advantage of providing background information or orienting statements in a
routine inquiry?
A. They help make the direct opening question in the message sound demanding or
blunt.
B. They help reduce any startling effect that a direct question might have on the reader.
C. They help introduce a reader to the crux of the message immediately.
D. They allow the use of the we-viewpoint.
E. They ensure that the writer is the focal point of the message.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences is the best example of the use of specific words?
A. She is better fit for the new role.
B. She works for a great organization.
C. Please call me back soon.
D. Our products are better than that of our competitors’.
E. Could you please let me know by Friday?
Answer:
Which of the following is the first step to be taken when drafting your claim message?
A. Create a positive-friendly but firm goodwill statement.
B. Directly present the claim.
C. Identify the situation and lead into the problem.
D. Seek immediate corrective action.
E. Present an elaborate account of the facts to permit a favorable decision.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences does NOT use slang or a cliche?
A. The company spent a fortune developing this cutting-edge technology.
B. This hotel has world-class amenities.
C. Are you for real?
D. Going forward, please ensure you direct all customer queries to me.
E. They decided to schedule the meeting at an earlier date.
Answer:
Which of the following is true about email reports?
A. Email reports directed to readers high in the administration of an organization
should be informal.
B. As email reports are primarily used to communicate with people outside an
organization, they are usually formal.
C. Unlike the longer forms, email reports do not use headings or graphics.
D. Longer email reports are mailed as attachments, with the email message acting as a
transmittal message.
E. Email reports are primarily used to address day-to-day, routine matters rather than
specific problems.
Answer:
Which of the following is true of short reports?
A. Shorter reports addressed to internal audiences are less likely to use the direct order.
B. Shorter reports are constructed using mechanics that are very different from the
mechanics used to construct the more formal, longer types.
C. Unlike longer reports, shorter reports have a great need for introductory
information.
D. Unlike longer reports, a shorter report does not include graphics, an appendix, and a
bibliography.
E. Shorter reports, like longer reports, use headings, though usually only one or two
levels because of their brevity.
Answer:
Which of the following is true of transmittal messages?
A. A transmittal message should be highly formal and not personalized.
B. One should avoid using personal pronouns and conversational language when
writing a transmittal message.
C. The transmittal message and the executive summary should be presented separately
in an informal report.
D. A transmittal message should end with a pleasant, forward-looking comment.
E. In informal situations, the transmittal message usually takes letter form.
Answer:
When writing cover messages, you must _____.
A. present your facts in reader-viewpoint whenever practical
B. avoid presenting information about yourself in an order based on the job
requirements
C. use I-references as much as possible
D. avoid using the you-viewpoint
E. present your information using the we-viewpoint
Answer:
Pedro, a sales manager, asks Rafael, one of his new recruits, to send him a sales report
by EOD (end of day). Rafael intends on creating the report after returning home and
sending it to Pedro by midnight. While Rafael is on his way out after finishing his work
for the day, Pedro spots him and asks him for the report. It is only then that Rafael
realizes that Pedro expected him to finish the report before leaving. This scenario
exemplifies _____.
A. groupthink
B. heckling
C. masking
D. brainstorming
E. bypassing
Answer:
Which of the following is true about the use of 5-15 reports in organizations?
A. These reports work best for employees with nonroutinized jobs.
B. These reports are typically submitted on a yearly basis.
C. These reports are used by most companies.
D. These reports are primarily used for communication outside an organization.
E. These reports are usually submitted on an as-needed basis and focus on progress
toward specific goals.
Answer:
Consider the following advertisement for mobile phones aimed at senior citizens. “Are
you tired of straining your eyes by peering into your tiny cell phone screen? Do you
wish you had a phone that does what a phone is supposed to do, without all the phony
jazz? We have the product just for you! With its 5-inch display designed to enhance
visibility and large number pads, making calls will no longer be a pain. With dedicated
one touch buttons that you can define, do more for much less! Contact us for more
details; you will not regret this purchase!” This advertisement primarily focuses on
_____.
A. abstract claims
B. emotional rewards
C. the common-ground persuasion technique
D. reader benefits
E. character-based appeals
Answer:
Which of the following is an appropriate ending for a transmittal message in a report?
A. If you had given me more time, I could’ve submitted a better report.
B. I hope that the management decides to implement my suggestions.
C. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on this assignment.
D. Would it be okay if I cited this report in my list of accomplishments?
E. There are several ways in which this report can be utilized.
Answer:
In terms of the nature of listening, which of the following is true of sensing words?
A. How well we sense the words around us is determined by how often we use
backchannels.
B. The ability to sense words does not vary from one person to another.
C. A person’s concentration on a communication varies from moment to moment.
D. It is impossible for a person to block out other sounds when he or she is listening.
E. Most of the time, a person’s attentiveness does not vary when he or she is listening.
Answer:
Which of the following is true of acknowledgements?
A. One must not use the you-viewpoint when writing acknowledgements.
B. One must use a highly formal style when writing acknowledgements.
C. Acknowledgements are typically written using the indirect plan of organizing
information.
D. The sole purpose of writing acknowledgements is to help build goodwill.
E. Acknowledgements let people who order goods know the status of their orders.
Answer:
Knowledge of sales message techniques helps in writing business messages because
_____.
A. most jobs in business are sales related
B. sales messages restrict the use of ethically dubious persuasive tactics
C. most business messages directly or indirectly involve selling something
D. most sales messages are regarded as spam by readers
E. most persuasive messages used by businesses are unbiased
Answer:
Which of the following is true of writing a claim message?
A. You should manipulate the facts to permit a favorable decision.
B. You should avoid seeking corrective action.
C. You should first identify the situation and lead into the problem.
D. You should end the message with an apology.
E. You should not be firm when stating the facts.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences does NOT have a camouflaged verb?
A. The broker was forced to make an appearance at the court.
B. The chairperson postponed the dinner until next week.
C. Dale gave her assistance to Dave during the procedure.
D. The committee decided to have a discussion regarding pay rise for the employees.
E. She was asked to make a commitment on behalf of the company.
Answer:
Derek is asked to participate as a speaker at an official event. A few days before the
program, Derek decides to write a message declining the request. Which of the
following sentences should Derek use to end his message?
A. I hope the event turns out to be a great success.
B. It is with regret that I must refuse your request.
C. I hope that you understand why I made this decision.
D. Perhaps next time I will not have to refuse such an offer.
E. As you know, I have valid reasons for attending this event.
Answer:
The small-scale version of a survey that is conducted before the actual survey is
distributed is referred to as a _____.
A. random survey
B. stratified study
C. double-barreled study
D. pilot study
E. purposeful survey
Answer: