According to the text, what is the most important point to remember about technology?
A) Technology is a tool that can aid interpersonal communication, not replace it
B) Technology must be consistently updated to be effective
C) People will embrace technology until they hit information overload
D) Technology should replace interpersonal communication whenever possible
E) Technology will fill in the gaps if you lack essential skills
What type of culture relies less on verbal communication and more on the nonverbal
signals to convey meaning?
A) Xenophobic
B) High-context
C) Inclusive
D) Low-context
E) Pluralistic
What is the goal of reviewing visuals to make sure each covers only one thought or
idea?
A) Focus
B) Conciseness
C) Clarity
D) Simplicity
E) Visual appeal
The opening of a routine or positive message should be
A) brief and enigmatic.
B) terse and demanding.
C) wordy and indirect.
D) clear and concise.
E) specific and thought provoking
Transitional words and phrases
A) connect ideas by helping readers move from one thought to the next.
B) should be removed from written material to make it more concise.
C) are essential to analytical reports but unnecessary in informational reports.
D) aren’t necessary in a report that uses a system of headings and subheadings.
E) should be used for headings and subheading.
Which of the following is an unbiased condensation of the information found during
your research?
A) Causation
B) Summary
C) Conclusion
D) Recommendation
E) Data set
Marketers use quantifiable characteristics known as ________ and psychological
characteristics known as ________ to help them understand the needs of an audience.
A) social graphics, intuitional data
B) demographics, psychographics
C) crowdsourcing, regionalism
D) psychometrics, cryptography
When does it make the most sense to review the readability of a document?
A) During the research phase
B) Right after you assess the audience’s reading level
C) After the target audience has received and read it
D) After you have confirmed its content, organization, style, and tone
E) While you are writing it
In order to help your readers make informed decisions
A) tell them what they need to know—no more, no less.
B) withhold information that doesn’t suit your needs.
C) present your raw data, so they can compile it as they see fit.
D) manipulate the data to smooth out negative trends.
E) include copies of all research articles used in compiling the report.
Which of the following should be incorporated into the message when working on the
writing phase of the three-step writing process?
A) Strong words and effective paragraphs
B) An audience-friendly format
C) A well-defined main idea and direct approach
D) Strong words and short sentences
E) An appropriate channel and medium
Which type of question is designed to solicit opinions and insights from the audience?
A) Leading
B) Open-ended
C) Compound
D) Closed
E) Ambiguous
How should companies promote products and services on social media?
A) Through well-developed sales pitches
B) As summary lectures on product usage
C) Vaguely and passively
D) Indirectly, via conversational exchanges
E) Directly, via unidirectional messaging
Rehearsing your presentation on video will
A) help you check your voice, timing, phrasing, and physical gestures.
B) increase your nervousness.
C) most likely ruin your ability to make an effective presentation.
D) rob you of the confidence you need.
E) allow you to send the presentation to those who cannot attend the presentation.
According to the fair use doctrine
A) plagiarism is not an issue in the business world—it is a problem only in schools and
academic circles.
B) crediting sources is all that is necessary to avoid legal problems.
C) once material is made public, it no longer belongs to the author.
D) you can use other people’s work only if you don’t prevent them from benefiting as a
result.
E) any information found in two or more places is considered public.
The term ________ refers to groups that are affected by or have an interest in a
company’s actions.
A) coalitions
B) stakeholders
C) confederacies
D) partnerships
One drawback of using the yardstick approach to structure business reports is that
A) you must discuss all the alternatives, even if many of them turn out to be irrelevant
and/or unproductive.
B) this approach is generally considered old-fashioned.
C) it forces you to ignore the fact that the problem may have multiple causes.
D) it is impractical in most business settings.
E) it is easier for the audience to skim, and they might miss critical information.
In order to help visitors move easily through a website, how should labels and links be
developed?
A) As maps of pathways of information
B) With explanations of keywords and phrases
C) As a way to link entry and exit points
D) With consistent and familiar terminology
E) As a replacement for wireframes
What is one reason email lost some of its appeal as a communication method?
A) Lack of availability
B) Important messages always get sent to spam folders
C) A limited selection of fonts
D) The exchange is often limited to two people
E) Too many low-value messages
What is referring to a corporate leader as a “chairman” instead of a “chairperson” an
example of?
A) Hyperbole
B) Expertise
C) Gender bias
D) An endorsement
E) A euphemism
Which of the following includes photos, drawings, charts, and other visuals that contain
information to support a message?
A) Decorative artwork
B) Slide master
C) Clipart
D) Functional artwork
E) Multimedia
Your success as a businessperson is connected closely to your ability to convince others
to
A) accept new ideas.
B) change old habits.
C) act on your recommendations.
D) all of the above.
In which type of social network site do users contribute most or all of the content?
A) Content submission sites
B) User-generated content sites
C) Virtual reality sites
D) Content curation sites
E) Augmented reality sites
When prioritizing information for reading on mobile devices, how should the
information be organized?
A) Based on the writer’s needs
B) In a recursive path
C) By sentence length
D) Based on the reader’s needs
E) Based on linear needs
Which one of the following will NOT help you deliver an effective presentation to a
small group?
A) Using simple visual aids
B) Standing behind a lectern and using a microphone
C) Encouraging the audience to participate
D) Delivering your remarks in a conversational tone
As used in everyday language, ________ mean more than the sum of their literal parts,
so they cannot be taken literally.
A) noun clauses
B) prepositional phrases
C) idiomatic phrases
D) adverbial clauses
Microbloggers often send messages with ________ that provide links to more
information.
A) teasers
B) suggestions
C) backlogs
D) innuendos
Which section of an RFP would include information about how you will choose which
proposal is accepted?
A) Decision criteria
B) Proposal requirements
C) Submission information
D) Contact information
E) Project description
Which of the following is an important consideration when developing messages for the
smaller screen on mobile devices?
A) Cost
B) Visuals are more effective on mobile devices
C) Messages are easier to create for mobile devices
D) Clarity can suffer as users zoom in and out to grasp the whole message
E) Parts and relationships are easily identifiable
All of the following EXCEPT ________ are challenges inherent in using a written
digital channel to deliver a business message.
A) compromising employee productivity
B) delivering messages quickly
C) requiring online connectivity
D) raising security and privacy issues
What is one of the goals of the sender when thinking about how an audience might
respond to the message?
A) That the receiver will provide verbal feedback
B) That the receiver will be able to encode the message
C) That the message can be transmitted through several channels
D) That technology will be used to improve the downward communication process
E) That the receiver will be motivated to respond
When would medium-length sentences be most effective in a document?
A) When the writer wants to alert the reader as to what will follow
B) When summing up information for non-native English speakers
C) When information needs to be processed quickly
D) When a specific point needs to be made
E) When the writer wants to show relationships among ideas
Which of the following would be the most help in defining the main idea of a
presentation?
A) Determine the seating arrangement of the presentation based on advantages
B) Limit the scope of the message to three key ideas
C) Determine how much time is available compared to the amount of material
D) Identify the essential message points that are important to the presenter
E) Write a one-sentence summary that links to the audience’s frame of reference
During a long presentation, use a ________ to show your audience what you’ve covered
so far and what is still to come.
A) clarion slide
B) moving blueprint slide
C) static buffer slide
D) nonlinear transitional slide
E) hyperlink slide
The term ________ describes the ability to send vast amounts of data instantly,
constantly, and globally.
A) mobile connectivity
B) radical connectivity
C) social connectivity
D) boundless connectivity
How is writing a traditional press release different than other positive messages?
A) You are writing to a specific audience
B) You are writing to the ultimate audience
C) You are writing to a larger audience
D) The details are first, then the good news
E) You are trying to spark the interest of an intermediary