Because the competition for most jobs is so great, even a seemingly minor mistake
(such as a typo on a résumé) can eliminate your chances of success.
Answer:
A semicolon is used to separate independent clauses when the second clause begins
with a conjunctive adverb such as however or therefore.
Answer:
Once you have established your purpose, it’s best to consider whether it is worth
pursuing at this time.
Answer:
Most companies expect you to use acronyms from texting in professional business
writing.
Answer:
The plural of son-in-law is sons-in-law, but the possessive is son-in-law’s.
Answer:
A crisis management plan specifies the individuals who have the authority to speak for
the company in the midst of a crisis.
Answer:
Culture is inborn, not learned.
Answer:
Sales call reports are a type of compliance report.
Answer:
“The startup costs on this project are out of control” is a simple sentence.
Answer:
The direct approach is always best when denying a request for information.
Answer:
Most of the information that flows downward in an organization is geared toward
helping employees do their jobs.
Answer:
One potential disadvantage of using a photograph to help explain a repair procedure is
that it shows so much detail.
Answer:
If you find graphics, photos, videos, and other elements online, you can use them in
your own documents without worrying about copyright violations.
Answer:
“Future plans” is an example of a redundancy.
Answer:
A compound sentence contains one main thought (independent clause) and one or more
subordinate thoughts (dependent clauses).
Answer:
The best opening for a positive message includes the single most important information
you need to give the audience.
Answer:
The middle section of a message has the greatest impact on the audience.
Answer:
Proposals addressed to external audiences, including potential customers and investors,
are nearly always formal.
Answer:
An analytical report often ends by presenting a recommendation.
Answer:
Body language is particularly important during the warm-up phase of a job interview.
Answer:
The goal of content listening is to evaluate the logic, validity, and implications of a
message.
Answer:
A major advantage of electronic presentations is the ability to make changes easily at
the last minute.
Answer:
When writing a condolence message about a loss, you should always use comforting
poetic expressions such as “life is for the living.”
Answer:
In general, you should use a conversational style when speaking to small groups and a
more formal style for large groups.
Answer:
Workforce diversity includes differences not only in race but also in gender, education,
and other areas.
Answer:
The interest section of a persuasive letter provides details on how the message is
relevant to the audience.
Answer:
An effective email subject line is very short and describes only the general topic of the
message.
Answer:
Demographic information includes people’s psychological characteristics, such as
personality, attitudes, and lifestyle.
Answer:
The AIDA model for persuasive messages works only with the indirect approach.
Answer:
If you use unpublished materials, such as doctoral dissertations or public speeches, as
information resources, you do not need to cite them in your report.
Answer:
In the text of a report, when you’re describing the data that’s included in a visual, repeat
the data that’s shown in the visual.
Answer:
When asked to write a letter of recommendation for a poorly performing employee, you
should never refuse to do so.
Answer:
To make your message more interesting and accessible, you should use as many design
elements and decorative touches as possible.
Answer:
A colleague of yours has just published an e-book titled, “Ten Tips for Success.” She
plans to promote the book via social networking. What advice can you offer to her
about promotional efforts in the social media landscape?
A) She should use brand acceleration to engage with opinion leaders.
B) She should use a low-key, indirect approach when promoting her book.
C) She should promote her book aggressively on each social media platform.
D) She should expedite her promotions by broadcasting her message via email.
E) Fire him immediately.
Answer:
Expert presenters often structure specific slides around a ________ that helps organize
and explain the points they are trying to make.
A) luminous object
B) quasi nexus
C) transposition
D) key visual
E) bumper theme
Answer:
The direct approach for persuasion
A) is never used in the workplace.
B) is effective for a receptive audience.
C) is great for connecting with a skeptical audience.
D) doesn’t include justifications or explanations.
E) is a sign of low self-esteem and limited credibility.
Answer:
Marketers use ________ to track the online behavior of website visitors and serve up
ads based on what their interests appear to be.
A) cyber spam
B) crowd sourcing
C) social convergence
D) behavioral targeting
E) guerilla marketing
Answer:
Structured presentation slides are usually the best choice for
A) routine presentations.
B) persuasive presentations.
C) sales presentations.
D) motivational presentations.
E) impromptu presentations.
Answer:
Searching LinkedIn to learn about the managers you will meet with in an upcoming
interview
A) is unethical, since LinkedIn profiles are private.
B) is acceptable as long as you never reveal that you have done it.
C) requires that you ask their permission beforehand.
D) can make it easier for you to build rapport with your interviewers.
E) hinders your chances of success by making you seem desperate for employment.
Answer:
All of the following will help you compose effective promotional messages for social
media except
A) facilitating community building.
B) listening as much as you talk.
C) providing information people want.
D) identifying and supporting your champions.
E) none of the above
Answer:
When choosing the clothing you’ll wear for a workplace interview, the best policy is to
A) emulate the designers on Project Runway.
B) get in touch with your inner child.
C) select your best skinny jeans and platform shoes.
D) dress conservatively and professionally.
E) make a personal fashion statement.
Answer:
You’re sending an unsolicited proposal to a local restaurant in an effort to become its
primary food vendor. The letter of transmittal to accompany the proposal should follow
the format for
A) persuasive messages.
B) bad-news messages.
C) good-news messages.
D) routine messages.
E) operational reports.
Answer:
As you create and refine your messages, evaluate your writing at all of the following
levels except
A) strong words.
B) effective sentences.
C) coherent paragraphs.
D) multimedia enhancements.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?
A) Increase information and knowledge
B) Increase groupthink among members
C) Increase performance levels
D) Increase diversity of views
E) Increase acceptance of a solution
Answer:
When you discuss salary requirements with a prospective employer, you should
A) let the interviewer raise the topic first.
B) say that your requirements are negotiable or that you expect to receive a competitive
compensation package.
C) try to negotiate a higher salary if you are not satisfied with the offer and are in a
good bargaining position.
D) focus on the unique value you can bring to the job.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
The best tone for most business messages is
A) informal.
B) very formal.
C) conversational.
D) passive.
E) happy-go-lucky.
Answer:
Generally speaking, an effective proposal can
A) follow the AIDA model.
B) follow the plan for good-news messages.
C) avoid the “you” attitude.
D) be as vague as possible.
E) rely entirely on primary evidence.
Answer:
To actually receive a message, a person needs to do all of the following except
A) sense the presence of the message.
B) select it from other messages.
C) understand the message.
D) perceive it as an actual message.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
You’re writing an analytical report outlining the benefits of starting a recycling
program. You need to explain how the program meets numerous criteria including
reasonable cost, ease of implementation, and long-term impact. The ________ approach
will probably be the best way to organize your report.
A) 2 + 2 = 4
B) scientific
C) direct
D) yardstick
E) modal
Answer:
Plain language is a style of writing
A) used only for casual correspondence.
B) designed to make information more understandable to the audience.
C) aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language.
D) inappropriate for business communication.
E) used in industry to describe products and technical issues, but never in professional
settings.
Answer:
Citing numbers and dates
A) does not differ among cultures.
B) differs slightly among cultures, but is consistent among all that are low-context.
C) varies so widely among cultures that it is impossible to accommodate expectations.
D) should be done carefully when communicating with audiences from other cultures.
E) should always follow European style, unless you are communicating with others in
the U.S.
Answer:
Employers can use sophisticated job simulations during online interviews to
A) identify good candidates.
B) give applicants an idea of what the job is like.
C) reduce the risk of employment discrimination lawsuits.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Selecting the right medium for your presentation is
A) easy because you’re simply giving a speech.
B) an important decision since technology offers a number of choices.
C) only an issue when addressing audiences from other cultures.
D) not something you need to think about early on.
E) unimportant, as long as your content is good.
Answer:
You can emphasize key points by
A) using extra words to describe them.
B) adding a second, short sentence to highlight your point.
C) making important ideas the subject of the sentence.
D) placing them at the beginning or end of a sentence.
E) doing all of the above.
Answer:
If you are just graduating from college and have limited professional experience,
A) a traditional chronological résumé is your only option.
B) a functional résumé is your only option.
C) your chronological résumé should probably list educational qualifications before
listing experience.
D) your résumé can be written in a casual, informal tone.
E) applying for a full-time position is a waste of time.
Answer:
If you have a great deal of detailed, specific information to present, the best visual to
use would be a
A) table.
B) pie chart.
C) diagram.
D) Gantt chart.
E) bar chart.
Answer:
When using the direct approach to deliver negative messages, you
A) begin with a buffer.
B) should not include reasons for the decision or information.
C) should end the message on a respectful note.
D) can expect your audience to be offended.
E) should not worry about tone.
Answer:
In the close of a report intended to prompt sales personnel to meet specific goals, you
should
A) provide hints on what the audience should do so that you don’t sound like you’re
giving orders.
B) instruct your audience to contact you about what they should do next.
C) make sure your readers understand exactly what’s expected of them and when it’s
expected.
D) imply that they will be fired if the goals are not achieved.
E) state clearly that failing to meet the goals will result in dismissal without pay.
Answer:
An effective listener will use ________ in an effort to hear and understand what the
other party is saying.
A) an emphatic listening approach
B) a critical listening approach
C) an active listening approach
D) a content listening approach
E) a transactional listening approach
Answer:
Which of the following terms should not be hyphenated?
A) We applied a short-term fix to the problem.
B) This is my first long-term relationship.
C) That is one self-confident politician.
D) Sam is a well-known author.
E) All of the above should be hyphenated.
Answer:
If you devote sufficient time to planning a business message before you begin writing
it, you can expect all of the following outcomes except
A) expediting the writing process.
B) avoiding embarrassing blunders.
C) experiencing extra work and stress in the writing and completing stages.
D) delivering concise, compelling information that your audience wants and needs to
know.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Business writers use bulleted and numbered lists for all of the following reasons except
A) sequencing their ideas.
B) simplifying complex subjects.
C) helping readers locate key points.
D) heightening the visual impact of their ideas.
E) adding decorative elements to their messages.
Answer:
Using endorsements to gain credibility with your audience
A) rarely works, since most see it as a blatant sales pitch.
B) can be an effective strategy, as long as your audience views the person making the
endorsement as an expert.
C) is fine for commercials and advertisements, but not otherwise.
D) makes you seem desperate and untrustworthy.
E) is effective only when your audience is hostile.
Answer:
A ________ outlines an organization’s official position on issues that affect its success.
A) policy report
B) position paper
C) feasibility report
D) work plan
E) business plan
Answer:
When it comes to apologizing for corporate mistakes, judges, juries, and plaintiffs tend
to
A) react negatively when companies apologize.
B) dismiss such apologies as insincere.
C) be more forgiving of companies that apologize.
D) understand that companies should never admit guilt.
E) expect non-profit organizations to admit guilt, but not for-profit companies.
Answer:
Briefly define communication.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between conversation marketing and social commerce.
Answer:
What is the yardstick approach to writing a report? Provide an example of a report that
would benefit from this organizational approach.
Answer:
List at least three elements normally included in the body of a formal proposal.
Answer:
In a longer presentation, how does your purpose influence the way you organize your
material?
Answer:
What does it mean for an audience to “decode” a message?
Answer:
List and briefly explain six strategies for holding your audience’s attention during a
business presentation.
Answer:
Rewrite the following sentence to eliminate the unnecessary phrases: “In view of the
fact that the customer service department is closed, we do not have the capability of
offering refunds until such a time as they reopen.”
Answer:
During a meeting with coworkers, your mobile phone rings. Should you answer it?
Why or why not?
Answer:
List three guidelines to follow when deciding what to wear for an employment
interview.
Answer:
List three situations in which the passive voice can help you demonstrate the “you”
attitude.
Answer:
Describe at least three common types of teams companies often create.
Answer:
List the three most common strategies for structuring analytical reports.
Answer:
You’ve been asked to give a presentation on cybercrime. List two steps that can help
you define the main idea of your presentation, and then provide an example of the
second step.
Answer:
Define bias-free language.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between primary research and secondary research.
Answer:
What is meant by quality of hire, and how do companies use it?
Answer:
What two essential questions do employers seek to answer about each candidate in
interviews?
Answer:
Explain what you should strive to achieve during a selection interview.
Answer: