Using technology for communication in the business world
A) complicates the communication process for everyone who’s involved.
B) can improve or worsen the communication’s quality, depending on how it is used.
C) always improves the quality and effectiveness of business communication.
D) rarely improves the quality and effectiveness of business communication.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
The best time for college students to begin developing a job-search strategy is
A) about six months prior to graduation.
B) noweven if they are a year or more away from graduation.
C) no earlier than the second semester of their junior year.
D) immediately after graduation.
E) when they locate a promising job ad.
Answer:
You create a survey and administer it five times under identical conditions. Because it
yielded completely different results each time, you should conclude that this survey is
A) not valid.
B) not reliable.
C) open-ended.
D) leading.
E) closed-ended.
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:
One of your first steps in preparing to seek employment should be to
A) write the story of you, including what you’re passionate about, your abilities, and so
forth.
B) call some potential employers and ask for interviews.
C) visit promising businesses and ask if they have any openings.
D) come to terms with the fact that you will have little to no control over where you end
up.
E) forget everything you’ve been told about how to get a job; the market is tougher than
ever.
Answer:
Most routine informative messages are
A) positive.
B) negative.
C) confrontational.
D) neutral.
E) transparent.
Answer:
According to the MLA Style Manual, in the list of works cited,
A) the date comes immediately after the author’s name.
B) electronic sources are not included.
C) the titles of books and periodicals are put in quotation marks.
D) all the main words are capitalized in the titles of books and articles.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
The categories of routine replies and positive messages include all of the following
except
A) answering requests for information and action.
B) granting claims and adjustments.
C) refusing requests.
D) sending goodwill messages.
E) providing recommendations.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a common organizational format for analytical reports?
A) Focusing on conclusions
B) Focusing on recommendations
C) Focusing on information
D) Focusing on logical argument
E) All of the above are common formats.
Answer:
Analytical reports for skeptical audiences should generally follow the ________
approach.
A) direct
B) indirect
C) hypothetical
D) aggressive
E) 1, 2, 3
Answer:
The accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society are known as
A) laws.
B) social guidelines.
C) ethics.
D) protocols.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
The primary difference between a standard wiki and an enterprise wiki system is
A) standard wikis offer superior control of information and confidentiality.
B) enterprise wiki systems are available free of charge.
C) standard wikis do not have a ‘sandbox” feature.
D) enterprise wiki systems offer additional features for business use.
E) standard wikis offer change-monitoring alerts, but enterprise wiki systems do not.
Answer:
Selective listening refers to
A) a highly focused form of listening.
B) letting one’s mind wander until something personally relevant is said.
C) a form of defensive listening.
D) listening only long enough to get a word in edgewise.
E) a timesaving technique in which you purposely ignore at least 25% of what a speaker
says.
Answer:
If you end up with multiple conclusions, recommendations, or actions in your report, it
is best to
A) go back to the drawing board and cut them down to one or two, at the most.
B) combine similar items to make it easy on your readers.
C) number and list them.
D) leave them out of the report itself and include them in an appendix.
E) admit that you really aren’t sure what to do.
Answer:
Which of the following is not true of instant messaging?
A) It allows a rapid response to urgent messages.
B) It is less susceptible to security and privacy problems.
C) It costs more than phone calls or email.
D) It is widely utilized in business.
E) It is more susceptible than email to problems with unwanted messages.
Answer:
In business writing, the topic sentence of a paragraph
A) is of minimal importance.
B) may be implied rather than stated.
C) should be general, and not specifically related to the paragraph’s actual content.
D) should always be written in the passive voice.
E) is generally explicit (rather than implied) and is often the first sentence in the
paragraph.
Answer:
Despite the variety among them, many analytical reports include a
A) standard opening.
B) section of recommendations.
C) “this is how it’s done” quality.
D) standard middle section.
E) disclaimer on the last page.
Answer:
One potential drawback of focusing on conclusions in a report is that you may
A) reveal information you know about that has not been included in the report.
B) oversimplify the contents.
C) offend your audience.
D) compromise the integrity of your sources.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
Using words, images, and designs that are familiar to your audience will generally
A) mean fewer people will pay any attention to your messages.
B) frustrate customers who will confuse your company with others.
C) increase the chances that your messages will be noticed.
D) be viewed negatively by current and prospective clients.
E) prevent your messages from standing out.
Answer:
Using oral media for business communication
A) should always be your first choice, regardless of the situation.
B) can be unwise when you don’t want a lot of questions or interaction.
C) is increasingly necessary, due to the declining reliance on email.
D) suggests that you’re old-fashioned, and should be avoided whenever possible.
E) can lead to awkward conversations, but also help you earn a reputation as an honest,
caring manager.
Answer:
The purpose of a superscript numeral in the text is to let the reader know
A) to read the marked line more carefully.
B) how many sources the author consulted.
C) that the report is scholarly.
D) to look for source information.
E) the spacing method used in the document’s paragraphs.
Answer:
Within 48 hours, people tend to forget approximately ________ percent of what was
said in a 10-minute conversation.
A) 1
B) 10
C) 50
D) 90
E) none of the above
Answer:
You could send a ________ after an interview if you haven’t received the interviewer’s
decision by the promised date or within two weeks.
A) thank you note
B) formal complaint
C) message of inquiry
D) message of intent
E) prospecting message
Answer:
You’re writing a proposal to allow certain employees at your company to telecommute.
You know management will be skeptical, so you should
A) be as straightforward as possible about stating your conclusions and
recommendations.
B) avoid stating your conclusions and recommendations.
C) use less evidence in support of your points.
D) introduce your proof gradually before revealing your conclusions and
recommendations.
E) be aggressive in making your case, saying that many good employees will leave if
the company fails to adopt your proposal.
Answer:
As it pertains to communication, culture influences
A) the meaning of words.
B) the importance of nonverbal signals.
C) the use of time and space.
D) the development of roles and status.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of an ethical dilemma?
A) Deciding whether or not to inform employees that layoffs are coming as they work
on finishing a big project
B) Deciding whether or not to tell an employee that he needs to improve his
performance
C) Deciding whether or not to use the copy machine for personal papers
D) Deciding whether or not to declare the costs of your vacation travel as a deductible
business expense
E) Deciding whether to use your corporate credit card to buy fuel for a personal trip
Answer:
If you are sending an informative memo to employees about policy statements or
procedural changes, you should
A) assume that employees will have a negative response.
B) use the indirect approach.
C) use the body of the message to provide all the necessary details.
D) make the subject line as ambiguous as possible, so that they will be more likely to
read the memo.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
If you plan to grant a claim made by a customer who’s clearly at fault,
A) pinpoint the customer’s shortcomings to discourage future mistakes.
B) discourage future mistakes without insulting the customer.
C) scold the customer to discourage future business.
D) voice your frustrations on social media to discourage future mistakes.
E) tell the customer he or she is lucky you’re not pursuing legal action.
Answer:
The term CAD stands for
A) charts automatically designed.
B) complete audiovisual display.
C) computer-aided design.
D) computer adaptable display.
E) corporate activity detail
Answer:
In the first step of the communication process, the sender
A) decides what to say.
B) chooses a communication channel.
C) has an idea.
D) chooses a communication medium.
E) evaluates his or her options.
Answer:
Using “teasers” in electronic media as a way to pull readers or listeners into a story or
other document
A) is unethical and should always be avoided.
B) is appropriate only when large purchases are not involved.
C) is acceptable, as long as the payoff is valuable and legitimate.
D) is never appropriate for microblogging sites.
E) was once an effective technique, but not any longer due to an Internet-savvy public.
Answer:
You can use ________ to control how one slide replaces another on the screen; you can
also use ________ to control the release of text, graphics, and other elements on
individual slides.
A) slide agendas; slide blueprints
B) slide transitions; slide builds
C) slide storyboards; slide templates
D) slide builds; slide transitions
E) slide hyperlinks; slide pull quotes
Answer: