Choose the best closing for a message requesting the receiver’s support for a proposed
change in a benefits plan.
a. Please email me at your earliest convenience with your decision.
b. Contacting me by December 1 about your support of this new benefits plan will
allow me to present this proposal at the next strategic planning session.
c. If you have any further questions about this new benefits plan, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
d. We really need to implement this new benefits plan soon.
Which sentence avoids redundant expressions?
a. It is absolutely essential that our accounting records are accurate.
b. Let’s not repeat our competitor’s mistakes.
c. Please refer back to the June financial statements.
d. I want to thank each and every stockholder.
Which statement regarding headings is most accurate?
a. Headings provide visual distraction for readers; thus they should be avoided.
b. Headings appear most often in business letters.
c. Headings highlight information and improve readability.
d. Headings should be written in complete sentences.
Although researchers are increasingly using electronic data, you should learn to also use
print resources because
a. electronic sources are never considered as reliable as books and magazines.
b. print sources provide primary data and electronic sources provide secondary data.
c. some data is available only in print.
d. audiences respect only writers who include data from print sources.
Instructions should be divided into a series of steps, and then each step should be
written in the imperative mood, which means it is written as a command.
a. True
b. False
You can make your cover message more appealing by addressing it specifically to the
Human Resources Department or Hiring Manager.
a. True
b. False
Because your rsum is probably the most important document you will ever write, you
should
a. enhance your job titles to make your rsum more impressive.
b. include ample use of the personal pronoun I to make it more personal.
c. consider having a knowledgeable friend or relative proofread it.
d. use a professional rsum service to prepare your rsum.
When you use the indirect strategy to deliver bad news, the recommended order of
ideas is
a. buffer, reasons, bad news, and closing.
b. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYbuffer, bad news, reasons, and closing.
c. reasons, buffer, bad news, and closing.
d. HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYbad news, reasons, buffer, and closing.
Business writing should be economical. In this context economical can best be defined
as
a. presenting ideas clearly and concisely.
b. concentrating on the receiver’s perspective instead of your own.
c. solving problems and conveying information.
d. getting your audience to believe and accept your message.
Companies use virtual meetings to
a. save travel costs.
b. reduce employee fatigue.
c. connect dispersed participants.
d. All answer choices provide reasons companies use virtual meetings.
Which of the following is the best advice about the use of direct quotations in a report?
a. Beware of overusing quotations because you may appear as if you have no ideas of
your own.
b. If you use a direct quotation, don’t dilute its impact by summarizing it or introducing
it in your own words.
c. Place the direct quotation in quotation marks, but change a few words to show you
have your own ideas.
d. Avoid using any direct quotations in a report.
You should never send a goodwill message via email.
a. True
b. False
Although you can’t expect to be perfect in an employment interview, you can do your
best by
a. showing some passion by bringing up a controversial topic and taking a clear stand.
b. speaking forcefully but using some slang such as like and ya know to sound relaxed
and friendly.
c. elaborating on your answers and criticizing the person or object causing the problems
at a previous job.
d. occasionally refocusing and clarifying vague questions by asking Do you mean…?
There is a new software company that will be hiring employees is an example of a
sentence with
a. concise wording.
b. a wordy prepositional phrase.
c. a filler.
d. faulty parallelism.
Techniques to elicit audience desire and overcome reader resistance in a marketing
message include all of the following except
a. testimonials.
b. moneyback guarantees.
c. application forms.
d. free samples or trials.
Most of the workplace messages that you write will likely deal with routine matters that
require straightforward answers using the indirect method.
a. True
b. False
Effective persuasive claim messages
a. vent the writer’s anger and frustration.
b. present a logical case with clear facts.
c. help the reader by showing who is to blame for the problem.
d. display strong emotion.
Although instant messaging and text messaging are popular among today’s youth, they
have not yet emerged as practical communication tools in the workplace.
a. True
b. False
Which of the following most effectively reduces resistance and builds desire?
a. If you are worried about booking a tour with us, please know that our European
walking tours were rated the safest and best planned in the industry.
b. Join one of our European walking tours this summer for an unbelievable cultural
experience.
c. Going on a walking tour of Europe is fun.
d. Our travel company knows Europe and is eager to show it to you.
Companies use blogs for all of the following reasons except
a. communicating internally with employees.
b. conducting job interviews.
c. recruiting.
d. researching target markets and products.
A(n) ____________________ is a group of sentences about one idea.
Which statement about today’s workplace is most accurate?
a. Employees can expect to have more managers.
b. Very few businesses involve employees in decision making.
c. Today’s employees can expect to interact with people from many cultures.
d. Businesses use social media only to interact with customers.
One of the prominent business uses of blogs is to provide uptodate company
information to the press and the public.
a. True
b. False
To help you clarify a report problem, you should write a
a. thesis statement.
b. transitional sentence.
c. problem statement.
d. topic sentence.
Most email messages and memos
a. have nonsensitive topics and begin directly.
b. require persuasion.
c. are indirect and begin with an explanation.
d. need not be carefully organized because they are informal.
Avoid referencing graphics in the text of your report; the visual should speak for itself.
a. True
b. False
All badnews messages should be presented using the indirect strategy.
a. True
b. False
Jessica tells her audience about her five years’ experience as a social networking
professional helping over 100 local businesses learn to use social networking as an
effective marketing tool. Jessica is attempting to
a. capture her listeners’ attention and get them involved.
b. preview the main points of her presentation.
c. present the main goals of her presentation.
d. identify herself and establish credibility.
Which of the following communication channels is considered the richest medium?
a. Written proposal
b. Email message
c. Facetoface conversation
d. Blog posting
When selecting and preparing your visual aids, keep in mind your goals as a speaker:
a. to make listeners understand, remember, and act on your ideas.
b. to observe your audience, adjust your delivery, and continue your presentation.
c. to inform, entertain, and persuade.
d. to plan and collect information, organize and rehearse, and deliver your presentation.
Because of today’s communication technology, employees in today’s workforce can
expect to write fewer messages.
a. True
b. False
When you fail to collect all needed research before beginning to organize and write
your business document, you may end up starting over and reorganizing.
a. True
b. False