Many of us are poor listeners because
a. the brain can process information at least three times as fast as people talk.
b. we tend to “tune out” speakers whose ideas run counter to our own.
c. we would rather talk than listen.
d. All answer choices are correct.
The use of visual aids can increase the selfconfidence of a speaker.
a. True
b. False
Which of the following statements about today’s job market is most accurate?
a. Today’s job market remains stable and remarkably similar to the job market ten years
ago.
b. Personal networking and referrals continue to be the primary route to hiring.
c. Despite its popularity, the Internet has not affected the way in which individuals
search for jobs.
d. Job candidates should avoid using job boards, search engines, and social networks to
hunt for jobs.
Professional behavior is comprised of six dimensions, including courtesy and respect,
appearance and appeal, tolerance and tact, honesty and ethics, reliability and diligence,
and
a. soft and hard skills.
b. selfactualization and selfcontrol.
c. sharing and collegiality.
d. education and training.
Profiling your audience helps you tailor your words to your readers or listeners.
a. True
b. False
How many ideas should be developed in a paragraph?
a. Two
b. Three to five
c. One
d. As many as needed to convey effective meaning
Isabel is responding to a congratulatory note she received from a colleague. Which of
the following is the best sentence to include in her response?
a. Thanks, but I really did not deserve this promotion.
b. So many people were so much more deserving of this promotion than I was.
c. Your words about my promotion are much too kind!
d. Thanks for your kind words regarding my promotion.
When you receive an assignment to write a report, you should begin the reportwriting
process by
a. determining the appropriate format.
b. analyzing or determining the purpose.
c. beginning your research.
d. looking for someone else to write the report.
Ethnocentrism is inherent in all cultures.
a. True
b. False
You will need to use persuasion if you anticipate resistance.
a. True
b. False
When answering interview questions, always aim your responses at the key
characteristics HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYinterviewers seek.
a. True
b. False
ANS: True
RATIONALE: HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYAlways aim your answers at the
key characteristics interviewers seek: expertise, competence, motivation, interpersonal
skills, decisionmaking skills, enthusiasm for the company and the job, and a pleasing
personality.
If you want to become a better listener, your first step is to stop talking.
a. True
b. False
HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYA wiki is a website with journal entries on any
imaginable topic usually written by one person.
a. True
b. False
ANS: False
RATIONALE: HTMLENTITY#8203HTMLENTITYA blog is a website with journal
entries on any imaginable topic usually written by one person. Businesses use blogs to
inform and interact with customers, employees, and the public at large.
Brooke is listening to a difficult presentation on nanotechnology development. As a
good listener, she should take complete notes of everything said.
a. True
b. False
In the work experience section of your rsum, you should include only those jobs that
you think will help you win the targeted position.
a. True
b. False
If an employment position has been announced and applicants are being solicited, you
can write your cover message using a direct approach.
a. True
b. False
Ben Franklin stated this opinion about business messages: To be good, it ought to have
a tendency to benefit the reader. His opinion reflects the importance of analyzing the
purpose of the message.
a. True
b. False
When service is involved in a claim, you should
a. demand a full refund of the service fee and a repeat service call.
b. avoid naming the service representatives involved or otherwise identifying
responsible company employees.
c. cite names of individuals spoken to and dates of calls.
d. enclose a photograph of yourself crying or suffering other severe emotional distress
because of the poor service.
Before composing a business document, you should gather information that will answer
which of these questions?
a. Will I have enough time to complete thorough research?
b. What is the receiver to do?
c. What information will be the easiest to locate?
d. How will I use this information?
Business writers should strive for paragraphs with eight or fewer printed lines.
a. True
b. False
Mikhail’s claim has been denied once. Now, he is writing a second persuasive claim
message to his digital media services company asking for a promised rebate package.
Because he expects resistance, what should he do?
a. Appeal to the receiver’s sense of responsibility and pride in the company’s good
name.
b. Begin by presenting his resolution to the problem.
c. Address the message to a department or “To Whom It May Concern.”
d. Show specifically how the receiver or the receiver’s company caused the problem.
On the job you are more likely to be taken seriously and to be promoted if you
a. look and sound professional.
b. frame your degree or certificate and hang it on your office or cubicle wall.
c. appear to be busy even when you’re not really doing anything.
d. attend office parties.
Which of the following would help an individual assess his or her employment
qualifications?
a. Do I speak, write, or understand another language?
b. How would you describe the perfect job, boss, and coworkers?
c. Would you like to work for someone else or be your own boss?
d. Do you enjoy working with people, data, or things?
When you conduct an interview, prepare closedended questions to make the interviewee
feel relaxed and at ease.
a. True
b. False
Proofreading includes which of the following tasks?
a. Improving content and tone
b. Fine tuning sentence and paragraph structure
c. Correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, names and numbers, and format
d. Determining whether the message should be written using the direct or indirect
organizational pattern
What do most business writers use as the first sentence in a paragraph?
a. Supporting sentence
b. Transitional sentence
c. Topic sentence
d. Pivoting sentence
Recruiters often rank communication skills as the highest skill set sought by employers.
a. True
b. False
After writing a followup letter to thank your interviewer, your next step should be
a. alerting your references that they may be contacted by the employer.
b. sending a small gift to the receptionist to show your sincere appreciation.
c. calling the organization’s human resources department to learn more about your
competitors for the open position.
d. waiting at least one month for a call of acceptance or rejection.
Although writing a rsum is part of the jobsearch process, you should begin the process
by analyzing your interests and goals and evaluating your qualifications is an example
of a compound sentence.
a. True
b. False
Highly developed technical or “hard” skills are the most soughtafter employment skills
demanded by employers.
a. True
b. False
Greg will be the student speaker for graduation. To ensure that his nonverbal cues
support his verbal message, he should ask friends and family to monitor his conscious
and unconscious body movements and gestures.
a. True
b. False
Which of the following is an advantage of the indirect strategy?
a. Saves the reader’s time
b. Respects the feelings of the audience
c. Reduces frustration
d. Sets a proper frame of mind
Quality Building Materials Inc. has developed a new wholehouse weather blanket and
needs to determine the price point at which builders would switch to this new product.
The best research method for this is a(n)
a. manual search of other companies’ price lists.
b. interview with a local builder.
c. Internet search of insulation values for weather blankets.
d. scientific experiment that presents price choices with controlled variables.