If a newspaper article doesn’t have an author, your citation begins with the title of the
newspaper.
Answer:
The American Psychological Association style uses the author-date system.
Answer:
Human or technological interventions between the sender and the receiver can block or
distort messages.
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The use of time and space can send powerful nonverbal signals.
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Businesspeople rarely have to deliver negative news.
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Successful marketing and sales messages match the product’s selling points to the
audience’s primary needs or emotional concerns.
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The completing step is where podcasting differs most dramatically from written
communication.
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Online presentations nurture “human moments” that travel across the digital divide with
ease.
Answer:
A semicolon is used to separate independent clauses when the second clause begins
with a conjunctive adverb such as “however” or “therefore.”
Answer:
No matter how you feel personally about a situation, your communication should reflect
your organization’s objectives.
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If your audience will be receptive to what you have to say, use the direct approach to
focus attention on conclusions and recommendations.
Answer:
When responding to claim letters, companies usually accept the customer’s explanation
of the problem.
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In the final paragraph of an application letter, be sure to inject additional evidence of
your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
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Most business letters are printed on letterhead stationery.
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You should always avoid using euphemisms, because they are inherently dishonest.
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A major advantage of electronic presentations is the ability to make changes easily at
the last minute.
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In the final section of a request message, you should omit stating specific deadlines to
avoid putting too much pressure on your reader.
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The term slideument refers to a slide set that balances visual and textual elements
perfectly.
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When listing work experience on a résumé, you should emphasize significant
achievements in each job.
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Skilled business writers keep all their sentences as short as possible.
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Expert presenters design their electronic slides before the focus on content.
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Because routine messages are so common in business, it is not necessary to pay
attention to your tone when writing them.
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The education section of your résumé should list courses that have directly equipped
you for the job you are seeking and indicate any scholarships, awards, or academic
honors you have received.
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A résumé is a persuasive message designed to help you get an interview.
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Traditional business messages rely primarily on graphical elements with occasional
support from text.
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“Do you watch sports and news shows on TV?” is a compound question.
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The acronym “RFP” stands for “ratified final proposal.”
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Simplicity of organization is important only if your speech is short.
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Cross-functional teams perform several roles, even though they contain employees from
the same department or division.
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The second page of a letter includes a heading that is different from the heading of the
first page.
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Progress reports are never more than updates in memo or email form.
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When you respond to a question posted on a community Q&A site, your answer is
nothing more than a quick fix for a short-term problem.
Answer:
When you’re using digital media to write a message, you don’t need to worry about
grammar, spelling, or clarity.
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The appropriate clothing for most job interviews is something conservative, such as a
dark blue suit.
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You can fight information overload on social media by handling all updates from every
potentially helpful source as soon as you receive them.
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To maximize your chances of finding employment, create a single, solid version of your
résumé and send it to all prospective employers.
Answer:
To make your message more interesting and accessible, you should use as many design
elements and decorative touches as possible.
Answer:
When you’re analyzing the situation for a presentation, develop an ________ to
anticipate the likely emotional state of your audience.
A) audience profile
B) extended slide deck
C) interactive contingency plan
D) interpersonal awareness matrix
Answer:
If the audience for your presentation will be interested in but neutral to what you have
to say,
A) reward their goodwill by speaking in a relaxed, confident manner.
B) dismiss their concerns and persuade them that they are mistaken for feeling that way.
C) consider the indirect approach to find common ground and diffuse skepticism.
D) build your credibility as you present compelling reasons to accept your message.
Answer:
A ________ is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news
media.
A) treatise
B) press release
C) developmental brief
D) direct-to-consumer release
Answer:
When writing an employment termination letter, you should
A) include words that are open to interpretation, such as difficult and untidy.
B) clearly present the reasons for the action.
C) not get too caught up in trying to preserve a good relationship with the employee.
D) make clear to the employee that you have carefully researched relevant employment
laws.
Answer:
One of the greatest drawbacks to using podcasts in business is the
A) costly equipment you’ll need, regardless of the production quality you want.
B) intimidation factor of online audio and video.
C) difficulty of scanning back and forth to find specific parts of the message.
D) high distribution costs associated with them.
Answer:
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds let readers subscribe to updates from websites
or aggregate feeds from many sites. However, a drawback to RSS feeds involves the
“fire-hose effect” of
A) having old messages purged by new messages.
B) getting discouraged because subscribing to RSS feeds is so difficult.
C) receiving so many feeds so fast that it’s impossible to manage them.
D) publishers sorting articles into groups that range from the trivial to the essential.
Answer:
Narrative techniques are
A) inappropriate for professional communication.
B) acceptable in business, but only for messages organized in the direct approach.
C) an effective way to organize messages in a variety of business communication
scenarios.
D) a great way to help the audience grasp key points about sets of data.
Answer:
The ________ of a message involves the total effect of elements such as page or screen
design, typography, and graphics.
A) resonance
B) semantic structure
C) production quality
D) information value
Answer:
As an integral part of your presentation strategy, use printed handouts to
A) rouse the audience to action.
B) establish the emotional tone of your message.
C) paint the big picture by connecting major ideas.
D) provide supporting details for the audience to consume at their own speed.
Answer:
All of the following except ________ are advantages associated with delivering a
message using an oral medium and an in-person channel.
A) providing opportunity for immediate feedback
B) limiting nonverbal cues to voice inflections
C) expressing the emotion behind your message
D) expediting the resolution of misunderstandings
Answer:
The ________ must clearly state your reason for writing and give the recipient a
compelling reason to keep reading.
A) career summary on your résumé
B) opening paragraph of your application letter
C) word cloud in your employment portfolio
D) keyword cluster included in your résumé
Answer:
When speaking with someone from another culture, avoid
A) talking down to the other person.
B) using any foreign phrases.
C) paying any attention to the person’s body language.
D) doing all of the above.
Answer:
When you’re planning a negative message, ________ in order to minimize the damage
to business relationships and encourage acceptance of your message.
A) analyze the situation carefully
B) be direct at all times
C) emphasize your needs and concerns
D) quote the policies and regulations of your company
Answer:
The best way to phrase the purpose statement of a report is with
A) complex language.
B) an infinitive phrase.
C) a controversial statement.
D) jargon.
Answer:
Within the context of statistical analysis, the ________ is the “middle of the road” or
the midpoint of a series.
A) midst
B) meridian
C) median
D) medium
Answer:
When you react ethnocentrically, you
A) assume that your culture is superior to others.
B) accept the differences that exist between your culture and other cultures.
C) focus on the possibility that your words and actions will be misunderstood.
D) do all of the above.
Answer:
Many companies use social media to publish ________, in which they communicate
directly with customers and other audiences, rather than going through news media
outlets.
A) cyber statements
B) virtual press publications
C) microcosmic news stories
D) direct-to-consumer news releases
Answer:
Identify the voice in the following sentence: “Based on negative client feedback, the
marketing department abandoned the campaign.”
A) Active
B) Passive
C) Vocative
D) State of being
Answer:
The best visual for illustrating a manufacturer’s quality control process would be a
A) line chart.
B) flowchart.
C) scatter diagram.
D) pie chart.
Answer:
Many companies have formal email policies that include restrictions on sending
A) personal messages via corporate email.
B) confidential or proprietary information.
C) material that might be objectionable or offensive to others.
D) all of the above.
Answer:
The requirements section in a request for proposals should
A) let bidders know how and when you’ll be making a decision.
B) spell out everything you expect from potential vendors.
C) provide contact information for someone who can answer detailed questions.
D) give potential bidders some background information on your organization.
Answer:
When you’re composing a routine request, all of the following except ________ will
help you state your request effectively.
A) being specific
B) paying attention to tone
C) opening the message with your main idea
D) using a buffer sentence to delay stating your request
Answer:
When delivering bad news, wording such as “We must turn down,” “I am unable to,”
and “We cannot afford to”
A) softens the blow by drawing attention away from the reader and onto the sender.
B) will impress the reader as being straightforward and forceful.
C) is likely to cause pain and anger in the reader.
D) is unavoidable.
Answer:
If you face hostile or difficult questions during a question-and-answer session
A) enlist the help of the audience to ridicule the questioner.
B) respond honestly and directly while keeping your cool.
C) stand your ground and answer the questions aggressively.
D) ignore anyone who asks such questions and change the subject.
Answer:
Whatever the length of your message, you should limit the number of major support
points to roughly
A) two.
B) three.
C) six.
D) ten.
Answer:
Which of the following is NOT a typical function of the introduction to a report?
A) Telling the audience what the report is about
B) Explaining to readers why they should be concerned about the topic
C) Outlining how the report is organized
D) Documenting the sources of information used in the report
Answer:
When you’re writing to acknowledge a customer’s order, include a ________ to assure
the customer that he/she has made good purchase.
A) resale comment
B) discount coupon
C) price list for other products
D) self-addressed stamped envelope
Answer:
As a key business skill, visual literacy involves
A) being conversant with the latest image-editing software.
B) understanding how visual representations have evolved over the ages.
C) the ability to create effective visuals and interpret them correctly.
D) sharing smartphone photos on social media.
Answer:
As used in the introductory section of a proposal, the ________ states the boundaries of
the proposal.
A) scope
B) purpose
C) index
D) mission
Answer:
A ________ helps a potential buyer move through the purchasing process without
having to make an immediate decision; a ________ encourages a potential buyer to
make a purchase decision immediately.
A) marketing message; product push
B) measured response; content quotient
C) persuasive appeal; purchase message
D) marketing message; sales message
Answer:
If you want to call attention to the visuals in a formal report, you should
A) create a table of contents.
B) include a list of illustrations.
C) submit them in a separate document.
D) cite their sources in the bibliography.
Answer:
When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, the closing should
A) urge the audience to take the action you are requesting.
B) provide additional evidence and detail not covered in the desire section.
C) explain the steps needed to implement your ideas.
D) do all of the above.
Answer:
If your workplace writing contains grammar errors and word choice mistakes, your
readers will
A) suppose that you’re uninformed.
B) question your professionalism.
C) think that you don’t respect them.
D) all of the above.
Answer:
When does the rumor mill tend to be most active within an organization? Include an
example of a situation that might cause the rumor mill to become more active.
Answer:
Identify and discuss five tips that can help you use the phone confidently and
professionally.
Answer:
Explain the importance and process of proofreading.
Answer:
What is a synopsis? How does it differ from an executive summary?
Answer:
Rewrite the following sentence to avoid camouflaged verbs: “The customer will
ultimately make a determination about whether a purchase will occur.”
Answer:
What are the two benefits of stating the bad news at the beginning of a negative
message?
Answer:
List four guidelines to follow when deciding what to wear for an employment interview.
Answer:
Who’s driving the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon? Why are information
technology managers concerned about it?
Answer:
Briefly describe at least one hypothetical or actual example of an organization utilizing
the 2.0 approach to business communication.
Answer:
You’ve been asked to prepare a report on whether your company should consider other
health insurance providers. List four informal techniques for gathering information to
include in your report.
Answer:
List at least three helpful questions to ask in evaluating the purpose of a message.
Answer:
Identify and discuss best practices for verifying your design plans before you start
creating presentation slides.
Answer:
Rewrite the following negative message using positive words rather than negative ones:
“Since you failed to send payment, we cannot ship your order.”
Answer:
When you’re writing for the web, what can you do to improve the readability of your
online content?
Answer:
Explain the function of each phase of an application letter written in the AIDA format.
Answer: