All résumés should be organized chronologically.
Answer:
Most employers interview an applicant multiple times before deciding whether to offer
a person a job.
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It is illegal for your company to open and read email you send and receive at work.
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Skilled presenters are careful to discourage audience members from engaging in
“backchannel” communication during a presentation.
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The subject and predicate of a sentence should be kept as close together as possible.
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Successful professionals understand that persuasion is the attempt to get your audience
to make the choices you want them to make-even if those choices are not in their best
interest.
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The term visual literacy refers to a person’s abilities to create effective images and
interpret visual messages correctly.
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Observations, interviews, and experiments are all considered secondary sources of
information.
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A good résumé is targeted for specific situations and prospective employers.
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Staging mock interviews can help you identify undesirable nonverbal behaviors and
speech mannerisms.
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The speaking outline is not an appropriate place to include notes about the visual aids
you plan to use.
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Messages can be blocked or distorted by filtersany human or technological
interventions between the sender and the receiver.
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You can help to reduce information overload if you avoid sending unnecessary
messages.
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Headings have only one function, which is to break up long blocks of type.
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“Feb. 10th 2013” is the correct way to type the date in a letter.
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$1,500 is the median for the following set of monthly salaries: $1,200, $1,200, $1,300,
$1,500, $1,700, $2,000, $2,800.
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When sending a positive message to a customer, it is a good idea to reassure the
customer that he or she has made a wise purchase.
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The most common supplementary parts to include in a formal report are the appendix,
the bibliography, and the index.
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To devise an effective persuasive message, you need to analyze audience members and
then appeal to their desires and interests.
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Using statements such as I must refuse and We cannot allow will help your readers
accept the bad news you are delivering.
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The conclusion and recommendations section of a business report is a great place to
introduce new facts and ideas.
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Using a buffer to begin a negative message is generally manipulative and unethical.
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With more complex messages, it is a good idea to set aside a first draft for a day or two
before beginning the revision process.
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Despite increased market globalization, the nature of business communication has not
changed much in recent years.
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If you are writing a business letter to someone you know well, it is acceptable to use his
or her first name in the salutation.
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With today’s technology, preparing a paper résumé is a waste of time.
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A podcasting channel offers regular recordings on a consistent theme, designed for a
wide public audience.
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It is best to read from a prepared script when creating podcasts for business.
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Evidence suggests that whatever the culture, men and women tend to have slightly
different communication styles.
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Poorly organized messages are unlikely to be effective, regardless of their content.
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Website designers use the term informative nomenclature to describe the content,
structure, labeling, and navigational flow of all the parts of a website.
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In the planning stage of an important business report, you should never engage in free
writing, since doing so will only confuse you.
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Not all résumés need to be limited to one page in length.
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The Segway Social Network, which connects owners of these unique personal vehicles,
is an example of a
A) privatized social network.
B) public, specialized social network.
C) location-based social network.
D) general-purpose social network.
E) public, general-purpose network.
Answer:
For printed reports, the letter of transmittal is most often positioned
A) right before the table of contents.
B) just after the table of contents.
C) in between the introduction and first chapter of the report.
D) on the outside of the report cover, usually fastened with a paper clip or staple.
E) Any of the above locations are acceptable.
Answer:
Podcasts are
A) great for entertainment, but not useful in business.
B) helpful for training in business, but not much else.
C) too technical to be practical for business use.
D) no longer viable as a medium for business communication.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following is not a characteristic of ethical communication?
A) It includes all relevant information.
B) It is intended to hide some negative information.
C) It is true in every sense.
D) It is not deceptive in any way.
E) It is vital for formal communication, but less important for informal.
Answer:
Using the passive voice makes sense when you
A) want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
B) want your sentence to be easier to understand.
C) need to make your sentences shorter.
D) want to emphasize the subject.
E) are unsure what action the subject of the sentence will take.
Answer:
In a ________, your goal may be nothing more than convincing your audience to
re-examine long-help opinions or admit the possibility of new ways of thinking.
A) persuasive claim
B) persuasive request for action
C) persuasive retrenchment
D) persuasive request for adjustment
E) persuasive presentation of ideas
Answer:
A type of résumé that emphasizes a candidate’s skills and accomplishments while also
including a complete job history is termed
A) a chronological résumé.
B) a functional résumé.
C) a combination résumé.
D) an indirect résumé.
E) a comprehensive résumé.
Answer:
Which of the following compositional modes for electronic media involves helping
people find their way through an unfamiliar system or new subject?
A) Conversation
B) Comments and critiques
C) Orientations
D) Summaries
E) Narratives
Answer:
The best way to decide what to include in an introduction is to
A) consult with more-experienced report writers.
B) figure out what kinds of information will most help your readers follow and
comprehend the report.
C) put in as many standard topics as you can cover in 10 pages or less.
D) do a quick survey of potential readers.
E) skim the report quickly, and list what you remember.
Answer:
Using templates in preparing reports
A) limits your creativity and makes your report look ordinary.
B) is a sign of incompetence.
C) saves time by providing a format and identifying the specific sections required for
the type of report you are writing.
D) is costly and time-consuming.
E) usually makes reports more difficult to read.
Answer:
If you have 10 minutes or less to deliver a presentation, you should
A) speak as quickly as you possibly can.
B) limit yourself to four or five main points.
C) always use the indirect approach to organize the material.
D) organize your presentation as you would a brief written message.
E) not waste time on an introduction; instead, jump straight to the body of your
message.
Answer:
Uncomfortable meeting rooms, multitasking, and computer screens filled with popup
messages are all examples of
A) problems with feedback.
B) distractions.
C) problems with background differences.
D) overload problems.
E) social media.
Answer:
In general, for internal communication, the higher up your message goes, the
A) more details people want to see.
B) fewer details people want to see.
C) less likely you are to run into ethical problems.
D) more likely you are to run into ethical problems.
E) more ambiguous you should be, in case anyone disagrees with you.
Answer:
Which of the following is the best heading for the close of a formal report?
A) Ending
B) Take-Aways
C) Final Thoughts
D) The Point
E) Summary
Answer:
Establishing credibility in persuasive messages
A) is impossible unless the audience is already familiar with you.
B) is a waste of time, since data and evidence are the only things audiences find
convincing.
C) requires a condescending, “know-it-all” tone.
D) works only when you make negative comments about your company’s competitors.
E) is essential when you are trying to persuade a hostile or skeptical audience.
Answer:
An executive summary
A) is shorter than a synopsis.
B) gives a fully developed “mini” version of the report.
C) provides additional information (not covered in the report) that executives will need.
D) is unnecessary if the report is not intended for executives.
E) should be written in a tone that is much less formal than the report itself.
Answer:
Forecasting your audience’s probable reaction to your message is
A) impossiblethere’s no way to know what it will be.
B) vital, because potential audience reaction affects message organization.
C) helpful only for internal communication.
D) helpful only for external communication.
E) a waste of time, since each member may have a different response.
Answer:
The primary difference between titles and captions of visuals is that
A) titles are usually longer than captions.
B) captions usually appear above visuals, whereas titles appear below.
C) captions offer discussion of the visual’s content.
D) titles provide detailed descriptions of visuals, but captions give only short
descriptions.
E) None of the abovethey are simply different terms for the same thing.
Answer:
Suppose that you want to add some multimedia elements to a message you’ll be
delivering one week from today. Which of the following factors should you consider?
A) Creative and technical skills
B) Time and cost
C) Content
D) Compatibility
E) All of the above
Answer:
Compared to blogs, podcasts are
A) much easier to edit.
B) more difficult to edit.
C) equally challenging when it comes to editing.
D) used only by high-tech companies.
E) far less effective for conveying emotion and tone.
Answer:
In a positive message, you should explain your point completely in the
A) introduction.
B) body.
C) close.
D) All three, since repetition is the key to getting your message across.
E) None of the above, allowing the reader to figure it out on his or her own.
Answer:
The term groupthink refers to
A) the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular
opinions, even when those objections are legitimate, and to go along with majority
opinion.
B) the four-step decision-making process in groups.
C) software programs that help groups make decisions.
D) the basic rules that underlie a group’s behavior.
E) putting others first instead of being selfish.
Answer:
A poorly written buffer
A) opens your message in a neutral manner.
B) is specifically related to the topic of the message.
C) misleads the reader into thinking that good news follows.
D) shows appreciation for or empathy with the audience.
E) is hard to avoid, since buffers are so difficult to write.
Answer:
If you’re dissatisfied with a company’s product or service, you have the right to file a
claim (a formal complaint) and request an adjustment (settlement of your claim). When
you request an adjustment, keep in mind that asking the company to assess your claim
and then propose a fair solution to the problem is
A) a waste of time.
B) effective with small companies only.
C) always more effective than proposing a solution of your own.
D) helpful when you are uncertain about the exact nature of the problem.
E) feasible only if you have hired legal counsel.
Answer:
Suppose that you’re revising an important report, and you’re required to express all
numbers as numerals, rather than spelling them out. Which of the following tools can
help with this task?
A) Spell checker
B) Style checker
C) Thesaurus
D) Link checker
E) Commenting function
Answer:
A good way to deliver bad news kindly is to
A) maximize the space devoted to it.
B) say, “I trust our decision is satisfactory.”
C) avoid stating it and hope that the reader understands what you mean.
D) embed it in the middle of a paragraph or use parenthetical expressions.
E) emphasize how much you wish you had good news.
Answer:
To help establish clear guidelines for ethical behavior, many companies provide
employees a written
A) ethics audit.
B) ethical dilemma.
C) ethical lapse.
D) code of ethics.
E) ethics contract.
Answer:
To identify the best keywords to include on your résumé,
A) simply make a list of all the adjectives that describe your unique personality and
abilities.
B) study relevant job descriptions and seek to understand your target audience’s needs.
C) use a thesaurus to list as many impressive words as possible.
D) stick with time-tested phrases such as problem solver and proven track record.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
If your application letter and résumé fail to bring a response within a week or so after
the position close date,
A) let the CEO of the company know that you’re being mistreated.
B) follow up by email or telephone.
C) cross this particular job possibility off your list.
D) send another copy of your application letter and résumé.
E) assume that the employer has offered the job to someone else.
Answer:
Xenophobia is the fear of
A) crises.
B) working in unfamiliar environments.
C) strangers and foreigners.
D) change.
E) large cities.
Answer:
Letters from Japanese businesspeople tend to be ________ than those written in the
United States.
A) more direct
B) less direct
C) less interesting
D) shorter
E) better illustrated
Answer:
According to the concept of emotional intelligence, if you’ll be speaking to people you
don’t know and you can’t find out more about them,
A) don’t worry about relating to their needs.
B) put your own needs before their needs.
C) rely on chance to help you relate to their needs.
D) invite them to discover more about you and your needs.
E) use common sense and imagination to relate to their needs.
Answer:
When you’re composing a persuasive message, all of the following except ________ are
common mistakes that you need to avoid.
A) using a hard sell approach
B) seeking compromise
C) relying solely on great arguments
D) assuming that persuasion is a one-time effort
E) none of the above
Answer:
In conversations with a nonnative English speaker with whom you have a longstanding
business relationship, you notice that he consistently makes language mistakes that
could hurt his credibility. In response, you should
A) ignore the errors because correcting him could compromise your business
interactions.
B) interrupt him and point out the errors, then explain that no one will take him
seriously unless he learns to speak correctly.
C) politely offer advice on the appropriate words and phrases to use.
D) imitate the errors yourself in the hope that he will recognize the need to correct
them.
E) encourage him to watch news programs and model his speech patterns after the
newscasters.
Answer:
You should keep ________ of your résumé on hand, in case a prospective employer
wants you to send your résumé in the body of an email message.
A) an RTF version
B) a PDF version
C) an MS word version
D) a Plain-Text version
E) a PowerPoint version
Answer:
List at least three types of visuals commonly used in business presentations.
Answer:
Give the definition of a complex sentence, and then provide an example of one.
Answer:
Briefly explain the primary differences between solicited application letters and
unsolicited application letters.
Answer:
How can cultural differences affect communication styles? What general approach
should Americans take when writing intercultural correspondence?
Answer:
Explain how to balance emotional appeals and logical appeals in persuasive business
messages.
Answer:
When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?
Answer:
Briefly explain what job candidates should expect in behavioral interviews and
situational interviews.
Answer:
List at least three types of nonverbal differences you might encounter when working
with businesspeople from other cultures. Provide at least one example of how these
differences might cause misunderstandings in communication.
Answer:
Before conducting business in another country, why is it worthwhile to learn common
phrases in the native language even if your clients there will speak English?
Answer:
What is the typical employment-interview sequence? What is the purpose of each type
of interview?
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between descriptive titles and informative titles for
visuals, and provide an example of each.
Answer:
What two types of artwork can be included in the foreground of electronic slides?
Briefly explain the distinction between these types.
Answer:
Briefly describe at least three factors to consider when choosing media for business
messages.
Answer:
Briefly explain how social media have changed the way customers and other groups
engage in business communication.
Answer:
List three techniques for deemphasizing bad news.
Answer:
To adopt an audience-centered approach to communication, what do you need to learn
about your audience? List at least three specific attributes.
Answer:
What are the two primary aims of screening interviews?
Answer:
In what forms can transitions be written in a business report?
Answer: