Phillip has prepared the following list of questions to ask the interviewer during his
initial job interview. Which question should he avoid asking the interviewer?
a. What types of training are offered?
b. How many people have held this job in the past five years?
c. What salary are you planning to offer?
d. When do you expect to make your hiring decision about this position?
Answer:
Fraction, ratios, and percentages are examples of which of the following:
a. common language
b. data distortion
c. diverse language
d. qualitative interpretation
Answer:
Delnisha, a customer service representative for the manufacturer of Marathon brand
faucets, receives a large order from a small contractor. Which of the following is the
BEST way for Delnisha to begin a message saying the company does not sell directly to
end users?
a. This letter informs you that we unfortunately do not sell faucets directly to
contractors.
b. I have referred your order to a distributor near you.
c. Thank you very much for your order. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fill it.
d. Our patenting coating process makes Marathon faucets the contractor’s choice.
Answer:
Which of the following is the BEST way to respond in your application letter to
requested information related to salary expectation?
a. I expect to make between $40,000 and $45,000 due to my education and experience.
b. At my interview, we can discuss salary and other benefits.
c. While I am aware that the starting salary for account auditors in the southwest region
is $42,000, we can discuss specifics concerning what my qualifications are worth to you
at the interview.
d. As I have not yet held a full-time position, I’m not sure what would be a fair salary.
Answer:
Which of the following would be the BESTopening sentence for an application letter
for a sales trainee job that was advertised on a company website?
a. Your job posting for an entry-level salesperson describes my background and
education quite accurately.
b. I believe that my education (I majored in marketing) and work experience (I worked
as a sales clerk the last three summers) come fairly close to the qualifications that you
listed in your job posting for a sporting goods salesperson.
c. Please consider me a candidate for the sales trainee position you posted on your
career opportunities web page.
d. After reading about the exciting opportunity available at KayStar, I am determined to
join this exciting team and desire the chance to convince you that my educational
background, leadership abilities, and internship experience qualify me for a sales
position with your firm.
Answer:
As compared to letters, memos and email are channels for sharing information of a
somewhat ____ nature.
a. formal
b. informal
c. negative
d. personal
Answer:
Which of the following is true of cell phone communication?
a. Using your cell phone while driving is advisable because it is a wise use of time.
b. Federal law prohibits using a cell phone use while driving without a hands-free
device.
c. You should generally answer your cell phone during a business meeting, when a call
comes from a client.
d. None of the above is true.
Answer:
Habitat for Humanity
a. has eliminated direct mailings to donors and uses only electronic communication.
b. relies on donor gifts of time, talent, and money.
c. expects each donor to contribute both time and resources.
d. uses a single method to persuade donors to contribute.
Answer:
When designing an electronic slide
a. use portrait orientation.
b. use the 7 x 7 rule, with no fewer than seven lines of text and no fewer than seven
words on a line.
c. use centered lines of text as a general rule.
d. select fonts that have not been overused to create a fresh presentation that is different
from those of your competition.
Answer:
A supervisor on the night shift at a manufacturing plant is told to dump chemicals used
in the refining process rather than dispose of them properly according to safety
regulations. The owner of the company insists that the chemicals are not harmful to the
environment, but the supervisor knows that the dumping is illegal. The supervisor
believes that he will lose his job if he reports the problem to authorities at the
Environmental Protection Agency. This is an example of which potential cause of
unethical behavior?
a. obsession with personal advancement.
b. excessive emphasis on profits.
c. uncertainty about whether an act is wrong.
d. Unwilling to stand for what is right.
Answer:
Mentally organizing a message before writing it does NOT
a. shorten the time spent composing the message.
b. help ensure that ideas are presented clearly and logically.
c. enable the writer to decide whether an inductive outline or a deductive outline is best.
d. accomplish all any of the above.
Answer:
Pedro, Armando, and Lucia will be making a team presentation to a client firm. Which
of the following is a recommended guideline for developing an effective team
presentation?
a. During the team presentation, the better speakers on the team should take part while
the others observe.
b. Team members should practice seamless transitions between segments and
presenters.
c. One individual should be designated to answer questions from the audience.
d. Team members who are not speaking should keep their visual focus on the audience
while their teammate speaks.
Answer:
Which of the following is recommended during delivery of a presentation?
a. Watch the audience for feedback and make appropriate adjustments in the length and
content of your speech.
b. Stay behind the lectern, rather than causing distraction by moving around.
c. Make eye contact with every person in the audience, even if only for a second.
d. Keep breathing shallow and regular through your nose and mouth.
Answer:
Which of the following statements about empathy is FALSE?
a. Empathy helps build positive interpersonal relationships.
b. Empathy enables the writer to predict a reader’s reactions more accurately.
c. Empathy allows the writer to construct a message that addresses the reader’s needs.
d. Empathy is only possible when the writer has firsthand experience of the reader’s
situation.
Answer:
Which of the following is the most accurate statement concerning the use of a
thank-you message following a job interview?
a. A written thank-you is not necessary if you thanked the interviewer in person before
leaving the appointment.
b. A thank-you is appropriate, and depending on the situation, could be in the form of a
formal letter, a handwritten note, or an email message.
c. A thank-you message should be mailed to arrive about two weeks following the
interview if you haven’t received a response from the company about the job.
d. A thank-you message is not appropriate because it can be perceived as “pushy.”
Answer:
Kendrick, a recent college graduate, wants to communicate that he can get along with
others and is accepting of diversity. Which of the following statements should he avoid
making?
a. I can work with others as well as independently.
b. I was an officer in a service organization.
c. I can work with most people.
d. I participated in several organizations that had diverse memberships.
Answer:
You are writing an email message to your company supervisor to obtain approval for a
budget expenditure. The most appropriate salutation and complimentary close would be
a. Dear sir; Sincerely
b. Hi!; Later
c. The salutation and complimentary close are omitted
d. Max; Thank you
Answer:
What is the correct order for the inductive writing sequence?
a. Buffer, reasons, bad news, counterproposal, and desire to continue the relationship.
b. Reasons, neutral idea, bad news, and desire to continue the relationship.
c. Bad news, reasons, counterproposal, and desire to continue the relationship.
d. Buffer, bad news, reasons, counterproposal, an desire to continue the relationship.
Answer:
Adam is back in the job market after five years of employment at his former company.
What should he emphasize most in his résumé?
a. His work experience
b. His education
c. His salary history
d. His professional affiliations
Answer:
Which of the following is BEST for comparing the total dollars spent among five fast
food restaurants.
a. Diagram
b. Flow chart
c. Pie chart
d. Table
Answer:
Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the role of online job searching?
a. Job seekers in the current job market can give up traditional means of searching for
jobs and concentrate solely on online job search techniques.
b. Online employment search capabilities extend the range of possibilities previously
available to the job seeker.
c. Online job searching is a trend that is expected to further lose popularity over time.
d. Online job searching is important for technical job seekers in computer-related field
but not as important for job seekers in other fields.
Answer:
Which of the following statements represents the BEST advice for inclusion of personal
information on a résumé?
a. Include height, weight, and a personal photograph to make your appear real to the
employer and not just a paper “cutout.”
b. Reveal ethnic background only if it is job related.
c. Exclude any mention of interests and hobbies, as they are not job related.
d. Include social security number and mailing address as they are needed for personnel
records.
Answer:
The ____ communication channel is created by management to control individual and
group behavior and to achieve the organization’s goals.
a. informal
b. formal
c. email
d. oral
Answer:
Shaneka is writing a message to an intercultural audience to explain the short-term
goals of the organization. Which of the following should she NOT use when writing for
her audience?
a. Abbreviations, acronyms, and technical jargon
b. Figures for expressing numbers
c. Graphics and visual aids
d. Simple terms
Answer:
Which of the following is FALSE concerning writing analysis tools of word processing
programs?
a. Sentence fragments, passive voice, jargon, and cliches are some types of errors than
be detected.
b. After reviewing a document, the program can generate the total word count, average
sentence length, and readability measures.
c. They flag potential errors and require the writer to accept or reject the change.
d. Use of the features still requires the reader to check a passage for grammatical
correctness.
Answer:
Which of the following is true concerning instant messaging (IM)?
a. Most companies use IM in some way.
b. Special hardware is needed to IM.
c. Spelling and grammar are as important in IM as in email.
d. All of the above are true.
Answer:
Conducting pilot test of a survey instrument involving a small group of the population
a. is useful for using information from biased sources and correlating it to unbiased
sources.
b. complicates the clarification of questions developed for a larger sample group.
c. can be a better alternative to the use of open-ended questions.
d. helps in correcting problems in clarity, ease of answering, and quality of answers.
Answer:
The World Wide Web offers easy access to a universe of information; therefore,
a. copyright laws do not apply.
b. users can access, download, copy and publish only copied text and pictures legally.
c. the World Intellectual Property Organization is working to assure copyright
protection.
d. every business has a right to use any information it finds there for free.
Answer:
When writing a message offering constructive criticism, the writer’s primary
consideration should be
a. identifying who made the error.
b. offering input that could benefit many.
c. getting even for the mistake that was made.
d. none of the above.
Answer:
A reference list at the end of the paper that includes sources that provided information
but did not result in citations is called
a. References
b. Works Cited
c. Bibliography
d. Resources
Answer:
Scarlette is developing appropriate presentation visuals for an upcoming workshop.
Which of the following is a limitation of using an electronic presentation?
a. It can lead to poor delivery if misused.
b. It is not easily updated.
c. It reduces audience attention on the topic.
d. It requires highly developed skills.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences best expresses the receiver’s point of view?
a. I want to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations on your recent promotion.
b. A promotion is always great news.
c. Congratulations on your recent promotion to regional manager.
d. I hear that congratulations are in order!
Answer:
You want to show actual and budgeted expenses over the last five years for your
company. The BESTgraphic to use is a
a. line chart.
b. bar chart.
c. broken-bar chart.
d. table.
Answer:
In successful teams, leadership is likely to be shared, which requires more direct and
effective communication within the organization.
Answer:
Talking headings recap the information presented in the preceding paragraph.
Answer:
In the traditional Japanese culture, business people consider direct eye contact
disrespectful or aggressive.
Answer:
A good rule of thumb when composing web pages is to use as many graphics as
possible, and the bigger the better.
Answer:
Grammar and style checkers in word processing programs replace the need for a human
editor.
Answer:
A key to the Container Store’s success as a recognized best company to work for is its
forthright sharing of financial information with all employees.
Answer:
List and briefly explain five visual enhancements a writer can use to draw attention to
important information.
Answer:
Good preparation for an interview is to study your résumé, as the typical interview
focuses on information contained in the applicant’s résumé.
Answer:
Chunking breaks text down into blocks of information, introduces reader-friendly white
space, and increases retention by as much as 50 percent.
Answer:
A customer service representative who regularly tracks the type of customer complaints
made through the company’s 800 number is conducting experimental research.
Answer:
Placing a border around a paragraph sets the text apart while adding shading inside a
box gives it greater impact.
Answer:
Companies may use brain teasers and riddles as part of the interview to determine the
job applicant’s ability to think quickly and creatively.
Answer:
Explain the challenges involved for both the sender and the receiver in the
communication process.
Answer:
A letter of application should be biographical and trace the accomplishments
(education, jobs, etc.) of the applicant in chronological order.
Answer:
Explain how writing a document in Plain English increases its effectiveness.
Answer:
Discuss three major audience characteristics that should be considered when tailoring
your message to fit your audience.
Answer:
Habitat for Humanity has used persuasion to effectively gain donations of time, talent,
and resources.
Answer: