Not all résumés need to be limited to one page in length.
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iTunes can be an effective venue for distributing a company’s podcasts.
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Clichés are a valuable tool in business writing, as readers find such words and phrases
to be comfortable and familiar.
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Successful marketing and sales messages match the product’s distinguishing benefit to
the audience’s primary needs or emotional concerns.
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There are no differences between English as it is written in the U.S. and English as it is
written in the United Kingdom.
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An email summarizing an employee’s trip to a trade show would be an example of a
personal activity report.
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Drawings, diagrams, and photographs are generally not helpful in business documents.
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Most organizations that embrace the 2.0 approach to business communication will still
follow a more traditional approach for some communications (such as strategic plans
and policy documents).
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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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The close of a report may be called the “Summary” or “Conclusions and
Recommendations.”
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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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When analyzing your audience, you should ignore everyone except the key decision
makers.
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If you sense a lack of consensus at the end of your presentation, you should
acknowledge it and be ready to suggest a method for resolving the differences.
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Most persuasive messages combine logical and emotional appeals.
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When asked to write a letter of recommendation for a poorly performing employee, you
should never refuse to do so.
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A compound sentence is one that contains one main thought (independent clause) and
one or more subordinate thoughts (dependent clauses).
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Knowledge workers specialize in acquiring, processing, and communicating
information.
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Effective websites always use a single tool (such as lists or informative headings) to
help readers skim pages quickly, but never combine more than one.
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Acknowledging sources in the body of a report is appropriate for academic work, but
never in business.
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Managers use feasibility reports to examine the ramifications of a decision they are
about to make.
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Twitter is one example of a microblogging system.
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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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In a business report, you should not introduce new facts as part of a conclusion or
recommendation.
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You should include a comma when a date consists only of the month and year.
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When developing paragraphs, you should use only one method within each paragraph
and throughout a document.
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Many adverbs are formed by adding “-ly” to adjectives.
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If you are trying to solve a problem or make a decision, the more people in your
meeting the better.
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One of the best ways to distribute podcasts is to use a blog that provides supporting
information.
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Proposals addressed to external audiences, including potential customers and investors,
are nearly always formal.
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Adopting a “you” attitude in business writing is simply a matter of using the pronoun
“you” as much as possible.
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To make your message more interesting and accessible, you should use as many design
elements and decorative touches as possible.
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In the work experience section of your résumé, you should leave out any jobs that do
not relate directly to your career objective.
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The close of a negative message should end with a statement such as We hope you will
continue to do business with us.
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When ethnocentric people stereotype an entire group of people, they are usually
justified in doing so.
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“The evaluator noted several shortcomings” is written in the active voice.
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A team consists of two or more people who share a mission and the responsibility for
working to achieve their goals.
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Unlike structured slides, free-form slides
A) are completely random and have no design consistency.
B) don’t follow a rigid structure, but are still unified by design elements such as color
and font selection.
C) use the same color for background and text.
D) contain extra-large fonts.
E) contain no text at all.
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Writing “thank you in advance” at the close of a routine request
A) is courteous and effective.
B) will guarantee a positive response.
C) is best to avoid, since many people find it presumptuous.
D) is most effective when you end the statement with an exclamation point.
E) is expected when your audience is unfamiliar.
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To help ensure accuracy, the table of contents for a formal report should be prepared
A) before the text is written.
B) as you are drafting the text.
C) as you prepare the list of references.
D) along with the footnotes or endnotes.
E) after the report is complete, thoroughly edited, and proofed.
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Which of the following is not an important consideration related to etiquette in the
workplace?
A) The clothing you wear to work
B) Your grooming habits
C) Your telephone skills
D) Your height and weight
E) Your behavior
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When it comes to core values,
A) all cultures are basically the same.
B) the U.S. has a lot in common with Japanese and Arab cultures.
C) cultures no longer have any.
D) every culture values individualism and old-fashioned hard work.
E) many cultures have very little (or nothing) in common with others.
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Culture influences a person’s understanding of
A) words.
B) nonverbal signals.
C) use of time and space.
D) roles and status.
E) all of the above.
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“All the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals” is the
definition of
A) ethnicity.
B) diversity.
C) culture.
D) pluralism.
E) none of the above.
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Forecasting your audience’s probable reaction to your message is
A) impossible—there’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.
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When writing to audiences whose first language is not English, using humor is
generally
A) a bad idea, since jokes usually depend on culture-specific information.
B) an excellent way to establish a positive relationship.
C) acceptable, but only in high-context cultures.
D) acceptable, but only in low-context cultures.
E) a good way to establish rapport, but only if you stick to ethnocentric jokes.
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Which of the following is an example of a descriptive title for a visual aid?
A) How CamCo Reduces Costs
B) CamCo Cost Reductions
C) Reducing Costs Is a Number-One Goal at CamCo
D) CamCo
E) Figure 1
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Which of the following statements does the best job of delivering the bad news clearly
and kindly?
A) I am sorry to have to tell you that you were not selected for the position.
B) Because you do not have the experience we clearly listed in the job posting, we
cannot offer you the position.
C) Although you currently do not have the master’s degree that we require for this
position, we encourage you to apply for future openings better suited to your
qualifications.
D) Several other applicants were far more qualified for the position than you were, so
we cannot offer you the job.
E) Don’t feel bad, we rejected a lot of other candidates, as well.
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The writing style for a report should be more formal if
A) you know your readers reasonably well.
B) your report is internal.
C) the subject is controversial or complex.
D) the report is relatively short.
E) you are not confident in your conclusions.
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An example of downward communication is
A) a junior staff person giving information to a staff supervisor.
B) a sales manager giving instructions to a salesperson.
C) an email message about sick leave from one staff secretary to another.
D) a company briefing held on the organization’s top floor.
E) a conversation between colleagues that quickly becomes hostile.
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Inexperienced communicators tend to
A) spend too long planning important messages.
B) overestimate the time it takes to complete business messages.
C) dive directly into writing the message without taking sufficient time to plan.
D) waste too much time revising and editing messages.
E) seek excessive input from colleagues when creating messages.
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Which of the following is not included in the prefatory parts of a formal report?
A) Cover
B) Letter of authorization
C) Introduction
D) Table of contents
E) Title page
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In an online report, headings
A) should rarely be used.
B) can be used as links to other sections of the report.
C) are considered trendy and should usually be avoided.
D) complicate the organization of your report by enabling readers to jump from section
to section.
E) should never be longer than one word.
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The revision process for business reports is essentially the same as it is for other
messages, except that it
A) requires far less effort.
B) takes much less time.
C) may take considerably more time.
D) can be accomplished entirely by common word processing software.
E) is only rarely required.
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Which of the following is not an element normally included in the introduction of a
proposal?
A) Background/statement of the problem or opportunity
B) Proposed solution to the problem
C) The scope of the report
D) Statement of qualifications
E) All of the above are normally included.
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The prefatory parts of a formal proposal may include
A) a letter of authorization.
B) a copy of the RFP.
C) an index.
D) visual aids.
E) an appendix.
Answer:
Compared to social media sites, email
A) no longer offers any advantages.
B) is much more difficult to use.
C) still has compelling advantages that make it useful in many companies.
D) is far less private.
E) is much more difficult to track and monitor.
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“What are your plans for expanding your sales to the European market?” is an example
of
A) a closed-ended question.
B) an open-ended question.
C) a restatement question.
D) an inappropriate question.
E) a conclusion.
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When mailing a résumé, it is a good idea to
A) have it delivered via Priority Mail in a cardboard mailer.
B) use a standard white #10 envelope.
C) pay to have it delivered the next day.
D) use a large kraft envelope.
E) use a tube mailer so you do not have to fold it.
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Information overload is
A) a real problem that can lead to exhaustion and interfere with personal relationships.
B) a false condition concocted by workers who fear technology and its capabilities.
C) a condition that affects only those who work in high-tech jobs.
D) especially prevalent among elderly Americans.
E) none of the above.
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When making an unusual or complex request, it is best to
A) ask all at once, even if it makes results in one long and complicated question.
B) use passive voice to state what is wanted.
C) break it down into specific, individual questions.
D) use a particularly demanding tone.
E) warn the audience that they might struggle to understand it.
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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 good news follows.
D) shows appreciation or empathy to the audience.
E) is hard to avoid, since buffers are so difficult to write.
Answer:
Hyperlinks are useful in slide presentations for
A) providing additional details.
B) customizing one electronic presentation for several audiences.
C) accessing additional information during question-and-answer periods.
D) changing the flow in response to audience feedback.
E) doing all of the above.
Answer:
The most common file format for uploading résumés directly to websites such as
Monster.com is
A) WordPerfect.
B) PDF.
C) Microsoft Word.
D) Microsoft Publisher.
E) HTML.
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In conversations with others whose first language is not English, you should
A) not interrupt, even if you do not understand or need to correct a misconception.
B) refuse to speak unless a translator is present.
C) warn them up front that, because of language differences, nothing you say should be
taken as contractual or binding.
D) use exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures to make sure your point gets
across.
E) always demand that a witness be present.
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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.
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Which of the following terms should not be hyphenated?
A) Non-union
B) Pro-Republican
C) Self-assured
D) Ex-wife
E) All of the above should be hyphenated.
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If you are responding negatively to a request, a buffer
A) comes right out and says no.
B) ignores the request altogether.
C) automatically misleads the reader.
D) assures the reader of your attention to the request.
E) is never appropriate.
Answer:
In refusing a customer’s request for adjustment, you are concerned about possible
defamation charges. You should
A) make the refusal by phone instead of in writing.
B) explain why you are making the refusal.
C) consult your company’s legal department or an attorney if you think a message might
have legal consequences.
D) insist that the customer come to your office if he wants an answer.
E) do all of the above
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Briefly describe the three roles nonverbal signals play in communication.
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List at least three guidelines to follow when writing condolence messages.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between an informative synopsis and a descriptive
synopsis.
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If you are applying for a job, you may need to ask a professional associate to write a
letter of ________.
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List and briefly describe the five elements that usually are part of a formal work plan.
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List at least seven of the nine most common problems with résumés.
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Explain how an effective buffer differs from one that is poorly written. Provide an
example of a buffer that would be inappropriate for a message explaining that a
student’s grade appeal has been denied.
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Why do written communication and most forms of electronic media generally require
more tact than oral communication?
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Write an informative subject line for the following email.
From July 6-9 the employee cafeteria will be closed in order to update the electrical
system in the kitchen. Employees may bring their own food and eat in the cafeteria, but
no food will be served on those dates.
Answer:
Rewrite the following sentence to avoid camouflaged verbs: “The customer will
ultimately make a determination about whether or not a purchase will occur.”
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What three goals should you have when answering routine requests and a potential sale
is involved?
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How does a social media release differ from a traditional press release?
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How can the journalistic approach help you include all required information in your
business messages?
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When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?
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In the ________ approach for negative messages, the bad news comes after the reasons
supporting the decision.
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Briefly define media richness, and provide at least one example each of a rich medium
and a lean medium.
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List three techniques for deemphasizing bad news.
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In a longer presentation, how does your purpose influence the way you organize your
material?
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Describe at least three common business activities affected by contextual differences
across cultures.
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