Which of the following demonstrates a proper sensitivity in wording?
a. The black workers supply the manpower we need to get the task accomplished.
b. It was time for the 62-year-old judge to leave his position.
c. The administration has accepted six of the new executive’s recommendations.
d. Only the overweight customers remained at the buffet after the first hour.
Answer:
Which of the following is NOT an effective way to revise and proofread your message?
a. Proofread the messages as many times as necessary until you cannot see any
additional ways to improve it.
b. Allow someone else to read your message to judge its content, style, and accuracy.
c. Look for receiver-centeredness in your message as part of the revising process.
d. All of the above are appropriate advice.
Answer:
When formatting a scannable version of your résumé,
a. italicize business, school, and college names.
b. use shading to differentiate sections of the résumé.
c. stay with a plain design with no special formatting.
d. keep white space to a minimum and use a small font to keep to one page.
Answer:
Which of the following is the BEST beginning to a persuasive claim message to Ruth’s
Catering?
a. Please reimburse a total of $1,500 for serving the wrong meal at our recent company
dinner.
b. Because you served the wrong menu at our recent company dinner, I am requesting
that you reimburse us a total of $1,500.
c. A problem occurred with the catering we recently received from Ruth’s Catering.
d. Satisfying customer needs has obviously been a cornerstone in the success of Ruth’s
Catering.
Answer:
Which of the following is true of text chunking in business documents?
a. Enumerated lists increase visual attention given to paragraphs of material.
b. Numbered lists are generally preferred over bullet lists.
c. Chunking makes a page look less organized and decreases retention.
d. Placing a number, letter, or bullet before elements is a series reduces readers’
attention to the material.
Answer:
Gabrielle has an interview for a position in sales. Which of the following would most
likely contribute to a favorable first impression in the interview.
a. Maintain eye contact and use body language to convey confidence.
b. Use the interviewer’s first name to convey friendliness.
c. Gently shake hands so that the impression given is not overbearing.
d. Sit back and relax to appear in control of the situation.
Answer:
Because paper quality reflects the degree of professionalism,
a. it is best to avoid papers containing cotton.
b. a heavier weight should be used for envelopes.
c. it is best to use paper without visible watermarks.
d. extremely important documents may be printed on 100% cotton, 24-pound bond.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences best expresses the receiver’s point of view?
a. I want to register my satisfaction, along with that of others, with the new employee
training program.
b. A new training program can be a tremendous boost to employee enthusiasm.
c. Congratulations on your launch of the new employee training program.
d. I hear that you are the one to thank for the new employee training program.
Answer:
Which of the following statements is FALSE in regard to collaborative report
preparation in a typical writing team?
a. You would probably be responsible for writing only a small portion of the total
proposal.
b. You would likely brainstorm and plan the proposal before beginning to write.
c. One person would likely compile all the sections.
d. The entire group would likely prepare the preliminary and addenda parts together.
Answer:
A supervisor notices that an employee has been late to work for three days this week.
What should the supervisor do to foster open communication?
a. Call the employee to ask him about the lateness.
b. Write the employee a disciplinary memorandum about the lateness.
c. Meet with the employee face to face to discuss the lateness.
d. Send the employee an email message about his lateness.
Answer:
Which of the following is true of an extemporaneous business presentation?
a. The presentation is planned, prepared, and rehearsed.
b. The speaker may not utilize note cards, an outline, or other reminders during the
presentation.
c. The presentation is written in detail to serve as a visual reminder during the delivery.
d. The presentation is memorized for complete recall.
Answer:
The way in which a speaker produces and joins sounds is referred to as
a. articulation.
b. phonation.
c. pitch.
d. dialect.
Answer:
“When you complete the assignment” is an example of
a. an independent clause.
b. a dependent clause.
c. passive voice.
d. deductive statement.
Answer:
The strategies for structuring effective good- and neutral-news messages
a. follow the inductive sequence.
b. vary dramatically from one company to another.
c. can generally be applied to cultures around the world.
d. are generally consistent among North American audiences.
Answer:
The integrity of personal information collected by governmental and private agencies is
protected by
a. the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
b. EEOC guidelines.
c. Fair Information Practices (FIP).
d. the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
Answer:
You have decided to accept another position and must write a refusal letter to a firm that
had also offered you a job. The message should be written
a. deductively, opening with a pleasant comment regarding the interview, stating the
refusal, and ending with a forward-looking statement.
b. inductively, opening with an explanation about why the job offer is being refused,
followed by the refusal, and ending with a pleasant statement.
c. inductively, opening with the nature of the subject, followed by the reasons for the
refusal, stating the refusal, and ending with a pleasant thought.
d. deductively, opening with the refusal, followed by the reasons for the refusal, and
ending with an apology for taking the interviewer’s time.
Answer:
From a managerial point of view, which is the BEST advice?
a. Leave proofreading to the administrative help.
b. Spot check documents for accuracy before signing them.
c. Read all documents carefully before signing them.
d. Key your own documents, even if you have administrative help.
Answer:
When preparing a claim message for which the answer is in question, you should
a. use a deductive sequence.
b. use the first-person pronoun throughout.
c. always provide a comfortable way for the receiver to say “no.”
d. suggest benefits the receiver will derive from complying.
Answer:
Which of the following facts makes effective listening challenging?
a. The human ear is unable to keep up with the speech rate of most speakers.
b. Our minds process much faster than a speaker can talk.
c. The listener often thinks ahead to anticipate future points and evaluate the ideas
heard.
d. Making written notes short circuits the listening activity.
Answer:
Marcus is writing a persuasive message asking his employees to complete an online
company survey. Which of the following should he avoid when writing his message?
a. Keeping paragraphs short
b. Using concrete nouns and active verbs
c. Focusing the spotlight on benefits to the company
d. Using an inductive outline
Answer:
The single most important aspect of successful teamwork is
a. shared leadership.
b. diversity of group members.
c. effective communication.
d. problem solving and consensus.
Answer:
Which of the following is the LEAST important thing to know about a job you are
seeking?
a. Career path of the job.
b. Job qualifications.
c. Probable salary range.
d. Vacation days.
Answer:
Your employee in another location is perpetually late submitting work. You must
confront him about his lateness and discuss a solution for the problem. Your email to
him says:
a. I am tired of your work being late. Fix the problem or you’re fired!
b. Can we chat today about your upcoming project deadlines and your plans to meet
them?
c. Do you know what time it is? Time for you to get to work! Ha! Ha! (JK!!!)
d. Your late submissions have become intolerable.
Answer:
Which of the following statements is true of the use of presentation visuals?
a. You should include on a visual everything you wish to say about a given point.
b. Too many visuals can overwhelm, bore, and tire the audience.
c. The most effective visual combines many fonts, colors, textures, and images.
d. You should focus your eye contact on the visual so your audience will do likewise.
Answer:
What is the best attitude to have regarding finding a job?
a. Finding a job is a process.
b. Finding a job is a matter of luck.
c. Finding a job is an event.
d. Finding a job is not necessary; one will come to you.
Answer:
Tamisha has just made a presentation on consumer trends to a group of sales managers.
Which of the following would provide the BEST closing to her presentation?
a. “Adjusting to the changing demands of consumers will require an adaptable attitude,
an inquisitive mind, and an adventurous spirit. Are you up to the challenge?
b. “Get ready for a new way to sell.”
c. “That’s all I have. Thank you.”
d. “So now you have a better understanding of consumer trends. Are there any
questions?”
Answer:
Which of the following is correct concerning the analysis sections of a formal report?
a. An informational report typically ends with recommendations and has no summary or
conclusions.
b. An analytical report typically has no summary or conclusions and ends with
recommendations.
c. For short reports, the writer may place the summary, conclusions and
recommendations together in one section.
d. None of the above is correct.
Answer:
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of form reports?
a. Increase clerical accuracy
b. Save time for the preparer
c. Make data tabulation easier
d. Increase personalization
Answer:
As a restaurant owner, you are submitting a proposal to a local radio station, offering to
operate a concession stand during an all-day benefit to raise money for your city library.
Which of the following would be an acceptable place to present the expected costs?
a. After the description of the purpose
b. Nowhere in the proposal as the discussion would be held verbally
c. As the conclusion
d. After the details about how the activity would be conducted
Answer:
Which of the following sentences uses pronouns correctly?
a. Me and you must work together.
b. Mrs. Jones emailed he and she.
c. To whom should we send the report?
d. Him and her are the main contributors to the project.
Answer:
The extreme use of color, complicated symbols and art techniques, and unusual
combinations of typefaces, should be avoided because they can distract and bury
relevant data.
Answer:
Which of the following is the MOST accurate statement concerning conciseness?
a. To prepare a concise passage, include only those details that the receiver needs, and
state those details in the fewest possible words.
b. Conciseness means that the writer should use as few words as possible when
composing a message.
c. Conciseness results in weakly worded passages that indicate poor writing skills.
d. Conciseness is not recommended in formal business documents, such as business
reports, because full disclosure is needed in such situations.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences shows the correct punctuation of a series?
a. You can choose from gray; red; purple and white.
b. You can choose from gray; red; purple; and white.
c. You can choose from gray, red, purple and white.
d. You can choose from gray, red, purple, and white.
Answer:
Preeti is having a business lunch with Jose to discuss the downsizing of the
manufacturing plant in South America. Preeti is expecting an important call on her cell
phone during the lunch and answers her phone several times. Preeti is not listening
attentively to Jose most likely because of the following listening problem:
a. Faking attention
b. Allowing disruptions
c. Overlistening
d. Stereotyping
Answer:
Simplified English, with a core vocabulary of 1,500 words, is recommended when
presenting to an audience of people who speak English as a second language.
Answer:
The OWL site developed by Purdue University provides general guidelines for using
both APA & MLA style references.
Answer:
Discuss appropriate ways to respond to illegal interview questions.
Answer:
Open, honest communication is the single most important factor in successfully
creating a Total Quality Management (TQM) environment.
Answer:
Given enough time, all groups advance through the four stages of team development
that include forming, storming, norming, and performing.
Answer:
On the initial scan, an employer typically reads each résumé carefully, looking for
reasons to pursue the applicant.
Answer:
Cultural beliefs and practices impact the ways specific cultures organize messages.
Answer:
When the reference list of a report includes sources not cited in the report, it is referred
to as a bibliography or works consulted.
Answer:
The U.S. style for the dateline on business letters spells out the month, followed by the
day and year.
Answer:
Daphne is applying for a job as an interior designer and would like to supplement her
standard résumé with illustrations of projects she has completed; she should prepare a
professional portfolio.
Answer:
Calibri is a contemporary default font that is replacing Times New Roman.
Answer:
Most business letters and memos are printed with a ragged right margin and left
justified margin.
Answer:
In some circumstances, sharing bad news via email rather than face-to-face is justified.
Answer:
During interviews, there is typically an exchange of information between the job
candidate and interviewer. What should you be prepared to discuss during this part of
the interview?
Answer:
A company legally owns the electronic communications of its employees.
Answer:
Clean Air Committee Requests Carpooling
As the new chairperson for your company’s Clean Air committee, you are charged with
encouraging employees to form car pools. In the past, employees have resisted forming
car pools for a number of reasons, including the lack of an organized program, the
complexity of flextime schedules, and the extra time needed to pick up people. Your
company has agreed to provide privileged parking spaces to car pool participants but
will not provide any monetary incentives.
Required:
Write a persuasive memo or email to all employees encouraging participation in car
pools. You may add whatever terms of persuasion necessary to influence them to
participate.
Answer: