You want to prepare a speaking outline for an upcoming presentation. Which one of the
following will help you get off to a good start?
A) Ignore your planning outline and chart a new course based on your personal
idiosyncrasies
B) Find your planning outline and remove anything you don’t plan to say directly to
your audience
C) Keyboard your script onto your presentation slides so you can read each slide word
for word
D) Insert additional examples, details, and data into your original planning outline
E) Begin with a question-and-answer session to gauge the audience’s level of
understanding
During conversations with non-native English speakers, you should
A) immediately rephrase statements they don’t seem to understand.
B) avoid paying too much attention to nonverbal feedback.
C) avoid including any words or phrases from their native language.
D) do none of the above.
Which of the following is an example of a hedging sentence?
A) The employee’s performance appears to be less than satisfactory.
B) The deadline is next Tuesday.
C) The financial statement needs to have two sections.
D) None of the above are hedging.
Which of the following is the midpoint of a series of numbers, with equal number of
items above and below that number?
A) Median
B) Correlation
C) Mode
D) Causation
E) Mean
All of the items listed below EXCEPT ________ are important when you’re completing
messages for your blog.
A) determining the scope and subject of your message
B) evaluating the content and readability of your message
C) proofreading your message to catch and correct errors and oversights
D) using your blogging system’s tools to post your message
Which of the following design elements would be the easiest to measure objectively?
A) Paying attention to the details of design
B) Balancing the various elements on a page
C) Exercising restraint when applying design elements
D) Using margins, typeface, type size, and spacing consistently
During collaboration, what should be the main focus of the team?
A) Team objectives
B) Individual priorities
C) Hidden agendas
D) Technology
E) Group dynamics
When a crisis occurs, corporate communicators should
A) deflect blame to third parties.
B) reserve all comments for their favorite media outlets.
C) get top management involved immediately.
D) go into lockdown mode when asked questions.
E) use only prepared statements and avoid questions from the media.
An online survey is vulnerable to ________ because it captures only the opinions of
those who visit the site and choose to complete the survey.
A) sampling bias
B) backchannel static
C) circular reasoning
D) transactional dysfunction
E) representative limits
Which of the following should be verified before terminating an employee?
A) The employee was warned that termination was going to happen
B) The message can be delivered over social media
C) Reasons for termination are objectively verifiable
D) Confrontations were avoided by withholding negative feedback
E) The employee was evaluated for the same issue consistently
In the workplace, a formal invitation to bid on a contract is called a
A) business offering.
B) request for proposals.
C) bid requisition.
D) project invitation.
E) white paper.
If you have mildly disappointing information to deliver as part of a positive message,
you should
A) put the negative information in a favorable context.
B) simply omit it from the message.
C) put the negative information first.
D) put the negative information last.
E) put the negative information at the end of the middle paragraph.
Analytical reports for skeptical audiences should generally follow the ________
approach.
A) direct
B) indirect
C) hypothetical
D) aggressive
E) persuasive
Send a ________ to take note of a significant event in someone’s business or personal
life.
A) message of appreciation
B) message of congratulations
C) message of acknowledgement
D) message of recognizance
Which type of interview requires the candidate to relate specific incidents and
experiences from their past?
A) Unstructured
B) Working
C) Open-ended
D) Situational
E) Behavioral
Which one of the following is the “leanest” communication medium?
A) Podcasts
B) Posters and signs
C) Telephone conversations
D) Multimedia presentations
If you know that a human being will read your rsum, ________ to catch that person’s
attention.
A) use first-person pronouns
B) use machine-searchable keywords
C) write complete sentences in the passive voice
D) use short, crisp phrases that start with action verbs
E) use color and interesting fonts
The introduction (or opening) of a business report should
A) discuss your conclusions or recommendations.
B) include all of your information sources.
C) carry the full weight of your message.
D) help readers understand the context of the report.
E) offer a detailed course of action to be followed.
Before you add a page or a new article to an existing wiki,
A) remove any similar material that already exists on the wiki.
B) make sure that you’ve copyrighted the written material.
C) tweet your followers so they’ll know where to find what you’ve written.
D) determine how the new material will fit into the existing content on the wiki.
Microsoft Visio is one example of specialized software used to create
A) professional-quality illustrations.
B) complex spreadsheets.
C) cash flow tracking systems.
D) none of the above.
Applicant tracking systems help employers by
A) charting each applicant’s progress through the hiring process.
B) mapping out promising career paths for each applicant.
C) sifting through the many rsums they receive each year.
D) automatically eliminating rsums older than one year.
E) comparing one candidate to others in the system.
When you’re outlining your report, using ________ requires you to really think through
the content, whereas using ________ simply requires you to identify topic areas.
A) prescriptive headings; parallel headings
B) effective headings; ineffective headings
C) informative headings; descriptive headings
D) multilateral headings; unilateral headings
E) parallel headings; descriptive headings
Which type of word is now so common they have lost some of their power to
communicate?
A) Abstract
B) Insider slang
C) Clichs
D) Familiar
E) Strong
Why is it important to specifically state everything you need from suppliers when you
are creating an RFP?
A) The potential bidders need the information to write a better proposal
B) To make the proposal more informational than analytical
C) To outline the key pieces of information that should be included in the proposal
D) To put the requirements in context
E) The proposal process will eventually lead to a contract for delivery of the service
Because recruiters view your rsum as a concrete example of your attention to quality
and detail, it needs to be
A) adequate.
B) good.
C) perfect.
D) satisfactory.
E) unique.
Which of the following helps a writer build trust with website visitors?
A) Use lists, colors, and boldface
B) Present information in a skimmable format
C) Break information into small chunks
D) Use an inverted pyramid for all information
E) Use accurate, current, and complete content
The categories of routine replies and positive messages include all of the following
EXCEPT
A) answering requests for information and action.
B) granting claims and adjustments.
C) refusing applicants’ rsums.
D) sending goodwill messages.
Which of the following would be the best opening for a routine request?
A) Please send me a summary of the eastern region’s sales data for April.
B) As soon as you get this, send me last month’s sales data.
C) I know you may not want to, but send me last month’s sales data.
D) I am very sorry to ask you to do this.
E) I know you realize the sales data is due, but I am still waiting for the report.
The writing style for a report should be more formal when
A) you know your readers reasonably well.
B) your report is intended for internal distribution.
C) the subject is controversial or complex.
D) the report is relatively short.
E) the report will be read online.
Which of the following is one element to include in a courteous close?
A) A reminder of your position in the organization
B) An explanation of the request
C) The logical outcome when the request is responded to
D) New, less-important questions that the reader should answer
E) A specific request with relevant deadlines
Which of the following is achieved by removing unneeded words and phrases from a
document?
A) Clarity
B) Mechanics
C) Conciseness
D) Readability
E) Organization
When you’re considering the use of color in your slides, keep in mind that
A) color can account for a large part of an audience’s acceptance or rejection of an idea.
B) color tends to distract viewers, which reduces their retention of the material.
C) you should use as many colors as possible to maintain viewer interest.
D) your choices are not that important as long as your slides are colorful.
E) your color choices are often more important than the data contained in the slide.