The role of restating major points and summarizing decisions helps the team achieve its
task goals.
Good writers are likely to use rules flexibly and break big tasks into small ones.
Companies’ annual reports and audit reports are types of analytical reports that present
and interpret data for readers but do not make recommendations.
Social signals is a part of nonverbal communication and refer to the tone of voice,
gestures, proximity to others, and facial expressions.
The methods section of a proposal for a class research project should clearly indicate
how one will get information needed to answer questions posed in the remaining
sections of the proposal.
It is good to use full justification when a document has very short line lengths.
Common sense and empathy are the most crucial tools in audience analysis.
A good way to organize a memo or letter of transmittal is to start by saying what one is
sending.
A photograph is more effective for focusing in on details than a drawing is.
The phrase “unfortunately” is appropriate to be used in a negative message and helps a
writer empathize with the audience.
The desirable tone for business writing is businesslike, friendly, confident, and polite.
Voting is a lengthy process but ensures that all team members are happy with the final
outcome.
Pitch is a voice quality which emphasizes one or more words in a sentence.
The tone refers to the implied attitude of the author toward the reader and the subject.
Placing information in the bottom of a first page helps deemphasizing the information.
The first paragraph of a prospecting letter should say something that intrigues the reader
but does not yet reveal that the writer is seeking a job with the company.
All kinds of negative messages should contain an apology in order to sound sincere.
While evaluating sources of data, it is vital to check the currency of all data except
technology figures.
How detailed a message should be depends on the kind of message, purposes,
audiences, and the corporate culture.
When an interviewer asks a candidate to walk him/her through a resume, one should
take at least ten minutes to summarize important points from one’s resume.
The call to action section in a proposal for a class research project should ask an
instructor for suggestions on improving the research plan.
It is best to use a legalistic style of writing which helps create a good document.
In a job application letter, a long paragraph should cover only one subject.
The generational difference witnessed in office environments shows that generation X
and millenials are largely motivated by duty to a company as opposed to the older
generation who are motivated by why a task is important.
Sales proposals which are long, should be presented with a one-page cover letter that
presents the proposal clearly.
“Writing as we talk” can create awkward, repetitive, and badly organized prose if one’s
speech is not exceptionally fluent.
People are more likely to read brochures if the text engages their attention.
It is important to choose fonts carefully because they shape a reader’s response just as
font size does.
Good supervisors give their employees generic criteria and feedback using stock
phrases to avoid de-motivating employees.
An informative message has the primary purpose of deemphasizing any negative
elements.
Three-dimensional graphs give some perspective to data, and this makes visuals more
accurate and easier to interpret.
Some data sets allow you to tell several stories. In this case, you should choose the
story you wish to tell but include all of the available data in the data set so that readers
have all possible information at their disposal.
While analyzing data, it is important not to be suspicious of all data, especially those
from reputable sources.
Which of the following does good writing involve?
A. Keeps requests ambiguous which helps avoid arguments
B. Uses legalistic language to impress the readers
C. Analyzes the larger context in which words may appear
D. Presents the main point in the middle of a long paragraph
E. Requires a reader to gather additional information
Discourse-based interviews:
A. ask questions based upon something the interviewee has written.
B. are formal interviews based on written questions that the interviewee sees
beforehand.
C. are interviews that are taped, so the interviewer can concentrate on the interview and
not have to take notes.
D. strive to get the interviewee’s spontaneous reaction to using a new product.
E. ask users to voice their thoughts as they use a document or product.
Ashley Ross is attending an interview for an event management company. Currently,
she is going through a certain part of the interview where the interviewers are asking
her easy questions about her interests. They are also giving her a brief introduction
about her job and the phase was over in less than five minutes. Which of the following
parts of an interview did Ross most likely go through?
A. Close
B. Opening
C. Feedback
D. Rebuttal
E. Body
Kylie Reeves in her report on “Strategies to Prevent Deforestation” used a
fourteen-point type font and separated her different strategies with the use of three
popular fonts, Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana. She also used headings to
integrate related topics such as role of media and government bodies. However, her
project manager found a design error in the report. What is most likely the error in
Reeves’ report?
_____ follow up an original question to get at specific aspects of a topic.
A. Hypothetical questions
B. Mirror questions
C. Probes
D. Situational questions
E. Critical incident questions
Which of the following should be undertaken while responding positively to a
message?
A. Grant a customer’s request for a benefit in the last sentence of a message
B. Talk about one’s own process in making the decision related to the message
C. Give reason for the original mistake even if it does not give credit to a company
D. Show that one is listening and wants to resolve the problem
E. Talk grudgingly if a customer’s request is impractical and demanding
_____ refers to hiring services and products that were once produced by the
organization’s employees.
A. Insourcing
B. Nearshoring
C. Outsourcing
D. Asset stripping
E. Cross docking
_____ emphasizes on one desired aspect of a candidate’s career.
A. Reference interview
B. Topgrading interview
C. Focused interview
D. Stress interview
E. Behavioral interview
Which of the following is true of informative messages?
A. They elicit a neutral reaction from the receiver.
B. They are always lengthy and descriptive in nature.
C. They immediately ask a receiver to undertake action.
D. They are void of any persuasive elements in them.
E. They have a primary purpose to build a good image of the sender.
“Chemical dependency costs U.S. businesses more than $26 billion per year.” This
opener in an oral presentation is an example of:
A. an anecdote.
B. a question.
C. a quotation.
D. a startling statement.
E. narration.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a successful student team?
A. They set ambiguous objectives and deadlines to allow flexibility in work.
B. They allow members to complete their specific tasks instead of working together.
C. They respond only to words or verbal communication and not to emotions.
D. They make decisions together instead of letting individuals make decisions.
E. Members rationalize criticism and ignore conflicts in any form.
Grace Morrison works as a marketing executive at the Citizens Bank in China. She is
organizing a marathon event for its customers and employees, the participation funds
for which will be contributed toward homeless children in Beijing. However, the event
is just a week away and the participation so far has been extremely low. This may cause
the bank to cancel the event. She now needs to write to her manager about the update so
that she can take an immediate decision on it. Which of the following would be the best
subject line for Morrison’s e-mail?
A. Status of the Beijing Marathon Event
B. Low participation for Beijing Marathon Event
C. Update on the Beijing Marathon Event
D. Details: Beijing Marathon Event, 2011
E. Marathon Update for your Reference
Sullivan and Sons, a financial firm in New Jersey, has been facing financial problems
for a year now and has decided to lay off a large number of their workforce to cut costs.
Which of the following should they undertake to ensure an appropriate and smooth
layoff procedure?
A. Fire employees through e-mails instead of oral communication so that the process is
quick and hassle free
B. Share information with employees to ensure the news about layoff is not new to
them
C. Avoid providing reasons for firing because it makes employees more upset
D. Avoid trying to understand how they feel because it interrupts with the layoff process
E. Create fictitious reasons for firing to prevent legal cases against the company
Which of the following does a procedural dimension of a team focus on?
A. Solutions
B. Method
C. Team loyalty
D. Content
E. Friendliness
Roswell, a manager at a software firm, needs to ensure that the members of his team
complete work on a project that has its deadline approaching. To remind them about the
deadline, he writes an email stating, “You need to complete the work by Friday so that I
can deliver the product to the client on time.” His email, however, involves a writing
flaw because of which he does not receive the results he would have otherwise
achieved. What type of writing flaw does Roswell’s email have?
A. Selfish tone
B. Vague request
C. Legalistic language
D. Misused words
E. Confusing words
A good report problem in business or administration meets which of the following
criteria?
A. The problem is neither real nor worth solving.
B. The problem is intricate but not challenging.
C. The audience for the report is able to implement the recommended action.
D. The facts are insufficient to show that the recommendation will solve the problem.
E. The data, evidence, and facts, though not available, are comprehensible to you.
Which of the following is a primary purpose of an informative message?
A. To build a good image of the sender’s organization
B. To deemphasize any negative information
C. To eliminate future messages on the same subject
D. To build a good image of the sender
E. To have the receiver view the information positively
A bar chart can be used to:
A. focus on specific numbers related to seven companies.
B. show a company’s growth in net sales over time.
C. identify the contribution of each division to a company’s total revenue.
D. show the item in use.
For which of the following is the lowest level of politeness used?
A. An order
B. A question
C. A clarification
D. An indirect request
E. A query
Which of the following is a good practice when e-mailing your rsum to a prospective
employer?
A. Send several rsums if there are several job openings at the same organization.
B. Use your current employer’s e-mail system so that you can immediately see any
responses, while you are at work.
C. Write a simple subject line that includes your name and the word “rsum."
D. Write a subject line that includes the position you are applying.
E. Send your rsum from your e-mail address:iamawesome@hotmail.com.
Which of the following guidelines should be followed while writing rejections and
refusals?
A. Avoid providing an alternative because it tends to shift focus from the refusal
B. Make the message short and aggressive in order for the reader to take it seriously
C. Double-check the words to ensure the message means different things in different
situations
D. Use one’s knowledge of the organization’s culture for messages within the
organization
E. Avoid using knowledge about the specific individual while crafting the message
A(n) _____ can be written in an informal writing style and helps in orienting the reader
to a report, building the credibility of the report as well as the writer.
A. memo of transmittal
B. conclusions and recommendations
C. executive summary
D. introduction
E. background or history
Which of the following anthropologists first categorized cultures as high-context and
low-context which are popular in the business milieu?
A. Richard Grafton
B. James Gardiner
C. Edward Hall
D. Bernard André
E. Richard Arnold
Pie charts:
A. can always be used interchangeably with bar charts.
B. should be limited to no more than 10 segments.
C. should include labels that appear inside the circle, each on their respective segment.
D. should be used only when you are comparing one segment to the whole.
Amanda George needs to give a presentation on “Drug and Alcohol Abuse” to college
students in Michigan. Before preparing the presentation, she analyzes the audience and
realizes that the presentation needs to focus on the underlying patterns of the issue. In
the presentation, she uses metaphors and case studies as examples of severe drug abuse
cases. Which of the following types according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is
George’s audience?
A. Sensing
B. Perceiving
C. Intuiting
D. Extroverting
E. Judging
Which of the following should be undertaken while dealing with an audience’s
objections?
A. Show the audience that a proposal meets their needs
B. Place people in a position to take a stand on an issue
C. Phrase questions defensively to avoid getting a request rejected
D. Avoid overcoming emotional objections because they are unimportant
E. Avoid asking follow-up questions because they indicate inattentiveness
Blue Hills, an organization which works on protecting forests and wildlife in Indonesia,
conducted a research on protected forest cover and encroached forest land. Sarah Karo,
who conducted the research, now needs to consolidate the research and findings for a
report. Which of the following does Karo need to prepare?
A. Recommendation report
B. Justification report
C. Annual report
D. After action report
E. Informative and closure report
_____ allow you to compare either several aspects of each item or several items over
time.
A. Grouped bar charts
B. Segmented bars
C. Subdivided bars
D. Stacked bars
E. Histograms
Patricia Perez works for an environmental organization in Brussels and recently
submitted a report on ways to curb climate change to her manager. However, her report
stated that the only way to curb climate change is reducing consumption. Her manager
gave her feedback on the report saying, “There are several ways to tackle climate
change including switching to renewable energy. The report does not indicate that an
extensive research has been done on the issue.” Which of the following logical fallacies
is Perez’s report subject to?
A. False cause
B. Weak analogy
C. Appeal to authority
D. Appeal to popularity
E. False dichotomy
Nicole Patterson is writing a report for her company Alpha International with a
recommendation to organize a fund-raising campaign. The campaign will strive to aid
people whose homes have been destroyed by a recent catastrophic flood. Which of the
following titles would be most apt for Patterson’s report?
A. Campaign to Help Flood Victims
B. Efforts made by Alpha International
C. Effects of Floods
D. Money Required to Do Our Part
E. Donate to Help Us
The opener in an oral presentation should ideally:
A. share jokes directed against the audience to draw attention.
B. explain why one is qualified to speak on the topic.
C. summarize the five vital points of the presentation.
D. interest the audience and establish a rapport with them.
E. be read out from one’s notes or references.
The David Anderson Foundation has recently started a large scale project on tackling
climate change. Team members of the project are currently working on considering
numerous options to tackle the issue. They are debating solutions such as shifting to
renewable energy, limiting the use of coal, and awareness about overconsumption.
Which of the following phases is the team most likely working on?
A. Finalization
B. Aggregation
C. Coordination
D. Formation
E. Formalization
Jennie Cruz, a marketing professional, is joining a new organization in Dublin. She has
gathered from friends in the city that there is a high level of equality at all social levels
and work cultures are characterized by interdependence, shared initiatives, and
managers are easily approachable. Which of the following is the country most likely to
be characterized by?
A. High power-distance index
B. High uncertainty avoidance index
C. Low power-distance index
D. Individualist culture
E. Feminist culture
Which of the following guidelines should be followed while using a direct request?
A. Explain benefits explicitly in the message
B. Overcome objections to make the request concrete
C. Avoid putting the main issue in the subject line
D. Simply ask for what is needed in the message
E. Challenge an audience by making them guess
Betty Miller, a relationship manager at a travel house, is writing a report on “Creative
Strategies to Increase Clientele Base.” She has completed gathering information and
compiling it and is currently ensuring that her report does not have any typographical
errors and spelling mistakes. Which of the following is Miller working on?
A. Editing
B. Planning
C. Evaluating
D. Brainstorming
E. Writing
Discuss some of the main costs of communication.
Identify key processes that good writers tend to use.
You are currently looking for a job in the field of media or journalism. You want to post
your rsum online. How would you select the sites you want to post? What guidelines
should you follow and what precautions would you take?
How can one make his/her data displays more accurate?
Briefly explain the three dimensions that a team can focus on.
What is the importance of usability in testing a design according to usability expert,
Jakob Nielsen?
What precautions must one take if he/she has a personal blog, web page, or other
electronic presence?
Many people think that nonverbal communication is much easier to understand than
oral or written communication.
How does revising differ from the editing process?
What are some guidelines to follow for rejections and refusals?
What are some of the key points to remember while writing performance appraisals?
List out the order in which a transmittal should be organized.
What are some important points that one should note during or immediately after an
interview?
Sally recently made a presentation to college students on “The Magic of Thinking Big.”
Throughout the presentation, she made eye contact with the audience which helped the
session be a huge success. Why do you think making eye contact with the audience
helped the session become a success?
Explain the differences between information and referral interviews.
