In order for audience members to respond appropriately to a business message, they
must
A) remember the message.
B) be able to respond to the message.
C) be motivated to respond to the message.
D) do all of the above.
E) do none of the above–communication is a simple process that everyone is naturally
good at.
Answer:
Most routine messages are
A) positive.
B) negative.
C) neutral.
D) persuasive.
E) controversial.
Answer:
In the Interest and Desire sections of a solicited application letter, discussing each
requirement specified in the job ad
A) will reduce your chances of getting an interview.
B) is unnecessary as long as you refer to the ad in some specific way.
C) is helpful as long as you clearly identify those that you do not meet.
D) is harmful if the position requires creativity or innovation.
E) helps demonstrate your understanding of the employer’s needs.
Answer:
Which of the following is not listed among factors to consider when choosing a
medium for your message?
A) Urgency
B) Cost
C) Sender preferences
D) Audience preferences
E) All of the above are listed.
Answer:
Using a variety of type styles in a document
A) helps readers stay interested in what you have to say.
B) generally slows your audience’s progress through the message.
C) makes your document look especially professional.
D) is a helpful way to emphasize key information.
E) makes it more legible.
Answer:
Personality, lifestyle, and attitudes are assessed through
A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) inkblot tests.
D) examinations of census data.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Causation and correlation
A) are not the same, and confusing the two in persuasive messages can lead to faulty
logic.
B) are essentially the same.
C) should not be addressed in persuasive business messages.
D) are so complex that only professional writers should attempt to address them.
E) make it difficult for audiences to assess the quality of a persuasive message.
Answer:
The primary difference between a marketing message and a sales message is
A) so insignificant that the two can be used interchangeably.
B) that a sales message asks potential buyers to make a purchase decision right away.
C) that sales messages are longer.
D) that marketing messages are more aggressive.
E) that marketing messages are more difficult to compose.
Answer:
You and several coworkers serve on a task force charged with updating the company
personnel policy manual. To proceed effectively, you should concentrate on
A) pointing out as many typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors as possible.
B) ensuring that all members have a clear and shared sense of purpose.
C) making other team members feel good.
D) making the manual as long as possible (to let everyone know you are serious).
E) doing all of the above.
Answer:
A key advantage of oral communication is
A) the ability to plan and control the message.
B) the opportunity to meet an audience’s information needs.
C) the ability to transmit highly complex messages.
D) the opportunity to get immediate feedback.
E) not having to worry about unconsciously conveying undesirable messages.
Answer:
Sending preview materials to the audience prior to an online presentation
A) will cause most audience members to ignore what you present later.
B) suggests that you are not confident.
C) can be helpful, especially if you do not include your entire slide set.
D) is an example of the backchannel in action.
E) is necessary only if you are inexperienced.
Answer:
Analytical reports for skeptical audiences should generally follow the ________
approach.
A) direct
B) indirect
C) hypothetical
D) aggressive
E) 1, 2, 3
Answer:
In marketing and sales messages, you can deemphasize the price of your product by
A) mentioning it in the middle of a paragraph after you’ve presented benefits and selling
points.
B) stating it right at the beginning.
C) commenting on how wealthy your readers probably are.
D) simply saying the benefits outweigh the costs.
E) doing all of the above.
Answer:
When closing a negative message, explaining the steps being taken to avoid similar
mistakes in the future
A) is a bad idea, since it distracts attention from the main idea.
B) is helpful, even when those steps are not likely to make a difference.
C) should always be avoided since it acknowledges guilt.
D) can underline the sincerity of an apology.
E) will usually result in skepticism among your peers.
Answer:
To make your communication more effective,
A) clearly address your audience’s wants and needs-not yours.
B) include as much information as possible, even if you’re not sure it’s necessary.
C) send the same messages by multiple channels.
D) avoid face-to-face conversations and communicate entirely by phone and email.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
When composing a negative message, you should try to
A) choose a buffer that will distract your reader from the main point of your message.
B) gain the audience’s acceptance of the bad news.
C) leave the reader with hope that you will change your decision.
D) avoid stating the bad news.
E) surprise the audience with the bad news.
Answer:
When using IM for business communication, acronyms such as FWIW and HTH
A) are perfectly appropriate.
B) may confuse some readers, who are new to the medium but meet the expectations of
most.
C) should be used frequently since they indicate your comfort with the medium.
D) should not be used unless you are communicating with close colleagues.
E) are inappropriate for U.S. audiences, but fine for international readers.
Answer:
Selective listening refers to
A) a highly focused form of listening.
B) letting one’s mind wander until something personally relevant is said.
C) a form of defensive listening.
D) listening only long enough to get a word in edgewise.
E) a time-saving technique in which you purposely ignore at least 25% of what a
speaker says.
Answer:
Your communication ________ involves the choices you make to express yourself—the
words you select, the manner in which you use those words in sentences, and the way
you build paragraphs from individual sentences.
A) tone
B) climate
C) style
D) dialect
E) medium
Answer:
In most organizations, the rumor mill tends to be particularly active when
A) employees are satisfied with their jobs.
B) formal communication channels are working efficiently.
C) employees are wasting company time.
D) the formal communication network is not providing the information employees
want.
E) there is a lack of gender balance among the employees.
Answer:
When using a computer thesaurus, you
A) can assume that any alternatives it proposes are correct and appropriate.
B) should always select the most impressive-sounding words it suggests.
C) should be careful to use only those words that convey your intended meaning.
D) can count on it to list the best alternative first, followed by less desirable substitutes.
E) should combine it with the “replace all” function.
Answer:
To make email more readable, you should do all of the following except:
A) limit subject lines to describing the general topic of your message.
B) make your message easy to understand.
C) personalize your message.
D) observe email etiquette.
E) All of the above are strategies to make email more readable.
Answer:
Groupthink refers to
A) the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular
opinions, even when those objections are legitimate, and to go along with majority
opinion.
B) the four-step decision-making process in groups.
C) software programs that help groups make decisions.
D) the basic rules that underlie a group’s behavior.
E) putting others first instead of being selfish.
Answer:
In most cases, delaying when you need to convey negative news
A) will help your audience accept it.
B) will increase your credibility.
C) can be a serious breach of etiquette.
D) will allow the situation to resolve itself.
E) prevents legal action.
Answer:
If you are not given a time limit for your presentation, you should
A) make it as long as possible to ensure the audience understands the message.
B) keep the presentation as short as possible while accomplishing your purpose.
C) ask the audience how long they would like the presentation to take.
D) make sure it takes no less than 30 minutes, not including the question-and-answer
session.
E) deliver the presentation impromptu, and end it whenever the audience appears to be
losing interest.
Answer:
Words such as “nevertheless,” “however,” “but,” and “therefore”
A) are called pointer words.
B) introduce modifiers.
C) occur only in complex sentences.
D) are useful for making transitions.
E) are examples of pompous, stale language.
Answer:
You’ve prepared a 7-page report for a local government official outlining the potential
for your company’s involvement with downtown revitalization. In this short report it
would be reasonable to
A) not include an executive summary.
B) not include a synopsis.
C) combine the executive summary with the letter of transmittal.
D) do any of the above.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
A contractor submitting a weekly report on work done to date would be providing the
client with
A) a progress report.
B) a compliance report.
C) a justification report.
D) a periodic operating report.
E) a position paper.
Answer:
When a sender puts an idea into a message, the sender is ________ the idea.
Answer:
When speaking in English to people who use English as a second language, the best
approach is to
A) forget about feedback; just make sure you get your message across.
B) repeat your sentences often, a little louder each time.
C) speak slowly and clearly.
D) use plenty of adjectives such as fantastic and fabulous.
E) limit your sentences to no more than 5 words each.
Answer: