One of the steps in analyzing your audience is to
A) determine their likely emotional state.
B) remember to keep your speech or oral presentation short.
C) define your purpose.
D) prepare a detailed, informative outline.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
A bar chart would be particularly useful for
A) illustrating what percentages of a company’s monthly budget are spent on utilities
and other expenses.
B) comparing market shares of three breakfast cereals from 2011 to 2012.
C) showing the stages in production of a jet engine.
D) depicting the proportion of advertising dollars spent on various major media.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
If a customer uses the comment feature to criticize the content of your business blog,
A) you should respond promptly and honestly.
B) ignore it unless the critic is incorrect.
C) post it, and follow with a blog entry to show your audience that it will not be
tolerated.
D) you should immediately shut the blog down to avoid potential harm to your
reputation.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
In the body of a routine request, you should
A) beg the reader to grant your request.
B) explain and justify your request.
C) give your sales pitch.
D) explain what will happen if the audience does not do what you are asking.
E) state your main idea.
Answer:
“Although our servers are stable, the telephone system is a serious concern” is a
A) simple sentence.
B) compound sentence.
C) complex sentence.
D) compound-complex sentence.
E) simple-compound sentence.
Answer:
The delimitations section in a proposal
A) explains why your company should be awarded the proposed project.
B) reveals the inadequacies of your project team and proposed solution.
C) states the scope of your proposalwhat you will and will not do.
D) includes the “bail-out clause” of a typical business proposal.
E) presents disclaimers that protect you from negligent statements in a proposal.
Answer:
If you request a recommendation from a person you haven’t had contact with recently,
you should
A) use the opening of your letter to refresh the person’s memory regarding the nature or
history of your relationship.
B) don’t bother to enclose a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
C) use the persuasive approach.
D) use the bad-news approach.
E) exaggerate your qualifications so they can write a stronger letter.
Answer:
The longest phase of a job interview is usually
A) the warm-up.
B) the question-and-answer stage.
C) the close.
D) the interchange.
E) none of the above; all are about the same length.
Answer:
When you’re composing paragraphs for a business message,
A) replace as many paragraphs as you can with numbered lists.
B) use long paragraphs if you want your document to look more inviting.
C) don’t write any paragraphs that are longer than 75 words.
D) use one-sentence paragraphs only occasionally, for emphasis.
E) avoid using topic sentences.
Answer:
Business communicators can improve their cultural competency by
A) ignoring the “Golden Rule.”
B) becoming aware of their own biases.
C) exercising tolerance, flexibility, and respect.
D) practicing patience and maintaining a sense of humor.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
The best way to persuade an audience to do something is to
A) convince them that their existing motivations are unreasonable.
B) change their motivation by suggesting that they are unsophisticated.
C) align your message with their existing motivation.
D) use scare tactics to describe the consequences of failing to do what you have asked.
E) shame them into doing what you want.
Answer:
You should plan for important business exchanges via IM by viewing them as
A) a chance to offer random musings.
B) conversations with specific goals in mind.
C) another opportunity to save time by multitasking.
D) routine events that don’t require formalities.
E) digital escapades that don’t require form and function.
Answer:
Which of the following statements about nonverbal communication is false?
A) Facial expressions are a primary vehicle for conveying emotions.
B) Voice carries both intended and unintended nonverbal cues.
C) Nonverbal signals can assert authority and imply intimacy.
D) Nonverbal signals will allow you to “read someone like a book.”
E) Nonverbal communication can supplement spoken communication.
Answer:
The subject line of an email message
A) isn’t essential to an effective email message.
B) helps recipients decide whether to read the message.
C) should be clever and rather mysterious.
D) must never extend beyond three words.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
When preparing the list of references in the APA style,
A) include all the works you consulted while preparing your document.
B) cite all personal interviews you conducted during your research.
C) include only those works that you specifically cited in the text.
D) don’t include any online source materials.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Your success as a businessperson is connected closely to your ability to convince others
to
A) accept new ideas.
B) change old habits.
C) act on your recommendations.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Many companies judge the success of their recruiting efforts by the
A) quantity of hire.
B) quality of hire.
C) cost-benefit hiring ratio.
D) social media click-through rate.
E) corporate turnover ratio.
Answer:
Use ________ to avoid categorizing or stigmatizing people based on their gender, race,
age, ethnicity, level of ability, or other personal characteristics.
A) abstract language
B) descriptive language
C) bias-free language
D) denotative language
E) reflexive language
Answer:
Putting “References available upon request” at the end of your résumé is
A) not necessary since the availability of references is usually assumed.
B) standard practice, and most employers will expect to see it.
C) less effective than listing the names and contact information for all references, even
if the employer has not requested them.
D) necessary only when applying for government positions.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Teams that have interpersonal friction
A) are doomed to failure.
B) can excel with effective leadership and team players committed to strong results.
C) can succeed, but only on relatively minor projects.
D) are very rare, and almost never present problems in today’s environment.
E) need to learn that teamwork requires happiness and harmony.
Answer:
Overhead transparencies are
A) no longer used.
B) old-fashioned, but offer some advantages compared to electronic slides.
C) appropriate only for highly technical presentations.
D) much easier to edit than electronic slides.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
What is wrong with the following sentence? “To waste time and missing deadlines are
bad habits.”
A) Similar ideas are not parallel.
B) It contains a dangling modifier.
C) It contains a split infinitive.
D) It contains a camouflaged verb.
E) Nothingit is grammatically correct as written.
Answer:
In today’s global world, communication and culture
A) are completely unrelated.
B) are only slightly related.
C) are so closely related that separating the two is virtually impossible.
D) have become irrelevant since the advent of the Internet.
E) present challenges that can be overcome simply by learning your audience’s
language.
Answer:
When preparing review sections in a report,
A) always write them in narrative form, not as lists.
B) use multiple review sections if the report is long and complex.
C) introduce new facts and information to support the review points.
D) make it clear that readers can skip them if they want to.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following statements represents the deductive approach to persuasion?
A) “Because the stock market is expected to fall next month, shares of our company
stock will probably also decline.”
B) “It is important for our sales force to operate like a well-oiled machine.”
C) “Our stock price is like a marathon runner, slowly making progress towards our
goal.”
D) “Have you heard what happened to stock prices last week?”
E) None of the above.
Answer:
When you are criticizing or correcting, it is best to
A) focus on what the audience members can do to improve.
B) emphasize the audience’s mistakes so that they will not make the same ones again.
C) be honest and call attention to the audience’s failures or shortcomings.
D) single out the guilty party, creating a teaching moment from his or her mistakes.
E) enlist a partner to echo and affirm your negative comments.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
If you must refuse a claim or request for adjustment, do not
A) show that you understand the complaint.
B) argue heatedly for your point of view.
C) explain why you’re refusing the request.
D) close on a respectful, action-oriented note.
E) consider the tone of your message carefully.
Answer:
Software, database, and website are ________ words.
A) abstract
B) concrete
C) active
D) passive
E) none of the above
Answer:
When checking the location of your presentation in advance, you should
A) not worry about seating arrangementsthey have no effect on how you deliver your
remarks.
B) always request a whiteboard, even if you aren’t sure you will need it.
C) think carefully about the seating of the audience.
D) do all of the above.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
Most simple requests can be handled by explaining
A) what you want to know.
B) what you want your audience to do.
C) why you’re making the request.
D) why it may be in your readers’ interest to help you.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
If you do not have a constant supply of new information to post on a business blog,
A) your audience will appreciate not having to process information that changes
constantly.
B) repost old material so your audience will not lose interest.
C) you should create a traditional website instead.
D) keep readers interested by adding daily comments on current events.
E) you should simply add “Nothing new just yet” each day to let readers know that the
blog is still viable.
Answer:
Using mnemonics (such as acronyms or rhymes) to help remember important
information shared during a meeting
A) is a waste of time.
B) works only if you have special training.
C) requires that you stop everyone from speaking so you can repeat what you hope to
remember.
D) can be a useful strategy.
E) is far more effective than writing the information down.
Answer:
When you’re selecting people to participate in a survey, be sure to get a ________ of the
population you want to survey.
A) stratified sample
B) crossover sample
C) sizeable sample
D) transparent sample
E) representative sample
Answer:
In researching a proposal to expand your division, you find evidence that does not
support your line of reasoning. Should you include it in your report? Why or why not?
Answer:
In a business report, where should you define terms that might be unfamiliar to your
audience?
Answer:
Briefly distinguish between the direct and indirect approaches to organizing business
messages.
Answer:
Describe the primary difference between a committee and a task force.
Answer:
In a line chart, what do the vertical and horizontal axes normally illustrate?
Answer:
Define the “journalistic approach” and explain how it can help you write a more
effective message.
Answer:
What are some viable options for refusing social networking recommendation requests?
Answer:
Explain why editing for conciseness is important, then list the four steps it involves.
Answer:
Briefly explain the concept of cultural context.
Answer:
What is the difference between tone and style in business writing?
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between a planning outline and a speaking outline.
Answer:
Identify the situations in which you should consider sending a printed version of a
business message instead of using an electronic medium.
Answer:
What is a news release?
Answer:
When distributing reports and proposals electronically, why is it preferable to send
documents as PDF files instead of word-processor files?
Answer:
Describe each of the three stages of a successful employment interview.
Answer:
Rewrite the following sentence in a more formal tone, appropriate for a business report:
“I don’t think changing our mileage reimbursement policy would make things any
better.”
Answer: