Which of the following statements is most accurate?
a. Ethics is a priority for many businesses.
b. Because of economic concerns, American companies are relying on local markets.
c. Most companies discourage workers from working in teams because they fear a loss
of productivity.
d. Today’s businesses are expanding their hierarchies to meet the demands of their
workers and their competition.
Answer:
In a solicited proposal, your goal is to convince the reader that a problem exists.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
A report discussing the correct procedure to process customer complaints should be
organized using a chronological order.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Most persuasive requests should be organized
a. directly.
b. chronologically.
c. quickly.
d. indirectly.
Answer:
Because your résumé is probably the most important document you will ever write, you
should
a. enhance your job titles to make your résumé more impressive.
b. include ample use of the personal pronoun I to make it more personal.
c. consider having a knowledgeable friend or relative proofread it.
d. use a professional résumé service to prepare your résumé.
Answer:
You must prepare your monthly business report for company stockholders and present
your department’s expected sales for the next three months. Which report format would
be most appropriate?
a. Letter format
b. Memo or e-mail format
c. Manuscript format
d. Preprinted form
Answer:
In the body of a cover message, you should
a. repeat the information presented on your résumé.
b. explain why you need a job.
c. emphasize writer benefits because hiring officers want to know what appeals to you
about this particular company.
d. demonstrate your qualifications and show how they fit the targeted job.
Answer:
What is the recommended maximum number of words for a sentence?
a. 10
b. 20
c. 25
d. 30
Answer:
Your boss asks you to write a formal report on the impact of smoking on employee
healthcare costs. Like nearly every writer of a research project, you should begin your
research by
a. reviewing secondary data in the library or on the Internet.
b. interviewing your colleagues to solicit their input and feelings.
c. preparing a questionnaire to distribute to your colleagues.
d. conducting a field experiment.
Answer:
The active voice is generally preferred in business writing.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The opener for a sales message should be
a. provocative, humorous or entertaining, and medium length (5-10 lines).
b. stimulating, relevant, honest, and short (1-5 lines).
c. appealing, informative, persuasive, conversational, and medium length (5-10 lines).
d. entertaining or serious, focused, persuasive, and short (1-5 lines).
Answer:
All of the following sentences contain unnecessary fillers except
a. There are three important issues to discuss at today’s meeting.
b. There is only one job opening available.
c. It was our office manager who won the raffle.
d. Three candidates are running for the board.
Answer:
You are writing a short informal report that you will send to one of your customers.
Which format would be most appropriate?
a. Letter format
b. Memo or e-mail format
c. Manuscript format
d. Preprinted form
Answer:
A supporting sentence
a. must relate to the topic sentence.
b. reveals the main idea of a paragraph.
c. is usually the first sentence of a paragraph.
d. is usually the last sentence of a paragraph.
Answer:
Which of the following is the best advice to make a positive first impression in a phone
conversation with an employer?
a. Don’t refer to your résumé or references during the first phone call because these
references are appropriate only in the placement interview.
b. Take notes about the conversation immediately after hanging up to avoid forgetting
details.
c. In the first phone call, be polite and enthusiastic; but don’t be pushy by discussing
your qualifications.
d. If caught off guard by the call, ask whether you can call back in a few minutes.
Answer:
You will need to use persuasion if you anticipate resistance.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
All of the following are helpful tips to deliver a bad-news message personally in the
workplace except
a. consider taking a partner if you fear a ‘shoot the messenger” reaction.
b. focus on the future and avoid discussing the past or the present.
c. think about timing and do not deliver bad news on a Friday afternoon.
d. prepare and rehearse; outline what you plan to say.
Answer:
Niccolo is nervous about his upcoming presentation. Which of these techniques will
overcome his case of nerves and allow Niccolo to deliver a good presentation?
a. Hold his breath as long as he can to clear his head.
b. Tell the audience that he’s nervous to get them to empathize with him.
c. Ignore any stumbles and keep going.
d. Avoid using visual aids.
Answer:
To hide your nervousness, stand behind a speaking lectern while delivering your entire
presentation.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The central objective of communication is the transmission of meaning.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In writing goodwill messages, you need not worry about promptness as you do in
writing claims and other business messages.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
As a manager, Kelly must communicate to her employees some bad news that will
likely upset them. What is the best advice for her to follow when communicating this
bad news?
a. Let her employees learn of the bad news through the media.
b. Ask her employees their feelings about the bad news immediately after she has
presented it.
c. Practice what she is going to say.
d. Wait to deliver the bad news until a Friday afternoon so that employees have an
opportunity to process the bad news.
Answer:
Which of the following statements about screening interviews is most accurate?
a. Screening interviews are conducted after hiring/placement interviews.
b. Screening interviews are always conducted face-to-face.
c. Most screening interviews are conducted during job fairs.
d. Companies use screening interviews to save time and money.
Answer:
The direct strategy of organization is appropriate for a business report when readers
a. need to be educated.
b. must be persuaded.
c. are informed.
d. may be disappointed or hostile.
Answer:
Your department needs a new copier, and your job is to research the options. Based on
your research, you have selected an all-in-one machine that you believe will be cost
effective and will perform well. What kind of report would you write to present your
findings?
a. Feasibility report
b. Justification/recommendation report
c. Yardstick report
d. Progress report
Answer:
One of the most important steps in writing an informal report is that of
a. gathering information.
b. using the direct organizational strategy.
c. using the indirect organizational strategy.
d. incorporating figurative language.
Answer:
To make the introduction of your proposal persuasive, include a “hook” that focuses on
the audience’s specific needs and benefits.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The conclusion of a proposal should remind the reader of the proposal’s key benefits
and make it easy for the reader to respond.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When selecting and preparing your visual aids, keep in mind your goals as a speaker:
a. to make listeners understand, remember, and act on your ideas.
b. to observe your audience, adjust your delivery, and continue your presentation.
c. to inform, entertain, and persuade.
d. to plan and collect information, organize and rehearse, and deliver your presentation.
Answer:
If you expect your reader to readily agree with your straightforward claim, use the
direct organizational strategy.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In the proposal, plan, and schedule section of a business proposal, your goal is to
explain your plan for solving the problem.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Persuasive ____________________ messages, also called complaint messages, are
used to complain about damaged products, mistaken billing, inaccurate shipments,
warranty problems, limited return policies, insurance snafus, faulty merchandise, and
other problems.
Answer:
____________________ describes technical or specialized terms within a field.
Answer:
____________________ messaging enables you to use the Internet or an internal
corporate communication platform to communicate in real time with others by
exchanging brief text-based messages.
Answer:
_______________ is the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a
receiver.
Answer:
_______________ data come from reading what others have experienced or observed
and recorded.
Answer:
Professional marketers and salespeople follow the _______________ strategy
(attention, interest, desire, and action) when persuading consumers.
Answer:
Identify one difference and one similarity between e-mails and memos.
Answer:
Putting yourself in the receiver’s shoes to better adapt your message to that person’s
needs is called ____________________.
Answer:
When government organizations or businesses have a specific need, they prepare a(n)
____________________, a document that specifies their requirements and solicits
competitive bids from vendors.
Answer:
____________________ messages are important to communicate when personal
contact is impossible, to establish a record of the incident, to formally confirm
follow-up procedures, and to promote good relations.
Answer:
Revise the following sentence to avoid trite business phrases:
Pursuant to your request, enclosed please find a copy of our current catalog.
Answer:
According to a model developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall,
____________________ refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambience surrounding an
event and is arranged on a continuum from low to high.
Answer:
Before and meanwhile are examples of transitional expressions that show
____________________ association.
Answer:
Rewrite the following poorly written opening to an adjustment letter responding to a
claim. Write the opening sentence only.
We are extremely saddened to learn of the unfortunate failure of your TravelerXtra
smartphone, and we apologize for any inconvenience it has caused you. Although
company policy typically prevents us from offering a total replacement at no cost to you
for defective products, we’ll make an exception in your case. Therefore, we have
enclosed a voucher for a new TravelerXtra smartphone that you can take to our store
nearest you.
Answer:
To reply efficiently to e-mail messages, you should practice____________________,
which involves inserting your responses to parts of the incoming message.
Answer:
____________________ involves restating an original passage in your own words and
in your own style.
Answer:
____________________ is an organizational writing technique that involves placing
the main idea first and following the main idea with details, an explanation, or
evidence.
Answer:
Many business writers deliver their reports using digital slideshows, which are also
called ____________________.
Answer:
____________________ an audience can help a writer determine appropriate language
use and tone, along with the need for background information.
Answer: