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Chapter 08 Writing Good-News and Neutral Messages Answer Key
True / False Questions
1.
When a message is likely to elicit a positive or neutral response from a reader, the direct
approach is preferable.
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2.
Messages that contain good news should be written in the indirect order.
3.
Ending a message with phrases such as “as soon as possible” or “at your convenience”
helps in building goodwill.
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4.
A routine inquiry should
not
open with a question or request.
5.
The opening of a routine inquiry should focus on the main objective.
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6.
For the sake of conciseness and clarity, the questions in a routine inquiry should be
combined into a single sentence.
7.
When ending routine inquiry messages, one should avoid mentioning deadlines and the
reasons for them.
8.
In writing a favorable response to an inquiry containing several questions, it is considered
inappropriate to begin the message by stating that you are complying with the reader’s
request.
9.
When responding to an inquiry with two or more questions, a good approach is to answer
the questions in the body of your message in the same order your reader used in asking
them.
10.
If your response to an inquiry includes some bad news along with good news, you should
place the bad news at the beginning and ending of the message.
11.
When writing a favorable response to a customer inquiry, you should avoid adding
comments, questions, suggestions, or additional information even if such material is
relevant to the reader’s original request.
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12.
An order acknowledgment message begins with good news and ends on a goodwill note.
13.
In the context of writing order acknowledgements, when delays are routine and expected
and do
not
pose a serious problem, you should use the indirect approach.
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14.
Depending on the situation, claim messages can either be written using the direct order or
the indirect order.
15.
A when writing a claim that you have good reason to believe will result in an adjustment,
you should use the indirect order.
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16.
Your goal in a claim message is to convince your reader that you deserve a remedy or
compensation for the situation that has occurred.
17.
Internal-operational messages are those emails and hard-copy messages written by the
employees of a company to suppliers and service organizations outside the company.
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18.
If Julie writes an email responding to a customer complaint, she is engaging in internal-
operational communication.
19.
Casual operational messages do
not
require careful construction or wording.
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20.
Internal-operational communications are highly casual exchanges between employees of
the same company.
Multiple Choice Questions
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21.
Binh is writing a message to a client to tell him that if he does not bring his account
current, she will be forced to end their working relationship. She knows he will
not
respond
well to this message. What should she do?
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22.
When you believe that your reader’s response will be ________ or _______, the direct
organizational plan is appropriate.
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23.
When is it best to use the indirect approach in creating a message?
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24.
A direct-order message
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25.
Which of the following is the best approach to use when a message is likely to evoke a
positive response from the reader?
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26.
When composing good-news and neutral messages, one may
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27.
Which of the following guidelines should be followed when writing an effective message
carrying good news?
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28.
Bettina is a property investment manager who wants to write to a client telling him that
the new sprinkler system installed at his property has already reduced its water bill by
hundreds of dollars over last year. Which of the following guidelines should Bettina follow
when writing this message?
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29.
Which of the following guidelines will help create an effective good-news message?