Which one of the following would be the most effective way to open an indirect
message that delivers bad news to someone who applied for a summer internship?
A) “Please accept my apology for having to deliver bad news.”
B) “This letter pertains to your unsuccessful application.”
C) “Your résumé clearly shows why you’re interested in a summer internship.”
D) “Your application for the summer internship has been rejected.”
E) “We’re unable to consider your application letter and résumé at this time.”
Answer:
Turning your mobile phone off before meetings is
A) frowned upon, since it causes you to disconnect from colleagues and clients.
B) an effective way to help minimize barriers and distractions.
C) helpful only if you are not in a managerial position.
D) often grounds for dismissal in today’s high-tech environment.
E) costly and inappropriate, since you might miss an important message from a
potential client.
F) necessary only if your device does not have a silent mode.
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:
Which of the following is not included in the prefatory parts of a formal report?
A) Cover
B) Letter of authorization
C) Introduction
D) Table of contents
E) Title page
Answer:
The most common problem with résumé design is
A) using excessive and distracting design elements.
B) settling for an old-fashioned look.
C) using the wrong type of paper.
D) failing to include at least one graphic.
E) using too much white space.
Answer:
The interest phase of a sales message should
A) begin with a “hard sell” that makes audiences want to hear more.
B) help the audience understand how your idea will benefit them.
C) emphasize the relevance of your message to your audience.
D) avoid any attempts at answering potential objections.
E) suggest that anyone who is not interested in hearing more is foolish.
Answer:
The term ________ refers to the overall impression of your messages.
A) tone
B) climate
C) style
D) dialect
E) medium
Answer:
Direct-to-consumer news releases are
A) specialized documents used to share relevant information with the news media.
B) general-purpose tools for communicating directly with customers and other
audiences.
C) compliance documents written for governmental regulatory agencies.
D) ready-to-share content that’s intended for the use of top corporate managers.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
One important step in proofreading formal reports and proposals is to
A) go back and use the most impressive words you can find to describe key concepts.
B) proof your visuals thoroughly and make sure they are positioned correctly.
C) ignore topics and focus exclusively on content.
D) simply rely on your software’s spelling and grammar checkers to find any errors.
E) keep in mind that speed is often more important than accuracy.
Answer:
Members of ________ were born from 1946 – 1964.
A) The Radio Generation
B) The Seismic Generation
C) The Baby Boom Generation
D) The Millennial Generation
E) The Aggregation Generation
Answer:
Refusing to write a recommendation letter
A) should be avoided at all costs.
B) is unnecessary, since you can simply “forget” to write one if you decide against it.
C) is unethical, even if you have misgivings about the candidate.
D) is more risky than writing a negative letter.
E) is the best option if a candidate has serious shortcomings.
Answer:
In a report designed to organize a new task force, the close should
A) identify the report’s authors.
B) include an analysis of the data you’ve presented.
C) list the action that you would like readers to take.
D) discuss why the report was written.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
Taking the time to outline your points as you prepare business messages
A) will save you time in the long run and lead to better results.
B) is feasible only when you are working on long reportsotherwise it is a waste of
valuable time.
C) is a sign that your writing skills are weak, since good writers work from mental
outlines only.
D) eliminates the creative spontaneity you need to create dynamic messages.
E) generally causes undue confusion, since you may not know exactly what you want to
say.
Answer:
As a member of an online social network, the recommendations you write
A) require little thought or planning.
B) won’t affect your online profile.
C) must include detailed information.
D) can’t be seen by other network members.
E) become part of your online brand.
Answer:
For effective document design, you should
A) fit as much material as possible on each page.
B) scatter a mix of typefaces and type sizes throughout a document.
C) balance the space devoted to text, artwork, and white space.
D) use bright background colors to make your messages stand out.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
A Gantt chart is a type of
A) pictogram.
B) line chart.
C) bar chart.
D) pie chart.
E) organizational chart.
Answer:
You’re preparing a report on how to reduce network problems at your company’s home
office. Since the report is organized in the direct approach, the close should
A) present the conclusions and recommendations for the first time.
B) be relatively long.
C) be relatively brief.
D) end by asking readers what they think is the best course of action.
E) make it clear that it would be foolish and irresponsible to ignore your
recommendations.
Answer:
Ability differences among employees and customers
A) have led many companies to make websites more accommodating to persons with
disabilities.
B) disappear when those individuals enter the workplace.
C) rarely affect their use of the internet and digital communication technology.
D) are impossible to accommodate when it comes to web accessibility.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
With the indirect approach, instead of announcing the bad news up front, you can open
with a ________ to establish common ground with the reader.
A) heartwarming story
B) buffer statement
C) diversionary tactic
D) humorous anecdote
E) none of the above
Answer:
Which of the following is a sentence fragment?
A) The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
B) He put the package in the mail right away.
C) Come here.
D) Moxie, depending on his friends for support.
Answer:
Employees who observe illegal or unethical behavior at work may resort to ________ if
they’re unable to resolve the problems through normal channels.
A) ‘shuffling the deck”
B) “calling the game”
C) “blowing the whistle”
D) “jumping the shark”
E) none of the above
Answer:
When citing journal articles using the APA style,
A) use quotation marks around the title.
B) capitalize only the first word of the title.
C) you do not need to include the volume number.
D) include only the first page of the article.
E) capitalize the first letter of all words in a title.
Answer:
In participative management
A) employees are involved in the company’s decision-making.
B) all top-level managers participate in profit sharing.
C) teams are discouraged in favor of individual achievement.
D) an authoritarian management model is used.
E) managers have exclusive control.
Answer:
Select the sentence with the best “you” attitude.
A) Because your application was poorly written, we cannot accept it.
B) Your application failed to meet our requirements.
C) When we receive an application that is professional, we can act on your request.
D) Once your application is complete, you should receive a response within two weeks.
E) How can you expect us to understand this sloppy application?
Answer:
If you have strongly negative information to deliver as part of a positive message, you
should
A) open with the negative information.
B) use the indirect approach.
C) put the negative information in a separate message.
D) apologize for having to spoil the moment.
E) put it at the beginning of your message.
Answer:
In regard to planning for the future,
A) people of all cultures view it as a valuable task.
B) individual views may differ, but it is not a cultural issue.
C) some societies tend to view it as a waste of time.
D) younger workers tend to place more value on it than older counterparts.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
When you’re giving your reasons for bad news, you can be tactful if you
A) explain why the decision is good for you and your company.
B) highlight, if possible, how your negative decision benefits your readers.
C) explain that the decision is based on company policy.
D) apologize for having to be the bearer of bad news.
E) use phrases such as, “I really hate to tell you this, but…”
Answer:
In most cases, a message should be deferred or canceled if
A) your news is bad.
B) someone else wants to deliver it.
C) your audience is highly receptive.
D) the timing is wrong.
E) you have important information to share, but it could get you into trouble.
Answer:
A(n) ________ is a set of technologies, policies, and procedures that a company can use
to capture and share information throughout the organization.
A) big-data paradigm
B) desktop search protocol
C) recursive process model
D) intradepartmental database
E) knowledge management system
Answer:
Regardless of a candidate’s work experience, the prime source of jobs in general
appears to be
A) recommendations from current employees.
B) online job posting services.
C) college job fairs.
D) postings on company websites.
E) all of the above equally.
Answer:
When choosing words to convey a message, successful writers pay attention to
A) convenience and mannerisms.
B) correctness and effectiveness.
C) denotation and personal preferences.
D) connotation and vocalization.
E) accessibility and redundancy.
Answer:
The acronyms and shortcuts used in texting and IM are
A) inappropriate for professional business writing.
B) your ticket to the inside track in today’s multinational corporations.
C) a great way to show coworkers and managers that you’re tech-savvy.
D) commonly used to communicate with top management.
E) none of the above.
Answer: