If you’re unsure about your personal appearance in the workplace, it’s best to match
your style to the expectations of your organization.
Answer:
If your report will be posted online, make the report easy to skim.
Answer:
Studies have shown that people often have cultural biases of which they’re not even
consciously aware.
Answer:
You’ve just finished a job interview, and you know that you’re not going to get the job.
So, don’t worry about following up with a “thank-you” message to the interviewer.
Answer:
As a means of conveying meaning, nonverbal signals and environmental context are
more important than verbal messages in high-context cultures.
Answer:
Conflict between persons or groups in an organization is always destructive and must
be avoided at all costs.
Answer:
Most proposals have few supplementary parts.
Answer:
A combination résumé combines descriptions of your education and employment
background under a single heading.
Answer:
The opening paragraph of an application letter states the reason for writing and gives
the recipient a reason to keep reading.
Answer:
Online marketers use behavioral targeting to track the behavior of website visitors and
serve up ads based on their interests.
Answer:
When delivering negative news, it is misleading to emphasize any positive aspects of
the situation.
Answer:
Punctuation goes inside quotation marks if the whole sentence is quoted but outside the
quotation marks if only the last part of the sentence is a quote.
Answer:
You should never use euphemisms, because they are inherently dishonest.
Answer:
One way to avoid being accused of defamation is to stick to the facts when
communicating with customers.
Answer:
A poorly written buffer can mislead your audience into expecting that positive news
will follow.
Answer:
The sentence, “It is imperative that we hire more employees,” begins with an indefinite
pronoun and should be shortened.
Answer:
Emotional intelligence includes the ability to relate to the needs of others.
Answer:
When replying to a customer’s complaint when your company is at fault, be sure to list
the names of all employees who were involved in the error.
Answer:
To draw attention to important points or terms italic type is more effective than
boldface.
Answer:
If you’re still in school, you should present your educational background in depth since
that is probably your strongest selling point.
Answer:
The use of time and space can send powerful nonverbal signals.
Answer:
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar do not matter in email; getting your message out
quickly should be your only concern.
Answer:
The functions of footnotes and endnotes are identical; the only difference between the
two is their placement.
Answer:
Unlike most search engines, a web directory yields results that have been screened by
human editors.
Answer:
It is sometimes acceptable for the title page to serve as the report cover.
Answer:
When you’re writing persuasive messages, don’t mix emotional and logical appeals.
Answer:
Using simple language in persuasive messages usually increases your credibility.
Answer:
Of the three stages of a job interview, the close is the most important.
Answer:
If your purpose is to analyze, persuade, or collaborate, you should organize your speech
around conclusions and recommendations or a logical argument.
Answer:
To avoid legal problems, businesses should delay communicating with the media in the
aftermath of a crisis.
Answer:
In business reports, it is never appropriate to combine the direct and indirect approaches
by revealing conclusions and recommendations as you go along.
Answer:
When developing paragraphs, you should use only one method within each paragraph
and throughout a document.
Answer:
You can help establish the right tone in a negative message by using positive words
rather than negative, counterproductive ones.
Answer:
Today’s powerful grammar checkers can easily determine whether your document states
your message correctly and communicates it clearly.
Answer:
The introduction to a formal business report should never be longer than a paragraph or
two.
Answer:
At the close of an interview, you should impress the interviewer with your assertiveness
by pressing for an immediate decision.
Answer:
The number 29 is the mode in this set of figures: 25, 29, 34, 29, 29, 42, 8.
Answer:
Teams usually achieve lower performance levels than what would have been
accomplished by the members working independently.
Answer:
To clearly and kindly say no, do all of the following except
A) use phrases such as, “Much as I would like to help you.”
B) deemphasize the bad news.
C) use a conditional statement, if appropriate.
D) tell the audience what you can or will do rather than what you cannot or will not do.
E) use a respectful tone.
Answer:
Messages sent via IM, text messaging, email and blogging
A) do not require revision, even when used for business purposes.
B) should be revised, even if it involves nothing more than a quick review before
sending.
C) do not need to be revised unless a potential sale is involved.
D) cannot be revised.
E) don’t need to be revised, since software-editing features will eliminate any errors.
Answer:
Centered type in business documents is
A) never appropriate in business communication.
B) rarely used for text but commonly used for headings.
C) acceptable for long sections of text but not for headings.
D) always preferred for exceptionally long paragraphs.
E) best for the text of highly technical reports.
Answer:
If you will write a letter of recommendation about a job candidate, your goal should be
to
A) remain neutral about the candidate’s suitability for the job.
B) boost the job candidate’s sense of self-esteem and well-being.
C) explain why you’re qualified personally and professionally to assess the job
candidate.
D) convince readers that the candidate has the characteristics necessary for the job.
E) include at least one negative comment to show you’re being objective.
Answer:
The best way to become a valued network member is by
A) expecting others in your network to help you.
B) emailing your résumé to everyone you meet.
C) broadcasting other people’s contact information.
D) asking others to provide information that you can find yourself.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
The synopsis of a formal report is
A) a concise overview of the report’s most important points.
B) a short summary containing subheadings and visual aids.
C) usually anywhere from two to five pages.
D) never more than five lines in length.
E) never longer than a single sentence.
Answer:
Sources of secondary information include
A) first-hand observation.
B) in-person interviews.
C) newspapers and periodicals.
D) experiments.
E) an online survey designed specifically for your project.
Answer:
During ________, the interviewer will adapt the line of questioning according to the
answers you give and the questions you ask.
A) a structured interview
B) a behavioral interview
C) a situational interview
D) an open-ended interview
E) an informational interview
Answer:
Briefly describe the contents and importance of a meeting agenda.
Answer:
When you’re preparing an application letter, remember that ________ must clearly state
your reason for writing and give the recipient a compelling reason to keep reading.
A) the inside address
B) the opening paragraph
C) the closing paragraph
D) the second paragraph
E) the salutation
Answer:
In business contexts, reports and proposals
A) are never written in memo format.
B) must always be at least 10 pages long.
C) vary in length, and may be written in memo format but never as letters.
D) vary in length, and may be written in many formats, including letters and memos.
E) are rarely taken seriously unless they are lengthy and written in manuscript format.
Answer:
The letter of transmittal
A) may follow the direct or indirect plan.
B) has a more formal style than the report itself.
C) is usually included as an appendix.
D) should be written in an informal, chummy tone.
E) is never written as a memo.
Answer:
When evaluating material you’ve gathered for a report, you should
A) assume that any information taken from a webpage will be credible and reliable.
B) throw out any information published by an organization that might be biased.
C) check the material for currency.
D) ignore government documents.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
The slide master feature in presentation software
A) should be avoided, since it is viewed as a crutch for unskilled presenters.
B) gives your slides a cartoonish look.
C) helps create a consistent design for your entire slide show.
D) is too complicated for most presenters to use effectively.
E) is helpful only if you have fewer than 10 slides.
Answer:
During the ________ phase of group development, the team clarifies and summarizes
the agreed-upon solution, and team members receive their assignments for carrying out
the group’s decision.
A) orientation
B) conflict
C) brainstorming
D) emergence
E) reinforcement
Answer:
Which one of the following is an essential element of planning effective email
messages?
A) Making sure that every message has a useful, business related purpose
B) Double-checking your recipient list before sending your message
C) Creating informative subject lines that clarify the purpose of your message
D) Deciding whether to mark your message as “urgent”
E) Revising and proofreading your message
Answer:
A report focused on recommendations should
A) first establish or verify the need for action.
B) not include conclusions.
C) avoid mentioning any potential risks.
D) outline costs, but not in detail.
E) always combine the direct and indirect approaches.
Answer:
The default margin setting for most word processing software is ________, with the left
margin aligned vertically and a ________ margin on the right.
A) ragged-left, flush
B) justified, ragged
C) ragged-right, flush
D) flush-right, justified
E) flush-left, ragged
Answer:
When you’re responding to a complaint from a customer and your company is at fault,
A) deflect the blame up the supply chain.
B) maintain a sincere, professional demeanor.
C) counter the complaint with logic and wit.
D) pinpoint the employees who were responsible for the error.
E) remember that the best defense is a good offense.
Answer:
Cultural competency refers to
A) the ability to adjust one’s communication style to accommodate cultural differences.
B) a state of being economically independent according to the standards of a particular
culture.
C) the ability to speak more than one language.
D) a broad knowledge of culture, including music, art, and theatre.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
The best type of visual aid for showing that annual consumer spending has decreased
over the past ten years would be
A) a table.
B) a pie chart.
C) a line chart.
D) an organization chart.
E) a flowchart.
Answer:
Companies can use a research technique called ________ to track social networks and
other media to (1) take the pulse of public opinion and (2) identify opinion makers.
A) cold calling
B) sentiment analysis
C) brand socialization
D) location-based networking
E) guerilla marketing
Answer:
The problem factoring process involves
A) looking at a problem from multiple perspectives.
B) considering how to allocate responsibility for a problem.
C) creating problems instead of solving them.
D) dividing a complex problem into a series of logical, connected questions.
E) listing all the factors that created the problem.
Answer:
When you react ethnocentrically, you
A) assume that your culture is superior to others.
B) recognize the differences that exist between your culture and other cultures.
C) focus on the possibility that your words and actions will be misunderstood.
D) show respect for other cultures.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
One of the greatest drawbacks to using podcasts in business is
A) you’ll need to purchase costly equipment before you can start.
B) the difficulty of finding people with good speaking voices.
C) the challenge listeners face when trying to find specific parts of the message.
D) the high cost of establishing a distribution network for podcasts.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
When you’re writing email messages in the workplace, remember that business emails
A) require a higher level of quality than personal emails.
B) should never be shorter than one screen.
C) do not need to be proofread for grammar and spelling errors.
D) are the best medium for internal messages, regardless of their content.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
To achieve the best physical appearance for your résumé, you should
A) have it prepared by a professional résumé service.
B) make subheadings easy to find and easy to read.
C) use colored paper.
D) use a variety of typefaces in various colors.
E) submit it in a brightly colored envelope or folder.
Answer:
Which of the following design elements will be the easiest to measure objectively?
A) Paying attention to the details of design
B) Balancing the various elements on a page
C) Exercising restraint when applying various design elements
D) Using margins, typeface, type size, and spacing consistently
E) None of the above can be measured objectively.
Answer:
Most persuasive messages combine
A) truth and falsehood.
B) current and very old evidence.
C) logical and emotional factors.
D) many major points all at once.
E) multiple questions into one.
Answer:
To English-speaking U.S. listeners, Arabic speech may sound
A) excited or angry.
B) disinterested.
C) timid.
D) excessively soft.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Why do written communication and most forms of electronic media generally require
more tact than oral communication?
Answer:
Briefly explain the primary function of a statement of purpose, and then indicate the
most useful way to phrase one.
Answer:
Rewrite the following email subject line to make it more interesting without revealing
the main idea: “The case for switching to new medical insurance provider.”
Answer:
What part of a routine request should explain what you are asking the audience to do?
Answer:
List at least five items that you should take to every interview.
Answer:
Why are appreciation messages important? What should they include?
Answer:
In preparing to write persuasive messages, what two types of information are vital to
assess the needs of your audience?
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between concrete words and abstract words.
Answer:
What is a buffer, and what function does it serve in negative messages?
Answer:
What is the meaning of the phrase, “anchoring your online presence in your hub”?
Answer:
Describe four important issues to consider when distributing business messages.
Answer:
What should you keep in mind as you decide what to include in a message of
condolence?
Answer:
List at least three factors to consider in deciding which medium to use for a business
message.
Answer:
Once you have decided that a meeting is necessary, what four strategies can help you
plan it effectively?
Answer:
What organizational method is generally best in refusing claims and requests for
adjustments, and why?
Answer: