Informative headings and subheadings
A) simply identify topics covered in the document.
B) guide readers to think a certain way about the topics covered.
C) are easier to write than descriptive headings.
D) are less helpful to readers than descriptive headings.
E) are unnecessary in business documents, as descriptive headings are sufficient.
Answer:
Which of the following will not help you overcome ethnocentrism and stereotyping?
A) Avoiding assumptions
B) Avoiding judgments
C) Accepting differences
D) Adopting preconceptions
E) None of the above
Answer:
When making claims or requesting adjustments, you should begin by
A) complimenting the company for past service.
B) providing a detailed description of the faulty merchandise.
C) providing a straightforward statement of the problem.
D) threatening legal action if you do not receive a favorable adjustment.
E) saying how disappointed you are in the company.
Answer:
________ interviews allow one or more interviewers to meet with several candidates
simultaneously and to observe how the candidates interact with potential peers.
A) Panel
B) Group
C) Team
D) Collaborative
E) Inclusive
Answer:
Which of the following is a compound sentence?
A) Interest rates are low, and now is an excellent time to buy a home.
B) Because interest rates are low, now is an excellent time to buy a home.
C) Low interest rates make this an excellent time to buy a home.
D) With interest rates low, now is an excellent time to buy a home.
E) Interest rates are low.
Answer:
Disabled employees can use ________ to pursue a greater range of career paths,
thereby giving employers access to a broader base of talent.
A) flexible initiatives
B) coordinated systems
C) assistive technologies
D) revolving methodologies
E) all of the above
Answer:
The vast majority of all job openings in the U.S. are
A) advertised the old-fashioned wayin the newspaper.
B) posted on Craigslist or Monster.
C) never advertised to the general public.
D) senior positions that require years of experience.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
After sending project cost estimates to a longtime client, you realize you failed to
include information on some discount options. The best thing to do is
A) take no action.
B) blame someone else.
C) contact the primary audience immediately and correct the error.
D) start looking for a new job.
E) send a follow-up message, but explain that you just received the information.
Answer:
Which of the following would be the most effective way to deliver a report that you’ve
prepared for a small group of managers in your local office?
A) Deliver the report to them in person.
B) Ask a coworker to drop off the report.
C) Use interoffice mail to distribute copies of the report.
D) Tell those managers to download the report from your webpage.
E) Save the report in an open-source format on a USB drive and send it via the USPS.
Answer:
What is the problem with this sentence? “We can give him a small raise, he deserves it.”
A) Comma splice
B) Sentence fragment
C) Dangling modifier
D) Squinting syntax
E) Nothing
Answer:
The authors of an informational report have referred to a multitude of data on the
spending habits of 18- to 25-year-old Americans. They want to provide readers with
access to this information, but realize it’s too lengthy to include in the body of the
report. Where should they place it?
A) Nowhereit should simply be left out.
B) In an appendix
C) After the letter of transmittal
D) Between the prefatory parts and the introduction
E) At the very end of the report, in a section labeled “Extras”
Answer:
If the purpose of your presentation is to get your audience involved in an upcoming
project, you should
A) open the floor for questions, as soon as you’ve covered your main points.
B) make sure that your close is ambiguous and needs clarification.
C) close by explaining who’ll be involved and what they’ll do.
D) gloss over any difficulties that will be involved when completing the project.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
A corporate executive who’s staked her reputation on an aggressive advertising strategy
might use ________ to distort or ignore evidence that suggests the strategy isn’t
succeeding.
A) discrimination
B) misapprehension
C) selective perception
D) stereotypical receptivity
E) counterintuitive modeling
Answer:
Whereas Business Communication 1.0 tends to emphasize ________, Business
Communication 2.0 focuses more on ________.
A) discussion, lecture
B) collaboration, isolation
C) publication, conversation
D) permission, intrusion
E) receivers, senders
Answer:
Which type of interview would be likely to include a question such as, “You seem
wholly unqualified for this job, and your answers have been terrible so far. Why should
we continue with this?”
A) Stress
B) Structured
C) Screening
D) Situational
E) Panel
Answer:
One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other
members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a(n)
________ role.
A) team-maintenance
B) task-oriented
C) self-oriented
D) coordinating
E) empathic
Answer:
When asking multiple questions in a request message,
A) begin with the least important question and work your way up to the most important.
B) avoid any open-ended questions.
C) begin with the most important question.
D) weave your questions into the rest of the content of your message.
E) combine as many questions as possible into one.
Answer:
An important drawback of IM is
A) the need for user authentication.
B) the limited number of devices on which it is available.
C) its high cost.
D) the ease with which it can be misused to broadcast unwanted messages.
E) its stilted, formal feel.
Answer:
Offering discounts on future purchases, free merchandise, or other considerations in
negative messages about business transactions
A) is almost always viewed as a hollow, insincere gesture.
B) should be avoided since it acknowledges guilt.
C) is a good idea only when dealing with government contracts.
D) has been shown to worsen relationships rather than repair them.
E) can go a long way to rebuilding a customer’s confidence in your company.
Answer:
________ slides indicate which material has been covered and which section you are
about to begin.
A) Title
B) Agenda
C) Navigation
D) Template
E) None of the above
Answer:
A surface chart is
A) a type of three-dimensional pie chart.
B) a form of line chart in which all the lines add up to the top line.
C) a type of map showing various terrains.
D) used to show interrelationships within an organization.
E) the same thing as a pie chart.
Answer:
When you’re blogging for business,
A) don’t worry about proofreading because your audience doesn’t expect it.
B) apply the three-step writing process as you would for any other business message.
C) don’t spend a lot of time trying to define your audience: you’re writing for everyone.
D) it is a waste of time unless you are selling high-tech products or services.
E) you can rely on your HTML editor to correct all errors in spelling and grammar.
Answer:
The best visual for illustrating a manufacturer’s quality control process would be a
A) line chart.
B) flowchart.
C) scatter diagram.
D) pie chart.
E) Gantt chart.
Answer:
Your communication style involves
A) the choices you make to express yourself.
B) the words you select.
C) the way you use words in sentences.
D) how you build paragraphs from individual sentences.
E) all of the above
Answer:
In conversations with others whose first language is not English, you should
A) not interrupt, even if you do not understand or need to correct a misconception.
B) refuse to speak unless a translator is present.
C) warn them up front that, because of language differences, nothing you say should be
taken as contractual or binding.
D) use exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures to make sure your point gets
across.
E) always demand that a witness be present.
Answer:
To help establish credibility with your audience, you should
A) impress them with a long list of your accomplishments.
B) be modest and deferential.
C) show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.
D) use hedge words (maybe, perhaps) because no issue is fully cut-and-dried.
E) state up front that you know more about your topic than they do.
Answer:
Sending reports and proposals as PDF files
A) reduces the likelihood of inadvertently spreading macro viruses and other
contaminations.
B) increases the chances of inadvertently spreading macro viruses and other
contaminations.
C) gives you less control over how the document is displayed on the audience’s
computer.
D) is likely to frustrate audiences, since they require expensive software to open.
E) makes it especially difficult to gather comments and other input from reviewers.
Answer:
When you’re applying the three-step writing process to blogging, the planning step will
include
A) writing a concise statement of your blog’s purpose.
B) targeting the audience that you intend to reach.
C) narrowing the scope of subjects that you plan to cover.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
A public health expert is writing a report on lead hazards for a widespread audience.
Any terms in the report that are unfamiliar to her audience should be defined in the
A) introduction.
B) body.
C) explanatory notes.
D) any of the above.
E) none of the above, since doing so would insult the audience.
Answer:
When writing a persuasive request for action, you should
A) use the direct approach.
B) demonstrate that helping you will indeed solve a significant problem.
C) ask for more than you actually want so that you’ll have a cushion for negotiation.
D) avoid flattery.
E) make fantastic claims about the benefits of complying, since no one is likely to
follow up.
Answer:
Which of the following is a euphemism?
A) Old
B) Used
C) Pre-owned
D) Cheap
E) Worn out
Answer:
The top of a memo usually includes headings for
A) to, from, date, subject.
B) department, date, subject.
C) attention, to, from, date.
D) subject, to, date.
Answer:
Your online presence is
A) your private property.
B) a career-management tool.
C) only available to your friends.
D) protected by government privacy laws.
E) irrelevant to potential employers.
Answer:
Choosing between the direct and indirect approaches in a routine request depends
primarily on
A) whether the audience is internal or external.
B) whether the audience is large or small.
C) how reluctant the audience will be to comply.
D) how soon you need the request fulfilled.
E) when you send the request.
Answer: