Many difficulties in intercultural communication occur because people in different
cultures have different
A) genetics.
B) assumptions about how people should think, behave, and communicate.
C) environments.
D) media.
E) views, but all the same core values.
Answer:
Learning about an unfamiliar culture
A) can be accomplished only by living among its people.
B) is generally a waste of time—no one in business expects you to do so.
C) is a worthy undertaking—even if you learn only a small amount.
D) requires at least one year of study before it is meaningful.
E) is a bad idea, since it almost always leads to overconfidence and embarrassing
mistakes.
Answer:
Plain language is a style of writing
A) used only for casual correspondence.
B) designed to make information more understandable to the audience.
C) aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language.
D) inappropriate for business communication.
E) used in industry to describe products and technical issues, but never in professional
settings.
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:
When selecting the appropriate compositional mode for a communication task using
electronic media, the central factor to consider is
A) which one you like the most.
B) which one will save you the most time.
C) which one is most likely to impress your boss.
D) what kind of information audience members are likely to need.
E) what medium you will use.
Answer:
One potential drawback of focusing on conclusions in a report is that you may
A) reveal information you know about that has not been included in the report.
B) oversimplify the contents.
C) offend your audience.
D) compromise the integrity of your sources.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
In today’s electronic media environment, handwritten thank-you notes
A) are not likely to be read.
B) give the impression that the writer is unprofessional.
C) are often particularly appreciated by the recipient.
D) require too much time to prepare and deliver.
E) are viewed as obsolete, except in personal contexts.
Answer:
When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, which of the following would be the best
opening to your message?
A) How are you today?
B) I know you’ve heard this all before, but …
C) How would you like to save up to 70% on prescription drugs?
D) This is an important message.
E) What I am about to tell you might seem boring and insignificant, but believe me, it is
not.
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) imply that you might change your mind (even if you know the decision is final).
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:
________ 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:
The prefatory parts of a report should
A) help readers decide whether and how they need to read the report.
B) be prepared and written before the text of the report.
C) include an introduction to the report.
D) not require any revision once they are written.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
When employers find lies on an applicant’s résumé, most will
A) ignore it, since almost all applicants exaggerate their qualifications.
B) call the applicant to discuss it.
C) refuse to hire the applicant, even if it means withdrawing a formal job offer.
D) keep the application active, but continue looking for other promising candidates.
E) assume that the applicant simply made a mistake.
Answer:
You should include a title fly with business reports when you want to
A) give the name of the company for which the report has been prepared.
B) add a touch of formality to the report.
C) protect the report from dirt and careless handling.
D) provide a page for the reader to make notes on.
E) make it easier for readers to get straight to the text of your report.
Answer:
Unlike traditional press releases, a social media release
A) emphasizes bullet-point content over narrative paragraphs.
B) makes it more difficult to publicize your content.
C) must always be written using “I” or “we.”
D) is much longer.
E) almost always reaches a much smaller audience.
Answer:
The close of a proposal should
A) ask for a decision from the reader.
B) avoid restating why you or your firm are the ones to perform the service in question.
C) make clear that your company is not desperate for business.
D) do none of the above.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
Editing for conciseness is
A) less important than editing for clarity.
B) simply a matter of cutting all paragraphs to no more than three sentences each.
C) not necessary for business messages.
D) easy, and should be done as you write.
E) helpful to readers, and can make them more likely to read your documents.
Answer:
Which of the following technologies are now used in business?
A) microblogs
B) video games
C) Facebook
D) smartphones
E) all of the above
Answer:
Generally speaking, an effective proposal can
A) follow the AIDA model.
B) follow the plan for good-news messages.
C) avoid the “you” attitude.
D) be as vague as possible.
E) rely entirely on primary evidence.
Answer:
Citing numbers and dates
A) does not differ among cultures.
B) differs slightly among cultures, but is consistent among all that are low-context.
C) varies so widely among cultures that it is impossible to accommodate expectations.
D) should be done carefully when communicating with audiences from other cultures.
E) should always follow European style, unless you are communicating with others in
the U.S.
Answer:
When you are refusing a routine request, you
A) should always use the direct approach.
B) should invoke company policy if that is a possible out.
C) don’t need to invest as much time and effort as you would for other kinds of negative
messages.
D) should use the indirect approach if you’re forced to decline a request that you might
have said yes to in the past.
E) do not need to worry about the tone of your message.
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) Camouflaged verb
E) Nothing
Answer:
Women executives who travel abroad
A) can count on being treated with respect, regardless of the countries they visit.
B) should always assume that they will not be taken seriously as businesspeople.
C) may not be taken seriously as businesspeople, depending on the culture.
D) should insist on meeting only with other female executives.
E) are almost always treated with more respect outside the U.S.
Answer:
The basic purpose of informational reports is
A) to persuade the audience to act.
B) to present recommendations and conclusions.
C) to present data, facts, feedback, and other types of information, without analysis or
recommendations.
D) to convince the reader of the soundness of your thinking.
E) to change the audience’s opinion on your topic.
Answer:
In terms of the three-step writing process, podcasts differ mostly from written messages
in the ________ step.
A) planning
B) writing
C) completing
D) transcribing
E) There are no significant differences.
Answer:
The best salutation for an application letter is
A) “Dear Hiring Manager.”
B) “To Whom It May Concern.”
C) one that addresses a specific individual by name.
D) “Dear Sir or Madam.”
E) one that is very informal, such as, “Hi.”
Answer:
Which of the following is a sentence fragment?
A) The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
B) Put it in the mail right away.
C) Come here.
D) Depending on the circumstances.
E) The report is now due.
Answer:
When it comes to drug and alcohol testing,
A) by law only government agencies can require it.
B) a majority of companies require it of all applicants.
C) only a few companies now require it.
D) the Supreme Court has declared it unconstitutional.
E) companies with fewer than 500 employees cannot legally perform them.
Answer:
You should always close your speech
A) on a memorable note.
B) by leaving the audience with a feeling of incompleteness, which you can resolve in
the question-and-answer period.
C) with something dramatic or flamboyant.
D) by introducing some new ideas for the audience to think about.
E) with a humorous statement.
Answer:
Most messages should not be sent unless they will
A) bring about a change.
B) increase your chances of being promoted.
C) please your boss.
D) convey negative information about your competitors.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
Centered type in business documents is
A) never appropriate.
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:
Which of the following uses a deductive approach to persuasion?
A) Because the stock market is expected to fall next month, shares of our company
stock will probably also decline.
B) It is important for our sales force to operate like a well-oiled machine.
C) Our stock price is like a marathon runner, slowly making progress towards our goal.
D) Have you heard what happened to stock prices last week?
E) None of the above.
Answer:
When organizing a speech, use the indirect approach if your purpose is to ________
and the audience is ________.
A) entertain, resistant
B) motivate, receptive
C) persuade, resistant
D) inform, receptive
E) deceive, uninformed
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:
The best approach to preparing a résumé is to
A) spend a lot of time creating it, and then send the same version to all prospective
employers.
B) learn as much as you can about who may be reading it, and be sure to meet their
needs.
C) keep it general, brief, and nonspecific.
D) use a hard-sell approach.
E) none of the above
Answer:
When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, the closing should
A) urge the audience to take the action you are requesting.
B) provide additional evidence and detail not covered in the desire section.
C) explain the steps needed to implement your ideas.
D) warn the audience that bad things will happen if they don’t listen to you.
E) do all of the above.
Answer:
You are faced with informing your supervisor about massive production delays.
Company policy dictates that you must provide this information in writing. What
questions should you consider when deciding between the direct and indirect
approaches for your message?
Answer:
Briefly explain what job candidates should expect in behavioral interviews and
situational interviews.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between selling points and benefits, and then give an
example of each.
Answer:
Describe at least three of the tasks involved in developing an audience profile.
Answer:
Describe the primary function of the letter of transmittal.
Answer:
Briefly explain the primary function of a statement of purpose, then indicate the most
useful way to phrase one.
Answer:
Describe each of the three stages of a successful employment interview.
Answer:
Describe at least five types of employment interviews.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between descriptive titles and informative titles for
visuals, and provide an example of each.
Answer:
List three categories of common persuasive business messages.
Answer:
During a meeting with coworkers, your mobile phone rings. Should you answer it?
Why or why not?
Answer:
Rewrite the following sentence to improve clarity and avoid the long noun sequence:
“The financial estimates and accounting consulting firm will be closed next week.”
Answer:
In preparing a solicited proposal, how should you handle the RFP?
Answer:
What six tasks do you need to complete to prepare for a successful job interview?
Answer:
Why is it especially important in marketing and sales messages to avoid implying offers
or promises you cannot fulfill?
Answer:
What is culture?
Answer:
List three guidelines to follow when deciding what to wear for an employment
interview.
Answer:
What is a hidden agenda?
Answer:
How can cultural differences affect communication styles? What general approach
should Americans take when writing intercultural correspondence?
Answer:
In responding favorably to a claim even though the customer was at fault, what should
you try to accomplish in the body of your message?
Answer: