Composing consists entirely of putting words on the page or speaking them aloud.
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A proposal must only provide information; it need not motivate your audience to act.
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Internships and summer jobs can help you determine if you are truly interested in
pursuing a career in a particular field.
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The first step in influencing behavior is to motivate your audience.
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A paraphrase is a version of someone else’s original content but in your own words.
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Biased language suggests prejudice, prejudgment, or disrespect.
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You should wait for at least 48 hours after an interview to send a thank-you message
expressing your gratitude for the interviewer’s time.
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A communication strategy is a plan for what and how to communicate to ensure that
your message achieves its purpose.
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The material used for presentation and the presentation style are determined
independent of the setting of the presentation.
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You should analyze a job advertisement for the keywords that outline the job
requirements so that you can demonstrate in your cover letter how you exemplify them.
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A white paper is a report intended to educate the audience often potential customers on
a topic that is central to a company’s business.
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Most students acquire sufficient communication skills as they go through school.
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You should not show your message to anyone until you have finished the evaluating
step of the ACE process.
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Accusatory language focuses negative attention on the issue rather than on the person.
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If you acknowledge all your sources, no one will accuse you of plagiarism.
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An external benefit is an advantage that your audience directly receives from
complying with your request.
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In an ad hominem attack, you attack the person who disagrees with you rather than
addressing the issue at stake.
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An appendix is a mini-version of the report designed to communicate the most
important ideas to an audience of decision makers.
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A feasibility report will always include the criteria that decision makers can use to
judge the proposal.
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Stating bad news in vague terms is a good way to preserve the audience’s self-esteem.
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Fiona is interested in an internship at a local art museum. Because she has no work
experience related to this position, she should use a chronological résumé format when
applying.
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Business reports clearly identify the author, the date, and the topic or title.
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Messages that convey information can be considered routine if the information will not
surprise, disappoint, or anger the audience.
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A watermark is a barely visible logo that can be seen only when the paper is held to the
light.
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If you want your audience to know why the database is currently sluggish and
understand how the adjustments being made will lead to better processing times, then
your presentation is collaborative.
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A slide master is a presentation editing tool that allows you to apply design features to
all of your slides in that file.
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Tables illustrate the relationship among variables or sets of data as an image or shape
drawn in relationship to two axes.
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If a company decides to satisfy a customer claim for a refund, exchange, or repair, it is
irrelevant whether the response is well written.
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During a presentation, if you forget what you plan to say or make a mistake, do not
apologize.
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While researching a proposal you find a case study demonstrating that your supposedly
cost-cutting measure might actually be more expensive in the long run. If you fail to
address this information in your report, you are committing an ethical error of omission.
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If you choose a technology that requires low light, plan to begin speaking with the
lights on.
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To be persuasive, a message should only state your point of view.
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In your presentation slides, you should use dramatic color gradations on backgrounds.
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Rhonda is interviewing at a company where business casual is the dress code, so she
can safely assume that she doesn’t need to wear formal business attire for her interview.
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A(n) ________ has a hybrid status, which means that it is partly report and partly
presentation.
A) formal report
B) report deck
C) analytical report
D) recommendation report
E) evaluation report
Answer:
Hugh is asked to come up with a feasible solution for the increasing attrition in the
organization and he has to explain his solution with the help of a presentation. Which of
the following is true regarding the main message in Hugh’s presentation?
A) It should not highlight what the audience will gain from the solution suggested in the
presentation.
B) It must not highlight the solution that he has arrived at.
C) It must discuss all other problems in the organization along with attrition.
D) It should consider the audience’s viewpoint.
E) It should just suggest the solutions and not lead the audience to accepting it.
Answer:
Teams ________.
A) are rarely effective in accomplishing a goal
B) must involve at least 3 people
C) benefit the group as a whole but not the individual members
D) are not as important today as they were 20 years ago
E) collaborate in their efforts to achieve a specific common goal
Answer:
Cultural sensitivity ________.
A) applies only to international communication
B) deals exclusively with people who are non-native English speakers
C) does not refer to cultural differences among people of different ages
D) may apply to cultural differences between people of different genders
E) is impossible to achieve given the diversity in the world today
Answer:
John is nervous about an upcoming presentation, and asks you for advice.What advice
will you give him regarding how to position himself during the presentation?
A) If there’s a podium, stand behind it to give yourself a feeling of security and
superiority.
B) It’s a good idea to use a large desk to create a barrier between you and your
audience.
C) Don’t walk around using a remote control as this will confuse your audience.
D) If you are using a projector, try to walk between the screen and the projector’s light.
E) Clear space around equipment so you can walk around with ease and approach the
audience.
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Which of the following is incorrect about the for-your-information messages?
A) These messages negatively affect business relationship between an organization and
its clients.
B) These messages can be the start of a dialogue that leads to business benefits.
C) These messages give personal satisfaction to the writer.
D) These messages can play a part in networking.
E) These messages communicate something you believe your audience will appreciate.
Answer:
You need to ask a coworker to take your place and present a proposal at an upcoming
departmental meeting. Which of the following statements made by you is most likely to
convince your coworker to grant this favor?
A) I will be out of town that day and won’t be available for the presentation.
B) I will really appreciate it if you help me out here.
C) I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t have any other choice.
D) Presenting the proposal will give you a chance to impress the upper management.
E) You know that if the roles were reversed, I’d help you.
Answer:
In large gatherings when the table is densely populated with drinking glasses and plates,
it may not be immediately obvious which ones are yours. A quick trick to remember is
________.
A) WMD – water, meal, dessert
B) BMW – bread, meal, water
C) MBA – meal, beverage, appetizer
D) WAM – water, appetizer, meal
E) BAD – bread, appetizer, dessert
Answer:
Ryan, a recent college graduate, possesses exemplary written and oral communication
skills. He has always received top marks in the papers he wrote as part of his course
work, and was also a successful member of the school debate team.
As he begins his job search Ryan can expect that ________.
A) his effectiveness as a communicator will give him a competitive advantage
B) he will not stand out from the pack, as most college graduates possess similar
communication skills
C) employers will not be unduly impressed by these skills, as most people in the
workplace have mastered them
D) this ability might hinder his chances as a job candidate
E) his speaking skills will be a plus for him, but his writing skills will be taken for
granted in the workplace
Answer:
You decide to email this recommendation to your boss. Which of the following would
be the best subject line for this message?
A) proposal to hire more staff
B) request for additional staff, authorization for overtime
C) proposal to help our department meet its annual goals
D) a good idea
E) suggestion to increase people hours despite tough economic times
Answer:
Angelina has to reject an employee’s request for time off, and is trying to determine the
best medium to deliver this message. She is also thinking about what the employee’s
reaction will be, and if there is anything she can say to soften the bad news. Angelina is
engaged in which stage of the ACE process for delivering bad-news messages?
A) analyzing
B) addressing
C) composing
D) critiquing
E) evaluating
Answer:
Conflicts that arise from people just not getting along, and not working very hard to
overcome their differences, are said to be caused by ________.
A) competing goals
B) lack of information
C) differences of opinion
D) ego issues
E) relational issues
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Anecdotal evidence comes from ________.
A) research papers published in the past
B) online database and websites
C) subjective reports and stories that people tell
D) videos and photographs
E) archived manuscripts and reports
Answer:
When you deliver a business presentation, ________.
A) you are limited to only one medium
B) you should never embed video or audio files with your slides
C) mixing several medium options is not recommended, as this will likely confuse your
audience
D) you can combine multiple options to best serve your purpose, audience, content, and
setting
E) you should not include more than two medium options
Answer:
Which of the following guidelines should be followed for writing an effective résumé?
A) List educational information at the end of a résumé.
B) If you are a transfer student, list even those schools where you earned credits but did
not graduate.
C) Avoid placing your name at the top of the résumé.
D) If you have less than five years of work experience following college, avoid
including your grade point average.
E) Do not include a document title such as résuméor curriculum vitae, which takes up
unnecessary space.
Answer:
Conducting research to develop your proposal ________.
A) should not be considered during your analysis of content needs
B) is never necessary to propose realistic costs
C) must wait until the composing stage of the ACE process
D) could be necessary to learn more about competitors submitting competitive
proposals
E) will take away valuable time which you should have spent on more important issues
Answer:
In the ACE communication process, ________ involves thinking strategically about
your purpose, desired outcome, business needs, audience and stakeholder needs,
content needs, and medium choices.
A) analyzing
B) adjusting
C) composing
D) creating
E) editing
Answer:
Simon is at an interview for an entry-level position at a large company.
His interviewer opens the meeting by saying, “Simon, tell me about yourself.” To best
address this question Simon should ________.
A) take about ten minutes to give the interviewer a complete accounting of his
education, personal interests, and long-term goals
B) deflect the question, saying, “I’m more interested in learning about the position.
Please tell me more about it”
C) passionately tell the interviewer how much he would like to enter into the field and
work for the company
D) take about a minute to identify the skills and experience that qualify him for the
position
E) tell the interviewer that it’s all down there on his résumé, and ask what in particular
the interviewer would like to know
Answer:
One of the U.S. employees working on the project is asked whether or not the prototype
will be ready. Which of the following is most likely to be the way in which this
employee would deliver the bad-news message?
A) We have been working hard for the past week to get it done.
B) I’ll have to check with my developers.
C) It will not be fully functional, but we’ll have something to demo.
D) We will do our best to be ready.
E) Would Tuesday be good for you?
Answer:
You’re writing a sales message to entice potential customers to join your gym. Telling
your audience that the first 50 responders will get a free one-week trial period at your
gym ________.
A) makes it difficult for your audience to act
B) is an example of social proof
C) creates a sense of desire through perceived scarcity
D) shows how you meet their scheduling needs
E) overstimulates your audience by telling them too much too soon
Answer:
Emerson is preparing a memo report recommending that his company should contract
with a particular event planner for an upcoming corporate function. He includes all the
pertinent information regarding costs, services provided, and why this choice would
better serve the company’s needs.
He also has some additional documentation which he’d like to add, including
descriptions of prior events this agency has planned, photographs of venues, menus, etc.
Emerson should include this information ________.
A) in the body of the report
B) as attachments to the report
C) in the executive summary
D) as part of the reference list
E) within the bibliography
Answer:
You are writing to persuade your boss that your department needs additional staff to
achieve its annual goals. Presently a hiring freeze and a moratorium on overtime are in
effect, so your recommendation will need to be very persuasive.
Given this situation, your message ________.
A) must be organized directly
B) should begin with your specific recommendation
C) should not conclude with a call to action
D) should begin by providing context of the situation
E) must not use indirect organization
Answer:
Which of the following types of interviews is most likely to involve simulated project
meetings, scenario or case discussions, or opportunities to solve real problems?
A) telephone interview
B) action interview
C) panel interview
D) virtual interview
E) one-on-one interview
Answer:
Anya is creating a formal report on whether her company should expand into a new
product line.
The introduction to Anya’s report ________.
A) should include page numbers along with the headings
B) should be omitted since her report includes an executive summary
C) should be written as if the reader did not read the executive summary at all
D) should include a list of figures and tables along with their page numbers
E) should not include the main conclusions of the report
Answer:
You want to turn down a vendor’s proposal because it does not meet your requirements.
Which of the following statements would be best to conclude your message?
A) Sorry, we cannot grant you this order.
B) Your proposal is rejected because it does not match our requirement.
C) We hope that you will consider submitting a proposal during our next round of
requests, which begins in the next three months, as your current specifications seem
better suited for our next requirement.
D) We are extremely sorry to inform you that we have granted this order to some other
vendor.
E) We found that the bids submitted by several other vendors were better than that
submitted by you.
Answer:
To make your proposal persuasive you want to establish the feasibility of the program
with the school. Which of the following will attest to the feasibility of the program?
A) biographical sketches of your fitness instructors
B) testimonials from satisfied customers and authorities in the field
C) a timeline for getting the program up and running at the school
D) descriptions of similar programs you are operating in other schools
E) information about the resources you have access to that can make the program a
success
Answer:
Veronica is happy that she made it to the second round of interviews, but is anxious
about its format. She has never done a telephone interview and is nervous about how it
will go.
Which of the following is most likely to be true regarding the telephone interview?
A) Veronica will not be allowed to use the mute key of the phone anytime during the
interview.
B) Veronica will be expected to use a cell phone rather than a landline.
C) Veronica will need to pay attention to her body language and the image it projects.
D) Veronica may find speaking to multiple people via speakerphone challenging.
E) Veronica will not be able to refer to resource materials or notes during the call.
Answer:
A thank-you message should be sent ________ an interview.
A) two days after
B) at least thirty hours after
C) within twenty four hours of
D) one week after
E) on the third day from the date of
Answer:
If you want to represent the percentage of respondents in a survey who preferred your
product to products from four of your competitors, the best graph to use would be a
________.
A) histograph
B) pie chart
C) line chart
D) histogram
E) scatter plot
Answer:
Which of the following is an example of feedback?
A) asking your colleague for help on a project
B) sending out the schedule for the month to your team
C) sending a text message to your friend accepting the invitation to lunch
D) forwarding an informative email that you just received to a group of friends
E) sending an email request for leave
Answer:
The term “communication ________” refers to a plan for what and how to
communicate to ensure that the message achieves its purpose.
A) strategy
B) memorandum
C) code
D) blueprint
E) schema
Answer:
Some people believe that apologies are dangerous because ________.
A) they are not required for conveying a news in a sensitive way
B) they require more tact than informing clients about bad news
C) they need to be conveyed in indirect organization format rather than direct
organization format
D) they put a business in a defensive position that could imply legal liability
E) they reflect the negative attitude of a business
Answer:
Which of the following is least important when you are about to begin a job search?
A) analyzing your career interests and goals
B) analyzing your strengths and skills
C) analyzing options for identifying job openings
D) analyzing effective résumé formats
E) analyzing your professional image
Answer:
Discuss whether you think it is right for American companies like Nike to do business
with partners in countries whose ethical practices differ from those in the United States.
Answer:
Discuss the ramifications of firing by email or text message.
Answer:
Why is it important to summarize the current business problem, need, or opportunity ?
Answer:
Given that communication skills are so important to success in the workplace and are
highly desired by employers, why do you think that so many college graduates are
lacking in these skills?
Answer:
How can audience analysis help you motivate your audience to care?
Answer:
Your interviewer and a few of her colleagues take you out to dinner following your
formal interview at the office. After you are seated and have been making small talk
about some local events, the waiter comes to take your group’s orders and starts with
you. What should you do?
Answer:
Greg has been invited to an interview for an IT-related position at a large company. He
isn’t able to determine the company’s dress code in advance and is trying to determine
how to dress and groom himself to make the best impression. Discuss how Greg should
present himself for this interview.
Answer:
Consider the message below:
Our department is short-staffed right now, as a number of employees were selected to
participate in the current training program. This has coincided with a flood of
paperwork that we must complete by the end of the week to fulfill the new compliance
requirements. So without some divine intervention, our team won’t be able to make it to
this month’s regularly scheduled meeting. Evaluate this request and suggest how it
could be improved.
Answer:
Describe one primary benefit of using software features like automated styles and
automated headings when formatting formal reports.
Answer:
“During a presentation it is so difficult to keep a tab on your audience’s feedback that
some think it is not worth the effort.” Do you agree with this statement?
Answer:
Discuss whether conducting primary research is preferable to using secondary research
sources.
Answer:
You are writing to persuade your boss that your department needs additional staff to
achieve its annual goals. Presently a hiring freeze and a moratorium on overtime are in
effect, so your recommendation will need to be very persuasive.
You decide to send an email with your recommendation. Discuss how best to organize
this message.
Answer:
You need help on a project. So you approach a colleague and find him busily doing his
own work.
Describe how to best approach your colleague to make him listen to your request.
Answer:
James receives an email from Jessie Kilic, an HR executive at PrimaTech, asking him
for a preferred time for a telephone interview. James responds to the mail stating his
preferred time. What should James now do to prepare for his interview?
Answer: