Which of the following is an effective opening for a routine request message?
a. Please answer the following questions about your Web services.
b. My name is Jill Aubrey, and I am the office manager for Cape Consulting Inc.
c. I recently read an article about your firm in the local newspaper.
d. Cape Consulting Inc. is the premier communication-consulting firm in the Cape and
islands area.
Answer:
Including a subject line in your e-mail message is optional because the message is
usually short.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When service is involved in a claim, you should
a. demand a full refund of the service fee and a repeat service call.
b. avoid naming the service representatives involved or otherwise identifying
responsible company employees.
c. cite names of individuals spoken to and dates of calls.
d. enclose a photograph of yourself crying or suffering other severe emotional distress
because of the poor service.
Answer:
As an employee in today’s digital workplace, you can expect to work more
independently rather than collaboratively in groups.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Withdrawing from a group is viewed as an effective technique to deal with group
differences.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Meeting minutes should be distributed within two weeks after the meeting or at least
two days before the next meeting, whichever comes first.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Although businesses may find complaints about their products and services on sites
such as Twitter and Facebook, wise businesses should never respond to such complaints
in the cyber world.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The job-search process begins long before you are ready to prepare your résumé
because you must invest time and effort in self-evaluation.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Sending a thank-you note after an interview is a social nicety that distinguishes you
from other candidates, but thank-you messages carry little weight in the hiring process.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following statements is most accurate?
a. Today’s speakers rely exclusively on the use of multimedia slides in their
presentations because they know that multimedia slides have no disadvantages.
b. Low-tech visual aids are not appropriate for the business world.
c. Effective speakers analyze their audience and the speaking occasion to help them
determine what type of visual aid to use.
d. Multimedia presentations are no longer used in the business world.
Answer:
Zoom presentations are becoming a popular alternative to multimedia presentations
because of their interactivity and cinematic capabilities.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
What is the best advice for proofreading a complex document?
a. Be prepared to find errors.
b. Increase your reading speed.
c. Read the message only once.
d. Proofread the message immediately after it has been fully written.
Answer:
Which of the following is the best advice to follow when you proofread a routine
document?
a. If proofreading on screen, display the entire document at once.
b. Proofread the document using a printed copy.
c. Proofread your document as you compose your ideas.
d. Rely solely on a spell-checker to catch any errors.
Answer:
You do not need to establish your credibility when attempting to persuade others.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Major trends in today’s dynamic world of work include increased emphasis on
self-directed work groups and virtual teams, heightened global competition, innovative
communication technologies, new work environments, and focus on
a. creating an entirely online presence.
b. promoting from within.
c. increasing levels of management.
d. business ethics.
Answer:
You can effectively build interest in a sales message by
a. including your credentials.
b. motivating action in the closing.
c. emphasizing central selling points identified in the prewriting analysis.
d. suggesting the reader lacks good judgment if he or she doesn’t buy today.
Answer:
When should passive voice be used in business writing?
a. When you want to de-emphasize the action or the recipient of the action
b. When you want to emphasize the bad news
c. When you want to conceal the doer of the action
d. Never
Answer:
What is the best advice for you to follow when writing a persuasive claim message?
a. Suggest that you have been intentionally deceived by the company.
b. Provide a comprehensive chronology of all details of the claim.
c. Close the message with a clear statement of what you want done.
d. Include original documentation of invoices, shipping orders, warranties, or payments.
Answer:
Listening is a passive process.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In the popular block letter format, which of the following guidelines apply?
a. Use ragged, unjustified right margins.
b. Use fully justified margins on all sides and center the body of the letter on the page.
c. Start the sender’s address, the dateline, and the complimentary close at the midpoint;
align all other letter parts at the left margin.
d. Double-space all content to improve readability.
Answer:
Why do some employers forbid employees to use instant messaging (IM) and texting?
a. Instant messaging and texting are more expensive to use than faxes or phone calls.
b. Some employers consider IM and texting distractions.
c. Delivery of instant and text messages takes longer than e-mail message delivery.
d. According to federal regulations, businesses cannot conduct business using instant or
text messaging.
Answer:
Which of the following countries would likely view a business contract as a binding
document?
a. Mexico
b. Greece
c. Japan
d. Germany
Answer:
Which of the following messages would most likely require the indirect strategy to
persuade an audience?
a. Informing employees of an upcoming all-staff meeting
b. Announcing the hiring of a new sales director
c. Asking an employer for agreed-upon benefits such as vacation time
d. Requesting favors and action from coworkers
Answer:
All proposals should show the value and benefits of the product or services being
recommended and
a. include free prizes or other gimmicks.
b. use easy-to-understand language.
c. be organized indirectly.
d. be organized directly.
Answer:
The sentence Our company experienced an increase in profits during the last fiscal year
uses precise, vigorous wording.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Business writers should consider document design during the revision process because
well-designed documents improve readability and comprehension.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following statements most accurately describes a sequential interview?
a. You must be totally committed to the job and the company to participate in a
sequential interview, which often takes weeks or even months to complete.
b. You can assume that later interviewers know what was said in a previous interview
because sequential interviews are designed to save time.
c. As sequential interviews progress, interviews become more in-depth, which means
that you need to know even more about the company.
d. As an applicant, you should never repeat yourself because each interviewer will brief
the other interviewers, making it unnecessary for you to answer the same questions.
Answer:
I am sending this message to let you know that Tuesday’s meeting has been cancelled is
a concise and direct message.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
One tip for successful online sales messages it to provide a means to opt out.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
What is the best advice to follow when integrating graphics in a report?
a. Always place graphics in the appendix of a report.
b. Mention the graphic in the text of the report.
c. Create graphics in only black and white so that the graphics do not distract the reader.
d. Do not include a title above any graphic because the graphic should be
self-explanatory.
Answer:
What term describes groups of people who collaborate with one another to accomplish
a shared task across space, time, and organizational boundaries using technology?
a. Blogs
b. Virtual teams
c. Team players
d. Social networking
Answer:
Rely on the spell-check feature in PowerPoint to catch all spelling and grammar errors
appearing on your slides.
a. True
b. False
Answer: