Two of the most effective techniques to improve your audience’s ability to understand
and remember your speech are
a. good organization and intentional repetition.
b. eliminating repetition and removing obvious signposting.
c. appropriate business attire and a multimedia presentation.
d. striking quotations and wellplaced gestures.
Microblogging consists of short messages exchanged on social media sites.
a. True
b. False
During the second phase of the writing process, you conduct research,
a. clarify the audience demographics, and edit word choices.
b. anticipate audience reaction, and adapt the message.
c. organize ideas, and compose the message.
d. evaluate message effectiveness, and revise as needed.
Taylor must send a badnews message to a client and indicate to her that he will be
unable to meet a delivery deadline. What should Taylor do first?
a. Select a soothing color of stationery for the message.
b. Gather information about his reasons for not meeting the deadline.
c. Write the opening of his message.
d. Analyze the bad news to see how it will affect his reader.
Ryan has an upcoming business meeting with a person from Germany. Because Ryan
has never met this person, he is worried about traveling there to do business for his
company. Ryan could reduce his worry by assuming that his German associate is
similar to him.
a. True
b. False
Which of the following tips should you follow to improve your nonverbal
communication skills?
a. Focus only on the sender’s words when you are engaged in conversation.
b. Proofread all correspondence you send.
c. Avoid individuals from other cultures so that you don’t start using nonverbal
behaviors displayed in other cultures.
d. Avoid asking the speaker questions when his or her nonverbal and verbal messages
contradict.
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 email message delivery.
d. According to federal regulations, businesses cannot conduct business using instant or
text messaging.
Which of the following would be the most effective closing statement in a routine
action request message?
a. Please send a contract for heating and ventilation work by April 1 to allow
installation to begin by April 15.
b. We hope you can get our work completed in a timely manner.
c. Thank you in advance for sending a copy of the contract for installation of a new
HVAC system by April 1.
d. I would appreciate receiving a copy of the contract for your proposed installation at
your earliest possible convenience.
Listening is a passive process.
a. True
b. False
A library is an ineffective source to gather report research.
a. True
b. False
Effective team members view participation in a team as an opportunity to compete with
others.
a. True
b. False
Seng must inform his staff about the new process for accessing the company’s intranet
from remote locations. What communication channel should Seng use to convey this
information?
a. Text message
b. Memo
c. Instant message
d. Tweet
In deciding to share negative information about another employee to your supervisor,
what question should you consider first?
a. Will I profit personally (promotion, bonus pay, or honors)?
b. Was the act criminal or hostile behavior or just a onetime mistake?
c. How should I time the information delivery (before or after a meeting)?
d. How can I avoid being identified as the tattle tale by other employees?
What is the most common serif typeface?
a. Arial
b. Times New Roman
c. Univers
d. Calibri
The conclusion of a proposal should remind the reader of the proposal’s key benefits
and make it easy for the reader to respond.
a. True
b. False
Paraphrasing a sender’s message is an effective tool to promote understanding.
a. True
b. False
Emotional appeals
a. focus on making or saving money.
b. explain how to increase efficiency or protect resources.
c. solve workplace problems.
d. focus on status, ego, and sensual feelings.
To write an effective, calming badnews message to an unhappy customer, you may need
to include a misleading statement or slightly deceptive claim.
a. True
b. False
As interns in human resource management, Brad and his team are administering a
professionally developed employee questionnaire to collect information on workplace
violence. This type of research produces data that is considered
a. firsthand information.
b. informal documentation.
c. supplementary, secondary information.
d. scientific experimentation.
Which of the following would be least effective in a sympathy note?
a. We are deeply saddened, Corbin, to learn of the death of your wife.
b. Bethany’s volunteer work in the job center endeared her to many.
c. If we may help you during this difficult time or lighten your load in any way, you
need only call.
d. I am sorry to hear your sad news; but if I may be of any help, please do not hesitate
to contact me.
What is a sentence fragment?
a. Two independent clauses connected without punctuation or a conjunction
b. Two independent clauses connected by a comma without a conjunction
c. A brokenoff part of a sentence
d. The part of a sentence containing the verb
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in the workplace is most
accurate?
a. Although companies have found instant messaging to be a valuable tool for
employees to communicate with one another, they have been hesitant to use instant
messaging for customer service.
b. Unlike text messaging, instant messaging is not subject to discovery in lawsuits.
c. Instant messaging allows people to share information immediately and make
decisions quickly.
d. Instant messaging decreases presence functionality.
As chairperson of a customer service task force, you must update management on your
team’s progress. What kind of report will you write?
a. Justification/recommendation report
b. Trip report
c. Progress report
d. Feasibility report
The following sentence contains clear and precise wording: In some businesses they
won’t let you accumulate sick leave.
a. True
b. False
Senders should avoid asking their receivers questions such as, “Am I making myself
clear?” or “Is there anything you don’t understand?”
a. True
b. False
Which of the following business messages would not use the direct strategy?
a. An email message to a staff introducing a new employee
b. An oral presentation detailing the specifics of a new company wellness initiative
c. A letter to a coworker congratulating him or her on a recent promotion
d. A letter to a customer denying his or her request for credit
The direct strategy would be most appropriate when
a. delivering bad news.
b. presenting ideas requiring persuasion.
c. expecting the audience to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral.
d. revealing sensitive news.
Empathy, which increases the likelihood of a successful message, occurs when writers
put themselves in the audience’s shoes when creating the message.
a. True
b. False
In the body of a persuasive request, you can reduce resistance by
a. focusing exclusively on benefits to the writer of the request.
b. shifting reader attention through praise and compliments.
c. avoiding any potential reasons for resistance.
d. anticipating objections and offering counterarguments.
Taylor is enrolled in a business communications course at her local community college.
She just received a paper back from her professor who noted that Taylor should review
the principles for comma usage. How should Taylor handle this criticism?
a. Report her teacher to the president of the college for abuse.
b. Argue with her teacher about comma rules.
c. Withdraw from the class.
d. Accept the feedback and use it constructively to improve her future writing
assignments.
