Most job openings – particularly those that are higher up the ladder – are advertised
extensively in order to reach the most qualified candidates.
Negative communications such as refusals, rejections, recalls, and apologies are
difficult to compose.
With a convenience sample, you can generalize from the sample to a larger group.
Good business and administrative communication are created as quickly as possible
which helps save a writer’s time.
It is vital to use experiences and common sense to understand how the real world
affects a particular issue or problem while creating a message.
It is preferred to have a job offer lined up before you graduate.
It is important to use a strong perfume, cologne, or after-shave lotion in order to avoid
bad odor in an interview.
Using four or five fonts in a rsum adds tasteful variety and professionalism to the
document.
The particular to general pattern of organizing information starts with the problem as it
affects the organization and then proceeds to a discussion of parts of the problem and
solutions to each of these parts.
Extracting data with a computer program is not considered as research.
Body language is easy to understand because each nonverbal sign has one specific
meaning.
A median is a number that is exactly at the start or top in a ranked list of observations.
Documenting the need to purchase an additional 20 computers for the customer service
department based on growth, demand, and sales data is an example of a justification
report.
First impressions are unimportant in an interview because a candidate is judged solely
on the basis of how he/she answers questions.
While organizing information to build goodwill, one should arrange information to
meet an audience’s needs.
All forms of business communication should begin by considering one’s audience and
purpose.
One should use language free from sexism by using neutral titles that do not imply that
a job is held only by men or women.
Telephone skills in job interviews have become less important in the 21st century.
A rsum usually contains more in-depth details about your experience and activities than
an application letter does.
Since visuals can be created quickly and easily on a computer, there is no reason not to
include at least one visual on every page of a written document.
The easiest way to ask many questions to a group of people is to conduct an interview.
After a conversation, it is important to avoid writing points from the conversation
because it implies that the person does not remember key points.
Brainstorming, clustering, and free writing are ways of getting ideas before one begins
to write.
Work schedules are not needed in proposals for class research projects because the
instructor gives a due date for the final project.
While responding to a request for proposal, it is important to use the same headings,
terminology, and structure as used in the document.
Complimenting a reader for a job well done is an example of a goodwill ending.
The order in which questions appear on a survey has no bearing on the answers that
respondents provide.
Most of a speaker’s gaze time should be directed at the screen.
Bias-free language helps to sustain goodwill, is fair, and complies with the law.
Effective design, like most aspects of communication, is unaffected by conventions.
It is recommended to use second-person pronouns such as “you” rather than
third-person pronouns in order to give a piece of writing more impact.
Dealing with criticism depends on understanding the real concern of the critic.
_____ consist of predrawn images that you can import into your document or visual.
A. Clip arts
B. Truncated graphs
C. Pie charts
D. Gantt charts
E. Tables
Which of the following is an example of an acknowledgment response?
A. Thinking
B. Contemplating
C. Nodding
D. Introspecting
E. Intuiting
Patrick Rowe is a manager at a software firm. Jack Blair, Patrick’s team member, is
facing technical issues with software system. While communicating with Blair, Rowe
used an impersonal statement to talk about the issue. Which of the following did Patrick
say?
A. “This new software system has been giving us problems for a while now."
B. “You should really know how to operate this new phone system by now."
C. “You will attend a training seminar on the new software system next week."
D. “Why did you not tell me you did not know how to resolve such problems?"
E. “Sam Todd has worked on this system before and will be able resolve the
problem."
Which of the following is a primary purpose of a persuasive message?
A. To build a good image of the communicator’s organization
B. To have the audience act or change beliefs
C. To overcome any objections that might delay action
D. To build a good image of the communicator
E. To eliminate future communication on the same subject
Which of the following is a foundation of a good meeting?
A. Brainstorming ideas
B. Preparing minutes
C. Planning the agenda
D. Motivating members
E. Sharing ideas
Which of the following best represents a good proposal?
A. They are created exclusively for experts.
B. They avoid supporting generalizations and inferences.
C. They anticipate and answer questions by readers.
D. They are complex in form and nature.
Which of the following is a function of telepresence?
A. It creates virtual meetings that are almost lifelike.
B. It allows users to conduct word processing.
C. It facilitates sending and receiving of e-mails.
D. It helps users make telephone calls.
E. It facilitates access to a range of web sites.
Visual communications expert Charles Kostelnick’s _____ level refers to design choices
for individual letters and words.
A. intra
B. extra
C. inter
D. outer
E. supra
Deborah Banks has been asked by her manager to send the progress report of a
campaign she worked on. To send the report, she needs to collect updates from the
communication, advertising, and media manager of the project. Though she receives
updates from the advertising and media manager on time, update from the
communication manager comes in late. She could thus, not send the report on time.
Which of the following should she say when she writes to the manager while sending
the report?
A. “Please consider my sincere apologies for the delay. I had to wait for the update from
the communication manager."
B. “I am sorry I could not send the report in on time. The communication manager sent
the update this afternoon."
C. “I needed the communication update before sending you the report. Now that I have
it, please find enclosed the report."
D. “Do consider apologies from our entire team for not sending the report on
time."
Janice Hampton, a guest relation executive at the Sterling Hotel, needs to write a letter
to a guest who has recently become a star club member of the hotel. Which of the
following should she say which will best demonstrate you-attitude in the letter?
A. “You will be delighted to know that you are now a star club member of the
hotel."
B. “It gives me pleasure to inform you that you are now a star club member of the
hotel."
C. “I am sure you will be happy to know that you are now a part of our star club
family."
D. “We at the Sterling Hotels are glad to inform you that you are a star club
member."
E. “You are now a star club member of the Sterling Hotel."
Who put forward the five cultural dimensions of power/inequality,
individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and
long-term/short-term orientation?
A. Edward T. Hall
B. Geert Hofstede
C. Russell Blaine Nye
D. Toby Miller
E. Hugh J. Silverman
In a table, the _____ is the variable whose label is at the top.
A. boxhead
B. stub
C. row
D. column
E. header
Which of the following is true of good business and administrative communication?
A. Makes an audience guess a message a speaker or writer has presented
B. Leaves audience’s questions unanswered to create challenges and interactions
C. Represents messages which are free from errors in spelling and grammar
D. Considers members of an audience as numbers instead of as groups of people
E. Takes a long time to decipher which challenges an audience’s intellect
Which of the following should be omitted in the application essay?
A. A unifying theme
B. Thesaurus diction
C. First person
D. Vivid details in the body of the essay
E. Topic sentences at the beginnings of your paragraphs
In an interview, a (n) _____ is a speech not more than two minutes which states why a
good candidate is good for a particular job.
A. elevator speech
B. philippic speech
C. panegyric speech
D. scope statement
E. positive statement
Barbeque, a new restaurant in Mexico City, advertised themselves through newspaper
ads which generated a large customer base. Which of the following did the restaurant
most likely say in their ad which represented you-attitude?
A. At Barbeque, we offer the best grills in the city!
B. We offer the quickest serving grills here!
C. The best serving grills in Mexico City!
D. If you love grills, try our barbeque dishes!
E. We love barbeque, and it shows in our food!
Scott is writing the budget section of a proposal on funding for a concert, “Music for a
Cause.” After careful calculation, he has found that a total of $12,000,000 will be
required for the event. Which of the following does he need to do which will help him
win the bid?
A. State an amount lower than $12,000,000 which will increase his chances of winning.
B. Exclude less obvious costs such as overhead which can be negotiated.
C. Avoid including costs that will be paid from other sources since they are irrelevant.
D. Ask for $12,000,000 since it is required for the event to be successful.
E. Find out what others are bidding and quote a budget accordingly.
Informal preparation for job hunting should begin:
A. a full year before you begin interviewing.
B. the year you interview.
C. before you get the degree.
D. once you have selected a major.
E. as soon as you arrive on campus.
Which of the following is a characteristic of good business style writing?
A. It is more formal than a conversation.
B. It avoids use of first-person pronouns.
C. It uses technical and scholarly terms.
D. It is impersonal in nature.
Animal Protection Foundation recently held a campaign against a fast food joint which
cooked their meat from chickens kept in inhumane conditions. The organization wrote
to the Animal Welfare Board saying, “The fast food joint’s suppliers use a cruel method
of slaugher in which chickens have their throats cut while they are still conscious and
millions of birds are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.” Which of the following did
the organization use in their message?
A. Psychological reactance
B. Emotional appeal
C. Appeal to popularity
D. Appeal to authority
E. Fear appeal
Which of the following should NOT be included as part of the contact information in a
rsum?
A. More than one address
B. E-mail address
C. The applicant’s nickname
D. State abbreviations
E. Phone number
A _____ must be used when you want to combine experience gained in paid jobs,
course work, activities, and volunteer work.
A. Chronological rsumé
B. Skills rsumé
C. Key word
D. Noun
E. Gerund
Isabella Rodgers works as a sales manager at an insurance firm and needs to present a
report for her team on their performance results. The team has underperformed and has
not managed to reach the targets of the quarter. Which of the following would best help
Isabella address the team using appropriate you-attitude?
A. “You have not achieved the sales targets that you had committed to."
B. “I have noticed that you have underperformed in this quarter."
C. “You must perform doubly well now to make up for the low sales."
D. “You will be disappointed to know that you have underperformed."
E. “The sales figures this quarter have not reached our expected targets."
Which of the following should be followed while solving business communication
problems?
A. Consciously developing one key solution instead of multiple ones
B. Understanding that even irrelevant features of an audience are important
C. Emphasizing information by placing it in the middle of a paragraph
D. Identifying one main audience benefit if it is a persuasive message
E. Ensuring that benefits are adapted well to the needs of the audience
Which of the following can be best communicated through an e-mail?
A. Irony and sarcasm
B. Negative critiques
C. Routines activities
D. Nonverbal cues
E. Bad news
Nicole Campbell has finished designing a website for the travel company that she
works for. She now needs to test its usability. Which of the following according to
usability expert, Jakob Nielsen, should Campbell most likely do?
A. Take note of what users feel they can do on the site
B. Observe and examine people use the site
C. Interact informally with people to know preferences
D. Use a questionnaire to track people’s opinions
E. Get an expert to run through the website
Which of the following guidelines need to be followed while writing sales reports?
A. Understanding the buyer’s requirements and priorities
B. Using technical terminology and jargon which indicate expertise
C. Assuming that the buyer will understand benefits of products
D. Indicating benefits only for specific, important products or services
E. Using me-attitude to present benefits which indicates confidence
Naomi Moss, a sales executive at an insurance firm, is working on convincing a large
corporate client to insure their employees. Though she knows that the task is a difficult
one, she is keeping her focus on the objective to be achieved. Her motivation comes
from an extrinsic factor and knows that she will succeed if she continues working at the
current rate. Which of the following is most likely an extrinsic motivator that is
inspiring Moss to make a sale?
A. A high sales commission for the sale
B. Delight in solving a complicated work problem
C. Pleasure in making a large sale for the company
D. Pride in having strong public relation skills
E. Excitement of contributing to her team’s target
Which of the following may be used as a decorative device in a document?
A. A numbered sequence
B. Arrows
C. Bullet points
D. White space
E. Tables
The marketing team of Amor, a fashion house, needs to prepare a report on the
marketing strategies for their new line of winter clothing. The team has now started
working on ensuring that the objectives of the marketing campaign meet the high-end
needs of their audience. In addition, they are working on receiving opinions on the
report from members outside the team who can look at it from a fresh perspective.
Which of the following is Amor’s marketing team working on?
A. Revising
B. Proofreading
C. Brainstorming
D. Writing
E. Planning
Which of the following is true of the writing style required in application letters?
A. Use a smooth, concise writing style with technical jargon.
B. Use business words like utilize, commence, and transpire.
C. Do not use the exact language as the job ad.
D. Use words that can be interpreted in more than one way.
E. Do not use a lively, energetic style to avoid giving the wrong impression.
Describe characteristics of a low-context culture.
Explain briefly the phenomenon of psychological reactance.
How can you convey positive emphasis and you-attitude in a job letter?
Sandra Davis is currently doing her degree in public relation and communication. She
has been faring well in her papers and often receives high grades during exams. Once
she completes her studies, she intends to pursue a strong international career which
gives her substantial exposure. What does she need to do in addition, which will help
her in an international career experience?
List four guidelines that will help you choose points to include in a job application
letter.
What are the four modes commonly used for openers of oral presentations?
What are some ways of researching about a company one is going to be interviewed
by?
What are the key points to be kept in mind while choosing a level of formality for a
document?
Johanna, who is going to join her first job as a software engineer, thinks that she will
not need to have any writing ability for the job because she is joining as an engineer and
not as a writer.
What are simple, compound, and complex sentences?
List three tips for properly designing a table as a visual in a document.
List out the various types of reports based on the variety of information they can
provide.
David Riley who has been assigned to work on a new renewable energy project, needs
to work in Japan for a period of two years. He feels that before moving, he should learn
a bit of the language to interact better with colleagues and superiors there. What are
some of the things he needs to do to adapt well in the country?
What are the characteristics of successful student teams?
How does poorly written document contribute to lost goodwill?
Explain the different ways that employers use rsums.
List out the guidelines that one needs to follow for page design.
What steps should one follow if an audience’s opinion or understanding needs to be
altered?
What is active listening?
Identify the three criteria that effective buffers must fulfill. What are some statements
that are often used as buffers?