In some cultures, planning is regarded as a waste of time.
Answer:
When the bad news is a logical outcome of the reasons that come before it, the reader is
more prepared to receive it.
Answer:
One advantage of blogging for business is that it enables you to update content quickly
and easily.
Answer:
A good way to distinguish between January and February on a bar chart illustrating
monthly expenses would be to use contrasting colors.
Answer:
The education section of your résumé should list courses that have directly equipped
you for the job you are seeking and indicate any scholarships, awards, or academic
honors you have received.
Answer:
The introduction is a good place to tell readers why they should be concerned with your
topic.
Answer:
Short titles such as “Refineries” intrigue audiences and encourage them to pay careful
attention to your visuals.
Answer:
Thanks to software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, preparing presentation visuals now
requires almost no planning.
Answer:
Acknowledging sources in the body of a report is appropriate for academic work, but
never in business.
Answer:
Linking a spreadsheet to your report will help ensure that readers are always seeing the
most up-to-date information.
Answer:
Cultural context refers to the pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and
implicit understanding that conveys meaning between members of the same culture.
Answer:
The close of a report may be called the “Summary” or “Conclusions and
Recommendations.”
Answer:
In the contemporary workplace, the idea of diversity is limited to issues of race and
ethnicity.
Answer:
In formal business reports, every page should have a page number printed in the top
right-hand corner.
Answer:
Drawings, diagrams, and photographs are generally not helpful in business documents.
Answer:
The ending is the least important part of a presentation.
Answer:
Even when you expect your audience to be skeptical, the direct approach is always best
for presentations.
Answer:
The yardstick approach is best for organizing reports when you and your audience do
not agree on the criteria you’re using in your analysis.
Answer:
You should use the passive voice as much as possible in business writing.
Answer:
In a court of law, email messages and other electronic documents can have the same
weight as printed documents.
Answer:
The difference between lie and lay is that lie is an intransitive verb and lay is a
transitive verb.
Answer:
Despite the advantages of teamwork, the costs can be high.
Answer:
Visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across cultures.
Answer:
Following the “Golden Rule” is an effective strategy for adapting to other cultures.
Answer:
Professionals should avoid simple sentences altogether, since using them makes your
writing seem unsophisticated.
Answer:
As long as employees get the job done, most companies are not concerned with
employees meeting expectations of business etiquette.
Answer:
When writing a persuasive claim or request for adjustment, you should appeal to your
audience’s sense of fair play, goodwill, or moral responsibility.
Answer:
Dealing directly with resistance is never good for team maintenance.
Answer:
All business messages have both a general purpose and a specific purpose.
Answer:
It is potentially illegal for an interviewer to ask about your religious affiliation or
marital status.
Answer:
To emphasize a dependent clause, it is better to place it at the end of a sentence rather
than in the middle.
Answer:
Cross-functional teams perform several roles, but contain employees from the same
department or division.
Answer:
Some examples of effective descriptors to include in your résumé would be “works
hard,” “knows foreign languages,” and “gets along well with others.”
Answer:
Because each electronic medium has unique requirements, basic communication skills
do not usually transfer from one system to another.
Answer:
When delivering presentations online, it is especially important to ask the audience for
frequent feedback.
Answer:
A justification report is an internal report designed to persuade top management to
approve a proposed investment or project.
Answer:
Most people belong to only one culture.
Answer:
When a company grants a customer’s claim or request for adjustment,
A) the customer is still likely to take his or her business elsewhere.
B) the customer is likely to tell more people about it than if the matter was handled
poorly.
C) it opens the door to frivolous lawsuits.
D) the customer is likely to be even more loyal than before.
E) it sends the message that the company is unsuccessful.
Answer:
Which of the following is an informative heading?
A) Cost Considerations
B) Production Costs
C) Costs and Other Items
D) Redesigning Material Flow to Cut Production Costs
E) Costs
Answer:
In the Interest and Desire sections of a solicited application letter, discussing each
requirement specified in the job ad
A) will reduce your chances of getting an interview.
B) is unnecessary as long as you refer to the ad in some specific way.
C) is helpful as long as you clearly identify those that you do not meet.
D) is harmful if the position requires creativity or innovation.
E) helps demonstrate your understanding of the employer’s needs.
Answer:
Even though you’ve sent numerous emails and left voicemail messages, a normally
dependable vendor has not responded to your important question. Which of the
following would be a sensible next step?
A) Consider sending a printed message.
B) Broadcast “high-priority” or “urgent” emails at ten-minute intervals.
C) Send multiple copies of the same email message.
D) Use IM to bombard the vendor until he responds.
E) Use social media to vent your frustrations with the vendor.
Answer:
In the introduction to a report on how to establish a paperless office, explaining the
historical conditions or factors that led up to the report
A) enables readers to understand how the opportunity developed.
B) is unnecessary in internal reports.
C) diminishes your credibility by wasting readers’ time.
D) is necessary only in very formal reports.
E) is likely to convince the audience without any further information.
Answer:
The ________ of a message is its overall subject, while the ________ is a specific
statement about that overall subject.
A) medium, theme
B) topic, main idea
C) scope, purpose
D) focal point, rationale
E) purpose, intent
Answer:
Unlike those focused on conclusions or recommendations, reports focusing on logical
arguments
A) use the indirect approach.
B) are not very convincing.
C) emphasize the positive.
D) do not include outside evidence.
E) are too confusing for most audiences.
Answer:
Using simple language in persuasive messages
A) helps avoid suspicions of fantastic claims and emotional manipulation.
B) reduces your credibility, since jargon and complex terminology are impressive.
C) confuses the audience, since they expect you to show how much you know.
D) is harmful when addressing external audiences.
E) is fine as long as you overwhelm the audience with complicated charts and diagrams.
Answer:
A contractor submitting a weekly report on work done to date would be providing the
client with
A) a progress report.
B) a compliance report.
C) a justification report.
D) a periodic operating report.
E) a position paper.
Answer:
A content note
A) offers additional information or provides a cross-reference.
B) documents source material for direct quotes and paraphrased passages.
C) apologizes for sentence-level flaws in the text of the report.
D) includes page numbers of all the visuals included in the document.
E) allows the author to pitch products and services that don’t pertain to the document.
Answer:
Most companies that embrace Business Communication 2.0
A) completely abandon the traditional approach to communication.
B) will eventually return to a 1.0 approach, since the technology turns out to be too
complicated for most employees.
C) adopt a hybrid approach to communication, in which some messages follow the
traditional model and others follow the 2.0 approach.
D) are European.
E) do none of the above.
Answer:
When you’re preparing an introductory statement for your résumé, all of the following
except a ________ can be a good choice.
A) career objective
B) qualifications summary
C) personality profile
D) career summary
E) none of the above
Answer:
When rejecting a job applicant, you can soften the blow by
A) thanking the applicant for submitting the application.
B) praising the qualifications of the person who got the job.
C) telling the applicant how many others he or she was competing against.
D) apologizing for wasting the applicant’s time.
E) noting that the applicant should have read the job description more carefully.
Answer:
If you’re not sure that a single medium will help you reach your audience, you should
A) choose the cheapest alternative.
B) select the one that’s easiest for you to use.
C) use two or more types of media to reach out to them.
D) use every trick in the book to connect with them.
E) don’t send your message.
Answer:
The ________ approach is generally the most persuasive way to develop an analytical
report for skeptical readers.
A) 2 + 2 = 4
B) yardstick
C) direct
D) hypothetical
E) emotional
Answer:
In corresponding with customers, making statements such as, “Thank you for
purchasing the most durable notebook computer you can buy” is
A) to be avoided in routine positive messages.
B) a good way to build customer relationships.
C) an important part of all negative responses to claim letters.
D) insulting and self-serving, unless you include a check or free product.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
When you’re sending bad news messages about transactions, your communication goals
do not include
A) modifying the customer’s expectations.
B) explaining your plan for resolving the situation.
C) repairing any damage to the business relationship.
D) highlighting what the customer did wrong.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
When it comes to length, an application letter should
A) be at least two pages long, since it shows the prospective employer that you write
well and are serious.
B) be no more than a single paragraph.
C) contain one paragraph for every 5 years of full-time employment.
D) be shortno more than three paragraphs.
E) be long enough to cover everything that appears on your résumé.
Answer:
Storytelling is
A) inappropriate for professional communication.
B) acceptable in business, but only for messages organized in the direct approach.
C) an effective way to organize messages in a surprising number of business
communication scenarios.
D) a technique for slipping negative information about a competitor into a business
message.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Three weeks ago, you sent a proposal to a client who had asked for information on
upgrading his company’s security system. You’ve heard nothing in response. You should
A) inquire politely as to whether the report arrived and offer to answer any questions
regarding its subject.
B) take it as a sign that the client agrees with what you had to say.
C) assume that the report has not been read.
D) call the client and demand to know why you haven’t received a response yet.
E) call the client’s office, give a fictional reason for calling, and then casually ask about
the report as if you had forgotten about it, as well.
Answer:
When you’re designing an electronic slide deck for a business presentation, let
________ and ________ guide your efforts.
A) simplicity, authenticity
B) convenience, personal preferences
C) mesmerism, sleight of hand
D) functionality, time-constraints
E) one-way communication, showmanship
Answer:
As it relates to a formal business plan, the ________ defines how the company will
generate revenue and produce a profit.
A) marketing strategy
B) business model
C) operations plan
D) financial projection
E) work plan
Answer:
Effective business communicators ask themselves ________ when they’re assessing the
quality of each visual that’s used in a workplace document.
A) “Is the visual accurate?”
B) “Is the visual honest?”
C) “Is the visual properly documented?”
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
Answer:
The most common way to organize a résumé is
A) chronologically.
B) functionally.
C) geographically.
D) alphabetically.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Urging readers to act in the close of a proposal
A) is an offensive, hard-sell tactic that should be avoided.
B) is acceptable if you know the audience well, but inappropriate for new clients.
C) is an effective and reasonable strategy.
D) generally works well, but never when responding to government RFP’s.
E) is effective only when your text is organized in the direct approach.
Answer:
To avoid being accused of defamation, you should
A) refuse to communicate with unhappy clients.
B) make it clear to disgruntled customers that you refuse to be intimidated.
C) refrain from using any kind of abusive language.
D) frequently refer to company policy.
E) make frequent use of hedging words such as seems and appears.
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:
Using mobile phones during meetings is
A) routine in today’s high-tech workplace.
B) now restricted or prohibited in many organizations.
C) an effective way to show your professionalism.
D) almost always acceptable, as long as your phone is in silent mode.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
If your company or client expects you to distribute your report online,
A) make sure that the file is in the right location.
B) double-check that you’ve uploaded the correct file.
C) make sure that all hyperlinks are in place and operational.
D) verify the onscreen display of the report after you’ve posted it.
E) all of the above.
Answer:
Interviews in which job candidates are asked how they would respond to various
hypothetical situations on the job are known as ________ interviews.
A) stress
B) structured
C) screening
D) situational
E) scenario
Answer:
In order to optimize your writing time, reserve about ________ of that time for
revising, producing, proofreading, and distributing your message.
A) 10 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 33 percent
E) 25 percent
Answer:
In business presentations, the backchannel is
A) the “notes” portion of an electronic slide, which only the presenter can see.
B) subtle, nonverbal cues the presenter sends during the presentation.
C) electronic communication among audience members during the presentation.
D) password-protected slides that only certain audience members can see.
E) none of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following is the most effective close for a letter rejecting a job applicant?
A) If you have any questions about our decision, don’t hesitate to call.
B) We hope that despite this rejection you will continue to frequent our establishments.
C) Again, we are very sorry that we cannot offer you a position at this time.
D) I wish you the best of luck as you begin your new career.
E) You should really reconsider your job prospectsreally.
Answer:
In today’s high-tech business environment, the need for managers to engage in frequent
“walk-arounds” (chatting with employees to get input and answer questions)
A) has virtually disappeared thanks to email and social media.
B) is still there, but only for the smallest organizations.
C) still exists, according to many experts.
D) is minimal, since it suggests a lack of “tech savvy” on the manager’s part.
E) is an important one, but only for nonprofit organizations.
Answer:
How do serif typefaces differ from sans serif typefaces?
Answer:
Give at least three examples of how podcasts could replace more traditional message
formats in business.
Answer:
Briefly explain the difference between selling points and benefits, and then give an
example of each.
Answer:
List at least three factors that can help you decide what parts to include in a business
report.
Answer:
In a formal proposal, where does the Work Plan section normally appear, and what
information does it contain? Can it be changed later?
Answer:
How can reading business-related blogs, microblogs, and podcasts help you prepare to
seek employment?
Answer:
What is the relationship between Web 2.0 and Business Communication 0?
Answer:
Explain the three basic categories of analytical business reports and provide at least one
example of each type.
Answer:
List at least three guidelines that can help you avoid being accused of defamation.
Answer:
Describe the four steps to organizing a presentation effectively.
Answer:
Briefly define persuasion.
Answer:
What are three methods of reasoning you can use when making a logical appeal?
Answer:
When does the rumor mill tend to be most active within an organization? Include an
example of a situation that might cause the rumor mill to become more active.
Answer:
Briefly explain why the ability to work effectively in teams is so important in business.
Answer:
List at least three benefits of effective listening in business.
Answer:
List at least three helpful questions to ask in evaluating the purpose of a message.
Answer:
What are emoticons? Why are they controversial in business email?
Answer:
What is circular reasoning?
Answer:
List four guidelines to follow in preparing the opening of a routine request in the direct
format.
Answer: