E-mails should be used when one does not want to create a paper trail.
While apologizing in business communication, one should do so twice, i.e., once at the
beginning of the message and another time at the end of the message.
While writing a message, it is important to ensure that benefits are adapted to the needs
of the audience.
The Myers-Briggs typology states that sensing type of people are good at facts, and
expect others to be as well.
In a guided discussion, the speaker serves as an expert where questions are held until
the end of the presentation.
Informative presentations have the sole purpose of entertaining an audience.
One of the first steps in planning an oral presentation is identifying the five ideas that
one wants an audience to take home.
Learning the language of the country where one plans to work helps in giving a glimpse
into the culture.
The statement, “The subscription fee for Home Magazine is $500, and needs to be paid
before 31st December to avoid late fee charges” is an example of an emotional appeal.
A grid system creates a more pleasing page and unifies long documents.
In a request which is time consuming or difficult, it is important to make the actions
seem complex which will challenge an audience to take on the task.
Using the word “but” tells the reader that one is shifting points and that the point which
follows not only contrasts with but also is more important than the preceding ideas.
Good communication treats the receiver of a document as a person, instead of as a
number.
During an interview, it is important to conceal one’s enthusiasm for the job by
maintaining neutral expressions.
You should use a separate piece of paper for a two-page rsum, rather than printing on
the back side of a single page.
A person’s body language may be indicated through one’s facial expressions, eye
contact, gestures, posture, and body positions.
The revising process involves brainstorming information to include in the document.
While choosing a persuasive strategy, one should use a direct request pattern when the
audience will do as one asks without any resistance.
Every title that contains the word “man” should be avoided because it involves using
sexist language.
Omitting a low GPA score on a rsum is allowed and is not a cause for termination even
if a company does find out after hiring.
Technical jargon is inappropriate in a job application letter.
One should begin a proposal with a brief but strong summary of major benefits of
having one do the work.
The information included on a chronological and skills rsum is the same; how that
information is organized is different.
Repetition in a report should be used only if it serves a useful purpose.
Oral presentations have three basic purposes of informing, persuading, and building
goodwill.
Since part of the scale is missing in truncated graphs, small changes seem like major
ones.
“You can call my references if you would like to verify what I have said” is a gracious
offer by a job applicant but reveals a negative attitude.
A tally of responses to each question in a survey may be included in an appendix.
Histograms use images to create the bars on a bar graph.
The decision of consumers to buy products or services is guided exclusively by logic
and emotional appeal has no place in business decisions.
In order to avoid assigning blame in a negative situation, it is best to use active verbs.
Pie charts are most appropriate when one section is being compared to another section
of the whole.
Disagreeing with everything that is proposed is a positive role and helps in arriving at
better solutions.
Betty Morgan who works as a travel consultant is attending a training program on
ticketing. Throughout the session, she uses active listening skills to indicate that she is
paying attention to what the speaker is saying. Which of the following is Morgan most
likely doing?
A. Frowning whenever a ticket reservation process is difficult
B. Smiling when the speaker uses a humorous anecdote
C. Nodding to indicate that she is understanding the process
D. Asking to cite an example to clarify a ticketing process
E. Saying “uh huh” to indicate she is listening intently
Which of the following is an example of a psychographic characteristic?
A. Age
B. Goals
C. Location
D. Education
E. Race
Which of the following should be undertaken while conveying bad news to customers?
A. Present good reasons after a refusal, at the end of a message
B. Convey the negative news twice in a message in order for it to be clear
C. Present negative information ambiguously to avoid offending the client
D. Present an alternative or compromise if one is available
E. Ask for action which will help them accept the consequences easily
Which of the following is an example of a negative message?
A. Fundraising brochure
B. Product recalls
C. Job offer letter
D. Approval letter
E. Rack card
After a search for key words, many words can appear in related forms. To catch all of
them, one must use _____ for shortened terms and root words.
A. specialized encyclopedias
B. the database’s truncated code
C. Google or AltaVista
D. citation indexes
E. Web search abbreviations
Which of the following should be undertaken if one is not following an RFP?
A. End the proposal with a statement of why one is doing the job
B. End the proposal with implications of a proposed action
C. End the proposal with why a certain action is important
D. Begin with a statement of what one is proposing to do
E. Begin with major benefits of having one to do the job
Face-to-face visits are a good choice of communication when:
A. one needs something urgently.
B. one wants to leave a paper trail.
C. one’s purpose is not to build a work relationship.
D. one wants interaction to be the least intrusive.
Jonathan Mill works as a guest relations executive at a five star property, Le Gardenia.
He is welcoming a new guest, Mr. Jordan Burns at the hotel today. On interacting with
him, he finds that the guest is warm, friendly, and communicates his presence through
non-verbal communication. Which of the following is Burns most likely doing?
A. Sharing humorous anecdotes of his other hotel experiences
B. Saying how much he likes the dcor and location of the hotel
C. Making an effort to learn more about Mill to build a personal rapport
D. Making eye contact and smiling when Mill talks
E. Narrating interesting work related stories to Mill
_____ refers to producing or creating one thing by another.
A. Variance
B. Causation
C. Range
D. Extension
E. Dimension
Which of the following should emotional appeal primarily depend on?
A. Accurate logic
B. Credibility of the author
C. Values of the audience
D. Reputation of the author
E. Technical jargon
Which of the following is true of change in business communication?
A. Change which involves changes for the better is free from stress.
B. College programs can teach everything one needs to know about working life.
C. Communication skills become less important while one climbs a career ladder.
D. Reading professional websites does not help in keeping up with professional
changes.
E. Undertaking company’s training courses can help in staying abreast in one’s
profession.
April Hayes needs to schedule a meeting for her manager, Raymond Owens with an
important business client. She received an e-mail in the morning from the client’s
assistant stating that 11 a.m. on Tuesday suits well for the client. Now, she needs to
confirm the meeting at the earliest by checking if the time works well for Raymond
Owens as well. Which of the following would be the best mode of communication for
Hayes?
A. E-mail
B. Blog
C. Phone
D. Videoconference
E. Wiki
Listening errors are most likely to arise when:
A. there are signposts and instructions.
B. important points are repeated.
C. discussions are well-organized.
D. topics are controversial.
E. you-attitude is used.
Linda Scott recently gave a presentation to college students on global warming. The
presentation was appealing to the students because it incorporated lots of images and
videos. However, the students found her logic of saying “Footballer David Beckham
says global warming is a problem we should tackle immediately” was weak and
irrational. Which of the following logical fallacies is Scott most likely to be making?
A. Appeal to popularity
B. False cause
C. Weak analogy
D. Appeal to authority
E. False dichotomy
With respect to interviews, it would be inappropriate to:
A. send a note of appreciation to those who met with you after a referral interview.
B. send a letter to the interviewer after a referral interview that includes some specifics
about what you discussed.
C. ask if the company is hiring when you talk to the person who could create a job for
you.
D. send a copy of a revised resume that reflects some of the interviewer’s suggestions
after a referral interview.
E. follow up information and referral interviews with personal thank-you letters.
During layoffs and firings, a company should:
A. avoid communicating the problem with employees.
B. ensure layoff notices come as a surprise to employees.
C. state reasons ambiguously to avoid confrontation.
D. give the employee an honest reason for the layoff or firing.
E. be professional by avoiding empathizing with affected employees.
Which of the following guidelines should be followed while planning a strategy for a
presentation?
A. Identify three main ideas that an audience should take home
B. Ensure that a written message is simpler than an oral message
C. Include complex visuals which draw the attention of an audience
D. Simplify supporting detail so that it is easy to follow them
E. Use technical jargon and treat the audience as experts on the subject
Paul Jones, an eatery at New York’s Central Park, attracts more customers than any
other in that commercial hub. The marketing manager of the company says that the
reason for such a wide customer base is because they appeal to the large working sub
group in the area who are pressed for time. Which of the following objective features
does Paul Jones most likely focus on that meets the needs of working sub group?
A. High rise chairs
B. Low sodium and carb-food
C. Economic prices
D. Quick lunches
E. Tasteful dcor
Which of the following is true of conventions?
A. They provide a design language and effective design relies on them.
B. They make a writer’s work unique and stand out better, when not followed.
C. They remain unchanged irrespective of old or new software.
D. They are static in nature and stay constant over long periods of time.
Which of the following needs to be undertaken for one’s first full-time job?
A. Avoid asking questions because they seem overly curious
B. Contain one’s enthusiasm for the job so that you do not seem overeager
C. Fit into the corporate culture by being observant about people and interactions
D. Help out with work only when one is asked instead of doing it voluntarily
E. Please superiors by taking up a task even if one is unable to do it
Which of the following guidelines should be followed with reference to using a tone in
a persuasive message?
A. Provide a reason for a request which makes the tone better
B. Avoid using subjunctive verbs while writing to people senior in position
C. Use passive verbs to create a friendly, informal tone
D. Use less politeness when writing to co-workers and external people
E. Avoid using explicit disclaimers in order to show respect to superiors
A problem-solving pattern should be used in a persuasive message when:
A. an audience readily agrees to do as a message asks.
B. an audience finds a task easy to perform.
C. logic is more important than emotion in the decision.
D. an audience is easily convinced about a message.
Gary Coleman recently attended a team meeting where the fundraising manager
criticized him saying, “I tried asking you several times about the utilization of corporate
funds for the renewable energy project but you never bothered to answer my query.”
Coleman handled his criticism constructively by paraphrasing what he said. Which of
the following did Coleman most likely say?
A. “You think I am not providing sufficient answers to your query."
B. “You sound pretty agitated for not replying to your query."
C. “Are you saying that I am not providing sufficient answers to your query?"
D. “It is true I have not offered sufficient answers about the utilization of funds."
E. “Please do not be agitated. I will respond to your email at the earliest."
Cheryl Mayer recently finished writing an assignment for an end-of-year project. Which
of the following did she use for her headings if she wrote with a sans serif font?
A. New Courier
B. Elite
C. Times Roman
D. Palatino
E. Arial
For which of the following reasons are proposals generally created?
A. When projects are shorter than routine work
B. When projects involve costs lower than routine work
C. When project activities are similar to routine work
D. When projects are identical to regular work
E. When projects create larger changes than routine work
_____ are expanding the possibilities of data displays as many of them allow users to
adapt data displays to personal needs.
A. Online visuals
B. Bar charts
C. Chartjunks
D. Cliparts
E. DBMS
Which of the following best describes a P.S. (postscript), in a direct mail letter or an
email?
A. It helps start off a message.
B. It states points missed out in a message.
C. It is the heading of a message.
D. It restates points made in a message.
_____ is an implied attitude of a communicator toward an audience.
A. Stress
B. Tone
C. Emphasis
D. Amplification
E. Filler words
Which of the following is recommended to present information in reports effectively?
A. Employing informal language and style
B. Using the word “you” to personalize the report
C. Repeating information as much as possible
D. Using clear, engaging writing
E. Avoiding sources and visuals
Which is an appropriate length for a rsum of a recent college graduate?
A. 1-2 pages
B. 2-3 pages
C. 3-4 pages
D. Not more than 5 pages
E. Less than 1 page
Which of the following is most likely to represent a spatial cue?
A. Placing a table between two people during a conversation
B. Laughing at a humorous story or a joke someone is sharing
C. Sitting upright during a presentation by a project manager
D. Leaning forward to listen intently to an ongoing discussion
E. Making eye contact with a client during a price negotiation
How can one build credibility through the use of appropriate language and strategy?
What are summary and descriptive abstracts and how are they different from each
other?
Identify secondary purposes of negative messages.
How can you narrow your search and identify the concepts you’re interested in?
Explain the two ways to set up the Experience section of a rsum.
Explain the formation stage in the life of a task team.
What are some etiquette one should follow during interviews which involve meals and
semisocial occasions?
Explain strategies to employ when writing a document that will serve as a detailed
guide or contain instructions.
What are the key steps used in conflict resolution?
What can you do to improve your chances if you want to change fields?
Explain the difference between anthropologist Edward Hall’s two kinds of cultures.
What are the characteristics of a good story?
Explain with an example characteristics of a good and weak executive summary.
What techniques can be effective when information presented in a message is new to an
audience?
What should one do when one does not know a person’s name or gender?
What guidelines should be followed if the audience is not known to the presenter of a
message?
Palmer Industries has developed alliances with companies in Japan. The company
anticipates that there will be extensive written communication between their alliances in
the next couple of months, particularly via e-mail. In addition, face-to-face meetings
will be conducted via videoconferencing. Abigail Corinno, the Vice President for
Palmer Industries, feels it would be a good idea to implement a communication
program to make employees aware of cultural differences. She asks the
communications manager to compile a list of topics that should be included in the
program. What should this list mainly comprise of?