Maya has decided to apologize briefly in the buffer of her bad-news message to a client.
Which of the following is the best apology?
a. We know that you rely on your espresso machine to function properly.
b. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
c. We sincerely apologize for the problems you experienced with your espresso
machine. To prevent recurrence of this problem, we will recalibrate the heating element
at no charge to you.
d. It is unfortunate that you are unhappy with your espresso machine.
Answer:
Which of the following statements describing employment achievements would be
most effective on a résumé?
a. Directed work flow and scheduling for emergency room personnel
b. Performed preventative maintenance on production equipment
c. Achieved 125 percent of production goal for three consecutive quarters
d. Knowledgeable in a variety of production processes and Just-in-Time theories
Answer:
The first thing you should do after an interview is to contact your references.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Like requests and responses, instruction messages follow a straightforward, direct
approach.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Kendra is searching for a job and wants to use electronic sources. Which of the
following will probably be her best source of online job listings?
a. Big job boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder
b. Specific company websites
c. Her college website job board
d. Niche websites
Answer:
Which of the following constructions uses the best writing style for an informal report?
a. James, Deloitte, and Wilts, Inc., after extensive review of references and credentials
of contractors, has elected to contract with Peck Builders for the new office complex.
b. We’re pleased to announce the selection of Peck Builders as general contractor for
our new office complex.
c. After conducting an exhaustive search of building design elements and
cost-efficiency data, the company has verified the qualifications of Peck Builders.
d. The findings demonstrate the imperative of selecting a fully qualified and bonded
contractor for the new building project of James, Deloitte, and Wilts, Inc.; that
contractor is Peck Builders.
Answer:
You can improve the effectiveness of a claim message by
a. using a few threatening words to get your point across.
b. providing a detailed timeline of what happened and the specific person who is to
blame for the problem.
c. explaining the problem with necessary details.
d. including a subtle reference to your attorney or to the Better Business Bureau.
Answer:
Which of the following statements about texting in the workplace is most accurate?
a. All companies allow employees to use texting to communicate with coworkers and
customers.
b. Texting enables two or more individuals to use the Internet or an intranet to “chat” in
real time by exchanging brief messages.
c. Texting is a relatively high-cost substitute for voice calls.
d. Text messaging is replacing e-mail for short internal communication.
Answer:
What is a run-on sentence?
a. Two independent clauses run together without punctuation or a conjunction
b. Two independent clauses joined by a comma without a conjunction
c. A broken-off part of a sentence
d. An independent clause containing two dependent clauses
Answer:
Tara is starting a new job that will allow her to use text messaging. What advice should
she follow?
a. When she doesn’t receive an immediate response from a coworker, continue to text
message the coworker until he or she responds.
b. Feel free to send any kind of message to her coworkers using this medium.
c. Identify herself when texting a new contact.
d. Send texts while she is having a face-to-face conversation to demonstrate her
popularity.
Answer:
Good writers spend most of their time on the revising phase of the 3-x-3 writing
process.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Because job competition is stiff, you must have a customized résumé. Having a
customized résumé means that you
a. prepare a special résumé for every position you want.
b. add pictures, color, and other graphics on the résumé.
c. hire a professional résumé preparation company to review and refine your basic
résumé and then “dress it up.”
d. include your personal information such as height, weight, and ethnicity.
Answer:
Which of the following statements about professionalism is most accurate?
a. Demonstrating etiquette is important in the office and online.
b. No correlation exists between professional behavior and workplace success.
c. Employees must demonstrate professional behavior only when communicating
face-to-face with others.
d. Professionalism is important for employees in only Fortune 500 companies.
Answer:
At the end of an interview, you will usually be asked if you have any questions. The
most effective response is No to avoid sounding too eager.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which is the best advice to follow when using presentation templates?
a. Adjust the color scheme or font style of existing templates to suit your needs.
b. Never use preinstalled templates when you create a presentation.
c. Always use the same template each time you create a presentation.
d. All answer choices provide good advice about the use of presentation templates.
Answer:
Your audience analysis reveals that audience members will be friendly and interested in
your topic. You should be
a. warm, pleasant, and open; and you should use a lot of eye contact and smiles.
b. be calm and controlled, and you should speak evenly and slowly.
c. controlled and do nothing showy; you should use confident, small gestures.
d. dynamic and entertaining; you should also use large gestures and move around.
Answer:
Words have universal meaning among all cultures.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of following is a legal interview question?
a. Are you married?
b. Are you a U.S. citizen?
c. Do you have any disabilities?
d. Are you authorized to work in the United States?
Answer:
Podcasts are used by
a. news organizations and media outlets.
b. educational institutions.
c. businesses.
d. News organizations and media outlets, educational institutions, and businesses all use
podcasts to deliver information.
Answer:
Every mechanic must submit his timesheet by Friday is a well-written sentence.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The purposes of sending an application or résumé follow-up message to an employer
include jogging the memory of the hiring manager, showing your serious interest in the
position, and
a. emphasizing your qualifications or adding new information.
b. sending a personal note to the receptionist, who often helps make the final decision.
c. sharing your photograph to match your qualifications to your face.
d. setting a deadline for the employer to offer you the position.
Answer:
The bad feelings associated with disappointing news can generally be reduced if the
receiver knows the reasons for the rejection, feels that the news was revealed
sensitively, and believes that the matter was treated seriously and fairly.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The most frequently used graphic in reports is the table.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Well-designed documents increase readability and audience comprehension.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
A cover message doesn’t always need to accompany your résumé; for instance, if you
send your résumé by fax or e-mail, a cover message is not necessary.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Pie charts are an effective visual to demonstrate a procedure.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In writing messages that deliver instructions, what advice should you follow?
a. Use an autocratic tone to establish the importance of the instructions.
b. Assume that employees want to contribute to the success of the organization.
c. Focus on the steps in the procedure and let the tone take care of itself.
d. Criticize the person(s) responsible for trouble with previous procedures and then
praise the person(s) responsible for the new procedure.
Answer:
What type of research source provides the best firsthand information?
a. Web pages or articles
b. Interviews
c. Company records
d. Databases
Answer:
Shannon is writing a proposal to the board of directors to upgrade the company’s
computer equipment. After completing the prewriting phase, Shannon should
immediately start composing the proposal.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The indirect strategy works best when the bad news is personally upsetting, when the
news will prompt a hostile reaction, and when
a. the message arrives unexpectedly.
b. firmness is necessary.
c. the receiver may overlook the bad news.
d. the bad news is not damaging.
Answer:
When creating a bulleted or numbered list,
a. use a bulleted list to represent a sequence.
b. never use end punctuation.
c. do not capitalize the initial word of each line.
d. express all ideas similarly.
Answer:
Constructing messages saying no to emotionally involved receivers is a challenging
communication task. Which of the following is the best advice for this task?
a. Use the refusal-before-reason pattern to present the information artfully.
b. Place blame where blame is due, including on the customer if he or she is
responsible.
c. Avoid offering resale information because it may weaken customer confidence.
d. Use neutral, objective language to explain the reason the claim is refused.
Answer:
No one should leave a meeting without a full understanding of what was accomplished.
a. True
b. False
Answer: