To capture the reader’s attention and interest in a persuasive request, you can make an
unexpected statement, suggest reader benefits, offer praise or compliments, or ask a
stimulating question.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When right margins are not aligned or justified, they provide more white space and
improve readability.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When a company receives a claim and decides to respond favorably, the response
message is called an acceptance.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When you organize an informational report directly, in what order should the ideas be
presented?
a. Introduction/background, facts/findings, and summary
b. Introduction/background, summary, and facts/findings
c. Summary, introduction/background, and facts/findings
d. The direct strategy presents ideas in any order for maximum effectiveness and
flexibility.
Answer:
The purpose of a table of contents is to present an overview of the report for people
who may not have time to read the entire report.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Before you write a message, your first step should be to
a. conduct research.
b. prepare an outline of your ideas.
c. analyze the audience and anticipate its reaction to the message.
d. select an appropriate organizational pattern.
Answer:
When you write a claim or complaint letter, an effective persuasive technique is using
words and phrases that clearly display how angry you are about the situation.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
A synonym for professionalism is
a. hard skills.
b. social acceptance.
c. business etiquette.
d. diversity.
Answer:
Max is preparing a contract between his company and one in Mexico. What should he
do when citing numbers in the contract?
a. Use the metric system.
b. Use American currency figures.
c. Write all months as figures rather than as words.
d. Avoid using any figures in the contract.
Answer:
You can make your cover message more appealing by addressing it specifically to the
Human Resources Department or Hiring Manager.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When developing a claim message, you should
a. close the message by clearly specifying what you want done.
b. describe the problem without providing a long, detailed account of the issue.
c. include copies of relevant materials.
d. All answer choices are correct.
Answer:
Concise writing
a. should be used only in informal business documents such as e-mail messages.
b. is easier to read and comprehend.
c. is necessary for only formal business documents such as a proposal to a customer.
d. should be avoided because it can come across as being abrupt and rude.
Answer:
Ethnocentrism is inherent in all cultures.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
To convey empathy and sensitivity when delivering bad news, you should
a. show that you are human by using strong, forceful language.
b. accept blame and apologize when appropriate.
c. avoid explaining the reasons for the bad news.
d. always cite company policy.
Answer:
Which of the following situations might require a progress report?
a. The work of a committee preparing for an open house when a new wing of a hospital
is completed
b. The reporting of monthly sales figures for all divisions
c. A study of whether a company should provide on-site childcare
d. A one-page summary of a long article in The Wall Street Journal
Answer:
To improve your nonverbal communication, which of the following tips should you
practice?
a. Establish and maintain eye contact with others.
b. Minimize any distracting or competing background sounds.
c. Associate with people from diverse cultures.
d. All answer choices are effective ways to improve your nonverbal communication.
Answer:
Human Resource Specialist Julie Woodard must inform employees of a major reduction
in health care benefits. When delivering this announcement, she should apply all the
following techniques except
a. let the employees find out through the office grapevine.
b. inform the employees promptly.
c. deliver the news personally, if possible.
d. be honest.
Answer:
Social networks can help connect employees who are geographically dispersed.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
You should assume that all intellectual property is copyrighted.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In the active voice, the subject is acted upon. In the passive voice, the subject is the
doer of the action.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
If you will take questions at the end of your presentation, which of these is the best
advice?
a. Announce the question-and-answer period in the conclusion of your presentation.
b. If you don’t know the answer to a question, you should offer your best guess or make
up an answer.
c. Begin each answer with a repetition of the question.
d. Direct your answers just to the person who asked the question.
Answer:
Which of the following sentences demonstrates conversational business writing?
a. Your return policy really ticks me off.
b. I am upset about your return policy.
c. Your return policy has provoked me to write this letter.
d. All answer choices reflect conversational business writing.
Answer:
One question you should ask yourself when you collect research is What does the
receiver need to know about this topic?
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Discussion of Findings is an example of a functional heading.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Which of the following sentences is most effective?
a. This is to inform you that your account is now up-to-date.
b. At this point in time, your account is up-to-date.
c. Due to the fact that we have just received your check, your account is up-to-date.
d. Your account is now up-to-date.
Answer:
Which of these résumé tips is most accurate?
a. Don’t list awards and honors on a résumé; if you list them, you will appear to be
bragging.
b. Omit school and community activities from your résumé because they are unrelated
to your work experience.
c. Include your personal information (height, weight, and marital status) to give a
potential employer a complete picture.
d. Improve the visual impact of your résumé by placing your employment achievements
and relevant job duties in an easy-to-read bulleted list.
Answer:
In her letter to policyholders, Min Yi needs a graphic depicting the procedure a
policyholder follows when filing a claim. Which of these would be most appropriate?
a. Organizational chart
b. Flowchart
c. Illustration
d. Table
Answer:
The first step in preparing a report is locating information to support your ideas.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The most important section of a report to a reader is the conclusions and
recommendations.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Every business will have unhappy customers at some point. If possible, the business
should respond immediately and personally to these customers’ problems.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
The primary purpose of business writing is typically to inform or persuade; a common
secondary purpose is to
a. promote goodwill.
b. comply with governmental regulations.
c. create written documentation.
d. avoid lawsuits.
Answer:
Translating a message from its symbol form into meaning involves encoding.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
Business writers should strive for paragraphs with eight or fewer printed lines.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
In the work experience section of your résumé, you should include only those jobs that
you think will help you win the targeted position.
a. True
b. False
Answer:
When a company receives a claim and decides to respond favorably, the message is
called a(n) ____________________.
Answer:
Bad-news messages can be organized using the direct or indirect strategy. Identify one
situation when each strategy would be appropriate and identify the organizational
pattern for each strategy.
Answer:
____________________ or recommendation reports attempt to solve problems by
evaluating options and offering recommendations.
Answer:
____________________ messaging is a popular means for exchanging brief messages
in real time using a short message service (SMS) supplied by a cell phone service
provider or a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service.
Answer:
Examples of positive ____________________ messages for the interview process
include arriving on time, dressing professionally, controlling your body movements,
exhibiting good posture, using effective eye contact, smiling appropriately, and
listening attentively.
Answer:
____________________ is the process of creating a message that suits your audience.
Answer:
____________________ cues include eye contact, facial expressions, body movements,
space, time, territory, and appearance.
Answer:
During the ____________________ phase of the writing process, the writer analyzes
the audience and the purpose for writing.
Answer:
Good speakers try to build audience ____________________ by forming a bond with
their audience.
Answer:
A(n) ____________________ presents an overview of a longer report for people who
may not have time read the entire report.
Answer:
____________________ presentations use 3D to allow a speaker to focus on images to
help the audience better understand and remember content, details, and relationships.
Answer:
To connect with distant team members across borders and time zones, many
organizations are creating ____________________ teams. These teams work
interdependently with a shared purpose across space, time, and organizational
boundaries using technology.
Answer:
The gathering of information is called ____________________.
Answer:
Revise the following sentence to express the idea using the “you” view:
All applicants must complete the attached form by December 1.
Answer:
A bad-news message using the indirect strategy begins with a ____________________,
which is a neutral but meaningful statement that encourages the reader to continue
reading.
Answer:
Commonly shared in online environments, a(n) ___________________ is a type of
visual aid that combines images and graphic elements to present complex information
in a format that is easy to understand.
Answer:
In the ____________________ of a claim message, you should explain the problem
and justify your request.
Answer: