Deck 14: Writing for Business

Question 1

In regard to spelling and grammar,which of the following is NOT true?

A)How you communicate your message is often judged by the reader as a measure of your effectiveness.
B)Incorrect grammar usage and spelling increases credibility.
C)Mistakes reflect poorly on the writer.
D)Mistakes reflect poorly on the organization.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

During the application process to join the fire department,Linda was asked to write a two page paper expressing her interest and goals.Throughout the paper,Linda wrote about her desire to be a "fireman." According to your textbook,is this appropriate?

A)Yes; the term "fireman" refers to both men and women.
B)Yes; as long as it is a woman using the term.
C)No; she should have used non-generic "Man" verbal messages.
D)No; she should have used parallel verbal messages.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When you need to receive immediate feedback from your team members,which form of media is most appropriate?

A)Lean media
B)Rich media
C)Moderate media
D)Cyber media

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The tone,language,voice,and overall viewpoint of a report is called _.

A)coherence
B)grammar
C)clarity
D)writing style

Question 5

What element of the developing a paragraph informs the reader about the content of the paragraph?

A)Tone
B)Topic sentence
C)Length
D)Clarity

Question 6

In an email sent to his entire team,Daniel wrote,"Per last meeting,results document attached. Review and revise by July 5ᵗʰ meeting.Meeting invite to come.Forward to supervisor." According to your textbook,which suggestion for writing in a concise manner did Daniel violate?

A)Avoid redundancy
B)Do not overuse intensifiers
C)Avoid telegraphic style
D)Use subordination

Question 7

In a follow up report,Samuel wrote,"The proposal was unbelievably excellent and immensely entertaining.His amazing talents are a perfect asset to our already extremely talented team." Which suggestion for writing in a concise manner did Samuel violate?

A)Avoid redundancy
B)Do not overuse intensifiers
C)Avoid telegraphic style
D)Use subordination

Question 8

refers to technology's ability to simulate face-to-face communication.

A)Media richness
B)Media technology
C)Channel richness
D)Message technology

Question 9

Which of the following is a characteristic of the writing tone?

A)It is the nonverbal aspect of a written document.
B)The tone should be expressed using difficult vocabulary or phrases.
C)It is the biased portion of your written materials.
D)The main goal is to have the reader adapt to your message.

Question 10

During his meeting,Victor first discussed the overall goals of the upcoming project.Then,he continued on to the specific strategies that were going to be utilized to complete the project.Which organization option did Victor choose?

A)Priority
B)Chronological
C)Problem-solution
D)General-to-specific

Question 11

Jose has a very task-related and straightforward message to send to his project team.According to the media richness concept,which form of media should he choose?

A)Lean media
B)Rich media
C)Moderate media
D)New media

Question 12

The specificity of a message and the ease to which the reader can comprehend the message is referred to as writing .

A)style
B)clarity
C)tone
D)coherence

Question 13

Ron is developing the agenda for an upcoming business meeting.He decided to put the most important agenda item first.Which organizational option did Ron choose?

A)Priority
B)Chronological
C)Problem-solution
D)General-to-specific

Question 14

is language used by a particular group,profession,or culture that may not be understood or used by other people.

A)Jargon
B)Amplifiers
C)Subordinates
D)Tone

Question 15

During his presentation,Carl said,"You all know me as your local policeman,but did you know that it was my childhood dream to become a mailman?" According to your textbook,what is wrong with Carl's statement?

A)Carl should have used a parallel verbal message.
B)Carl should have used non-generic "Man" verbal messages.
C)Carl should have used non-generic "He" verbal messages.
D)Carl should have established goodwill.

Question 16

Messages that refer to words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes are called .

A)jargon
B)sarcasm
C)biased
D)non-generic

Question 17

The organizational pattern begins with the first in a series of events or steps and move on to the second,third,and so on.

A)Priority
B)Chronological
C)Problem-solution
D)General-to-specific

Question 18

In Sean's written business proposal,he addressed the recipients as "Ladies and Men." According to your textbook,why is this inappropriate?

A)Sean should have used non-generic "He" verbal messages.
B)Sean should have used non-generic "Man" verbal messages.
C)Sean should have used parallel verbal messages.
D)Sean should have used generic "She" verbal messages.

Question 19

refers to an element of unity including common underlying concepts,logical organization,and clear,natural development of the content.

A)Tone
B)Style
C)Coherence
D)Clarity

Question 20

Which of the following is not a consideration suggested by your textbook when selecting a medium of communication based upon media richness?

A)Consider emotional impact
B)Consider qualities of the message
C)Consider communication norms of the organization
D)Consider your time

Question 21

According to your textbook,in which of the following situations would it be appropriate to use a blind copy or courtesy copy email?

A)You are sending an email to a coworker and you want your boss to see a copy.
B)You are experiencing conflict with a coworker and you want your boss to see the exchange of messages.
C)You are sending an email to a large distribution list.
D)The issue is sensitive.

Question 22

When writing for business,it is important to consider clarity rather than style.

Question 23

A priority organizational pattern allows you to report on events in the order to which they occurred or will occur.

Question 24

The components of a report that serve to prepare the reader for the main information are known as .

A)front matter
B)back matter
C)beginning matter
D)middle matter

Question 25

General standards that determine what appropriate and inappropriate behavior in an organization is known as .

A)rules
B)procedures
C)norms
D)binding documents

Question 26

Letters sent to collect payment,acknowledge receipt of something,and address possible concerns are examples of .

A)correspondence
B)memo
C)progress report
D)activity report

Question 27

According to your textbook,in which situation would it be inappropriate to send an email?

A)When sending an emotional message.
B)When sending a meeting agenda.
C)When you need to schedule a meeting.
D)When you need to convey important information to a large audience.

Question 28

Roy sent a meeting update to the rest of his group.His email according to your textbook would fall where on the media richness scale?

A)Rich
B)Medium
C)Lean
D)High

Question 29

Lengthy paragraphs are easier to read.

Question 30

An example of coherence includes keeping the information written in one tense.

Question 31

A document that is legal in nature and gives promises that must be delivered is known as a .

A)binding document
B)sales proposal
C)formal documentpromissory document

Question 32

According to your textbook,what is the first step to creating a sales proposal?

A)Discuss your approach
B)Describe the benefits
C)Outline the problem
D)Mention the schedule and costs

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT listed as a suggestion for completing the front matter?

A)Title page
B)List of figures and tables
C)Foreword
D)Executive summary

Question 34

A document that consists of information about the status of one or several ongoing projects and is commonly an internal document is known as a(n) report.

A)activity
B)progress
C)formal
D)progress

Question 35

Ron uses a general to specific organization when he describes the overall business goal and then goes into the individual steps to achieve it.

Question 36

A perception the audience has that the writer cares and is concerned about their well-being is known as .

A)coherence
B)tone
C)goodwill
D)salutation

Question 37

Which of the following is true of memos?

A)The material contained within the memo should be sensitive.
B)They are most effective when sent to a small to moderate amount of people.
C)They should not follow the norms of the company.
D)They always require a standard signature.

Question 38

Martha is the project manager for her team.Martha's boss has asked her to send him the status of the project,as well as the current schedule,and budget.What type of report is Martha's boss requesting?

A)Activity report
B)Progress report
C)Project report
D)Binding document

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT listed as a suggestion for completing the back matter?

A)Glossary
B)Index
C)Appendix
D)Abstract

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a recommendation when delivering bad news?

A)Offer the bad news by simply stating it; there is no need for a long explanation.
B)Close with a goodwill message.
C)Provide a buffer.
D)Deliver the bad news indirectly.

Question 41

The use of "he" automatically includes both men and women.

Question 42

Emails should be long and drawn out.

Question 43

It is NOT biased for Rodney to use "freshman" to describe the incoming class.

Question 44

Nonparallel verbal messages include language and phrases that are symmetrical.

Question 45

You should utilize multiple channels of communication when writing for business.

Question 46

John violated a norm when he broke the corporate policy by forwarding a mass email.

Question 47

The front matter of a report should be the meat of the report and contain the main information.

Question 48

If writing for an outside audience,jargon should be avoided.

Question 49

A general rule for handling bad news is to deliver it directly.

Question 50

When writing a business letter,you should include the name and address of the recipient of the letter before a salutation.

Question 51

If your message is complex,then lean forms of media are most appropriate.

Question 52

You should send a complaint letter before you communicate with a company representative.

Question 53

Memos are used as reminders.

Question 54

Email messages exceed telephone traffic,and email is the dominant form of business communication.

Question 55

An abstract should be included in the front matter of a report.

Question 56

According to your textbook,business correspondence should generally be written in a conversational style.

Question 57

The spell-check tool is a foolproof.

Question 58

Sending an acknowledgement letter is an effective way to build goodwill.

Question 59

You can use the same kind of tone for most business messages.

Question 60

Standard English grammatical rules apply in business writing.

Question 61

Explain the purpose of a complaint letter and list four suggestions for writing a letter of complaint that's likely to be read and acted upon.

Question 62

Define and differentiate between progress reports and activity reports.

Question 63

Explain what is meant by biased messages and describe the three ways to use unbiased verbal messages.

Question 64

Define each of the methods for organizing a business document and give an example of why you would use each.

Question 65

List and briefly describe each of the components of a formal report.

Question 66

Explain how to deliver correspondence which contains bad news.

Question 67

Explain the concept of media richness and give an example of a rich form of media and a lean form of media.

Question 68

List and briefly describe the four guidelines to helping you decide how to use media richness.

Question 69

Define what is meant by business correspondence and give three recommendations for writing effective correspondence.

Question 70

Explain the four guidelines for creating an effective sales proposal.