Deck 4: Principles of Business Communication

Question 1

Diversity has become widely recognized in business; therefore, the use of unbiased language is no longer an essential consideration in the composition of business messages.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Repeating key words in sentences is a way of giving emphasis to the ideas represented by those words.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

There is no place in business messages for weak words.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The primary criterion for an understandable word choice for a message is to choose a word that the sender understands.

Question 5

Obsolete words sound formal and, therefore, are appropriate in formal but not informal business communication.

Question 6

Generally, the direct plan of paragraph organization is recommended for good news or neutral news.

Question 7

Vague or abstract words are indefinite words, but they have a specific meaning that is the same for each receiver of the message.

Question 8

An obsolete word is one that is overused in normal conversation or messages and has lost its effectiveness.

Question 9

Sentence unity comes from limiting content to one main idea.

Question 10

When using sentence structure to give ideas emphasis, place the most important ideas in the dependent clauses.

Question 11

A specialized dictionary is one that shows special symbols for word pronunciation.

Question 12

Technical words are terms with a special meaning in a particular field.

Question 13

Long sentences are more effective than short sentences because you can cover more thoughts in one sentence.

Question 14

The two most valuable resources for the business communicator are a dictionary and a thesaurus.

Question 15

Short sentences are understandable, so your writing should only use sentences with no more than 20 words.

Question 16

In some situations negative words can be used for emphasis.

Question 17

Passive voice is preferred in business messages because they avoid use of first-person pronouns.

Question 18

A strong word will be either an adjective or adverb because both are descriptive words.

Question 19

One way to emphasize an idea is to tell the receiver what is important.

Question 20

A long sentence in a business letter is 30 words or longer.

Question 21

Which of the words below is most likely to be understood for a middle-level receiver?

A) hermetic
B) hilarity
C) enjoyment
D) heuristic

Question 22

Of the following sentences, which would be unbiased?

A) The white teacher spoke to the inner-city youths.
B) Mrs. Smith talked with the students about the difficulties experienced by single-parent families.
C) The Jewish lady moved into an upscale townhouse in Manhattan.
D) Mr. Brown, 85, spent Thanksgiving with his family.

Question 23

Write an alternate word or phrase for the obsolete phrases below.
a. enclosed please find
b. hoping to hear from you soon
c. I remain,
d. I regret to inform you
e. hereby advise

Question 24

A sentence structure that allows one idea to be emphasized and one idea to be de-emphasized is the

A) simple sentence
B) short sentence
C) complex sentence
D) compound sentence

Question 25

Rewrite the following sentences to improve clarity by using short sentences and removing unnecessary words.
a. Whenever the checks are received late and after the appropriate and correct due dates, the payments are considered and deemed past due.
b. The class met twice a week, students attended on both Tuesday and Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. was the time the class started.

Question 26

A sentence in a paragraph that helps your receiver move from one aspect of the subject to another is called a

A) contrasting sentence
B) unified sentence
C) tie-in sentence
D) structural sentence

Question 27

Composing with style means

A) using formal language.
B) using unusual words.
C) using clear, concise words that convey your personality.
D) using language that creates a sense of mystery for the reader.

Question 28

Which one of the following incorrect sentences lacks parallelism?

A) Managing the store, practicing violin, and attending classes keeps Mary busy.
B) Leave your practice problems on the desk, your homework should be completed, and be ready for tomorrow's test..
C) Jane Harris, who lives in Martinville, sings in their community choir each year.
D) Marsha, John, and Milton take a bicycle ride each evening.

Question 29

Which words are examples of obsolete words?

A) enclosed herewith
B) get over it
C) bottom line
D) unhappy

Question 30

The words that communicate best are usually those that are

A) words that you know best
B) words that will increase the receiver's vocabulary because he or she will need to check a dictionary for the meaning.
C) words slightly below your receiver's vocabulary level
D) words slightly above your receiver's vocabulary level

Question 31

Rewrite the following sentences to omit unnecessary words or phrases.
a. She laid the papers upon the top of the table, which was a dining table.
b. Marjorie printed out three copies of the report on the Jones' case.

Question 32

Provide an alternate word or phrase to make the following words more understandable to a receiver with medium vocabulary level.
a. transcend
b. renounce
c. gaunt
d. deftly
e. depleted

Question 33

Rewrite the following sentences to make the mean clear and concise.
a. Larry Jones, the plant manager, plans to meet with employees on November 12; and the purpose of the meeting is to describe the new medical insurance program that is to be changed the first of the year to provide considerably more coverage at lower cost.
b. When mowing the yard, a bee stung Robin, our neighbor.

Question 34

Which of the following sentences lacks agreement of subject and verb?

A) The fifth grade class has recess at 10 a.m.
B) Mary and Janice go to the grocery each day.
C) Martina or her children were always at home on Saturdays.
D) Each year supervisors reminds their staff of Internet-use policies.

Question 35

Create sentences as directed.
a. Use sentence structure to emphasize the benefits of earning a college degree and de-emphasize the effort to earn it..
b. Use location to emphasize a specific date you will ship a customer's order.

Question 36

For each of the following sentences with passive verbs, rewrite the sentence using the active form of the verb.
a. The last football game of the season was played last Saturday.
b. The stories had been passed down by family members from generation to generation.

Question 37

Give a more specific and precise word or phrase for each italicized word or words in the sentences below.Add necessary details if needed to be more precise.
a. Thomas drove by the elementary school.
b. Daniel cultivated the field with the tractor.
c. What answer did you find on that page in your science textbook?
d. Ming Li is a native of another country.
e. The house on Elm Street was built in 1950.

Question 38

For each of the following sentences, select a strong alternative word for the italicized weak word.
a. The ceiling tile fell to the floor.
b. The referee sent the player out of the game for rough play.
c. The two young men looked much the same.
d. The message presented was strong.
e. The argument between Eugenia and Meredith left both feeling displeasure.

Question 39

Which of the following words is not a transitional word or phrase?

A) second
B) finally
C) for example
D) readily

Question 40

Rewrite the following negative sentences to emphasize positive words or a can-do attitude.
a. Your reasoning is faulty.
b. Don't let the house get dirty.
c. We had clouds and rain three days last week.
d. I cannot go to the convention until Friday.
e. Don't forget the deadline.

Question 41

Discuss the meaning of paragraph unity and what you can do to improve a paragraph without unity.

Question 42

Explain how to avoid use of biased language.

Question 43

Explain why paragraphs in business reports can be somewhat longer than those in business letters and memos.

Question 44

Explain why positive words are usually preferable to negative words, and give an example of when negative words might be preferred.

Question 45

What is paragraph coherence? Describe three ways to improve coherence between and within paragraphs.

Question 46

Explain why short paragraphs are preferred in business letters and memos and why long paragraphs are not preferred.

Question 47

Explain the difference between the direct plan and indirect plan for sentence organization in paragraphs and when each one can be used appropriately.

Question 48

Write a paragraph that explains why active voice of the verb is considered preferable in most cases to the passive voice.

Question 49

Identify and describe five of the eight different ways you can give emphasis to ideas in sentences.

Question 50

What is the meaning of each of the following guidelines for composing clear sentences:a.Give sentences unity.b.Keep related words together.