Deck 5: Revising Your Writing

Question 1

Concrete language is vigorous only if it is sufficiently emotionally charged to stimulate a response.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Your written message will be clearer if it is accurate,makes use of familiar words,and includes a number of dangling expressions.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

You can best help readers grasp your meaning by using old,familiar clichés rather than fresh,original language.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Style consists of the way your message is expressed,including the effectiveness of the words,sentences,paragraphs,and tone.

Question 5

While composing a first draft,you should be less concerned with style and more concerned with getting your ideas down in some form.

Question 6

Rather than eliminating long words from your business communication,use them in moderation when appropriate.

Question 7

Instead of using a longer,somewhat vague word such as substantial,it is better to use a shorter,more specific word such as large.

Question 8

Although informal,slang expressions are vivid and widely understood.

Question 9

To be sure your message is understood,use as much specific jargon as possible when communicating with people outside your organization.

Question 10

A writer using the phrase "thinking outside of the box" would be admired for fresh,original thinking.

Question 11

As long as you use correct grammar,punctuation,and spelling in your business writing,you will be able to communicate your meaning.

Question 12

A cliché is a phrase that has been used for so long that it is not considered original.

Question 13

Because slang words are in use for long periods,people who read business documents that are several years old should have no problem understanding them.

Question 14

You may use long words in your business writing if the language is familiar to you and to your reader.

Question 15

Elements of written communication such as spelling,abbreviations,and punctuation are known as mechanics.

Question 16

Any message that omits key information is not accurate.

Question 17

Completeness is the most important attribute of a business message.

Question 18

Effective communicators avoid slang in business writing because it does not represent standard word usage.

Question 19

A misplaced modifier is one common type of dangling expression.

Question 20

Effective business writers select words to impress their readers by evoking a reaction such as excitement,anger,or amusement.

Question 21

The first clause in a compound sentence receives more emphasis than the second,independent clause.

Question 22

The passive voice focuses attention on the entity receiving the action rather than performing the action.

Question 23

An expletive at the beginning of a sentence can make the subject of the sentence unclear.

Question 24

A sentence that consists of one independent clause that can stand alone as a complete thought is a simple sentence.

Question 25

You should use active-voice verbs to convey negative news tactfully or to reduce emphasis on the doer of the action.

Question 26

The phrase made a payment contains an expletive.

Question 27

You can keep your business writing interesting and express relationships between ideas by varying the pattern and length of your sentences.

Question 28

By substituting a single word for a phrase,you are "getting rid of the lard" in a sentence.

Question 29

When you use the active voice,you are emphasizing the doer rather than the receiver of the action in that sentence.

Question 30

An effective business message includes sentences that range from 22 to 32 words in length.

Question 31

Businesspeople value redundancy in messages because they need more data on which to base their decisions.

Question 32

When you want to give equal weight to two closely related ideas in a single sentence,use a compound sentence.

Question 33

Repeating a particular word in several sentences within a paragraph highlights separate ideas and demonstrates parallelism.

Question 34

Readers will see your writing as unoriginal and even monotonous if you add the ending -ize to transform nouns into verbs (such as agenda into agendize).

Question 35

The three basic sentence types are compound-complex,complex,and simple.

Question 36

Redundancy is an effective method of repeating and reinforcing an idea that you expressed earlier in your message.

Question 37

Hidden verbs weaken sentences because they do not emphasize the main action.

Question 38

Using buzzwords in business writing is a good way to show your familiarity with issues and trends in contemporary media.

Question 39

In some messages,you can save space by stating information and substituting clauses for adjectives or adverbs.

Question 40

The independent clause of a complex sentence should contain the supplemental information.

Question 41

The transitional word nevertheless shows a contrasting relationship.

Question 42

"Our school is not only buying students pens but also buying them pencils" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.

Question 43

The transitional word therefore indicates a step-by-step movement.

Question 44

To summarize a paragraph's content,you should position your topic sentence at the end.

Question 45

Including examples or more analysis in a paragraph helps you develop the main idea.

Question 46

To achieve coherence,effective writers use different terms for the same idea,such as manager and supervisor.

Question 47

When each sentence flows smoothly from the sentence before it and connects smoothly to the sentence after it,the resulting paragraph has coherence.

Question 48

The purpose of a paragraph is to group topic sentences in logical order for the reader's convenience.

Question 49

The length of a paragraph depends on the organization's requirements,not on the reader's comprehension level.

Question 50

The purpose of using transitional words is to integrate the discussion points and unify the paragraphs.

Question 51

Paragraphs provide readers with a physical break,keeping your message from looking either boring and too simplistic or intimidatingly complex.

Question 52

A paragraph lacks unity when it contains sentences or details that are not directly related to the topic.

Question 53

One reason to control paragraph length is to avoid obscuring a key idea that appears in one of the middle paragraphs.

Question 54

Effective writing avoids both redundancy and repetition.

Question 55

A sentence lacks parallelism if similar ideas are expressed using different grammatical structures.

Question 56

Pronouns can bind sentences and ideas together to create a more coherent paragraph.

Question 57

You can signal a change in direction within a message by starting a new sentence to introduce an additional topic.

Question 58

By matching nouns with nouns and adjectives with adjectives,you can achieve parallel structure.

Question 59

"Our school is buying both pens and pencils for students' use" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.

Question 60

The purpose of parallel structure is to connect topic sentences and enhance the unity within a message.

Question 61

Effective communicators do not signal which of the ideas in a message are the most important,because readers should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions.

Question 62

Three mechanical ways to emphasize an idea are enumeration,indenting from the margin,and use of italics.

Question 63

To avoid influencing readers' attitudes toward an idea,you should imply but not actually say that it is of "primary importance."

Question 64

To sound confident,effective writers often use the phrase "I know that" in front of key assertions.

Question 65

Writing "I am sure that you will agree" in a business letter conveys an appropriate level of confidence.

Question 66

Using positive expressions helps you build goodwill among audience members.

Question 67

Putting an idea in a short,simple sentence emphasizes its importance.

Question 68

Readers may think you are unsure of yourself if you use self-conscious phrases such as I hope in your messages.

Question 69

Business writers aim for paragraphs that are 60 to 80 words long,with three or four sentences supporting a single topic sentence.

Question 70

One way to avoid exaggeration and sound more sincere is to use only an appropriate number of modifiers.

Question 71

Believing that your decision is based on sound reasoning increases your risk of writing with less confidence.

Question 72

Using words such as deny and cannot helps you make a positive impression on your audience.

Question 73

A series of short paragraphs helps readers maintain a rhythm in their reading when they are absorbing many new ideas.

Question 74

Adapting your language to the reader's needs helps you convey an appropriately condescending attitude.

Question 75

You can emphasize an idea by putting it into the first or last paragraph.

Question 76

You are acting ethically if you imply but do not state that an idea is much more important than it is.

Question 77

Effective business communicators use a confident,competent tone in their messages but avoid sounding arrogant.

Question 78

Obvious flattery detracts from the sincerity of your message.

Question 79

The statement "I am amazed that you filled in the form correctly" has a courteous tone.

Question 80

Using platitudes will give readers the sense that you have a condescending attitude.