Deck 5: Writing Business Messages

Question 1

Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis.

A)We failed to complete the process audit on time.
B)We hope to complete the process audit by Friday.
C)We haven't completed the process audit.
D)Because of Joan's inaccurate figures on the project,we are not finished with the process audit.
E)We wish we could finish this interminable audit.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Regarding the use of the "you" attitude in business communication,

A)cultural differences are not a concern,since it is universally acceptable.
B)it is important to recognize and accommodate cultural differences.
C)you should assume that members of high-context cultures would find it offensive.
D)you should avoid it completely in intercultural communication.
E)its no more complicated than using the word "you" as much as possible.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Bob N.Zing,the Director of Human Resources at CAP Co,Inc.,has to write an internal message to announce impending layoffs across the company.Rather than addressing the layoffs directly,Bob decides to refer to them as restructuring operations and eliminating redundancies.In this case,these euphemisms

A)reflect the standards of ethical information.
B)convey the "you attitude" for delivering bad news.
C)help employees understand the gravity of the situation.
D)fail to meet the "you" attitude test and ethical information standards.
E)place an emotional burden on the reader.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A euphemism is a word or phrase that is

A)possibly offensive.
B)general or abstract in meaning.
C)highly technical.
D)a milder term for one with negative connotations.
E)often difficult to understand.

Question 5

Replacing harsh,unpleasant terms with ________ can help you state your message without using words that may hurt or offend your audience.

A)abstractions
B)euphemisms
C)redundancies
D)idiomatic expressions
E)nouns

Question 6

Written and most forms of digital communication require ________ than oral communication.

A)less care
B)fewer nouns
C)more tact
D)more informality
E)a stronger tone

Question 7

To help foster a more successful environment for communication,use ________ to incorporate high standards of etiquette.

A)biased words
B)the word "you" liberally
C)careful planning when writing for a mobile device
D)redundancies
E)words that trigger negative emotional reactions

Question 8

To improve your audience sensitivity,

A)limit the use of the "you" attitude.
B)use language that is biased towards the audience.
C)tell the audience what type of response you need from them.
D)liberally use terms such as I,me,mine,we,us and ours.
E)maintain good standards of etiquette.

Question 9

Define bias-free language.

Question 10

List three strategies to become more sensitive to your audience's needs.

Question 11

The best way to convey the "you" attitude is to express your message in terms of

A)the needs and interests of your organization.
B)your own personal needs and interests.
C)a universal set of needs and interests.
D)the needs and interests of your audience.
E)the most direct method possible.

Question 12

Use ________ to avoid categorizing or stigmatizing people based on their gender,race,ethnicity,age,level of ability,or other personal characteristics.

A)abstract language
B)descriptive language
C)bias-free language
D)denotative language
E)positive language

Question 13

Whether consciously or not,most readers in the workplace greet incoming messages by

A)anticipating the new knowledge they will gain.
B)setting aside enough time to read every one of them.
C)tossing them all into the trash without opening them.
D)asking the question,"What's in this for me?"
E)looking for bias from the writer

Question 14

It is best to limit your use of the word "you" in business messages if

A)you know your audience well.
B)your organization prefers an informal,personal style.
C)you are filling your audience's informational needs.
D)it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusing.
E)it is being relayed digitally.

Question 15

Which of the following statements that would appear in a business message best reflects the "you" attitude?

A)You failed to enclose a check for $25.
B)We need a check from you for $25 so that we can send the merchandise by May 15.
C)We will send you the merchandise as soon as we receive your check for $25.
D)You will have your merchandise by July 15 if you send us your check for $25 today.
E)Your merchandise will be held until you send us a check for $25.

Question 16

Using the word "young" to describe an employee can have negative implications.

Question 17

Select the sentence with the best "you" attitude.

A)Because your report was poorly written,we cannot accept it.
B)Your report failed to meet company requirements.
C)When we receive a report that is professional,we can act on your recommendations.
D)Once your application is complete,you should receive a response within two weeks.
E)You need to resubmit your report based on your lack of data.

Question 18

When you are criticizing or correcting,it is best to

A)focus on what the audience members can do to improve.
B)emphasize the audience's mistakes so that they will not make the same ones again.
C)be honest and call attention to the audience's failures or shortcomings.
D)single out the guilty audience members as an example for everyone else to learn from.
E)enlist a partner to echo and affirm your negative comments.

Question 19

Adopting a "you" attitude in business writing is simply a matter of using the pronoun "you" as much as possible.

Question 20

Using good standards of etiquette,emphasizing the positive,and using bias-free language are examples of incorporating ________ into a message.

A)audience awareness
B)the "you" attitude
C)connotative language
D)an indirect
E)euphemisms

Question 21

Plain language is a style of writing

A)used only for casual correspondence.
B)designed to make complex materials more understandable to the audience.
C)aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language.
D)inappropriate for business communication.
E)used in industry to describe products and technical issues,but never in professional settings.

Question 22

A sentence is in the active voice when

A)the subject receives the action performed by the object.
B)both the subject and the object receive the action.
C)the subject performs the action and the object receives it.
D)neither the subject nor the object receives the action.
E)the object performs the action and the subject receives it.

Question 23

A conversational tone is not appropriate for most business messages.

Question 24

Audience responses to your messages depend heavily on your ________,a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others.

A)persona
B)savoir-faire
C)credibility
D)audience awareness
E)performance

Question 25

Using the passive voice makes sense when

A)you want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
B)you want your sentence to be easier to understand.
C)you need to make your sentences shorter.
D)you want to emphasize the subject.
E)you are unsure what action the subject of the sentence will take.

Question 26

Why should writers avoid phrases such as,"attached please find" and "we are in receipt of"?

A)They are rude.
B)They are too intimate.
C)They are stale and pompous.
D)They involve preaching and bragging.
E)They are too conversational.

Question 27

The term ________ refers to the overall impression of your messages.

A)tone
B)climate
C)style
D)dialect
E)medium

Question 28

You can build credibility by letting your audience know that you believe in yourself and your message.

Question 29

To build,maintain,or repair your credibility,emphasize

A)why the audience should agree with and welcome your message.
B)become emotionally invested in your message.
C)explain to the audience why the message is important to them.
D)impressive communication skills.
E)sincerity by pointing out specific qualities that warrant praise.

Question 30

Most business communication should aim for a ________ tone.

A)formal
B)colloquial
C)conversational
D)confrontational
E)passive

Question 31

Using humor in business messages is

A)an effective way to build strong relationships with international clients you are not familiar with.
B)usually not effective,and is always inappropriate for formal and intercultural messages.
C)appropriate for external messages,but never for internal.
D)expected in virtually every profession.
E)a method to support the use of the "you" attitude.

Question 32

Identify the voice in the following sentence: "Based on negative client feedback,the marketing department abandoned the campaign."

A)active
B)passive
C)vocative
D)state of being
E)conversational

Question 33

List at least three personal characteristics that can help establish credibility with your audience.

Question 34

Which of the following sentences contains the strongest and most effective wording?

A)Given the parameters of the situation,the most propitious choice would be to make adjustments in certain budget areas.
B)We need to cut the operating budget by 12 percent or profits will decrease.
C)Someone's going to need to do some budget cutting around here or heads will roll.
D)Perusal of budgetary figures reveals that a 12 percent reduction in operations is called for if we are to stave off a negative impact on profits.
E)Having dissected the latest budget figures,it is clear to me that we have a real need to re-examine our priorities and revamp the budget along the lines I have suggested herein.

Question 35

To establish credibility with your audience,you should

A)impress them with a long list of your accomplishments.
B)be modest and deferential.
C)show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.
D)use hedging words ("maybe," "perhaps")to demonstrate you're willing to tell your audience what they want to hear.
E)directly state that you know more about your topic than they do.

Question 36

In business messages,using terms such as "if," "hope," and "trust" is

A)usually a bad idea since it takes away from the writer's credibility.
B)a good way to show your modesty.
C)common courtesy.
D)acceptable for very formal contexts.
E)a way to display a "you" attitude.

Question 37

What is the difference between delivering negative news and being negative?

Question 38

Using the active voice is helpful when you

A)want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
B)want to point out what's being done,without giving credit or assigning blame.
C)want to make your writing more direct,livelier,and easier to read.
D)need to avoid personal pronouns in order to create an objective tone.
E)are unsure what action the subject of your sentence will take.

Question 39

In workplace writing,doing all of the following except ________ will help you achieve a tone that is conversational yet still businesslike.

A)using text messaging acronyms throughout the message
B)being careful about the use of humor in the message
C)being careful about the level of intimacy in the message
D)avoiding stale and pompous language in the message
E)avoiding preaching and bragging

Question 40

The acronyms and shortcuts used in texting and IM are

A)incompatible with professional business writing.
B)your ticket to the inside track in today's multinational corporations.
C)a great way to show coworkers and managers that you're tech-savvy.
D)commonly used to communicate with top management.
E)best used with customers and suppliers.

Question 41

Discuss the difference between connotative and denotative words,and when each might be appropriate to use in business writing.

Question 42

When choosing words to convey a message,successful writers pay attention to

A)convenience and mannerisms.
B)correctness and effectiveness.
C)metaphors and euphemisms.
D)connotation and vocalization.
E)using words that don't convey too much power.

Question 43

The ________ meaning of a word is its literal,dictionary meaning; the ________ meaning includes all the associations and feelings it evokes.

A)connotative; denotative
B)objective; subjective
C)denotative; connotative
D)transactional; transcendental
E)euphemistic; subjective

Question 44

Most ________ express a concept,quality,or characteristic.Most ________ represent something you can see,touch,or visualize.

A)abstract words; concrete words
B)interpretive words; explanatory words
C)incisive words; generalized words
D)selective words; common words
E)generalized; abstract

Question 45

What is the difference between tone and style in business writing?

Question 46

When choosing words that communicate well with the audience,a writer should focus on using

A)unfamiliar but professional sounding words.
B)jargon.
C)buzzwords.
D)a limited use of nouns.
E)precise words.

Question 47

Explain what it means to choose "words that communicate well," then list four techniques for selecting the best words when writing business messages.

Question 48

In business communication,it is best to use words that are low in connotative meaning.

Question 49

When communicating with members of the same,specialized field,the use of ________ can be an efficient way to convey complex ideas quickly.

A)clichés
B)buzzwords
C)anecdotes
D)jargon
E)simple sentences

Question 50

The ________ of a word is its literal or dictionary meaning.

A)figurative meaning
B)denotative meaning
C)connotative meaning
D)contextual meaning
E)euphemistic meaning

Question 51

How is the denotative meaning of a word different from its connotative meaning?

Question 52

Briefly explain the difference between the active voice and the passive voice.Include an example of each one.

Question 53

List at least three guidelines to follow if you want to achieve a conversational tone in business messages.

Question 54

If your workplace writing contains grammar errors and word choice mistakes,your readers will

A)be understanding if they are an internal audience member.
B)question your professionalism.
C)expect some grammatical errors since everyone is busy.
D)probably not notice thanks to spelling and grammar checking features of word processing software.
E)be surprised that autocorrect features of word processing software did not catch them.

Question 55

The connotative meaning of a word is

A)its dictionary meaning.
B)its literal meaning.
C)all the associations and feelings the word evokes.
D)its objective meaning.
E)lacking in the ability to be interpreted based on circumstance.

Question 56

As you create and refine your messages,evaluate your writing at all of the following levels except

A)strong words.
B)effective sentences.
C)coherent paragraphs.
D)multimedia enhancements.
E)use of words that convey power.

Question 57

List three situations in which the passive voice can help you demonstrate the "you" attitude.

Question 58

When you begin to write your first draft of a message,

A)try to write and edit at the same time.
B)make the draft as perfect as possible to save time later.
C)show the draft to several others to gain feedback.
D)start with an introduction,and then move to the body of the message.
E)be as creative as possible.

Question 59

Some terms and phrases called ________ have become so common that they have lost some of their power to communicate,and ________ are newly coined terms often associated with technology,business,or cultural changes.

A)euphemisms; idioms
B)clichés; buzzwords
C)colloquialisms; clichés
D)pull quotes; derivations
E)idioms; colloquialisms

Question 60

Which of the following words are the most abstract?

A)two,contract,performance
B)software,code,signal
C)kick,move,walk
D)productivity,excellence,motivation
E)chair,table,horse

Question 61

You can emphasize key points by

A)using few,but strong,words to describe them.
B)making less important ideas the subject of the topic sentence.
C)placing them at the end of the paragraph.
D)using several simple sentences in a row.
E)giving the most important points the most space.

Question 62

"Although our servers are stable,the telephone system is a serious concern" is a

A)simple sentence.
B)compound sentence.
C)complex sentence.
D)compound-complex sentence.
E)simple-compound sentence.

Question 63

To downplay a dependent clause in a complex sentence,you should

A)place it at the beginning of the sentence.
B)place it at the end of the sentence.
C)place it in the middle of the sentence.
D)set it off with a semicolon.
E)use two simple sentences.

Question 64

In which of the following situations are transitional elements useful?

A)eliminating a shift in ideas between paragraphs
B)isolating specific points within a paragraph
C)linking major sections or chapters in a long report
D)eliminating a string of nouns
E)switching from historic information to current information

Question 65

Identify and define the four basic varieties of sentences.

Question 66

________ sentences express one main thought and one or more subordinate thoughts related to it.

A)Complex
B)Compound
C)Confounded
D)Compound-complex
E)Conjoined

Question 67

In business writing,the topic sentence of a paragraph is

A)usually implied and is rarely included in the paragraph.
B)generally explicit and is often the first sentence in the paragraph.
C)often vague and is usually placed in the middle of the paragraph.
D)most often understated and normally is the last sentence in the paragraph.
E)used to present specific data for the reader.

Question 68

To emphasize a dependent clause,it is better to place it at the end of a sentence rather than in the middle.

Question 69

A typical paragraph contains the three basic elements of

A)a topic sentence,support sentences,and transitional words and phrases.
B)simple,compound,and complex sentences followed by compound-complex sentences.
C)the main idea,supporting ideas,and evidence.
D)a problem,discussion,and a solution.
E)strengths,weaknesses,and opportunities.

Question 70

Which of the following is a compound sentence?

A)Interest rates are low,and now is an excellent time to buy a home.
B)Because interest rates are low,now is an excellent time to buy a home.
C)Low interest rates make this an excellent time to buy a home.
D)With interest rates low,now is an excellent time to buy a home.
E)Interest rates are low.

Question 71

"Insurance premiums have increased,and cost-of-living raises have not kept up" is a

A)simple sentence.
B)compound sentence.
C)complex sentence.
D)compound-complex sentence.
E)simple-compound sentence.

Question 72

If a writer focuses on the similarities and differences of a topic to compose a paragraph,then he or she is using the ________ approach.

A)connotative and denotative
B)problem and solution
C)comparison or contrast
D)cause and effect
E)illustration

Question 73

In ________ paragraph,a writer analyzes the reasons for and/or the consequences of an action,an event,or a decision.

A)an illustration
B)a comparison and contrast
C)a cause and effect
D)a problem and solution
E)an augmentation

Question 74

Words such as "nevertheless," "however," "but," and "therefore"

A)are called pointer words.
B)introduce modifiers.
C)occur only in complex sentences.
D)are useful for making transitions.
E)are used as connotative words.

Question 75

A complex sentence consists of

A)two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
B)a single subject and a single predicate plus any modifying phrases.
C)two or more independent clauses along with all modifying phrases.
D)one main thought and one or more subordinate thoughts.
E)words that are hard to understand.

Question 76

________ sentences express two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance,usually joined by a coordinating conjunction.

A)Complex
B)Compound
C)Conjoined
D)Compound-complex
E)Simple-active

Question 77

Skillful writers use transitional elements to

A)automate text entry and correction.
B)track footnotes and endnotes.
C)ensure consistent formatting throughout a document.
D)connect ideas and show the relationships between them.
E)reinforce the "you" attitude.

Question 78

Consider the following sentence: "Employee turnover has decreased significantly this quarter,so even though you may question Sam's training methods,you'll have to admit that his results are impressive." What type of sentence does it represent?

A)compound
B)complex
C)congruent
D)compound-complex
E)simple-run on

Question 79

Effective paragraphs are both ________ (focused on a single idea)and ________ (organized logically).

A)brief; constrained
B)intense; systematic
C)unified; coherent
D)dense; collated
E)simple; specific

Question 80

When you want to develop a paragraph by showing how a general idea is broken into specific categories,which of these methods would you use?

A)illustration
B)comparison and contrast
C)cause and effect
D)classification
E)problem and solution