Deck 6: Completing Business Messages

Question 1

When you edit someone else's work without knowing their goal,you run the risk of making the piece less effective.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

When you begin the ________,focus your attention on content,organization,style,and tone.

A)production process
B)editing process
C)revision process
D)research process

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When reviewing the conclusion,you must make sure the recommendations are complete.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

During the revision process,how should you treat the most important ideas in a message?

A)Verify your research
B)Use bold and italics generously to highlight important ideas
C)Prioritize ideas based on corporate norms
D)Do a second pass at the outline to make sure you hit all the key points
E)Make sure they get the most attention in the document and are in the most prominent positions

Question 5

Which of the following should be the goal of a well-written document?

A)To verbally and nonverbally convey the intended message
B)A mobile friendly typeface
C)Visual appeal
D)Understanding the readers intent
E)A high score on a readability index

Question 6

In business communication,the ________ of a message usually have the greatest impact on the readers.

A)body paragraphs
B)appendix sections
C)topics and subtopics
D)beginning and ending sections

Question 7

Which of the following should be considered during the first round of proofreading and revision?

A)Checking spelling and grammar
B)Making sure visual aids match the text
C)Inserting heading and subheadings
D)Including all the key points researched
E)Making sure the document accomplishes its goals

Question 8

When reviewing a message for organization what should you look for?

A)Enough information to satisfy the readers needs
B)If the reader has enough background information to understand the message
C)If all the information is accurate
D)All points are covered in a logical order
E)If the information is relevant to the audience

Question 9

Why is it important to revise messages carefully?

A)To verify the research
B)To ensure the message gets results
C)To compose it based on writer's needs
D)To keep the message flexible and unfocused
E)To allow the message to be viewed on a mobile device

Question 10

During the revision process,when does it make the most sense to review the organization of a message?

A)After you have verified that you have the right content
B)Right before printing or sending,as a final quality check
C)While you are reviewing technical issues such as typeface selection
D)After you replace all the headings
E)During proofreading

Question 11

Which of the following will an audience judge based on the quality of your writing?

A)The depth of the research
B)The focus of the topic sentences
C)The amount of time spent proofreading
D)The quality of your thinking
E)The readability index

Question 12

Briefly explain what the opening of a document should accomplish.

Question 13

Which of the following is an important point to verify when you are evaluating the content of a draft?

A)That the primary readers are clearly identified
B)That all information is accurate,relevant,and complete
C)That no points are repeated
D)That headings and subheadings are incorporated
E)That all information is given the same space and attention

Question 14

Which of these is an important goal when you are evaluating the content of a message?

A)Verifying that it's easy to identify sources of information
B)Making sure all ideas get the same amount of space
C)Ensuring a good balance of general and specific information
D)Verifying that the message is long enough for corporate guidelines
E)Showing an interesting use of color and contrast

Question 15

After ensuring a document accomplishes its goals,what should be looked at in the next review of the document?

A)Readability,clarity,and conciseness
B)Proper channel
C)Audience analysis
D)Mechanics
E)Format

Question 16

Which of the following should be the goal when evaluating and revising the work of others?

A)Rewriting the message in your style
B)Adding interest to the message
C)Making the piece more effective
D)Changing the emphasis of the message
E)Helping the writer learn editing skills

Question 17

When you need to revise a long,complex document

A)start the process as soon as you've finished your first draft.
B)start by focusing on misspelled words and grammar errors.
C)save time by multitasking while you're revising the document.
D)try to put your draft aside for a couple of days before you start.

Question 18

The optimum amount of time and effort required for the revision step depends on

A)Whether you've chosen the direct or indirect approach
B)Whether you initiated the message or it was assigned to you
C)The medium you've chosen and the nature of your message
D)Your status in the organization
E)The action you are asking your readers to take

Question 19

Revising your message is important because readers are likely to equate the quality of your writing with the quality of your thinking.

Question 20

During which part of the review process should you check to see if a better arrangement of information would be more effective?

A)When evaluating for content
B)When evaluating for organization
C)When evaluating for style
D)When evaluating for tone
E)When evaluating for accuracy

Question 21

Which of the following is one way to make a document easier to skim and allow the reader to quickly find key ideas?

A)Keep sentence length consistent
B)Use shorter paragraphs
C)Avoid lists and bullets
D)Build a strong narrative
E)Eliminate headings and subheadings

Question 22

The ________ assesses the readability of a document by ranking it on a 100-point scale.

A)Plain Language manifesto
B)Carnegie Readability ratio
C)Flesch Reading Ease formula
D)Simplified Technical English equation

Question 23

To make a message visually inviting and easy to read,what is the ideal length for most paragraphs?

A)One screen of a mobile device
B)Short to medium
C)At least one page
D)Between 300 and 500 words
E)One sentence

Question 24

In what way can headings help the reader understand the organization of a message?

A)Headings always give away key conclusions
B)Headings prevent readers from superficially skimming
C)Headings label groups of related paragraphs
D)Headings keep paragraph length to a minimum
E)Headings can replace bullet points

Question 25

Which of these is a potential benefit of making sure all your messages are well crafted efforts that respect the audience's time?

A)You will no longer be tasked with writing routine messages
B)You'll be more popular with audience members
C)You will be able to proofread the work of others,gaining insight into organizational activities.
D)If you earn a strong reputation as a writer,you will no longer need to provide supporting evidence
E)People will pay more attention to your work in the future

Question 26

Readability indexes measure ________,so they offer a useful reference point for improving your writing.

A)style and syntax
B)sentence length
C)tone of voice
D)proper word usage

Question 27

When does it make the most sense to review the readability of a document?

A)During the research phase
B)Right after you assess the audience's reading level
C)After the target audience has received and read it
D)After you have confirmed its content,organization,style,and tone
E)While you are writing it

Question 28

Which of the following is a good way to make a key point stand out when it is in a long paragraph?

A)Start the paragraph with the conclusion
B)Add bullet points to the paragraph
C)Highlight the conclusion with a short sentence
D)Highlight or italicize the key evidence
E)Break the paragraph into several smaller paragraphs

Question 29

Using short paragraphs will help you improve the readability of your business messages because

A)they will make your writing look inviting.
B)they can help you emphasize your ideas.
C)they are easier to read than long paragraphs.
D)all of the above.

Question 30

________ headings identify a topic but do little more; ________ headings guide readers to think in certain ways about a topic.

A)Topical; interrogative
B)Universal; relational
C)Descriptive; informative
D)First level; second level

Question 31

How can you provide meaningful feedback to other writers when reviewing their work?

Question 32

When would medium-length sentences be most effective in a document?

A)When the writer wants to alert the reader as to what will follow
B)When summing up information for non-native English speakers
C)When information needs to be processed quickly
D)When a specific point needs to be made
E)When the writer wants to show relationships among ideas

Question 33

Which of the following is an advantage of using short sentences?

A)They are useful for showing relationships
B)They quickly convey complex ideas
C)They effectively summarize previous information
D)They can be processed quickly
E)They can quickly alert the reader as to what will follow

Question 34

Business writers use bulleted and numbered lists to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT

A)simplifying complex subjects.
B)helping readers locate key points.
C)enhancing the visual impact of their ideas.
D)adding decorative elements to their messages.

Question 35

Skillful writers use informative headings and subheadings to

A)conceal the basic structure of the document.
B)guide readers to think a certain way about the topics covered.
C)add a decorative flair to mundane documents.
D)take up space so the document doesn't look too short.

Question 36

Why is it important to revise the first draft of your writing?

Question 37

Which of the following is a good way to improve the readability of a message?

A)Make it easy to skim
B)Avoid lists and bullets
C)Highlight every key detail
D)Use long paragraphs
E)Avoid all use of jargon

Question 38

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using too many short sentences in a document?

A)The writing becomes choppy
B)Short sentences will lack the punch and impact of longer sentences
C)Short sentences usually have complicated structures
D)Short sentences are more difficult to skim
E)Short sentences don't contain enough information to be usable

Question 39

What should be your focus when you evaluate the content and organization of your message?

Question 40

When you're writing a business message,use headings and subheadings to

A)reveal how your document is organized.
B)capture the attention of your readers.
C)indicate shifts from one idea to the next.
D)all of the above.

Question 41

Which of the following will help improve the clarity of a document?

A)Incorporate hedging sentences
B)Vary parallel construction
C)Break up overly long sentences
D)Add dangling modifiers
E)Use noun sequences whenever possible

Question 42

Which of the following is an example of a hedging sentence?

A)The employee's performance appears to be less than satisfactory.
B)The deadline is next Tuesday.
C)The financial statement needs to have two sections.
D)None of the above are hedging.

Question 43

Which of the following is an advantage of using specific pointers instead of words such as "the above mentioned," "the former," and "the latter"?

A)Clarification of sentence structure
B)Elimination of awkward references
C)Replaced camouflaged verbs
D)Parallelism
E)Corrected dangling modifiers

Question 44

When you are reviewing for clarify,what are the three areas you should review?

A)Readability,persuasion,and effectiveness
B)Paragraph organization,sentence structure,and word choices
C)Spelling,grammar,and other mechanical issues
D)Sentence length,sentence strength,and word power
E)Short words,medium sentences,and long paragraphs

Question 45

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of various sentence structures.

Question 46

How is parallel construction used in writing?

Question 47

Briefly describe at least three advantages of using lists in business documents.

Question 48

Which of the following can be used to help the reader transition from one key idea to the next?

A)Long sentences that explain structure
B)Bullets
C)A series of short sentences
D)Headings and subheadings
E)Short paragraphs

Question 49

How descriptive headings differ from informative headings?

A)Descriptive headings require more creative skill to write
B)Descriptive headings target the primary audience segment; informative headings target secondary readers
C)Descriptive headings are always longer and more detailed
D)They are essentially identical
E)Descriptive headings simply identify section topics without giving away conclusions or recommendations

Question 50

Which of the following can be used to show that ideas are related and of similar importance?

A)A variety of grammar tools
B)Multiple nouns to replace a single noun
C)Clarification of awkward references
D)Keeping the subject and predicate as close as possible
E)Parallel grammatical construction

Question 51

Although you should vary the length of paragraphs in your business messages,in general you should strive for short paragraphs.

Question 52

Readers can get a more out of a document just by reading its descriptive headings than by reading its informative headings.

Question 53

Briefly explain the difference between descriptive headings and informative headings.

Question 54

Which of the following helps clarify sentence structure?

A)Keeping the subject and predicate as close together as possible
B)Incorporating references
C)Using camouflaged verbs to replace adjectives
D)Using long words and phrases
E)Adding redundancy

Question 55

Which of the following is achieved by removing unneeded words and phrases from a document?

A)Clarity
B)Mechanics
C)Conciseness
D)Readability
E)Organization

Question 56

What three functions do effective headings serve in business documents? Explain each one.

Question 57

What does it mean to avoid hedging whenever possible?

A)Adding predictions as facts
B)Using modifiers
C)Incorporating parallel construction
D)Using confident,definitive statements rather than weak,tentative statements
E)Building a logical order to the information

Question 58

Headings should identify the topic,and do nothing else.

Question 59

In what way do informative headings help the reader save time?

A)The reader can gain knowledge of the topic from the headings and subheadings without reading the entire document
B)The reader can identify keywords in the heading and read only sections of interest
C)The parallel construction used in the headings will allow for emphasis of key ideas
D)Informative headings are "mini paragraphs" about key topics
E)Informative headings will invite the audience to read further

Question 60

Do all of the following EXCEPT ________ when you're editing a document for conciseness.

A)eliminate redundancies
B)shorten long words and phrases
C)delete unnecessary words and phrases
D)convert sentences to "it is" or "there are" structures

Question 61

A ________ is a verb that has been changed into a noun or an adjective.

A)transitive verb
B)transformed predicate
C)predicate nominative
D)camouflaged verb

Question 62

When you have two or more similar ideas to express in writing,use parallelism to show that the ideas

A)are related.
B)of similar importance.
C)are on the same level of generality.
D)all of the above.

Question 63

Clarity can be improved by looking closely at organization,structure,and word choices.

Question 64

What can be done to make a message more concise?

Question 65

When editing for conciseness,which of the following should be eliminated?

A)Headings
B)Verbs
C)"It is" and "There are" starters
D)Short paragraphs
E)Bullets and lists

Question 66

When you're using digital media to write a message,you don't need to worry about grammar,spelling,or clarity.

Question 67

Briefly describe two strategies for clarifying sentence structure.

Question 68

Word combinations such as basic fundamentals,anonymous stranger,and future plans are examples of

A)predicates.
B)redundancies.
C)squinting modifiers.
D)camouflaged verbs.

Question 69

"Visible to the eye" is an example of

A)a cliché.
B)a redundancy.
C)the passive voice.
D)obsolete language.

Question 70

What are word combinations that essentially say the same thing as single words?

A)Redundancies
B)Starters
C)Clarifiers
D)Hedges
E)Nouns

Question 71

Doing all of the following EXCEPT ________ will improve the message's readability.

A)using a mix of short,medium,and long sentences
B)using bulleted and numbered lists to emphasize key points
C)using headings and subheadings to make the document easy to skim
D)making sure that the information is accurate,relevant,and sufficient

Question 72

Describe steps that will help when editing for clarity.

Question 73

What should be your focus when editing for conciseness?

A)Building simple sentences
B)Making sure each word contributes to an effective sentence and each sentence helps build a coherent paragraph
C)Replacing paragraphs with bullets and lists
D)Ensuring consistent tone throughout
E)Checking readability

Question 74

When a document is short and concise,readers will feel that not enough time was devoted to the writing process.

Question 75

To increase the sophistication of your message,make liberal use of references such as "the latter," "the former," "the aforementioned," and "as mentioned above."

Question 76

Which of the following describes the total effect of the page or screen design,graphics,typography,and other aspects that help to display professionalism in a message?

A)Mechanically sound
B)Document starters
C)Incorporating clarifiers
D)Information appeal
E)Production quality

Question 77

Which of the following is an advantage of using short words and phrases in a document?

A)They eliminate non-essential words
B)Redundancies can be added
C)It is easier to begin the sentences with "It is" or "There are" starters
D)The sentence structure is clarified
E)They tend to be more vivid and easier to read

Question 78

How do overly long sentences affect the quality of the writing?

A)They over-qualify a sentence,making the writing more meaningful
B)They cause dissimilar construction for similar ideas and add interest
C)They cause nouns and verbs to have the wrong modifiers
D)They make the writing less effective by overdoing the idea of complex sentences
E)They can change verbs to nouns,making the writing less effective

Question 79

Explain why editing for conciseness is important,then list the four steps it involves.

Question 80

Which of the following can be done to edit a document for conciseness?

A)Clarify awkward references
B)Clarify sentence structure
C)Replace camouflaged verbs
D)Delete unnecessary words and phrases
E)Impose parallelism