Deck 5: Writing Business Messages

Question 1

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

Answer 1

C
Explanation:C)Bias-free language avoids words and phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics.

Question 2

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)none of the above.

Answer 2

B
Explanation:B)Humor can be effective, but it can also backfire and cause problems and misunderstanding. In a face-to-face meeting you might use humor to charm a client. But in a business message humor is almost never worth the risk.

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

B
Explanation:B)This choice uses plain language. It gets the message across without any unnecessary terms or complexity.

Question 4

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.

Question 5

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.

Question 6

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.

Question 7

Most business communication should aim for a ________ tone.

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

Question 8

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.

Question 9

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 hedge words ("maybe," "perhaps")to demonstrate your knowledge that no issue is fully cut and dried.

Question 10

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.

Question 11

What's the problem with 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.

Question 12

The preferred title for women in business is ________, unless the individual says otherwise.

A)Mrs.
B)Miss
C)Ms.
D)Madam

Question 13

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.

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.

Question 15

In part because of limited opportunities for feedback, written and most forms of electronic communication require ________ than oral communication.

A)less care
B)fewer nouns
C)more tact
D)more informality

Question 16

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.

Question 17

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

Question 18

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 Haymen project, we are not finished with the process audit.

Question 19

Using the term crippled in business communication is an example of

A)the "you" attitude.
B)emphasizing the positive.
C)disability bias.
D)none of the above.

Question 20

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.

Question 21

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.

Question 22

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.

Question 23

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.

Question 24

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.

Question 25

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.

Question 26

You can emphasize key points by

A)using extra words to describe them.
B)making important ideas the subject of the sentence.
C)placing them at the beginning or end of a sentence.
D)doing all of the above.

Question 27

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

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

Question 28

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.

Question 29

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

Question 30

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.

Question 31

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

Question 32

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.

Question 33

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.

Question 34

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

Question 35

Which of the following words are the most abstract?

A)Two, contract, performance comm
B)Software, code, signal
C)Kick, move, walk
D)Productivity, excellence, motivation

Question 36

"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.

Question 37

"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.

Question 38

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.

Question 39

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

A)suppose that you're uninformed.
B)question your professionalism.
C)think that you don't respect them.
D)all of the above.

Question 40

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.

Question 41

A conversational tone is not appropriate for most business messages.

Question 42

Abstract words should be completely avoided in business writing.

Question 43

Bragging about your company's accomplishments can be offensive to readers.

Question 44

Two common examples of ________ are the mission statements of companies and the biographies of executives.

A)key frames
B)boilerplate text
C)pulled quotations
D)automatic writing

Question 45

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

Question 46

Plain language is a style of writing used primarily for communicating to those who do not have a college degree.

Question 47

Being too modest can reduce your credibility with your audience.

Question 48

Which type of software feature inserts a ready-made block of text when you type the first few characters?

A)Machine translation
B)Mail merge
C)Autocompletion
D)Autocorrection

Question 49

When composing a draft, you should never skip to another section of the document until you've finished the current one.

Question 50

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

Question 51

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

Question 52

A piece of text copied from the main body of the document and formatted as a large, eye-catching visual element is known as a

A)boilerplate.
B)pull quote.
C)template.
D)style sheet.

Question 53

To ensure a consistent look for all company documents, many organizations provide employees with approved

A)autocompletion software.
B)spreadsheets.
C)macros.
D)style sheets.

Question 54

Grammarians and professional editors agree on the rules of grammar.

Question 55

Honor and progress are concrete words.

Question 56

You should always avoid using euphemisms, because they are inherently dishonest.

Question 57

Most companies expect you to use texting acronyms in professional business writing.

Question 58

In general, the word "you" should be avoided when you are assigning responsibility for a mistake or problem.

Question 59

"The evaluator noted several shortcomings" is written in the active voice.

Question 60

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

Question 61

When developing paragraphs, you should use only one method within each paragraph and throughout a document.

Question 62

Coherence between thoughts is achieved through the use of transitional words and phrases.

Question 63

"Our clients have become more knowledgeable, and we need to accommodate them" is a complex sentence.

Question 64

Clichés are a valuable tool in business writing, as readers find such words and phrases to be comfortable and familiar.

Question 65

Using the ________ attitude allows you to establish empathy with your audience.

Question 66

Style is the way you use words to achieve a certain ________, or overall impression.

Question 67

The amount of jargon you use in a message should reflect your audience's level of familiarity with your topic.

Question 68

A compound sentence contains one main thought (independent clause)and one or more subordinate thoughts (dependent clauses).

Question 69

Templates and style sheets can both help to ensure a consistent look for all company documents.

Question 70

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

Question 71

________ ________ is a way of presenting information in a simple, unadorned style so that your audience can easily grasp your meaning.

Question 72

If your audience is unfamiliar with you, you need to devote the initial part of your message to establishing ________: a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others.

Question 73

Terms such as "handicapped employees" are examples of ________ bias.

Question 74

Replacing harsh, unpleasant terms with milder words, or ________, can avoid negative connotations for your audience.

Question 75

To avoid embarrassing blunders in language related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability, use ________ language.

Question 76

A sentence is in the ________ voice when the subject performs the action and the object receives the action.

Question 77

"The startup costs on this project increased considerably" is a simple sentence.

Question 78

"If we can't meet the deadline, our losses will be significant" is a compound sentence.

Question 79

In messages that need to deal with difficult negative situations, it is best to emphasize the ________ aspects of your topic.

Question 80

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