Deck 3: Routine and Informational Messages

Question 1

Which of the following is not an example of a routine informational message?

A) An acceptance message
B) A positive answer to a request
C) A positive or neutral announcement
D) A sales pitch

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is true when writing routine messages?

A) You do not need to analyze your audience.
B) You do not need to be persuasive.
C) You need to attend to your audience's needs.
D) You never use a direct approach.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is the desired outcome of well-thought-out workplace messages?

A) To increase discussion of the topic
B) To prevent user response
C) To reduce multiple exchanges on the same topic
D) To distract readers with the form of the message

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is sentence Pattern 1 (simple) not useful for?

A) Delivering complex information
B) Showing the relationship between ideas
C) Adding impact to your assertion
D) Delivering instructions

Question 5

What should you do when writing routine messages?

A) Assume your readers will reject the message
B) Tactfully convince your audience with your controversial topic
C) Use an indirect approach
D) Use a direct approach

Question 6

Your marketing professor asks you to draw a chart representing Maple Leaf's market share figures in North America. What is the benefit of presenting this information in a chart?

A) To avoid getting into details
B) To not waste time writing out the details
C) To help visualize the data and illustrate what the market share figures mean to the company and the industry
D) To avoid writing a conclusion

Question 7

Which of the following will not be on a checklist for writing routine requests?

A) Use a direct approach
B) Provide enough information to enable the reader to act on the request
C) Clearly explain any deadlines
D) Make sure you do not include any goodwill statements

Question 8

Which of the following does not enhance the readability of a memo?

A) Including headings
B) Using white space to separate paragraphs
C) Using bulleted and numbered lists
D) Indenting the paragraphs of the memo

Question 9

Which sentence pattern does the following sentence fall into? While the students took notes, the professor continued to lecture.

A) Pattern 1 (simple)
B) Pattern 2 (compound)
C) Pattern 3 (complex)
D) Pattern 4 (compound-complex)

Question 10

What can you expect of your audience when writing a direct message?

A) To receive the message with a grain of salt
B) To find the message controversial
C) To be positive or neutral about the content of the message
D) To be hostile or resistant to the message

Question 11

Which of the following is a routine informational message?

A) The layoff of an employee
B) A sales pitch
C) A fundraising letter
D) Announcement of first quarter sales that are higher than last year's first quarter sales

Question 12

The student body at your university is announcing the results of a survey about students' preferred on-campus food. Which of the following is the most effective subject line for the announcement?

A) Survey of students' preferences in regards to on-campus food
B) Students' On-Campus Food Preferences
C) Students' Survey Results
D) What Type of Food Do You Like?

Question 13

Which of the following subject lines will entice the student body to read Ling's Business Students' Society e-newsletter?

A) The September Issue
B) Ling's Business Students' Society News
C) What Have We Been Up To?
D) Students' Guide to Success

Question 14

What do you do in a routine informational message?

A) State the purpose of the message in the opening paragraph
B) Open with a joke to appear friendly
C) Write the purpose of your message in the middle paragraph
D) Never include a signature block

Question 15

Your first assignment in a Business Communications class is to write a direct request letter to a business of your choice, asking it to collaborate with you on writing a report on its external communications. Which of the following closing sentences is the most effective?

A) If you e-mail me the information by January 20^th, I will share the external communication report with you on February 21^st.
B) I trust that you will find the report beneficial, so please send me the information at your earliest convenience.
C) I hope that you can share the information with me.
D) To send me the information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

Question 16

If you were not sure how to organize the information in a report, what would you do?

A) Focus on your needs and put them first
B) Find out how your audience is going to use the information, and organize the report to attend to your readers' needs
C) Use whatever approach you are familiar with
D) Share the information in chronological order

Question 17

Which of the following is true about a memo?

A) It is an advertisement tool.
B) It is an internal document used to communicate with people within your organization
C) It is an external document used to communicate with people outside your organization.
D) It is a versatile format that can be used for both external and internal communications.

Question 18

Which of the following is most effective in enhancing the readability of an informational report?

A) Headings and subheadings
B) Bolded, italicized, and underlined headings
C) Colourful fonts
D) Uppercase letters

Question 19

What do you do in the opening paragraph of an informational memo report?

A) Include social comments.
B) Write the order in which you gathered the report information.
C) Explain the methodology you used to gather the report information.
D) Provide an overview of the report content.

Question 20

Which of the following sentences uses active voice?

A) $500 was received by Saskatchewan SPCA
B) Saskatchewan SPCA received $500 in donations
C) $500 was raised by Saskatchewan SPCA
D) $500 was donated to Saskatchewan SPCA

Question 21

In routine positive messages, you start with the good news, or the most important information from the audience's perspective.

Question 22

You do not need to revise, edit, and proofread business messages sent via instant messaging.

Question 23

When laying off employees, managers should avoid in-person communications.

Question 24

In memo reports, writers should avoid bulleted lists because they take up a lot of space.

Question 25

It is best to err on the side of informality rather than formality.

Question 26

The way you arrange words in a sentence can dramatically affect how your message is received by your audience.

Question 27

Routine informational messages still need to be persuasive.

Question 28

When introducing yourself in a new workplace, you just need to be yourself. In other words, you do not need to have a professional tone.

Question 29

Memos and letters do not have to have subject lines.

Question 30

In his book, Understanding Media, Marshal McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." How can your choice of communication channel help in delivering an effective message in the workplace?

Question 31

Your friend, Sasha, a Vertical Marketing intern at Facebook, has conducted research on the most popular social media platforms. Knowing that you are taking a Business Communications class, she asks for your help in presenting her findings to her direct manager. Drawing on material from the textbook, what advice would you give her?

Question 32

In what ways does the standard format of a memo attend to its audience's needs?

Question 33

According to your textbook, the persuasion strategy you use depends on your purpose and audience analysis. Which persuasion strategy is most effective when you expect quick agreement? Why?

Question 34

What are the main elements of a direct persuasive request?

Question 35

As a marketing intern you've conducted industry research by gathering information; evaluating the information for validity, reliability, and currency; and analyzing it to produce your research report. Although, you have documented most of your sources, you realize that you have not kept track of all of your sources. Should you deliver the report without citing all your sources? Why?

Question 36

As an intern in the product development department at a leading FMCG company, you are part of a team working on the development and launch of a new variant of the company's leading shampoo brand. Your boss asks you for a written update on the status of the project. What type of report would you write? How would you adapt the tone, format, and organization of the report to meet its purpose and its audience's needs?

Question 37

Your TA reminds you to use form and structure to enhance the readability of the marketing plan progress report you are writing for class. How can you enhance the readability of this progress report?

Question 38

In her 2014 article published in the Harvard Business Review, Carolyn O'Hara says, "Knowing how to fashion an interesting and intelligent sentence is essential to communicating effectively, winning business, and setting yourself apart." How can you make your writing interesting to read?

Question 39

Explain and give examples for three grammatical structural patterns discussed in your textbook.