Deck 21: Making Oral Presentations

Question 1

Writing reports includes five basic steps.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In some organizations, a report is a long document or a document that contains numerical data.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Reports can just provide information, but they never provide both information and analyze it.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Before you draft a proposal, you need to complete at least half of your research.

Question 5

Good report problems grow out of real problems.

Question 6

Proposals are used to report information about a project that has already been completed.

Question 7

It's not really necessary to understand the questions that your report will answer before you write a purpose statement.

Question 8

You should follow the RFP exactly when you write a proposal.

Question 9

You can use a chart to organize your work schedule in the proposal.

Question 10

In a proposal for funding from a charitable foundation, you should stress the needs that your project will meet.

Question 11

A good budget is critical to making the winning bid-ask for everything you need to do a quality job.

Question 12

Hot buttons are issues to which your audience has a strong emotional response.

Question 13

In a task progress report, organize your information under the various tasks you have worked on during the period.

Question 14

Task progress reports can use headings.

Question 15

It's incorrect to use memo format for reports.

Question 16

Organizations that write reports usually are large; smaller organizations tend to handle information more informally through conversations.

Question 17

A report can be as simple as a series of PowerPoint slides bound together and submitted for people's review.

Question 18

You should write a purpose statement before you define the problem; after all, how can you define anything without understanding the purpose?

Question 19

RFP means Reasons for Funding the Program.

Question 20

Government agencies and companies rarely use RFPs; instead, they expect vendors to routinely pitch products and services to them.

Question 21

Proposals for class research projects typically do not include an "Audience"section, since audience is unimportant for a classroom assignment.

Question 22

In the Call to Action, you should avoid welcoming any suggestions your instructor may have, as those issues should already have been covered in the proposal.

Question 23

Progress reports are unnecessary unless you have a project that will take many months to finish.

Question 24

Never inflate the cost of doing a job in your proposal.

Question 25

Progress reports never make recommendations.

Question 26

All progress reports should use a chronological pattern of organization.

Question 27

A good purpose statement makes all of the following clear EXCEPT

A) The organizational problem or conflict.
B) The specific technical questions that must be answered to solve the problem.
C) The rhetorical purpose the report is designed to achieve.
D) The audience the report has been written for.
E) B and D

Question 28

All of the following are questions a proposal should answer convincingly EXCEPT

A) What problem are you going to solve?
B) Can you deliver what you promise?
C) How much will you charge?
D) When will you invoice the organization for any charges?
E) What benefits can you offer?

Question 29

Which of the following would normally NOT be included in the Audience section of a proposal for a class research project?

A) Who in the organization has the power to implement your recommendation.
B) What audiences would be affected by your recommendation.
C) How much the audience knows about the topic of your report.
D) When you will interview your primary audience.
E) All of the above would be included.

Question 30

Which of the following is the BEST reason to use positive emphasis in a progress report?

A) To hope your teacher doesn't notice that you really haven't done any work yet.
B) To create an image of yourself as a capable, confident worker.
C) To keep your boss from realizing until the project is complete that you have completely changed the direction of your project.
D) To deemphasize the fact that you have already used up all the money allocated to the project.
E) All are equally good reasons to use positive emphasis.

Question 31

Which of the following kinds of reports do NOT provide information plus analysis?

A) Annual Reports.
B) Feasibility Reports.
C) Audit Reports.
D) Make-Good Reports.
E) B and D

Question 32

You receive a report that provides a detailed description of the data collected for a recent project. The writer makes observations about the data but offers no recommendation. This is what kind of report?

A) Audit.
B) Annual.
C) Information.
D) Analytical.
E) Recommendation.

Question 33

You decide to write a make-good report for your supervisor, who wants to better understand how a project will be financed. Should you recommend action at the conclusion?

A) No, because pay-back reports are not recommendation reports.
B) No, because your supervisor needs to make the recommendation, not you.
C) Yes, because your supervisor expects you to provide a recommendation.
D) Yes, because there's no reason to read the report if no recommendation appears.
E) None of the above.

Question 34

It's important to define the problem you wish to solve because

A) People expect it.
B) The exercise will help you understand the resources you need.
C) Adding a definition helps to increase the length of the report.
D) How you define the problem shapes the solutions you find.
E) None of the above.

Question 35

You've collected information on the growing problem of employee absences in your organization. For the past nine months, absences have increased 14%. You generally understand the problem and have brainstormed questions the report might answer, but you haven't yet researched specific alternatives. Are you ready to write a purpose statement?

A) No, because you need to do your research first.
B) No, because you should have all of the questions answered, not just some.
C) Yes, because you can write the purpose statement before researching specific alternatives.
D) Yes, because people will get suspicious if you have information but don't do anything with it.
E) None of the above.

Question 36

You receive a Request for Proposals (RFP). Although it says to include budget information with your proposal, you're reluctant because that information could be used to bargain with your competitors. Is it a good idea to leave the budget information out?

A) No, because you should provide all of the information the RFP requests.
B) No, because chances are your competitor will take the same strategy, and you will seem more customer-service-oriented by comparison.
C) Yes, because taking the initiative to create your own proposal sections shows you're a leader and not a follower.
D) Yes, because most organizations expect the proposals to differ somewhat from what the RFP specifies.
E) None of the above.

Question 37

In which of the following sections of a proposal for a class research project would you be MOST likely to explain why you are certain that a solution can be found in the time available?

A) Work Schedule.
B) Feasibility.
C) Problems.
D) Topics to Investigate.
E) Qualifications.

Question 38

In which of the following sections of a proposal for a class research project would you be MOST likely to include a draft of your survey questions?

A) Methods.
B) Topics to Investigate.
C) Problem.
D) Call to Action.
E) Qualifications.

Question 39

In which of the following sections of a proposal for a class research project would you be MOST likely to indicate the amount of time you expect to spend to gather information?

A) Methods.
B) Topics to Investigate.
C) Work Schedule.
D) Feasibility.
E) Qualifications.

Question 40

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be a reason to reject a proposal?

A) It arrived after the deadline.
B) It is too general.
C) It is too specific.
D) It didn't follow the instructions in the RFP.
E) It addresses the wrong issues.

Question 41

When working up a budget for a project, it's best to

A) Aim low in computing costs, as readers will expect to see low numbers.
B) Inflate costs higher than the market provides.
C) Use a figure that is the going rate, even if you can get the work done for less.
D) Take an educated guess, as most projects are over budget and organizations know that.
E) None of the above.

Question 42

While creating the budget for your proposal to paint dorm rooms over the summer, you used the going rate for your area, or $25 an hour. However, as you're preparing to fax the proposal by the 5 p.m. deadline, you're told there may be students looking for summer employment and willing to work for $17 an hour. What should you do?

A) Revise your proposal's budget to reflect the lower rate because this will make your proposal more competitive.
B) Leave the budget at $25 an hour, even though you might be able to charge less.
C) Submit the average of $17 an hour and $25 an hour.
D) Hold up submitting the proposal until you can get a definitive answer.
E) None of the above.

Question 43

Explain what "hot buttons"are. Give an example.

Question 44

List and explain the three functions of progress reports beyond reporting progress.

Question 45

Once you've defined your problem, you're ready to write your _________ _________.

Question 46

To write a good purpose statement, you must understand the _________ _________ and have some idea of the questions your report will answer.

Question 47

In the _________ _________ _________ section of a proposal for a student report, list the questions and sub questions you will answer in your report.

Question 48

In the _________/ _________ section of a proposal for a student report, show how you'll get the information you need.

Question 49

In the _________/ _________/ _________ section of a proposal for a student report, show that you have the knowledge and skills needed to conduct the study.