Deck 2: Before You Write

Question 1

You re-read the first draft of your report carefully, checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. According to the writing process described in your text, what are you doing at this point?

A)anticipating how your boss will receive your message
B)deciding on the purpose of your report
C)collecting the information about the various bicycles that you need to include
D)proofreading your report

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to the three-phase writing process described in your text, which of the following activities would you do in the second phase of writing your report?

A)Profile both primary and secondary audiences for the document.
B)Anticipate the reader's reaction to the document.
C)Collect the required information you have been asked to include.
D)Revise the content of the document.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

You are manager of human resources for a local branch of Staples. According to the theory of media richness described in your text, which of the following will likely be the richest channel that you could choose to communicate important new company procedures to the staff in your branch?

A)a document posted on the human resources page of the Staples Web site
B)an e-mail to all staff
C)a meeting for all staff before the store opens
D)an announcement posted on the bulletin board in the staff lunch room

Answer 3

C

Question 4

You begin by trying to estimate roughly how long you will need to spend on each phase of your portion of the report. According to your text, which of the following, should you allow the most time for?

A)researching, organizing, and composing the report
B)anticipating and profiling the audience for the report
C)selecting the best channel for the report
D)revising, proofreading, and evaluating the report

Question 5

After you have finished the first draft of your section of the report, you revise it, shortening some sentences and paragraphs and adding tables, bullets, and numbered lists to communicate some of the information more clearly and concisely. Which of the following characteristics, according to your text, will likely describe your message after you make these changes?

A)It will be more purposeful.
B)It will be more economical.
C)It will be more professional.
D)It will be more audience-oriented

Question 6

Which of the following, according to your text, will likely improve the clarity and tone of a message?

A)using lots of adverbs
B)using positive rather than negative language
C)incorporating the latest slang into your message
D)including words that will impress your reader, such as hereinafter and theretofore

Question 7

You notice that you need to revise several sentences in your e-mail that may offend either Hans or your boss. Which of the following sentences, according to the information in your text, should you probably re-word, when you consider using only courteous language?

A)You have to send me your portion of the report by tomorrow.
B)I won't have time to finish the report if I don't have your portion by tomorrow.
C)Pertaining to your portion of the report, please forward it to me without delay.
D)You have neglected to send me your portion of the report as we agreed.

Question 8

You and Hans finish your report on time and your boss is happy with the results. He asks you to pass along a brief summary of your recommendations to senior-level managers along with a link to the full report on the company website. Which will most likely be the communication channel you will select now?

A)letter
B)e-mail
C)report
D)in-person meeting

Question 9

As human resources manager for Staples, you must tell an employee that his position is being terminated. What is the best communication channel for this message?

A)telephone call
B)text message
C)e-mail
D)in-person meeting

Question 10

Which adaptive technique should you use to avoid stereotypes in your writing?

A)Use inclusive language.
B)Develop the "you" view.
C)Highlight reader benefits.
D)Follow the traditional grammatical rule called "common gender."

Question 11

When a writer uses adaptive techniques, such as highlighting reader benefits and using inclusive language, which aspect of the message does your text say the writer is improving?

A)the tone
B)the length
C)the "you" attitude
D)reader comprehension

Question 12

You work in the business office of Parelli's Gym, a popular fitness centre. You receive an irate letter from a customer demanding that you cancel his two-year contract because, shortly after he joined, he used a piece of equipment that caused a knee injury. Which of the following sentences best demonstrates what your text calls a courteous tone?

A)There's nothing we can do to cancel your membership now. You should have asked us to do so within the 14 days allowed according to the contract.
B)We at Parelli's Gym would lose too much money if we allowed customers to back out on their signed contracts.
C)You must honour your signed agreement with Parelli's Gym.
D)Although the cancellation period has passed, if you come in to the gym, one of our certified fitness consultants will be pleased to develop an individualized workout plan that will increase your fitness and will rehabilitate and strengthen your knees.

Question 13

Which of the following statements sums up the advice given in your text about the appropriate language to use in most business messages?

A)Because businesses are about topics that would otherwise be part of a conversation, we should use the same slang and informal diction that we would use in a text message to a friend.
B)We should use natural, mid-level diction.
C)We should use indirect, ambiguous language so that the reader can interpret the message to suit him/herself.
D)We should use elevated diction that will impress the reader with our educated vocabulary.

Question 14

When you arrived at work this morning, you checked your calendar. It showed that, as well as your bicycle report, you have several other tasks to complete in the next few days. According to your text, which of the following messages will likely require that you spend the greatest amount of time profiling your audience?

A)You need to prepare an article on bike maintenance and post it to your company's Web page.
B)You need to write an email to a sales representative for Diamondback bikes, with whom you have worked closely for several years, asking him to send some more brochures for display in your stores.
C)You need to fill in and submit an online form to your human resources department to book two weeks of the holidays you have earned.
D)You need to telephone a co-worker to find out if she has registered for an upcoming trade show that you will be attending.

Question 15

A colleague asks you to read and comment on the first draft of a letter that she is sending to a client. You come to a sentence which reads as follows: Pursuant to the request you indicated in your letter of March 14, I will expedite the mailing of the information forthwith. You suggest that she should revise this sentence. What kind of language has your colleague used?

A)unprofessional
B)conversational
C)pretentious
D)slang

Question 16

According to your text, which of the following channels do business communicators use most today?

A)blog
B)e-mail
C)text message
D)instant message

Question 17

It is now three days before you and Hans have to submit the report to your manager. You have finished your section, but you have received nothing from Hans. You decide to send Hans an e-mail asking him when you will get his work. You copy the message to your manager. What is the most likely secondary purpose of your message?

A)to present a revised work schedule
B)to let your boss know that Hans hasn't done what he promised
C)to find out when you can expect Hans's part of the report
D)to find out what difficulties Hans is having with his portion of the project

Question 18

You made a decision to send an e-mail message to Hans and your boss rather than phoning them because you wanted the message to be slightly more formal and permanent than a phone call. Which stage of the writing process described in your text were you engaged in when you made this decision?

A)profiling the audience
B)analyzing the audience
C)identifying your purpose
D)selecting the appropriate channel

Question 19

Which of the following sentences illustrates effective business writing, as described in your text?

A)We can sell you a wireless phone that we are very proud of.
B)Our company is proud to have you as one of our customers.
C)We ask that you send our signed signature card back to us immediately.
D)You will be pleased to know that your premiums will decrease by 10 percent next year.

Question 20

Which of the following sentences best represents effective business writing, as discussed in your text?

A)Your order will be shipped on June 30.
B)Your order cannot be delivered until June 30.
C)We regret that we must reject your loan application.
D)You will not be sorry that you purchased your computer from us.

Question 21

According to your text, anticipating how an audience will react to your message happens mostly in the revising phase.

Question 22

The three-phase writing process outlined in your text places organizing your message in the second (writing) phase.

Question 23

Your text says that you should anticipate and profile the audience for your message, including a possible secondary audience.

Question 24

Business writing should be audience-oriented, purposeful, and as long as possible.

Question 25

Your text recommends spending at least 50% of the total time writing the first draft of a message.

Question 26

The cost of using a particular channel is irrelevant when selecting a channel for your message.

Question 27

Because newer and increasingly popular technologies such as instant messaging and texting strongly encourage writers to keep messages short, your text recommends that we use the kind of casual, abbreviated language we would use in a text message to a friend.

Question 28

Positive language generally conveys more information than negative language.

Question 29

Your text states that in order to emphasize the benefit of a business message for the reader, we need to eliminate all first-person pronouns such as I, my, we, and us.

Question 30

The definition given in your text of an empathetic writer is one who strives to write messages that exclude rather than include individuals.

Question 31

A business writer should always choose the richest medium when sending a message.

Question 32

According to your text, a reader will more likely be impressed by formal, high-level diction than by mid-level diction in a business message.

Question 33

Your text says that instant messaging has replaced e-mail as the channel of choice in some organizations, but that e-mail is still the most widely used channel.

Question 34

Your text stresses that the most effective messages focus on the audience.

Question 35

Your text recommends replacing a command with a rhetorical question as one way to make a business message more courteous.

Question 36

Business e-mails are less formal than traditional letters or memos, so planning and organization are less important.

Question 37

The ability to prepare concise, audience-centred, professional, and purposeful messages comes naturally to most people.

Question 38

According to your text, it isn't necessary to plan and organize most business messages, , because they will normally be fairly short and informal.

Question 39

Profiling your audience helps you organize and write your message.

Question 40

Your text cites business writer Don Tapscott, who says that business writers frequently choose instant messaging as a channel because it allows for a faster response.

Question 41

Using a clear, simple style of writing that includes everyday words is known as _____________ language.

Question 42

According to a theory mentioned in your text, a ____________ medium enables the sender to provide more verbal and visual cues and to tailor the message to the receiver/s.

Question 43

Emphasizing second-person pronouns (you, your) means that the writer is using the ___________ view.

Question 44

An example of _____________ language would be to write consultants will use their knowledge to help marketing teams rather than a consultant will use his knowledge to help the marketing team.

Question 45

Your text calls trying to view a message from the receiver's perspective rather than your own being _____________.

Question 46

Even when the receiver of a message may be at fault and we may be justifiably upset or angry, using _________________ language in a message can help us achieve the outcome we desire.

Question 47

You are re-reading an e-mail you have written, evaluating the message's clarity and conciseness and your choice of words. You are in the ___________ phase of the writing process outlined in your text.

Question 48

During the _____________ phase of the writing process, the writer will research, organize, and compose the message.

Question 49

____________ has become the communication channel of choice for corporate communicators.

Question 50

Emphasizing _______ _________ (two words) can help readers see how the message affects them personally.