Deck 3: Writing and Revising

Question 1

Thom notices and revises the expressions pursuant to your request and kindly advise in a letter he is writing. Which of the following terms describes these phrases?

A)fillers
B)long lead-ins
C)needless adverbs
D)outdated expressions

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which version of the following sentence did Thom likely keep as the most effective use of what your text calls concrete language?

A)I offer my clients valuable investment advice.
B)I usually help my clients make substantial gains in their investment portfolios.
C)My clients have responded positively when asked whether my services have helped them to make money.
D)An independent audit shows that my clients have realized an average growth in their investment income that is higher than the industry average.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Thom knows that he will have to organize the information and questions in his e-mail clearly and in a logical sequence in order to make the best use of his manager's time and assistance. Which of the following does your text recommend as a strategy that Thom might find helpful before he composes his message?

A)using the direct pattern
B)gathering information through research
C)brainstorming with colleagues
D)creating an outline

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Thom writes the following sentence in the first draft of a letter to a client: My name is Thom Hollis and I am writing to you to ask you to consider meeting with me to review your investment portfolio. He decides to revise the sentence because it is an example of wordy writing. Which of the following does your text indicate is the problem?

A)long lead-in
B)wordy prepositional phrase
C)needless adverb
D)outdated expression

Question 5

Thom takes care to revise and proofread all of the messages he sends. He decides to re-write the following sentence because it illustrates a writing error discussed in your text. What is the error? Your investment account will in all probability be re-activated in a timely manner.

A)jargon
B)run-on sentences
C)outdated lead-ins
D)wordy prepositional phrases

Question 6

Before Thom writes an e-mail to Alyson, he needs to collect the information that he will include in the e-mail. He knows that Alyson is very busy and doesn't want to waste her time, so he wants to be sure to include all the information, and only the information, that she needs. When deciding what his message should include, what primary question does your text suggest Thom should ask himself?

A)Who is my audience?
B)What does the receiver need to know about this topic?
C)What can my manager do to help me?
D)How will my manager feel about this information?

Question 7

Thom decides to make his proposal clearer and more readable by converting some lengthy sentences explaining the benefits of a number of different investment approaches into either numbered or bulleted lists. What advice does your text offer about using numbered lists?

A)Use numbered lists sparingly, because they may confuse the reader.
B)Add end punctuation for all items in a numbered list.
C)Try to express as much information in numbered lists as possible.
D)Use numbered lists for items that represent a sequence or chronology.

Question 8

Which version of the following sentence did Thom keep when revising it to include vivid adjectives?

A)My clients are happy when I help them make good investment decisions.
B)My clients are excited when I help them to make profitable investment decisions.
C)My clients are rewarded with large gains in the value of their investments.
D)My clients are pleased when their investment decisions pay off.

Question 9

Thom needs to communicate with Jenny Delacroix, an employee who also works for TD Financial but in a different city. He has never met or communicated with Jenny, but he knows she works in a similar position and that she has used instant-messaging and text-messaging. Thom wonders what style and level of diction he should use to communicate with Jenny. What advice does your text offer about using instant-message and texting-speak in your message to Jenny?

A)He should use instant-message and texting-speak, because Jenny has used them and they save time.
B)He should phone her and ask her what kind of language she prefers.
C)He should use standard, more formal diction, at least the first time he communicates with her.
D)He should e-mail a friend who works in the same office as Jenny to ask her advice.

Question 10

Thom decides to revise one of his sentences because it contains jargon. Which of the following sentences does he most likely decide to revise?

A)The bottom line is that this organization needs to facilitate customer buy-in.
B)At this point in time, we need to focus on customer loyalty.
C)We need to promote customer loyalty with all due speed.
D)As per your request, enclosed please find my recommendations for promoting customer loyalty.

Question 11

In his proposal to Ji-wan, Thom needs to separate and distinguish between several different investment plans, including some details about each plan, such as the investments it would contain, their advantages, and the past performance of various items in that plan. Which of the following does your text indicate Thom should probably use?

A)a variety of fonts, colors, and styles
B)short paragraphs
C)headings and subheadings
D)a new page for each major idea

Question 12

When Thom takes a coffee break, he finds two colleagues in the coffee room. He asks them to spend a few minutes to help him brainstorm some possible investments for someone in Ji-Wan's financial position. What kind of research does your text say Thom is doing?

A)manual searching
B)formal research
C)informal research
D)scientific research using controlled variables

Question 13

As he thinks about organizing his e-mail message to Alyson, Thom remembers reading in his business communications textbook about the benefits of using the direct pattern in a message. Which of the following benefits identified in your text might Thom be considering when he decides to use the direct pattern?

A)It encourages a fair hearing.
B)It prevents reader frustration.
C)It minimizes a negative reaction.
D)It respects the feelings of the reader.

Question 14

As Thom proofreads his letter, he notices a serious writing error in the following sentence and decides to revise it. What kind of sentence error is this? I hope to be able to assist you. In my position with TD Bank Financial Group.

A)run-on sentence
B)sentence fragment
C)comma-splice
D)wordy prepositional phrase

Question 15

Thom is worried about a letter that he has to write to Anders, a client whose investments have dropped considerably in value during the previous six months. He needs to ask Anders to meet with him to review his portfolio, but is afraid that Anders might react badly to the news and might blame Thom for his loss. What, according to your text, is the most appropriate organizational pattern for this message?

A)direct
B)indirect
C)uploading
D)frontloading

Question 16

Thom also notices that some of his sentences may confuse a reader because of their length. Your text claims that a reader will normally comprehend less than 80% of the meaning of a sentence if the sentence is too long. How many words does your test suggest as the limit?

A)8
B)15
C)20
D)28

Question 17

Thom knows that he wants his proposed financial plan for Ji-Wan to be clear, focused, and well-written, and he knows that won't be an easy task. What does your text suggest that he should do to make writing the first draft of his proposal less difficult?

A)Begin with the most important idea.
B)Write his message during spare moments in meetings, while talking on the phone, or at lunch.
C)Use pen and paper rather than computer to write the first draft.
D)Create an environment as quiet and free of distractions as possible.

Question 18

Thom wants to be sure that he presents his client with an impressive investment proposal. Which of the following does your text suggest that he should do when proofreading his proposal?

A)Check whether the ideas are clear and well-organized.
B)Ensure that sentences and paragraphs aren't too long.
C)Read the proposal from a print copy.
D)Profile the audience for the proposal.

Question 19

Thom is writing the first draft of a written proposal for a client. He notices that it seems a bit dense and unappealing. Which of the following does your text say that Thom should consider in relation to using white space effectively?

A)font selection
B)margins
C)paper size
D)page orientation

Question 20

When planning an e-mail to his manager, Thom knows that she won't have any reason to be resistant to or upset by his message. Where does your text suggest that Thom should place the main idea in this type of message?

A)at the beginning
B)after the explanation
C)at the very end of the message
D)before the evidence but after the details

Question 21

There is and there are are examples of fillers that destroy concise writing.

Question 22

Most routine business communication tasks require the use of formal research methods.

Question 23

According to your text, you are more likely to find errors if you proofread a message on a computer screen than if you read from a print copy.

Question 24

Looking for information in files, talking with your boss, interviewing the target audience, and brainstorming for ideas are all examples of informal research.

Question 25

Your text argues that writing slowly and carefully will usually guarantee that you won't need to revise or proofread a message.

Question 26

The power of a verb is reduced when it is needlessly converted into a noun (had a discussion instead of discussed).

Question 27

Pursuant to your request is an example of an outdated expression.

Question 28

One method your text suggests to increase white space in a message is to shorten sentences and paragraphs.

Question 29

The use of slang in business writing shows that a company is modern and forward-thinking.

Question 30

Your text recommends that you proofread a message once you have finished revising it.

Question 31

According to your text, when using the indirect pattern for a message the main idea comes at the beginning of the message.

Question 32

You are writing an unsolicited sales message to a group of college students. The best pattern to use is the direct pattern.

Question 33

According to your text, using numbered and bulleted lists can force a writer to organize ideas and to write efficiently.

Question 34

I am writing to inform you is a concise and professional beginning for a business message.

Question 35

Your text argues that when we use the grammar and spell-check features of our word processing software, it is not necessary to proofread a message.

Question 36

According to your text, many professional writers don't worry about language, precision, or correctness when composing the first draft.

Question 37

Design techniques such as effective use of white space, typefaces, and numbered and bulleted lists improve the appearance of a document, but your text says that they do not enhance a reader's ability to understand a message.

Question 38

Very few professions or fields use a specialized vocabulary that would be considered jargon.

Question 39

Each and every single employee is expected to attend the meeting includes a redundant expression.

Question 40

Phrases have subjects and verbs; clauses do not.

Question 41

Another name for the direct pattern is _______________.

Question 42

The advantage of the __________ feature of word processing software is that it shows you both the original wording and any revisions that you have made to the document.

Question 43

Your text recommends using a ____________ list to highlight items that are not organized in a chronological sequence.

Question 44

Conducting an original survey is an example of _____________ research.

Question 45

A reader normally comprehends 100% of a message if sentences contain ____________ words or fewer.

Question 46

Using the__________ pattern, according to your text, saves the reader time and prevents frustration.

Question 47

When you collect needed information before writing a message, you are engaging in ______________.

Question 48

When you need to give the reader unwelcome news, it is usually best to use the ___________ pattern for your message.

Question 49

Your text suggests that preparing a(n) ____________ before writing may help you to organize your ideas.

Question 50

According to the writing process outlined in your text, organizing the information that will be contained in a document normally occurs in the ____________ phase of the writing process.