Deck 11: Preparing Effective Business Reports and Persuasive Business Proposals

Question 1

Jeremy's supervisor asks him to prepare a trip report. Which of the following best describes the supervisor's motivation in asking for this report?

A)giving Jeremy busywork to keep him occupied until he is ready to begin another assignment
B)making sure Jeremy was actually conducting business and not pleasure on his trip
C)getting a clear picture of the new business opportunities discovered by Jeremy
D)learning of Jeremy's status on his long-term project
E)discovering whether Jeremy thinks a particular plan is feasible

Answer 1

C
Explanation: C) A trip report serves a number of communication purposes. Understanding potential new business opportunities can be useful for planning resources. It also allows the supervisor to review and evaluate the follow-up plans Jeremy has made. Finally, it serves as a checklist so that Jeremy and his supervisor can measure progress on the new business opportunities.

Question 2

An email report ________.

A)is appropriate only for external audiences
B)cannot include attachments that exist only in hard copy
C)guarantees secure delivery to audiences
D)projects a more formal image than a letter report
E)easily supports tables and graphs

Answer 2

B
Explanation: B) In choosing the best medium for your report, you will need to consider length, audience, the importance of your report, the way you will deliver the report, and how others will use it.

Question 3

He also has additional documentation he'd like to add, including descriptions of prior events this agency has planned, photographs of venues, menus, etc. Emerson should include this information ________.

A)in the body of the report
B)as attachments to the report
C)in the appendix
D)as part of the reference list
E)within the bibliography

Answer 3

B
Explanation: B) In letter and memo reports, any additional documentation takes the form of an attachment-a supplemental document that is included with the letter or memo.

Question 4

Which of the following should Emerson include in his report?

A)title page
B)inside address
C)heading (To, From, Date, Subject)
D)lettered appendices
E)executive summary

Question 5

Anya's report is 60 pages. She is including an executive summary that is 9 pages long. This is ________.

A)too long; for a report of this length, the summary should only be about 6 pages
B)too long; an executive summary should be a maximum of 5 pages
C)too short; for a report this length, the summary should be about 12 pages
D)too short; an executive summary should be a minimum of 10 pages
E)inappropriate; an executive summary shouldn't be included in this kind of report

Question 6

When creating the title page for her report she should include all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)the title of her report
B)the purpose of her report
C)the person or organization for whom the report was written
D)the author of the report
E)the submission date of report

Question 7

If you are writing a ________, then the major headings may be the key recommendations.

A)trip report
B)recommendation report
C)compliance report
D)progress report
E)feasibility

Question 8

The introduction to Anya's report ________.

A)is optional since her report includes an executive summary
B)should be omitted since her report includes an executive summary
C)should be written as if the reader did not read the executive summary at all
D)should be written assuming that the reader has read the executive summary
E)should not include the conclusions of the report

Question 9

Which of the following is an informational report?

A)a report recommending action based on what was discussed at a meeting
B)a report summarizing what happened at a meeting
C)a report analyzing what was learned on a trip
D)a report evaluating the results of a focus group
E)a report endorsing a particular solution to a problem

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT true of progress reports?

A)They are short, routine business reports.
B)They update your status on a long-term project.
C)They indicate any potential problems or issues on a project.
D)They are considered informational reports.
E)They are a type of analytical report.

Question 11

The first step in writing a report is to ________.

A)choose the best medium
B)identify the business question you are answering
C)focus the information you include in your report
D)determine what information the audience needs to know
E)provide general background information about your topic

Question 12

An ________ is a separate, stand-alone, mini-report inserted at the beginning of a formal analytical report that completely summarizes the report's main ideas and recommendations.

A)introduction
B)abstract
C)executive summary
D)analytical report
E)informational report

Question 13

When she is paginating her report, Anya's title page should be ________.

A)0
B)1
C)i
D)I
E)unnumbered, even though it counts as page i

Question 14

You are working on a report that will recommend a service provider to whom your company can outsource some routine office tasks. Your report will include a section of background information and research that led to the decision to use outsourcing for this problem. Which of the following section headings would best help the audience understand the report?

A)Background Information
B)Why Outsourcing?
C)Research Findings
D)Why Did We Choose this Idea?
E)Section I

Question 15

The introduction to a report ________.

A)should just hint at the content of the report to whet the reader's appetite to read on
B)it not intended to preview the structure of the report
C)should be written with the assumption that the reader has already read the executive summary
D)typically explains the problem or issue that motivated the report
E)summarizes all but the conclusions of the report

Question 16

Reports provide previews in multiple ways, which include all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)executive summaries
B)abstracts
C)tables of contents
D)appendices
E)introductions

Question 17

The biggest mistake writers make in preparing ________ is to organize them chronologically in narrative style.

A)feasibility reports
B)meeting minutes
C)trip reports
D)progress reports
E)compliance reports

Question 18

Which of the following does NOT describe a communication purpose of a trip report?

A)getting a picture of potential new business
B)planning resources for potential new business
C)reviewing and evaluating follow-up plans for trip activities
D)serving as a checklist against which to measure progress on new business opportunities
E)analyzing whether new business plans can be implemented as proposed

Question 19

When composing his report, Emerson should ________.

A)focus in great detail on narrating what he did
B)be a subjective supporter of his recommendation
C)use the passive voice
D)craft elaborate, impressive sentences
E)show that he evaluated the issue with reasonable criteria

Question 20

The detailed discussion or body of a formal report ________.

A)is not typically organized with headings
B)most often follows a generic structure
C)is usually ordered by content-specific headings
D)is always organized in sections numbered i through v
E)does not follow any systematic organizational principle

Question 21

If a proposal is ________, you need to provide some extra structure so that readers can navigate the document and easily find the information they are looking for.

A)more than two paragraphs
B)less than a page
C)two pages or less
D)longer than three or four pages
E)greater than ten pages

Question 22

Which of the following would be best to use in a proposal?

A)Our equipment does the job in half the time it takes our competitor's equipment.
B)Our equipment will do the job in half the time it will take our competitor's equipment.
C)Our equipment did the job in half the time it took our competitor's equipment.
D)Our equipment has been doing the job in half the time it has been taking our competitor's equipment.
E)Our equipment has done the job in half the time it has taken our competitor's equipment.

Question 23

Which of the following is an internal proposal?

A)a proposal asking another company to do a joint venture
B)a proposal asking local businesses if they will sponsor your charity event
C)a proposal asking a client to select your firm for an upcoming project
D)a proposal asking your supervisor to implement a new initiative
E)a proposal asking a foundation to fund a program for your community

Question 24

Brendan's boss asks him to respond to an RFP. Right away, Brendan knows that ________.

A)the proposal is noncompetitive
B)his audience will not be considering any offers except his
C)his audience is not aware that a problem or opportunity exists
D)the indirect approach is preferred since he will first need to prepare his audience for his idea
E)important criteria for the proposal will be provided to him

Question 25

Dakota is deciding how to state the opportunity for capturing additional information and more efficiently processing data that this redesign will present, and how the database his team proposes will be different from their current one. He is hammering out the details as to how it will be created and rolled out, as well as how much the development, hardware and software, and training will cost. What aspect of the composing stage is Dakota engaged in?

A)choosing the best medium for his proposal
B)deciding what content must be included in his proposal
C)determining how his proposal should best be organized
D)assessing how formal or informal he should make his proposal
E)determining the purpose of his proposal

Question 26

In an unsolicited proposal, the summary ________.

A)gives the audience confidence that you have listened to them carefully
B)shows the audience that you truly understand what they have asked you to address
C)shows the audience that you are able to present an appropriate solution to a problem they have identified
D)builds your credibility in your audience's eyes
E)helps convince the audience that they will benefit from continuing to read so they can learn about your proposed solution or idea

Question 27

Appendices ________.

A)list all the sources that you refer to in your proposal
B)are most frequently formatted in APA or MLA style
C)are not listed in the table of contents
D)can include samples of previous work you have done
E)should not be referred to in the body of the proposal

Question 28

Which of the following would be best for Dakota to include in his proposal?

A)After the database redesign is approved, the developer will be contacted.
B)The developer will be contacted after the database redesign is approved.
C)After you approve the database redesign, the developer will be contacted.
D)After you approve the database redesign, I will contact the developer.
E)I will contact the developer after the database redesign is approved.

Question 29

Your proposal is in response to an RFP from a local elementary school that is seeking a provider for an after-school enrichment program promoting physical fitness. In your summary, you need to do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)convince the school that you have understood what they are looking for in an enrichment program
B)give the audience confidence that your program helps accomplish the goals the school is trying to achieve
C)show the school that your program meets their requirements
D)grab the school's attention and convince them that an enrichment program would be a good idea
E)build the credibility of yourself and your program in your audience's eyes

Question 30

Proposals would be designed for all of the following purposes EXCEPT ________.

A)to persuade a business decision maker to adopt a plan
B)to persuade a retailer to repair damage not covered under your warranty
C)to persuade your boss to approve a project
D)to persuade a client to choose your company's product or service
E)to persuade an investor to supply funding

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of an analytical report?

A)progress report
B)compliance report
C)feasibility report
D)trip report
E)meeting minutes

Question 32

Which of the follow is NOT true of a proposal?

A)It is complicated to prepare.
B)It should provide details on how to implement the proposal.
C)It is a form of persuasive writing.
D)It must meet your audience's needs.
E)It should not address costs.

Question 33

In a formal report, ________.

A)parenthetical citations should not be used
B)figures that come directly from a source do not need citations
C)direct quotations require sufficient information for a reader to find the original source
D)introductory text must be on the same page as the tables or graphs they introduce
E)appendices should not be referenced in the body of the report

Question 34

Conducting research to develop your proposal ________.

A)should not be considered during your analysis of content needs
B)is never necessary to propose realistic costs
C)must wait until the composing stage of the ACE process
D)could be necessary to learn more about competitors submitting competitive proposals
E)will take away valuable time you should be spending on more important issues

Question 35

Which of the following would be best to use in a proposal?

A)Our product receives the highest safety rating for the last five years.
B)Our product will receive the highest safety rating for the last five years.
C)Our product does receive the highest safety rating for the last five years.
D)Our product is receiving the highest safety rating for the last five years.
E)Our product has received the highest safety rating for the last five years.

Question 36

Which of the following is an external proposal?

A)a proposal suggesting a new volunteer program to your HR department
B)a proposal asking your boss to implement a flex-time schedule
C)a proposal seeking the business of a new customer
D)a proposal recommending a new process to your supervisor
E)a proposal requesting that your department be allocated funds for a new project

Question 37

After reading the ________, your audience should understand your main ideas without having to read the entire proposal.

A)analysis
B)introduction
C)overview
D)context
E)requirements

Question 38

In a proposal, use ________ to describe services you will provide and the activities your audience must complete.

A)passive voice rather than active voice
B)active voice rather than passive voice
C)"you" language rather than "I" language
D)"I" language rather than "you" language
E)abstract language rather than concrete language

Question 39

When preparing a competitive proposal in response to an RFP, ________ for judging.

A)price is never the most important criterion
B)your ability to meet very specific requirements is always the top priority
C)your ability to deliver your product or service quickly will be viewed as most important
D)you won't know what criteria will be used
E)the RFP will outline the important criteria used

Question 40

When a proposal is unsolicited ________.

A)the audience will explicitly state their requirements
B)the audience will hint at their requirements
C)you will not be able to address audience requirements
D)you will need to brainstorm the audience's requirements
E)the audience's requirements are not expected to be addressed

Question 41

A(n)________ is essentially a targeted marketing letter directed to someone you believe may benefit from your products or services.

A)solicited sales proposal
B)unsolicited sales proposal
C)RFP
D)competitive proposal
E)grant proposal

Question 42

Jennie is sending unsolicited sales proposals to several local vendors regarding her company's marketing services. Jennie's goal in sending these proposals is for these vendors to ________.

A)authorize the attached contracts
B)sign off on the details of the contractual arrangements
C)tell her who currently provides their marketing services
D)file away her information for future reference
E)arrange meetings or phone calls for further discussion

Question 43

Including customer testimonials or a favourable article about your organization with a proposal ________.

A)is unprofessional
B)is unethical
C)establishes credibility
D)undermines feasibility
E)is ethical but ineffective

Question 44

Courtney chooses a letter format and uses a formal tone for the sales proposal she is creating. Most likely, ________.

A)this is an external proposal of five pages
B)this is a proposal of less than a page to an internal audience
C)it is an internal proposal to a coworker with whom she has worked closely before
D)it is an external proposal of more than 10 pages to a long-time client
E)this is an external proposal to a new client

Question 45

Articulating why your proposed solution is especially effective, listing its distinct benefits, and emphasizing the unique value your plan offers, ________.

A)can only be done at the end of the proposal
B)should be addressed just once in your proposal
C)is overkill and will likely lead your audience to believe that you are arrogant
D)highlights how the audience will benefit from your particular solution
E)is done to help the audience understand why this problem deserves attention

Question 46

Well-designed data graphics ________.

A)may be better replaced by descriptions of information
B)provide a picture of data that can help the reader better understand it
C)do not do as good a job of showing relationships and trends as text alone
D)are always easy to incorporate into your text
E)are created in a simple, one-step process

Question 47

Your proposal is in response to an RFP from a local elementary school that is seeking a provider for an after-school enrichment program promoting physical fitness. After you've done all you can to make a persuasive case for your program, which of the following is most appropriate to include in your message as part of your call to action?

A)a request to tell other schools about your program
B)an invitation to observe one of your classes
C)a fact sheet about a competitor's program
D)an authorization sheet for your audience to sign
E)additional statistics about the importance of exercise

Question 48

Most businesses rely on a subset of ________ types of graphs.

A)3
B)5
C)9
D)18
E)27

Question 49

Which of the following is a guideline for writing grant proposals?

A)Send proposals to any agency that has funds to give, regardless of its relevance to your organization's project.
B)Arrange a personal meeting only after you have submitted your grant proposal.
C)Omit a cover letter, as it is not expected from most funding agencies.
D)Never submit a proposal online.
E)Draft a proposal that addresses each topic area.

Question 50

Simply describing a product or service ________.

A)is usually enough to convince someone to select your proposal
B)is extremely persuasive
C)is usually correlated with an unsuccessful proposal
D)is preferable to showing how you meet every one of the audience's requirements
E)is more persuasive than making a clear recommendation

Question 51

You run a branch of a very technologically savvy real estate agency in a large city. The company employs a powerful database to enable realtors to pinpoint the properties that most accurately meet their clients' specifications. Realtors currently consult the database with clients in the office to create a list of desirable properties to view, but you think it would be even more effective and lead to quicker transactions if realtors could access the database while out with clients. After some research, you find that the purchase of iPads for the realtors would make this possible. Writing a proposal to request this from the company owners would be an example of a(n)________.

A)unsolicited sales proposal
B)solicited sales proposal
C)proposal for grants
D)internal proposal for action
E)external proposal for change

Question 52

Which of the following is TRUE about the transmittal medium of a report-style proposal?

A)A report-style proposal should only be sent in hard copy.
B)A report-style proposal cannot be sent as an email attachment.
C)A report-style proposal must be formally presented at a meeting.
D)Sending a report-style proposal as an email attachment allows some advantages.
E)Hard copies of a report-style proposal must be sent by messenger to ensure their receipt.

Question 53

Which of the following is an example of a grant proposal?

A)a supervisor requesting funding from her boss for new computers, monitors, and printers to enable her department to function more efficiently
B)an academic organization requesting funding from a foundation to support a math, science, and technology competition
C)a book store employee suggesting to the store owner that they start doing family-friendly programming, like a story hour
D)a sous-chef in a restaurant requesting that the restaurant start offering a line of light and healthy menu choices
E)an employee asking for approval to work a flex-time schedule

Question 54

A sales proposal ________.

A)is used exclusively as a persuasive tool
B)cannot legally serve as a sales contract
C)represents a commitment between both parties when signed by a client
D)in no way guarantees what you will deliver to your client, when, or for how much
E)should not get into the details of the schedule and budget

Question 55

If you want to represent the percentage of respondents in a survey who preferred your product to products from four of your competitors, the best graph to use would be a ________.

A)100% column chart
B)pie chart
C)horizontal bar chart
D)histogram
E)scatter plot

Question 56

What is the ethical obligation of a company that submits a proposal?

A)bending the truth to make a sale
B)providing content that is honest and accurate
C)refraining from giving inside information to competing bidders
D)dismissing viable options that your audience should consider
E)ignoring technical difficulties

Question 57

A ________ compares multiple items according to a single characteristic.

A)pie chart
B)line chart
C)horizontal bar chart
D)histograph
E)column chart

Question 58

Yvette wants to present some data in a report. She wants to emphasize patterns and trends over exact values. What would be best for Yvette to do?

A)Provide a textual description of the figures involved, and the patterns found therein.
B)Embed the actual figures in a paragraph.
C)Use a table.
D)Use a graph.
E)There are no significant differences among these choices.

Question 59

Which of the following would be best represented by a histogram?

A)the percentage of the budget spent in a particular area
B)how the percentage breakdown differs for cost of product components for multiple versions of that product
C)comparing profits over a series of years
D)showing the distribution of households within income ranges
E)exploring the correlation between years of education and income level for a set of people

Question 60

A cover letter for a grant proposal ________.

A)is not necessary
B)should not mention the specific amount of money you are requesting
C)should specify how your request addresses the agency's mission
D)should end with a request that the reader consider your proposal, but wait for them to suggest a meeting
E)should be brief and not address issues like the feasibility of the project

Question 61

To ensure proper alignment of the leaders and page numbers on a table of contents, create the leaders by inserting periods.

Question 62

________ are any phrases, sentences, paragraphs-even single, distinctive words-that you take from any of your sources.

A)Paraphrases
B)Quotations
C)Summaries
D)Citations
E)Footnotes

Question 63

A good paraphrase ________.

A)includes single, distinctive words from the original source
B)is a version of what someone else says in your own words, with your own emphasis
C)just replaces a few of the words in the original to prevent it from being a direct quotation
D)has the same sentence structure as the source material
E)does not require a citation

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT included in the appendices of a report?

A)information that would interrupt the flow of the report but that readers might find useful
B)raw data, calculations, large tables
C)graphics too big for the body of the report
D)information that readers do not need while reading the report
E)a list of secondary research sources

Question 65

For effective graph design, which of the following should be avoided when possible?

A)graph titles
B)axis titles
C)scales
D)legends
E)minimum and maximum value labels

Question 66

Business reports often rely on numbers. Data graphics are the best tools for communicating these numbers.

Question 67

If you acknowledge all your sources, no one will accuse you of plagiarism.

Question 68

In a formal report, appropriate acknowledgment of sources happens in three ways; you ________ your report.

A)must choose one form and use it throughout
B)must use all three of these acknowledgments in
C)may use all or none of these forms in
D)may rely solely on citations in
E)may prepare just a bibliography in

Question 69

Jillian's report contains multiple appendices, so she should label the series Appendix I, Appendix II, Appendix III, and so forth.

Question 70

In her report, Anita does not use the exact words of the author of one of her sources. Instead, Anita presents a very brief version of the author's point of view. This is an example of a(n)________.

A)quotation
B)paraphrase
C)summary
D)executive summary
E)citation

Question 71

Which of the following is NOT true about a reference page in a formal report?

A)It is necessary if a report uses secondary research sources.
B)It should begin on its own page immediately after the body of the report.
C)It can include such varied sources as books, articles, company websites, and blog messages.
D)It should use an appropriate documentation style, such as APA, CMS, or MLA.
E)It should be omitted if the report has an appendix.

Question 72

In business reports, verbal and visual elements should ________.

A)play unrelated roles
B)each strive to independently communicate the full message of the report
C)be integrated together
D)compete for the audience's attention
E)be standalone aspects of the report that do not refer to each other

Question 73

A proposal just needs to persuade your audience that your idea is feasible.

Question 74

________, or citing your sources, is a key part of all writing in academia and most professional writing.

A)Paraphrasing
B)Plagiarizing
C)Abstracting
D)Quoting
E)Documenting

Question 75

Appropriate documentation ________.

A)makes your writing seem less impressive than if the ideas in it were original
B)demonstrates that you are creative
C)gives your audience the ability to find the information you mentioned
D)may undermine confidence in the strength of your data
E)presents others' ideas as your own

Question 76

If you are writing a formal informational report, you should include an abstract.

Question 77

Mary really wants to focus her audience's attention on the text and graphics of her slides, so using background graphics would be an effective way to accomplish this.

Question 78

A report can be as short as a two-paragraph email.

Question 79

The main goal of an informational report is to help readers draw conclusions to solve problems or support business decisions.

Question 80

The core principles of Edward Tufte, noted information designer, advocate all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)eliminating all distractions that do not help the audience understand the data
B)eliminating anything in graphs that exists only for decoration
C)eliminating or minimizing all unnecessary gridlines for tables
D)eliminating or minimizing all unnecessary borders for tables
E)eliminating data markers that identify specific data points in line graphs