Deck 5: Writing Business Messages

Question 1

Good business letters use language that is as formal as possible and use proven terminology such as "please be advised that" and "we are in receipt of."

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Plain English is a style of writing used primarily for communicating to those for whom English is a second language.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

When someone makes a mistake,you should avoid dwelling on his or her failure and instead focus on how the person can improve.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In business writing,the topic sentence of each paragraph is usually implied rather than explicit.

Question 5

Abstract words are direct,vivid,clear,and exact.

Question 6

Avoid using euphemisms because they are inherently dishonest.

Question 7

Conjunctions,prepositions,articles,and pronouns are all content words.

Question 8

When developing paragraphs,stick to one method within each paragraph and throughout a document.

Question 9

Abstract words should be completely avoided in business writing.

Question 10

Good business messages contain few compound or complex sentences.

Question 11

In business communication you must be careful to use words that are low in connotative meaning.

Question 12

Coherence within and between paragraphs is achieved through the use of transitional words and phrases.

Question 13

Connotative meanings are the literal or dictionary meanings of words.

Question 14

A compound sentence is one that contains one main thought (independent clause)and one or more subordinate thoughts (dependent clauses).

Question 15

Enlivening business messages with humour will always please your readers,especially if they don't know you very well.

Question 16

The "you" attitude should be avoided when you are assigning blame for a problem.

Question 17

When preparing your first draft,you are not concerned about style or tone.

Question 18

Choosing the most effective words for a message is usually more difficult than merely choosing correct words.

Question 19

Bragging about your company's accomplishments can be offensive to readers.

Question 20

Using the passive voice de-emphasizes the subject.

Question 21

The connotative meaning of a word is ??______________

A) its dictionary meaning.
B) its literal meaning.
C) all the associations and feelings the word evokes.
D) its objective meaning.

Question 22

Which of the following is not an example of pompous language?

A) "as per your letter"
B) "please be advised that"
C) "please let us know"
D) "under separate cover"

Question 23

Which of the following are functional words?

A) into, and, the
B) bath, baby, rattle
C) give, shake, wash
D) nice, wet, quickly

Question 24

Your audience's belief in your competence and integrity is not important; it's the content of your message that counts.

Question 25

Being too modest can reduce your credibility with your audience.

Question 26

A complex sentence is one characterized by ??______________

A) two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.
B) a single subject and a single predicate plus any modifying phrases.
C) two or more independent clauses along with all modifying phrases.
D) an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses related to it.

Question 27

Short sentences are best for ??______________

A) emphasizing important information.
B) grouping or combining ideas.
C) showing relationships among ideas.
D) summarizing or previewing information.

Question 28

Which of the following is a content word?

A) around
B) she
C) jump
D) the

Question 29

In general,you need to use more tact and diplomacy in oral communication than in written communication.

Question 30

You can adopt the "you" attitude ????????????________________________

A) by replacing certain pronouns with better pronouns.
B) by replacing terms that refer to yourself and your company with terms that refer to your audience.
C) by stating what you want and expecting the audience to go along with it.
D) By recognizing one audience member's achievements.

Question 31

A software feature called autocompletion completes the remainder of your message.

Question 32

Which of the following is a compound sentence?

A) "David is a good worker, and he deserves a raise."
B) "Because David is a good worker, he deserves a raise."
C) "David, a good worker, deserves a raise."
D) "Having been a good worker, David will no doubt receive a raise."

Question 33

Plain English is a style of writing ______________

A) used only for casual correspondence.
B) designed to make technical materials more understandable to the audience.
C) aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language.
D) inappropriate for business communication.

Question 34

Which of the following sentences contains the strongest and most effective wording?

A) "Given the parameters of the situation, the most propitious choice would be to make adjustments in certain budget areas."
B) "We need to cut the operating budget by 12 percent or profits will plummet."
C) "Someone's going to need to do some budget cutting around here or heads will roll."
D) "Perusal of budgetary figures reveals that a 12 percent reduction in operations is called for if we are to stave off a negative impact on profits."

Question 35

A typical paragraph contains the three basic elements of ??______________

A) a topic sentence, related sentences, and transitional elements.
B) simple, compound, and complex sentences.
C) the main idea, supporting ideas, and evidence.
D) a problem, discussion, and a solution.

Question 36

If you use too many simple sentences,you won't be able to express the relationships among your ideas properly,and your writing will sound choppy and abrupt.

Question 37

To downplay a dependent clause in a complex sentence,you ??______________

A) place it at the beginning of the sentence.
B) place it at the end of the sentence.
C) bury it in the middle of the sentence.
D) set it off with a semicolon.

Question 38

Which of the following words are the most abstract?

A) kiss, rose, house
B) red, sharp, piercing
C) kick, sniff, tickle
D) love, beauty, innocence

Question 39

Bias-free language __________________

A) avoids using the word bias.
B) avoids sexist language.
C) avoids referring to Aboriginal people.
D) avoids discussing any minority groups.

Question 40

Using the passive voice makes sense when ??______________

A) you want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
B) you want your sentence to be easier to understand.
C) you need to make your sentences shorter.
D) you want to emphasize the subject.

Question 41

The best approach to getting someone to buy a magazine subscription from your charity group would be to say ??______________

A) "Please buy a subscription; our group really needs the money."
B) "If you buy a subscription from me I'll make my quota."
C) "This magazine will keep you informed on issues that affect your daily life."
D) "Our group doesn't get any assistance from government agencies, so these magazine sales are our main source of funding."

Question 42

A euphemism is a word or phrase that is ??______________

A) possibly offensive.
B) general or abstract in meaning.
C) highly technical.
D) a milder term for one with negative connotations.

Question 43

A(n)__________ is a cluster of sentences related to the same general topic.

Question 44

A(n)__________ sentence expresses one main thought and one or more subordinate thoughts related to it.

Question 45

When you are criticizing or correcting,it is best to ??______________

A) focus on what the person can do to improve.
B) emphasize a person's mistakes so that he or she will not make the same mistakes again.
C) be blunt and call attention to the person's failures or shortcomings.
D) make the person an example for everyone else to learn from.

Question 46

???__________ words express relationships and have only one unchanging meaning in any given context.

Question 47

__________ language avoids words or phrases that unfairly and even unethically categorize or stigmatize people in ways related to gender,race,ethnicity,age,or disability.

Question 48

To communicate credibility to your audience,you ??______________

A) impress them with a long list of your accomplishments.
B) are modest and deferential.
C) show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message.
D) use hedge words ("maybe," "perhaps") to demonstrate your knowledge that no issue is fully cut and dried.

Question 49

Style is the way you use words to achieve a certain __________,or overall impression.

Question 50

A(n)__________ word expresses a concept or quality,not a tangible object.

Question 51

A sentence is __________ when the subject follows the verb and the object precedes it.

Question 52

The __________ meaning of a word is its literal,dictionary meaning,whereas the __________ meaning includes all the associations and feelings it evokes.

Question 53

__________ words,such as nouns,verbs,adjectives,and adverbs,carry the meaning of the sentence.

Question 54

People are more likely to react positively to your message when ______________________

A) you keep your language formal and businesslike.
B) you use "Urgent" in your subject line.
C) they have confidence in you.
D) you use humour.

Question 55

Words such as "nevertheless," "however," "but," and "therefore" ??______________

A) are called pointer words.
B) introduce modifiers.
C) occur only in complex sentences.
D) are useful for making transitions.

Question 56

Instead of using harsh,unpleasant terms,use mild words,or __________.

Question 57

Which of the following statements best reflects the "you" attitude?

A) "You failed to enclose a cheque for $25."
B) "We need a cheque from you for $25 so that we can send the merchandise by May 15."
C) "We will send you the merchandise as soon as we receive your cheque for $25."
D) "You will have your merchandise by July 15 if you send us your cheque for $25 today."

Question 58

It is best not to use the "you" attitude if ??______________

A) you know your audience well.
B) your organization prefers a more formal style.
C) you are filling your audience's informational needs.
D) you are preparing a persuasive message.

Question 59

A(n)___________ sentence expresses two or more independent but related thoughts of equal importance.

Question 60

Most paragraphs consist of a(n)___________ sentence,support sentences,and transitional elements.

Question 61

Define bias-free language.

Question 62

List at least two types of biased language and explain how to avoid each type.

Question 63

Explain what it means to choose "words that communicate," then list four techniques for selecting the best words when writing business messages.

Question 64

Your company's interests and reputation take precedence over your personal communication style.How does this affect the way you communicate with your audience? What must you consider?

Question 65

What are five ways to develop a paragraph?

Question 66

To avoid embarrassing blunders in language related to gender,race,ethnicity,age,or disability,use __________ language.

Question 67

Briefly describe at least four word processing capabilities that can help business writers shape their writing.

Question 68

__________ lets you personalize form letters by inserting names and addresses from a database.

Question 69

Coherence is achieved through the use of ___________ that show the relationship between paragraphs and among sentences within paragraphs.

Question 70

List four things you should avoid if you want to achieve a conversational tone in business messages.

Question 71

Describe five things you can do to overcome writer's block.

Question 72

List at least three characteristics that can help establish credibility with your audience.

Question 73

Briefly explain the difference between tone and style in business writing.

Question 74

List three strategies for improving your audience sensitivity.

Question 75

List three situations in which the passive voice can help you demonstrate the "you" attitude.

Question 76

If your audience is unfamiliar with you,you need to devote the initial part of your message to establishing ___________.

Question 77

Discuss three ways to establish your credibility with your audience.

Question 78

You are scheduled to discuss a negative performance evaluation with one of your employees.How can you use the "you" attitude during your conversation?

Question 79

When you communicate with people outside your organization,you need to be sure to project the right __________ for your company.