Question 1

Describe the significance of using white space in a business document.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the significance of using white space...

Question 2

As a rule of thumb,for routine messages,the sentence length should be no more than

Accepted Answer

A)  8 words. 
B)  15 words. 
C)  20 words. 
D)  25 words. 
E)  30 words.

Question 3

People reading a business message are most likely to be confused by a sentence that

Accepted Answer

A)  uses action verbs rather than passive verbs. 
B)  uses active voice rather than passive voice. 
C)  has parallel structure. 
D)  contains redundancies to drive home the point. 
E)  does not mention the subject.

Question 4

Is visual appeal the most important factor for creating a good business document? Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Is visual appeal the most important factor...

Question 5

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of figures of speech,such as idioms and metaphors,in business writing?

Accepted Answer

A)  They should be avoided because they lack specificity. 
B)  They send the signal that the writer is out of touch with the audience. 
C)  They are an effective way to write more concisely. 
D)  They should be avoided because they are too I-centered. 
E)  They are an effective way to make a message more natural.

Question 6

Being concise means

Accepted Answer

A)  removing relevant information. 
B)  omitting needless words. 
C)  omitting parallel structure. 
D)  removing white space. 
E)  removing paragraph breaks.

Question 7

The use of familiar words in business messages is most likely to

Accepted Answer

A)  distract attention from the message. 
B)  decrease the credibility of the message. 
C)  cause the readers' attention to wander because of boredom. 
D)  decrease the specificity of the message. 
E)  help the readers to process the information easily.

Question 8

Prepositional phrases should be used in business messages to increase clarity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Consider the statement: "As most of you know,Mega Manufacturing had its most profitable year ever last year." One way to make this statement more concise is to

Accepted Answer

A)  eliminate the passive voice. 
B)  remove empty phrases. 
C)  replace a prepositional phrase with a verb. 
D)  start with "It is" or "There are." 
E)  remove redundant words.

Question 10

Consider the following sentence: "CEO Mike Maloney regrets to announce that PharmCo will be downsizing at the end of September." Which of the following actions would improve the ease of reading?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cut the prepositional phrase "at the end of September." 
B)  Change "at the end of September" to "at the end of the third quarter." 
C)  Change "PharmCo" to "PharmCo Drug and Pharmaceutical Company." 
D)  Change the buzzword "downsizing" to "laying off employees." 
E)  Change "CEO Mike Maloney" to "The CEO of PharmCo."

Question 11

Which statement about active voice and passive voice is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The active voice diverts attention from the doer. 
B)  People tend to think in a doer-action-object pattern. 
C)  The active voice is best when you do not want to attribute blame. 
D)  People tend to sound bossy when using the passive voice. 
E)  The passive voice places the object first.

Question 12

Which statement about ease of navigation is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  You should avoid using headings in information-rich and complex messages. 
B)  Visual appeal should be the first consideration for all written business communications. 
C)  Documents with too much text and not enough white space look daunting or cluttered. 
D)  Readers are likely to be distracted by bullets and numberings in a document. 
E)  In general,you should use special formatting as much as you can so your ideas stand out.

Question 13

When business messages contain long paragraphs,readers are most likely to think the writer is

Accepted Answer

A)  disorganized. 
B)  intelligent. 
C)  accurate. 
D)  respectful. 
E)  professional.

Question 14

Emma's boss has reviewed her proposal.He tells Emma that she needs to make it more accurate.Which of the following should she try to eliminate?

Accepted Answer

A)  prepositional phrases 
B)  parallel language 
C)  miscalculations 
D)  passive voice 
E)  redundancies

Question 15

Consider the statement: "In order to build a sustainable organization,it is important to hire employees with sustainable qualities." One way to make this statement more concise is to

Accepted Answer

A)  eliminate the passive voice. 
B)  remove empty phrases. 
C)  replace a prepositional phrase with a verb. 
D)  start with "It is" or "There are." 
E)  remove redundant words.

Question 16

What is the purpose of including headings in a business communication,and how can you make sure they achieve this purpose?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the purpose of including headings...

Question 17

Raj tends to generalize in his writing because he believes that makes his writing easy for most people to understand.What is the likely effect of his generalizations on his readers?

Accepted Answer

A)  They may doubt his competence on the subject he is writing about. 
B)  They are more likely to read the message carefully. 
C)  They will be pleased that they can find the information they need quickly. 
D)  They will be assured that Raj is not hiding unpleasant facts. 
E)  They will focus their attention on Raj's primary message.

Question 18

Documents with a lot of text and not much white space look daunting or cluttered.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Glen is writing a memo to suggest that his company hire someone to act on its behalf in a foreign market.If he wants to improve the ease of reading of his message,which term should he use to describe that person?

Accepted Answer

A)  fiduciary 
B)  executor 
C)  agent 
D)  procurator 
E)  envoy

Question 20

If you are specific in your message,then your readers are more likely to believe you are credible.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: Improving Readability With Style and Design

Describe the significance of using white space in a business document.

As a rule of thumb,for routine messages,the sentence length should be no more than

People reading a business message are most likely to be confused by a sentence that

Is visual appeal the most important factor for creating a good business document? Explain.

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of figures of speech,such as idioms and metaphors,in business writing?

Being concise means

The use of familiar words in business messages is most likely to

Prepositional phrases should be used in business messages to increase clarity.

Consider the statement: "As most of you know,Mega Manufacturing had its most profitable year ever last year." One way to make this statement more concise is to

Consider the following sentence: "CEO Mike Maloney regrets to announce that PharmCo will be downsizing at the end of September." Which of the following actions would improve the ease of reading?

Which statement about active voice and passive voice is true?

Which statement about ease of navigation is true?

When business messages contain long paragraphs,readers are most likely to think the writer is

Emma's boss has reviewed her proposal.He tells Emma that she needs to make it more accurate.Which of the following should she try to eliminate?

Consider the statement: "In order to build a sustainable organization,it is important to hire employees with sustainable qualities." One way to make this statement more concise is to

What is the purpose of including headings in a business communication,and how can you make sure they achieve this purpose?

Raj tends to generalize in his writing because he believes that makes his writing easy for most people to understand.What is the likely effect of his generalizations on his readers?

Documents with a lot of text and not much white space look daunting or cluttered.

Glen is writing a memo to suggest that his company hire someone to act on its behalf in a foreign market.If he wants to improve the ease of reading of his message,which term should he use to describe that person?

If you are specific in your message,then your readers are more likely to believe you are credible.