Question 1

Which parts of your letters are readers likely to find most interesting and read first?

Accepted Answer

A)  Address and body 
B)  Opening and closing 
C)  Middle paragraphs of justification and explanation 
D) Salutation and subject line

Question 2

Jason Storey has five questions to ask his reader in a routine information request letter. What is the best way to present these questions?

Accepted Answer

A)  As a separate enclosure 
B)  In a bulleted or numbered list in the body of his letter 
C)  In paragraph form in the body of his letter 
D) In a follow-up e-mail

Question 3

You are writing a letter to request information about wireless connectivity for your workplace computers. Since you expect the information to be forthcoming, where in the letter should you put the actual request for information?

Accepted Answer

A)  In the introduction 
B)  In the body 
C)  In the conclusion 
D) In an attachment

Question 4

Which of the following e-mail subject lines would be most effective?

Accepted Answer

A)  Hello! 
B)  Our next regularly scheduled meeting of the Task Force will be held on March 18. 
C)  Task Force Meeting March 18 
D) IMPORTANT! Open Immediately.

Question 5

Placing the reasons before the bad news improves the chances that the reader will accept and understand the bad news.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

The recommended order for messages that deliver bad news is

Accepted Answer

A)  buffer, explanation, bad news, goodwill closing. 
B)  buffer, bad news, explanation, goodwill closing. 
C)  explanation, buffer, bad news, goodwill closing. 
D) bad news, explanation, buffer, goodwill closing.

Question 7

When price may be an obstacle in a sales letter, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

A)  Delay mentioning the price until after you have created desire for the product or service. 
B)  Show the price in small units. 
C)  Compare your price with those of a competitor. 
D) You should do all of these.

Question 8

Which of the following is the best advice for using business e-mail?

Accepted Answer

A)  If your e-mail message covers several topics, it's acceptable to leave the subject line blank. 
B)  If your message is extremely important, write it in all capital letters. 
C)  Because e-mail is casual communication, you don't have to worry about the tone you use. 
D) Assume that all workplace e-mail is monitored.

Question 9

Dominic must send a bad-news message to a customer, telling the customer that a product she ordered is no longer available. What should Dominic do first?

Accepted Answer

A)  Select a soothing color of stationery for the message. 
B)  Gather information about the reasons that the product is no longer available. 
C)  Write his buffer statement. 
D) Analyze the bad news to see how it will affect his business.

Question 10

Most of the workplace messages you write will probably deal with routine matters that require straightforward answers using the direct method.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

You have decided to ask your supervisor to authorize the purchase of Blackberry smartphones for you and other members of the sales force. The most important item for you to include in your persuasive request is

Accepted Answer

A)  a clear explanation of how you will benefit from the purchase. 
B)  an appeal to your supervisor's emotions. 
C)  clear documentation, including facts, figures, and evidence. 
D) the appearance of the Blackberry smartphones.

Question 12

Rewrite the following poorly written opening to an adjustment letter responding to a claim. Write the opening sentence only.
We are extremely saddened to learn of the unfortunate failure of your iPod touch, and we apologize for any inconvenience it has caused you. Although company policy typically prevents us from offering a total replacement at no cost to you for defective products, we'll make an exception in your case. Therefore, we have enclosed a voucher for a new iPod touch that you can take to our store nearest you.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rewrite the following poorly written opening to...

Question 13

Which of the following is the most important part of a bad-news message?

Accepted Answer

A)  A positive, forward-looking closing 
B)  A neutral buffer 
C)  An explanation of the reasons for the bad news 
D) The bad news itself

Question 14

To sound professional and courteous, include a sentence such as Thank you for your cooperation in the closing paragraph of an information or action request letter.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Because e-mail messages are more informal than messages sent via other workplace communication channels, you don't have to be so concerned with correct grammar and spelling.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

As a business communicator, you have several primary and secondary goals
when delivering bad news. Name two of these goals; they can be either primary or secondary goals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of As a business communicator, you have several...

Question 17

When explaining compliance in the body of an adjustment letter, avoid words such as regret, misunderstanding, and unfortunately.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Name two rules of netiquette that show respect for others when using e-mail.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Name two rules of netiquette that show...

Question 19

When writing a straightforward claim that you expect the reader to agree with readily, use the direct organizational pattern.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

An effective technique when writing a persuasive claim or complaint letter is to show how angry you are about the situation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 16: Proofreading and Corrections Symbols

Which parts of your letters are readers likely to find most interesting and read first?

Jason Storey has five questions to ask his reader in a routine information request letter. What is the best way to present these questions?

You are writing a letter to request information about wireless connectivity for your workplace computers. Since you expect the information to be forthcoming, where in the letter should you put the actual request for information?

Which of the following e-mail subject lines would be most effective?

Placing the reasons before the bad news improves the chances that the reader will accept and understand the bad news.

The recommended order for messages that deliver bad news is

When price may be an obstacle in a sales letter, what should you do?

Which of the following is the best advice for using business e-mail?

Dominic must send a bad-news message to a customer, telling the customer that a product she ordered is no longer available. What should Dominic do first?

Most of the workplace messages you write will probably deal with routine matters that require straightforward answers using the direct method.

You have decided to ask your supervisor to authorize the purchase of Blackberry smartphones for you and other members of the sales force. The most important item for you to include in your persuasive request is

Which of the following is the most important part of a bad-news message?

To sound professional and courteous, include a sentence such as Thank you for your cooperation in the closing paragraph of an information or action request letter.

Because e-mail messages are more informal than messages sent via other workplace communication channels, you don't have to be so concerned with correct grammar and spelling.

As a business communicator, you have several primary and secondary goals when delivering bad news. Name two of these goals; they can be either primary or secondary goals.

When explaining compliance in the body of an adjustment letter, avoid words such as regret, misunderstanding, and unfortunately.

Name two rules of netiquette that show respect for others when using e-mail.

When writing a straightforward claim that you expect the reader to agree with readily, use the direct organizational pattern.

An effective technique when writing a persuasive claim or complaint letter is to show how angry you are about the situation.