Deck 5: Revising-Your-Writing

Question 1

You can best help readers grasp your meaning by using old,familiar clichés rather than fresh,original language.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

While composing a first draft,you should be less concerned with style and more concerned with getting your ideas down in some form.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A writer using the phrase "thinking outside of the box" would be admired for fresh,original thinking.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Although informal,slang expressions are vivid and widely understood.

Question 5

To be sure your message is understood,use as much specific jargon as possible when communicating with people outside your organization.

Question 6

Any message that omits key information is not accurate.

Question 7

Effective business writers select words to impress their readers by evoking a reaction such as excitement,anger,or amusement.

Question 8

A cliché is a phrase that has been used for so long that it is not considered original.

Question 9

Because slang words are in use for long periods,people who read business documents that are several years old should have no problem understanding them.

Question 10

Completeness is the most important attribute of a business message.

Question 11

Effective communicators avoid slang in business writing because it does not represent standard word usage.

Question 12

Elements of written communication such as spelling,abbreviations,and punctuation are known as mechanics.

Question 13

Your written message will be clearer if it is accurate,makes use of familiar words,and includes a number of dangling expressions.

Question 14

A misplaced modifier is one common type of dangling expression.

Question 15

Concrete language is vigorous only if it is sufficiently emotionally charged to stimulate a response.

Question 16

Rather than eliminating long words from your business communication,use them in moderation when appropriate.

Question 17

Instead of using a longer,somewhat vague word such as substantial,it is better to use a shorter,more specific word such as large.

Question 18

Style consists of the way your message is expressed,including the effectiveness of the words,sentences,paragraphs,and tone.

Question 19

You may use long words in your business writing if the language is familiar to you and to your reader.

Question 20

As long as you use correct grammar,punctuation,and spelling in your business writing,you will be able to communicate your meaning.

Question 21

When you want to give equal weight to two closely related ideas in a single sentence,use a compound sentence.

Question 22

You should use active-voice verbs to convey negative news tactfully or to reduce emphasis on the doer of the action.

Question 23

In some messages,you can save space by stating information and substituting clauses for adjectives or adverbs.

Question 24

Readers will see your writing as unoriginal and even monotonous if you add the ending -ize to transform nouns into verbs such as agenda into agendize).

Question 25

The independent clause of a complex sentence should contain the supplemental information.

Question 26

An effective business message includes sentences that range from 22 to 32 words in length.

Question 27

A sentence that consists of one independent clause that can stand alone as a complete thought is a simple sentence.

Question 28

The phrase made a payment contains an expletive.

Question 29

Using buzzwords in business writing is a good way to show your familiarity with issues and trends in contemporary media.

Question 30

An expletive at the beginning of a sentence can make the subject of the sentence unclear.

Question 31

Hidden verbs weaken sentences because they do not emphasize the main action.

Question 32

The first clause in a compound sentence receives more emphasis than the second,independent clause.

Question 33

When you use the active voice,you are emphasizing the doer rather than the receiver of the action in that sentence.

Question 34

Repeating a particular word in several sentences within a paragraph highlights separate ideas and demonstrates parallelism.

Question 35

You can keep your business writing interesting and express relationships between ideas by varying the pattern and length of your sentences.

Question 36

The passive voice focuses attention on the entity receiving the action rather than performing the action.

Question 37

Redundancy is an effective method of repeating and reinforcing an idea that you expressed earlier in your message.

Question 38

Businesspeople value redundancy in messages because they need more data on which to base their decisions.

Question 39

By substituting a single word for a phrase,you are "getting rid of the lard" in a sentence.

Question 40

The three basic sentence types are compound-complex,complex,and simple.

Question 41

One reason to control paragraph length is to avoid obscuring a key idea that appears in one of the middle paragraphs.

Question 42

The transitional word nevertheless shows a contrasting relationship.

Question 43

"Our school is not only buying students pens but also buying them pencils" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.

Question 44

By matching nouns with nouns and adjectives with adjectives,you can achieve parallel structure.

Question 45

Effective writing avoids both redundancy and repetition.

Question 46

The purpose of parallel structure is to connect topic sentences and enhance the unity within a message.

Question 47

To summarize a paragraph's content,you should position your topic sentence at the end.

Question 48

The transitional word therefore indicates a step-by-step movement.

Question 49

The purpose of using transitional words is to integrate the discussion points and unify the paragraphs.

Question 50

Including examples or more analysis in a paragraph helps you develop the main idea.

Question 51

A sentence lacks parallelism if similar ideas are expressed using different grammatical structures.

Question 52

The length of a paragraph depends on the organization's requirements,not on the reader's comprehension level.

Question 53

When each sentence flows smoothly from the sentence before it and connects smoothly to the sentence after it,the resulting paragraph has coherence.

Question 54

A paragraph lacks unity when it contains sentences or details that are not directly related to the topic.

Question 55

To achieve coherence,effective writers use different terms for the same idea,such as manager and supervisor.

Question 56

The purpose of a paragraph is to group topic sentences in logical order for the reader's convenience.

Question 57

You can signal a change in direction within a message by starting a new sentence to introduce an additional topic.

Question 58

Pronouns can bind sentences and ideas together to create a more coherent paragraph.

Question 59

"Our school is buying both pens and pencils for students' use" is a sentence with proper parallel structure.

Question 60

Paragraphs provide readers with a physical break,keeping your message from looking either boring and too simplistic or intimidatingly complex.

Question 61

Adapting your language to the reader's needs helps you convey an appropriately condescending attitude.

Question 62

You can emphasize an idea by putting it into the first or last paragraph.

Question 63

Obvious flattery detracts from the sincerity of your message.

Question 64

Effective business communicators use a confident,competent tone in their messages but avoid sounding arrogant.

Question 65

The statement "I am amazed that you filled in the form correctly" has a courteous tone.

Question 66

Using positive expressions helps you build goodwill among audience members.

Question 67

One way to avoid exaggeration and sound more sincere is to use only an appropriate number of modifiers.

Question 68

Believing that your decision is based on sound reasoning increases your risk of writing with less confidence.

Question 69

Effective communicators do not signal which of the ideas in a message are the most important,because readers should be encouraged to draw their own conclusions.

Question 70

Business writers aim for paragraphs that are 60 to 80 words long,with three or four sentences supporting a single topic sentence.

Question 71

To avoid influencing readers' attitudes toward an idea,you should imply but not actually say that it is of "primary importance."

Question 72

Using platitudes will give readers the sense that you have a condescending attitude.

Question 73

You are acting ethically if you imply but do not state that an idea is much more important than it is.

Question 74

Putting an idea in a short,simple sentence emphasizes its importance.

Question 75

Using words such as deny and cannot helps you make a positive impression on your audience.

Question 76

Writing "I am sure that you will agree" in a business letter conveys an appropriate level of confidence.

Question 77

Readers may think you are unsure of yourself if you use self-conscious phrases such as I hope in your messages.

Question 78

A series of short paragraphs helps readers maintain a rhythm in their reading when they are absorbing many new ideas.

Question 79

Three mechanical ways to emphasize an idea are enumeration,indenting from the margin,and use of italics.

Question 80

To sound confident,effective writers often use the phrase "I know that" in front of key assertions.