BusCom Ch.9

1) Compared to poorly written text, badly designed visuals are ________ to be noticed by your audience. A) less likely B) more likely C) just as likely D) not eligible

2) All of the following guidelines except ________ will help you avoid ethical lapses when you're creating visual support for a business message. A) aggregating data carefully B) oversimplifying complex situations C) providing background information D) avoiding emotional manipulation

3) Use the concept of ________ to help you design visuals that are consistent from one page of a document to the next. A) data visualization B) visual parallelism C) graphical enrichment D) visual enhancement

4) Consider the statements below. Which one of them is true? A) Contemporary audiences don't expect messages to contain visual elements. B) Today's video and graphic technology is so complex that only professionals can use it. C) Visuals can help you communicate your messages to audiences with lower reading skills. D) Your ability to create and interpret visuals will have little to do with your success in business.

5) Clip art cluttering a bar chart is an example of A) a pictogram. B) chartjunk. C) a good way to grab reader interest. D) all of the above.

6) Examples of ethical lapses to avoid in business visuals include all of the following except A) including photos that play on racial or gender stereotypes. B) expanding the detail of a graphic in order to make it more readable. C) altering photos or graphs to hide information that could make you look bad. D) distorting the axes on a line chart to make sales look like they have increased significantly over previous years.

7) If you have a great deal of detailed, specific information to present to allow users to find specific data point values in decimal form, the best visual to use would be a A) table. B) pie chart. C) diagram. D) Gantt chart.

8) Use a ________ to show frequency or distribution of parts in a whole. A) bar chart B) histogram C) flowchart D) pie chart

9) When you need to show processes, transformations, and other activities, the most effective visual choice would be A) infographics. B) flowcharts and diagrams. C) animations and videos. D) data visualizations.

10) When you're creating a table for online use, ________ to make sure that the table is easy to read. A) reduce the number of columns and rows B) remove lines and spaces between columns and rows C) display data items in unrounded, multiple units D) present large amounts of data and information

11) When preparing numerical tables, you should A) be sure to identify the units you are using. B) use at least three colors to hold the audience's attention. C) use a font no larger than 9 points. D) do all of the above.

12) The best type of visual for showing that annual consumer spending has decreased over the past ten years would be A) a table. B) a pie chart. C) a line chart. D) an organization chart.

13) When preparing a line chart, keep in mind that you should A) never leave out increments from the vertical axis. B) be especially careful to avoid distorting the data. C) never include negative numbers on the vertical axis. D) all of the above.

14) The best visual for illustrating a manufacturer's quality control process would be a A) line chart. B) flowchart. C) scatter diagram. D) pie chart.

15) A surface chart is A) a type of three-dimensional pie chart. B) a form of line chart in which all the lines add up to the top line. C) a type of map showing various terrains. D) used to show interrelationships within an organization.

16) A bar chart would be particularly useful for A) illustrating what percentages of a company's monthly budget are spent on utilities and other expenses. B) comparing sales totals of three breakfast cereals from 2007 to 2009. C) showing the stages in production of a jet engine. D) depicting links between employees at a large firm.

17) A segmented or stacked bar chart A) shows how individual components contribute to a total number. B) shows the correlation between two items. C) compares quantities that require different intervals. D) identifies positive and negative values.

18) A chart that uses symbols or graphic images instead of words or numbers to portray data is called a A) Gantt chart. B) surface chart. C) combination chart. D) pictogram.

19) A Gantt chart is a type of A) pictogram. B) line chart. C) time line chart. D) pie chart.

20) To track your team's progress toward completing an important project, you should use A) an organizational chart. B) a Gantt chart. C) a pie chart. D) a pictogram.

21) The best way to illustrate what percentage of your firm's annual budget is spent on what would be a A) pie chart. B) line chart. C) organizational chart. D) flowchart.

22) For determining numerical values, pie charts are generally ________ than bar charts or line charts. A) much better B) worse C) about the same D) slightly better

23) Flowcharts are used to A) summarize large amounts of statistical data. B) show the relative sizes of the parts of a whole. C) show how something looks or operates. D) illustrate processes and procedures.

24) The best graphic element to identify the communication channels of an entire business organization is a(n) A) organization chart. B) bar chart. C) scatter diagram. D) Gantt chart.

25) Microsoft Visio is one example of specialized software used to create A) professional-quality illustrations. B) complex spreadsheets. C) cash flow tracking systems. D) none of the above.

26) CAD stands for A) charts automatically designed. B) complete audiovisual display. C) computer-aided design. D) computer adaptable display.

27) A potential drawback of using photographs in reports is A) that they can show too much detail. B) that they are difficult to change or manipulate. C) that appropriate photos are difficult to find. D) all of the above.

28) To use photographs successfully in workplace documents or online publications, do not A) replace all diagrams with photographs. B) master basic image-processing functions. C) determine the communication value of each photograph. D) observe copyrights and model permissions.

29) As a key business skill, visual literacy involves A) being conversant with the latest image-editing software. B) understanding how visual representations have evolved over the ages. C) the ability to create effective visuals and interpret them correctly. D) sharing smartphone photos on social media.

30) Using video to enhance business messages A) has become difficult and expensive, since audiences now have such high expectations. B) is generally a bad idea, since it takes away from the main idea. C) is easier than ever, thanks to low-cost video cameras and video sharing sites such as YouTube. D) is effective for tech-savvy audiences, but a turn-off for most others.

31) When designing important visuals in business, A) include as little text and as many photographs as possible. B) use online clipart to apply a decorative flair to your corporate communications. C) plan on using every color in the rainbow to reach out to the global community. D) consider hiring a professional to design a template for the visuals that represent your company.

32) In computer graphics, a template A) is a tool for creating curves and geometric shapes. B) helps ensure an effective design, saves time, and makes decision making easier. C is any kind of chart generated by a spreadsheet or illustration program. D) is a tool for creating classic architectural views.

33) The style and quality that you choose for your visuals depends mostly on A) the gender of your audience. B) whether or not your topic is controversial. C) the subject matter and the situation at hand. D) all of the above.

34) The ideal balance between the visual and the verbal depends on A) the nature of your audience. B) the length of the report/presentation. C) the amount of money available for underwriting the costs of graphics. D) internal company guidelines.

35) The reference to a bar chart in your report on advertising costs should A) come directly after the chart itself appears. B) precede the chart. C) come on the page following the chart, and refer to it as "the abovementioned pie chart." D) include copyright information.

36) In business reports, it is best to place each visual A) within, beside, or immediately after the paragraph it illustrates. B) just before the paragraph referring to it. C) together with other visuals at the end of each chapter. D) together with other visuals in an appendix at the end of the report.

37) A ________ offers additional discussion of the content of a visual; a ________ helps readers decode a visual. A) legend; tag cloud B) table; chevron C) caption; legend D) diagram; matrix

38) Which of the following is an example of a descriptive title for a visual? A) How CamCo Reduces Costs B) CamCo Cost Reductions Are Increasing Each Year C) Reducing Costs Is a Number-One Goal at CamCo D) Whither Camco: Is the Rollercoaster Ride Over?

39) Legends should be included with A) controversial reports. B) all visuals in business reports. C) complex graphs. D) all of the above.

40) When creating visuals, it is highly unethical to A) leave out important information. B) "airbrush" the photos of company executives to make them look more attractive. C) overload your report with unnecessary tables and charts. D) simplify data from other sources.

41) A special class of diagrams called ________ can feature stylized versions of charts and graphs or offer structured narratives. A) informatics B) pictograms C) infographics D) monograms

42) The process for producing business videos includes the following three stages: A) planning, writing, and completing. B) casting, filming, and broadcasting. C) visualization, production, and dissemination. D) preproduction, production, and postproduction.

43) The term ________ refers to secondary video clips and still images that can add visual interest to or improve the flow of a business video. A) B-roll material B) A-list material C) shot-list material D) back-up material

44) Best practices during the production stage of a business video do not include A) keeping your camera still. B) capturing B-roll footage. C) framing each shot carefully. D) using special effects on your camera.

45) During the post-production stage of a business video, you can A) add transitions between video segments. B) identify the shots you want to keep and those you want to delete. C) synchronize the main audio track with the video and record narration. D) all of the above.

47) Unlike words, visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across cultures.

48) Including visuals in your report or presentation is a particularly powerful way to communicate with a culturally diverse audience.

49) Poorly planned visuals are often more noticeable than grammatical errors in the text of your report.

50) According to the concept of visual symbolism, many shapes and colors have the same meaning, across a wide variety of cultures.

51) In business presentations, maintaining consistency among your visuals is less important than impressing the audience with a wide range of special effects.

52) The more decorative elements you can add to a graphic, the more interesting and useful it will be to the audience.

53) Altering the horizontal or vertical scale on a line graph can profoundly influence your audience's perception of the data you present.

53) Use a table to summarize information that would be difficult or tedious to handle in the main text.

54) Infographics are limited to showing stylized versions of charts and graphs.

55) When preparing numerical tables, you should express all items in a column in the same unit.

56) In line charts showing trends, the vertical axis indicates time or quantity, and the horizontal axis indicates amount.

57) Generally speaking, a line chart should not contain more than 2-3 lines for comparison.

58) The edge of the bottom section of a surface chart shows the cumulative total for all of the categories.

59) Bar charts can be used to compare more than one set of data.

60) The deviation bar chart shows variation for a variable over time.

61) Bars in a bar chart should always be aligned horizontally.

62) A Gantt chart is a type of time line chart used to track the progress of a project.

63) A pie chart would provide an effective visual to illustrate how an employee's time is divided among different tasks throughout the week.

64) Data visualization is focused on extracting broad meaning from data (rather than on clarifying individual data points).

65) If you want to illustrate a process or procedure, the best type of visual to use is a flowchart.

66) On a flowchart, diamonds indicate decision points.

67) Drawings, diagrams, and photographs are generally not helpful in business documents.

68) Because of the costs of reproduction, photographs are usually not used in business reports.

69) Using an informative title for a visual, such as "Demand Grows Exponentially," will make it easier for your audience to understand the main idea depicted in that visual.

70) In the text of a report, only the most important visuals should be referred to by number.

71) The best place to put a visual is right next to or immediately following the paragraph it illustrates.