Bus Comm Test 1

Which of the following statements is most accurate? A) Workers today communicate less than in previous years. B) Technology has not affected how and why we communicate. C) Businesses today generate a wide range of messages using a variety of media. D) Writing is a skill set used only by managers and corporate executives.

Which of the following statements is most accurate? A) The need for well-written messages has declined in today's workforce. B) Employers rank soft skills as less valuable than hard skills. C) Social media are playing an increasingly prominent role in business. D) Today's use of digital media requires less written communication.

Which of the following statements about today's business environments is most accurate? A) The number of telecommuting employees is expected to decline in the future. B) All companies assign offices for employees. C) Many employees today no longer need an office; they can work anytime and anywhere. D) Workers today spend more time in offices than workers in the past. Unlock to view answer

Which communication technology is used by companies today? A) Presence technology B) Cloud computing C) Videoconferencing D) All answer choices are communication technologies being used by companies today.

According to research, what percentage of our work time is spent listening? A) 50 percent B) 90 percent C) 10 percent D) 25 percent

You can improve your listening skills if you follow tips for active listening, including A) keeping an open mind, establishing a receptive mind-set, and listening between the lines. B) establishing a receptive mind-set, concentrating on appearance and delivery, and sifting information through biases. C) capitalizing on lag time, concentrating on your next comment, and taking as many notes as possible. D) asking questions immediately, focusing on the speaker's face, and concentrating on the details presented in the message.

Nonverbal communication includes A) all unwritten and unspoken messages, intended or not. B) only body language and gestures that accompany a spoken message. C) only eye contact and facial expressions that support the meaning of the words. D) only cues that reveal agreement with or contradiction of the verbal message.

Which of the following statements about nonverbal communication is most accurate? A) Nonverbal communication comprises very little of a message that is sent or received. B) When verbal and nonverbal messages contradict, receivers believe that the verbal message is more accurate. C) Meanings of nonverbal behaviors are often influenced by the communication context and by one's culture. D) Nonverbal communication applies to only intended messages.

North Americans value straightforwardness and are suspicious of evasiveness. These traits identify the cultural dimension of A) individualism. B) power distance. C) communication style. D) time orientation.

Which of the following is a form of nonverbal communication? A) Facial expressions, such as frowning or raising the eyebrows B) Eye contact, such as staring or avoiding looking someone in the eye C) Time, such as showing up too late or too early D) All answer choices are forms of nonverbal communication.

According to Edward T. Hall, which spatial zone do most people converse with friends and family members? A) Intimate B) Personal C) Social D) Public

Which of the following is a common trait of a business communicator from a low-context culture? A) Valuing group membership B) Preferring indirect verbal interaction C) Placing emphasis on written information D) Relying on context and feeling

Every country has a unique culture or common heritage that A) teaches its members how to behave and conditions their reactions. B) results from a common gene pool. C) is created by a structured educational system. D) comes from an orderly system of government and laws.

Communicators from North America, Scandinavia, and Germany tend to be logical, analytical, and action oriented. They also depend little on the context of a situation to convey their meaning. These communicators represent what kind of culture? A) High-context B) Primitive C) Ancient D) Low-context

Which of the following is not a dimension of culture? A) Power distance B) Individualism C) Tolerance D) Time orientation

The most important cultural dimension is A) power distance. B) communication style. C) time orientation. D) context.

Which of the following countries represents a high-context culture? A) United States B) Germany C) Norway D) Japan

When speaking with someone for whom English is a second language, you should talk slowly, enunciate clearly, check frequently for comprehension, observe eye messages, listen without interrupting, and A) follow up important messages in writing. B) avoid smiling, which might make you appear to lack seriousness. C) use words that will impress the listener. D) assume that the listener understands if he or she nods and smiles in agreement.

Which of the following is a benefit of a diverse work environment? A) Being better ability to create the products desired by consumers B) Experiencing fewer discrimination lawsuits, fewer union clashes, and less government regulatory action C) Improving employee relationships and increasing productivity D) All are benefits of a diverse work environment.

Communication is defined as "the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another." The crucial element of this definition is A) transmission. B) information. C) meaning. D) individual.

Communication noise A) occurs only with the sender in the communication process. B) includes only environmentally produced sounds that prevent the message from being transmitted. C) is anything that interrupts the transmission of a message. D) describes the medium over which the message travels.

Business writing should be economical. In this context economical can best be defined as A) presenting ideas clearly and concisely. B) concentrating on the receiver's perspective instead of your own. C) solving problems and conveying information. D) getting your audience to believe and accept your message.

According to writing experts, approximately what percentage of time should you spend on the prewriting phase of a business message? A) 90 percent B) 50 percent C) 25 percent D) 5 percent

Experts say that writers should spend the most time in the ____ stage of the writing process. A) prewriting B) drafting C) revising D) thinking

Which of the following communication channels is considered the richest medium? A) Written proposal B) E-mail message C) Face-to-face conversation D) Blog posting

When selecting a communication channel, you should follow two tips: use richer media for persuasive or personal communications, and A) use the richest media available. B) select the cheapest channel to reduce costs. C) never use digital media such as instant or text messaging on the job. D) consider what media is the easiest for you to use.

One of the best ways to develop audience benefits is to use the "you" view, which A) means that all messages are written in the active voice. B) dictates that all sentences be written as commands. C) emphasizes second-person pronouns instead of first-person pronouns. D) uses slang and abbreviations to personalize the message.

Which of the following sentences demonstrates effective business writing? A) Hey, Bob. Ur proposal is rad! B) Your proposal demonstrates how our call center can better meet the needs of our customers. C) FYI, i liked your proposal :). D) Congrats on the proposal. You rock!

Which of the following sentences demonstrates effective business writing? A) As per your request, enclosed is our latest catalog. B) Enclosed is our latest catalog. C) The latest catalog is contained under separate cover. D) Pertaining to your request, our latest catalog is enclosed.

Which of the following represents the best business writing? A) We regret that we are unable to accept you as a credit customer at this time. B) You will never be sorry that you opened a checking account with our bank. C) We cannot accept the returned merchandise because it is not resalable. D) You can return all resalable merchandise for a store credit.

Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing? A) I'm ticked! Credit my account now! B) Will you please credit my account for $125 due to the computer error on May 1. C) You should credit my account. D) Please get it right and credit my account for $125.

Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing? A) All executives and their wives will attend the Reno conference. B) A salesman must meet monthly sales quotas. C) The female attorney graduated from Yale. D) The office personnel will assist you with your forms.

Which of the following is most acceptable for business writing? A) Every physician must carry his own malpractice insurance. B) Every physician must carry their own malpractice insurance. C) All physicians must carry their own malpractice insurance. D) Every physician must carry his or her own malpractice insurance.

Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing? A) An Asian CEO was the keynote speaker. B) An African-American man was the next customer. C) A record number of Japanese investors are purchasing real estate in the United States. D) Mr. Hernandez, a Mexican, is my boss.

Which of the following is most acceptable for business writing? A) Please think about the new insurance option. B) Caltrek experienced a change in profits during the last fiscal year. C) Retailers can expect to pay higher amounts for their goods and services. D) Sheila will examine the job proposal carefully.

The second phase of the 3-x-3 writing process begins with A) analyzing the audience. B) composing the message. C) researching the topic. D) organizing the message.

All of the following would probably require informal research methods except A) routine e-mail messages. B) business letters. C) long reports and complex business problems. D) oral presentations.

All of the following are informal research methods except A) interviewing the target audience. B) conducting a scientific experiment. C) looking in company files. D) brainstorming for ideas.

As interns in human resource management, Brad and his team are administering a professionally developed employee questionnaire to collect information on workplace violence. This type of research produces data that is considered A) firsthand information. B) informal documentation. C) supplementary, secondary information. D) scientific experimentation.

The direct strategy would be most appropriate when A) delivering bad news. B) presenting ideas requiring persuasion. C) expecting the audience to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral. D) revealing sensitive news.

Which of the following is an advantage of the direct strategy? A) Minimizes a negative reaction B) Respects the feelings of the reader C) Saves the reader's time D) Encourages a fair hearing

Which of the following is an advantage of the indirect strategy? A) Saves the reader's time B) Respects the feelings of the audience C) Reduces frustration D) Sets a proper frame of mind

The indirect strategy is most appropriate for what kind of messages? A) Bad-news messages B) Sensitive messages C) Persuasive messages D) The indirect strategy is appropriate for all answer choices.

Which of the following kinds of business messages typically use the indirect strategy? A) Nonsensitive memos B) Routine requests C) Informational reports D) Sensitive messages

Which of the following is a complex sentence? A) Visit our website to learn more about our newest product line. B) The conference will be held on Monday, but few managers will be able to attend. C) Employers are now using social media sites to screen applicants; therefore, job seekers are advised to clean up their digital presence. D) Because of rising insurance premiums, many companies are offering employee-wellness incentives.

What is a run-on sentence? A) Two independent clauses run together without punctuation or a conjunction B) Two independent clauses joined by a comma without a conjunction C) A broken-off part of a sentence D) An independent clause containing two dependent clauses

Active-voice sentences A) direct the action of the verb toward the subject. B) place the subject of the sentence as the doer of the action. C) generally use a to be helping verb. D) should always be avoided.

Which of the following uses only active voice in a complete sentence? A) The company's rigid return policy was criticized by a few unhappy customers. B) Because a few unhappy customers criticized the company's rigid return policy. C) Managers were told about the unhappy customers who criticized the company's rigid return policy. D) A few unhappy customers criticized the company's rigid return policy.

Effective paragraphs A) usually present the main idea in the first sentence. B) are coherent. C) include supporting sentences that expand and explain the main idea. D) All answer choices are correct.

Paragraphs are coherent when A) all sentences are written in the active voice. B) each sentence includes dependent and independent clauses. C) ideas are linked; that is, one idea leads logically to the next. D) All answer choices are correct.

To build paragraph coherence, a writer should A) repeat a key idea by using the same expression or a similar one. B) use pronouns to refer to previous nouns. C) show connections with transitional expressions. D) All answer choices can build paragraph coherence.

Which of the following about writing and revising business documents is most accurate? A) Rarely is the first version satisfactory, but usually the second version is excellent. B) Experts say only amateurs expect writing perfection on the first try. C) Revision is not necessary for informal documents such as internal memos or e-mail messages. D) The real work of revision should happen in the writing stage as you select words and form sentences.

Which of the following best avoids flabby expressions? A) In very few cases do job applicants perform adequate research about a company. B) The CEO is of the opinion that stock prices will increase next quarter. C) Although many employees have requested training, we can't afford the extra expense. D) We do not expect any pay raises at this point in time.

Effective communicators avoid the flabby expression in addition to the above by using the word(s) A) in addition. B) also. C) as well as the previously mentioned. D) along with the aforementioned.

Which sentence avoids redundant expressions? A) It is absolutely essential that our accounting records are accurate. B) Let's not repeat our competitor's mistakes. C) Please refer back to the June financial statements. D) I want to thank each and every stockholder.

Katelyn is writing a letter to thank a potential employer for her job interview. Which of these sentences contains modern expressions Katelyn should use? A) Thank you in advance for considering me for your available position. B) You will note that my coursework has thoroughly prepared me for your medical technician position. C) Enclosed herein please find the salary history you requested during the interview. D) Pursuant to your request, I will return for a second interview on May 28.

Which of the following expressions is most modern? A) Separately B) Every effort will be made C) In receipt of D) In accordance with your wishes

Slang A) is composed of informal words with arbitrary and extravagantly changed meanings. B) is acceptable to use in business messages. C) involves the use of technical expressions that have become fashionable and are often meant to impress rather than express. D) All answer choices are correct.

The dangers of using slang in business writing include A) obscuring meaning. B) using language that is too informal. C) using words that quickly go out of fashion. D) All answer choices are correct.

Well-designed documents enhance readability and comprehension and A) make readers think the writer is a well-organized and intelligent person. B) guarantee reader acceptance. C) increase the intelligence level of the reader. D) avoid the use of white space.

To improve readability and comprehension through white space, A) use approximately 20 or fewer words per sentence. B) construct paragraphs consisting of 12-15 printed lines. C) develop long paragraphs. D) avoid the use of topic sentences on shorter paragraphs.

Dylan is designing his document to enhance readability and comprehension. What is the best advice you can give Dylan? A) Justify the left and right margins so they are both even. B) Create white space by using headings, bulleted or numbered lists, short paragraphs, and effective margins. C) Use multiple typefaces within the document. D) Use ALL CAPS anywhere in a document to emphasize key points.

Which statement about margins and text alignment is true? A) Margins define the reading area and provide important visual relief. B) Nearly all text in Western cultures is aligned at the right. C) Business letters and memos usually have side margins of 2 inches. D) Ragged right margins decrease white space and readability.

Which statement about proofreading is most accurate? A) Good business writers wait at least 24 hours or longer to proofread a document. B) Only important messages or documents need to be proofread. C) Documents with errors do not affect a person's credibility because readers understand that everyone makes mistakes. D) Proofreading should occur while the document is being written.

Proofreading includes which of the following tasks? A) Improving content and tone B) Fine tuning sentence and paragraph structure C) Correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, names and numbers, and format D) Determining whether the message should be written using the direct or indirect organizational pattern

Branch managers of First Federated Savings and Loan received this e-mail message: Please inform all personal that management retains the right to check personal belongings of employees before employees leave the bank. What error did the writer make? A) A grammatical mistake B) A proofreading error C) A failure to use spell check D) No error was made. The sentence is correct as written.

What is the best advice for proofreading a complex document? A) Be prepared to find errors. B) Increase your reading speed. C) Read the message only once. D) Proofread the message immediately after it has been fully written.

What is the best way to judge the success of your writing? A) Receiving a raise or promotion B) Using a spell-checker C) Receiving feedback from your receiver D) Organizing your message using the direct organizational strategy

Taylor is enrolled in a business communications course at her local community college. She just received a paper back from her professor who noted that Taylor should review the principles for comma usage. How should Taylor handle this criticism? A) Report her teacher to the president of the college for abuse. B) Argue with her teacher about comma rules. C) Withdraw from the class. D) Accept the feedback and use it constructively to improve her future writing assignments.

Tyler used a bulleted list on his résumé to describe his previous job duties. Which of the following items from his list does not demonstrate parallel structure? A) Performed inspections of plant equipment, including boilers, condensers, and chillers B) Troubleshooting of plant's chemical equipment C) Performed load calculations for plant equipment D) Wrote analytical reports detailing system performance

There is a new software company that will be hiring employees is an example of a sentence with A) concise wording. B) a wordy prepositional phrase. C) a filler. D) faulty parallelism.