Business Communications Chapter 4

The best business writing is concise. Concise writing: A. avoids unnecessary words or flabby phrases B. has been revised to include examples and research C. is free of errors in grammar and punctuation D. has coherent paragraphs

Which of the following sentences avoids the use of a redundant expression? A. Each and every employee will be pleased to learn about our new benefit offerings. B. The fundamentals of our economy are strong. C. The price options are exactly identical. D. Your participation in this survey is absolutely essential to help us create products that meet your needs.

Which of the following avoids outdated, trite business expressions and uses modern phrasing? A. At your request B. Thank you in advance C. Enclosed please find D. Under separate cover

Cliches: A. add clarity and precision to your business writing. B. are understood by members of all culture C. should be included in business documents because they are familiar D. are expressions that have become exhausted by overuse.

Words such as "definitely", "quite", "extremely", "very", and "actually" are: A. adverbs that should not be used excessively in business writing. B. adjectives that add a welcome degree or emotion to your writing. C. adverbs that streamline your writing. D. adjectives that may be omitted because they are imprecise.

How many typefaces should you use in a business document? A. At least ten B. Up to five C. At least three D. No more than two

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

Which of the following avoids burying a verb in a wordy noun expression? A. We will give serious consideration to your application. B. The board will conduct a discussion about the possible merger. C. The task force reached a conclusion about how to improve morale. D. We hope to discover the reason our profits are declining.

Which statement regarding headings is accurate? A. Headings should be avoided in all business documents. B. Headings should be used in business letters only. C. Headings provide visual distraction for readers; thus, they should be avoided. D. Headings highlight information and improve readability.

For complex documents it's best to proofread: A. either on the screen or from a printed copy using the method you prefer. B. on the computer screen only C. as you compose the document D. from a printed copy

Proofreading means improving the content and sentence structure of your message, including adding, cutting, recasting, reformatting, or redesigning what you have written. True or False

One reason concise messages are essential in business is that they save money by saving time. True or False

Although scientists and the medical field use jargon, most other fields do not have terminology specific to the field. True or False

As you revise, make your writing clear by using specific verbs, concrete nouns, and vivid objectives. True or False

You are likely to become a stronger proofreader of complex documents if you criticize yourself each time you find an error. True or False

How is proofreading different from revising?