Ch. 5

Which of the following statements that could appear in a business message best reflects the "you" attitude? A) You failed to enclose a check for $25. B) We need a check from you for $25 so that we can send the merchandise by May 15. C) We will send you the merchandise as soon as we receive your check for $25. D) You will have your merchandise by July 15 if you send us your check for $25 today. E) If you want your order, you have to pay us first.

Select the sentence with the best "you" attitude. A) Because your application was poorly written, we cannot accept it. B) Your application failed to meet our requirements. C) When we receive an application that is professional, we can act on your request. D) Once your application is complete, you should receive a response within two weeks. E) How can you expect us to understand this sloppy application?

It is best to limit your use of the word "you" in business messages if A) you know your audience well. B) your organization prefers an informal, personal style. C) you are filling your audience's informational needs. D) using it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusing. E) you are trying to make a sale.

Regarding the use of the "you" attitude in business communication, A) cultural differences are not a concern, since it is universally acceptable. B) it is important to recognize and accommodate cultural differences. C) you should assume that members of high-context cultures would find it offensive. D) you should avoid it completely in intercultural communication. E) it's no more complicated than using the word "you" as much as possible

In business communication, good etiquette A) is not a major concern, as long as you get your point across. B) is important, but only in formal written messages. C) indicates respect for the audience and minimizes negative emotional reaction. D) now means nothing more than responding promptly when others contact you. E) is important only when communicating with older individuals

In part because of limited opportunities for feedback, written communication and most forms of electronic communication require ________ than oral communication. A) less care B) fewer nouns C) more tact D) shorter sentences E) less formality

When delivering negative news, A) look for positive points that will foster a good relationship with your audience. B) don't waste time trying to emphasize the positive-your audience will see right through it. C) always be positive and upbeat, even if what you say or write sounds insincere at first. D) being blunt is always best. E) there is no way around being negative in your wording and tone

Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis. A) We failed to complete the process audit on time. B) We will complete the process audit by Friday. C) We haven't completed the process audit. D) Because of Joan's inaccurate figures on the Haymen project, we are not finished with the process audit. E) We wish we could finish this interminable audit.

When you are criticizing or correcting, it is best to A) focus on what the audience members can do to improve. B) emphasize the audience's mistakes so that they will not make the same ones again. C) be honest and call attention to the audience's failures or shortcomings. D) single out the guilty party, creating a teaching moment from his or her mistakes. E) enlist a partner to echo and affirm your negative comments.

A euphemism is a word or phrase that is A) possibly offensive. B) general or abstract in meaning. C) highly technical. D) a milder term for one with negative connotations. E) difficult to understand.

Which of the following is a euphemism? A) Old B) Used C) Pre-owned D) Cheap E) Worn out

A ________ is a piece of text copied from the main body of the document and formatted as a large, eye-catching visual element. A) boilermaker B) pull quote C) footnote D) sideline E) cadenza

The preferred title for women in business is ________, unless the individual requests otherwise. A) Mrs. B) Miss C) Ms. D) Madam E) Mme.

If you must refer to someone's disability, the best wording would be A) an employee with physical handicaps. B) a handicapped employee. C) a crippled employee. D) any of the above-all are equally effective. E) none of the above-all are equally offensive.

Using the term crippled in business communication is an example of A) the "you" attitude. B) emphasizing the positive. C) disability bias. D) bias-free language. E) none of the above.

To help establish credibility with your audience, you should A) impress them with a long list of your accomplishments. B) be modest and deferential. C) show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your message. D) use hedge words (maybe, perhaps) because no issue is fully cut-and-dried. E) state up front that you know more about your topic than they do.

Using endorsements to gain credibility with your audience A) rarely works, since most see it as a blatant sales pitch. B) can be an effective strategy, as long as your audience views the person making the endorsement as an expert. C) is fine for commercials and advertisements, but not otherwise. D) makes you seem desperate and untrustworthy. E) is effective only when your audience is hostile.

Using hyperbole when offering praise to fellow employees A) is a great way to show them how much you appreciate their work. B) bolsters your credibility by showing that you are results-oriented. C) is less effective than pointing out specific qualities that warrant praise. D) is effective as long as you know the employee(s) well. E) shows that you truly mean what you say.

In business messages, using phrases such as, "We trust that this will resolve the issue" A) requires care, since it can diminish the writer's credibility. B) is a good way to show your modesty. C) displays common courtesy. D) is acceptable for very formal contexts. E) is generally ineffective unless a potential sale is involved.

Your communication style involves A) the choices you make to express yourself. B) the words you select. C) the way you use words in sentences. D) how you build paragraphs from individual sentences. E) all of the above

The term ________ refers to the overall impression of your messages. A) tone B) climate C) style D) dialect E) medium

The best tone for most business messages is A) informal. B) very formal. C) conversational. D) passive. E) happy-go-lucky.

The acronyms and shortcuts used in texting and IM are A) inappropriate for professional business writing. B) your ticket to the inside track in today's multinational corporations. C) a great way to show coworkers and managers that you're tech-savvy. D) commonly used to communicate with top management. E) none of the above.

Why should writers avoid phrases such as, "attached please find" and "we are in receipt of"? A) They are rude. B) They are too intimate. C) They are stale and pompous. D) They involve preaching and bragging. E) They are too conversational.

Using humor in business messages is A) an effective way to build strong relationships with international clients. B) usually not effective for formal and intercultural messages. C) appropriate for external messages, but never for internal. D) expected in virtually every profession. E) none of the above

Plain language is a style of writing A) used only for casual correspondence. B) designed to make information more understandable to the audience. C) aimed primarily at readers for whom English is a second language. D) inappropriate for business communication. E) used in industry to describe products and technical issues, but never in professional settings

Which of the following sentences contains the strongest and most effective wording? A) Given the parameters of the situation, the most propitious choice would be to make adjustments in certain budget areas. B) We need to cut the operating budget by 12 percent or profits will plummet. C) Someone's going to need to do some budget cutting around here or heads will roll. D) Perusal of budgetary figures reveals that a 12 percent reduction in operations is called for if we are to stave off a negative impact on profits. E) Having dissected the latest budget figures, it is clear to me that we have a real need to re-examine our priorities and revamp the budget along the lines I have suggested herein.

Identify the voice in the following sentence: "Based on negative client feedback, the marketing department abandoned the campaign." A) Active B) Passive C) Vocative D) State of being E) Dative

Using the active voice is helpful when you A) want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error. B) want to point out what's being done, without giving credit or assigning blame. C) want to make your writing more direct, livelier, and easier to read. D) need to avoid personal pronouns in order to create an objective tone. E) are unsure what action the subject of your sentence will take

Using the passive voice makes sense when you A) want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error. B) want your sentence to be easier to understand. C) need to make your sentences shorter. D) want to emphasize the subject. E) are unsure what action the subject of the sentence will take

In business messages, errors in grammar and usage A) can be annoying, but are only a concern for external audience members. B) are expected since everyone is busy. C) cause you to lose credibility with your audience. D) are no longer an issue thanks to the spelling and grammar checking features of word processing software. E) none of the above

The connotative meaning of a word is A) its dictionary meaning. B) its literal meaning. C) all the associations and feelings the word evokes. D) its objective meaning. E) the same as its denotative meaning

Which of the following words are the most abstract? A) Two, contract, performance B) Software, code, signal C) Kick, move, walk D) Productivity, quality, motivation E) Building, machine, template

Software, database, and website are ________ words. A) abstract B) concrete C) active D) passive E) none of the above

"It's not all fun and games" is one example of A) jargon. B) buzzwords. C) a cliché. D) passive voice. E) a complex sentence.

"Although our servers are stable, the telephone system is a serious concern" is a A) simple sentence. B) compound sentence. C) complex sentence. D) compound-complex sentence. E) simple-compound sentence.

"Insurance premiums have increased, and cost-of-living raises have not kept up" is a ________ sentence. A) simple B) compound C) complex D) compound-complex E) simple-compound

Which of the following is a compound sentence? A) Interest rates are low, and now is an excellent time to buy a home. B) Because interest rates are low, now is an excellent time to buy a home. C) Low interest rates make this an excellent time to buy a home. D) With interest rates low, now is an excellent time to buy a home. E) Interest rates are low.

A complex sentence consists of A) two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. B) a single subject and a single predicate plus any modifying phrases. C) two or more independent clauses along with all modifying phrases. D) one main thought and one or more subordinate thoughts. E) words that are hard to understand.

You can emphasize key points by A) using extra words to describe them. B) adding a second, short sentence to highlight your point. C) making important ideas the subject of the sentence. D) placing them at the beginning or end of a sentence. E) doing all of the above.

To downplay a dependent clause in a complex sentence, you should A) place it at the beginning of the sentence. B) place it at the end of the sentence. C) place it in the middle of the sentence. D) set it off with a semicolon. E) use plenty of slang in your wording.

A typical paragraph contains the three basic elements of A) a topic sentence, support sentences, and transitional words and phrases. B) simple, compound, and complex sentences. C) the main idea, supporting ideas, and evidence. D) a problem, discussion, and a solution. E) strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities

In business writing, the topic sentence of a paragraph A) is of minimal importance. B) may be implied rather than stated. C) should be general, and not specifically related to the paragraph's actual content. D) should always be written in the passive voice. E) is generally explicit (rather than implied) and is often the first sentence in the paragraph

Words such as nevertheless, however, but, and therefore A) are called pointer words. B) introduce modifiers. C) occur only in complex sentences. D) are useful for making transitions. E) are examples of pompous, stale language

In ________ paragraph, a writer analyzes the reasons for and the consequences of an action, an event, or a decision. A) an illustration B) a comparison and contrast C) a cause and effect D) a problem and solution E) an augmentation

When you want to develop a paragraph by showing how a general idea is broken into specific categories, which of these methods would you use? A) Illustration B) Comparison and contrast C) Cause and effect D) Classification E) Generalization

To ensure a consistent look for all company documents, many organizations provide employees with approved A) auto-completion software. B) spreadsheets. C) macros. D) style sheets. E) mail merge software

Two common examples of ________ are the mission statements of companies and the biographies of executives. A) business jargon B) boilerplate text C) indirect statements D) automatic writing E) mnemonics

Workplace writers use ________ to address the overall look and feel of a page or screen, including color palettes and background images. A) boilerplate B) themes C) macros D) style sets E) none of the above

In MS Word, the AutoCorrect feature can A) correct common typing errors. B) add or delete footnotes and endnotes. C) insert names and addresses from a database. D) promote consistency throughout your document. E) all of the above.

The best way to convey the "you" attitude is to express your message in terms of A) the needs and interests of your organization. B) your own personal needs and interests. C) a universal set of needs and interests. D) the needs and interests of your audience. E) none of the above.

Use ________ to avoid categorizing or stigmatizing people based on their gender, race, age, ethnicity, level of ability, or other personal characteristics. A) abstract language B) descriptive language C) bias-free language D) denotative language E) reflexive language

When choosing words to convey a message, successful writers pay attention to A) convenience and mannerisms. B) correctness and effectiveness. C) denotation and personal preferences. D) connotation and vocalization. E) accessibility and redundancy.

The ________ of a word is its literal or dictionary meaning. A) figurative meaning B) denotative meaning C) connotative meaning D) contextual meaning E) reflective meaning

Most business communication should aim for a ________ tone. A) formal B) colloquial C) confrontational D) conceptual E) conversational

As you create and refine your messages, evaluate your writing at all of the following levels except A) strong words. B) effective sentences. C) coherent paragraphs. D) multimedia enhancements. E) all of the above.

Some terms and phrases called ________ have become so common that they have lost some of their power to communicate, and ________ are newly coined terms often associated with technology, business, or cultural changes. A) euphemisms, idioms B) clichés, buzzwords C) colloquialisms, clichés D) pull quotes, derivations E) jargon, smart talk

Most ________ express a concept, quality, or characteristic. Most ________ represent something you can see, touch, or visualize. A) abstract words, concrete words B) interpretive words, explanatory words C) incisive words, generalized words D) selective words, common words E) derivative words, connotative words

Skillful writers use transitional elements to A) automate text entry and correction. B) track footnotes and endnotes. C) ensure consistent formatting throughout a document. D) erect a verbal cushion between themselves and their readers. E) connect ideas and show the relationships between them

In business writing, the topic sentence of a paragraph is A) usually implied and is rarely included in the paragraph. B) generally explicit and is often the first sentence in the paragraph. C) often vague and is usually placed in the middle of the paragraph. D) most often understated and normally is the last sentence in the paragraph. E) none of the above.