Chapter 6: Humanities - Business Writing

Which of the following sentences does not contain any slang or buzzwords? a) I hope we don't get burned, but we really need this paradigm shift. b) We need to do everything possible to stay ahead of our competition. c) We hope to incentivize our employees to work hard to meet the project deadline. d) I can't believe that I totally bombed my presentation.

A trite business phrase such as please do not hesitate to a) is a stale expression that other writers have used over the years. b) contains unnecessary redundancy. c) sounds professional and businesslike. d) is unclear because it is too technical.

Which of the following represents the best business writing? a) Thank you in advance for considering my application for the finance position. d) Enclosed are three samples of our fabric. c) Do you know what her phone call was in reference to? d) Pursuant to your request, we have added you to our mailing list.

When proofreading a document, be concerned with a) all of these choices. b) spelling, grammar, and punctuation. c) format. d) names and numbers.

Which of the following represents the best business writing? a) Your plane leaves San Francisco at 7:20 a.m., PST, and arrives in Atlanta at 3 p.m., EST. b) We want to thank each and every one of you for sharing the true facts during our meeting. c) In addition to the above, you will find more information in the attached brochure. d) There are three items that are absolutely essential for us to discuss at a later date.

Which of the following sentences avoids use of trite business phrases? a) We have received your loan application. b) The application will be sent under separate cover. c) Enclosed please find a coupon to use during your next visit. d) Please do not hesitate to call me if you have questions.

Which of the following represents the best business writing? a) The CEO will be visiting our branch tomorrow for a period of three hours. b) The CEO will be visiting our branch tomorrow. c) This e-mail message is to inform you that the CEO will be visiting our branch tomorrow. d) You should be aware that the CEO will be visiting our branch tomorrow.

During Phase 3 of the 3-x-3 writing process, Donalyn is analyzing her message to make sure it will achieve its purpose. What is Donalyn doing? a) Anticipating b) Proofreading c) Editing d) Evaluating

You are formatting a business document and want to make the best use of margins. What should you do? a) Use ragged-right margins without justification. You Answered b) Left-justify your text (make it even at the left margin). c) You should do all of these. d) Use side margins of 1 to 1.5 inches.

Which of the following sentences best controls exuberance? a) We are happy to learn that your banquet room is available on December 15. b) We totally understand that you really didn't mean to actually come across that way during the interview. c) Our customers are extremely pleased with our really excellent customer service. d) We definitely think that the company could actually reduce turnover by offering new benefits.

What should you do to make a business message clear? a. keep your message short and simple b. all of these c.dump trite business phrases d. avoid cliches, slang and buzzwords

The sentence "In the event that you pass the CPA exam, please consider applying again" could be made more effective by eliminating a(n) a. flabby expressions b. opening filler c. redundancy d. long lead-in

What is an advantage of creating well-designed documents? a. all of these are advantages of a well designed document b. well-designed docs are easier to read c. well-designed docs make their writer look well-organized and intelligent d. well-designed docs are easier to comprehend

Which of the following sentences does not contain any buried verbs? a. we have made plans to create a reduction in our operating expenses b. The health care industry is dependent on a highly trained staff c. The task force reached a conclusion that the company should go public. d.In some parts of the world, business is not conducted over meals

Which of the following sentences sounds most conversational? a. My sincere gratitude is offered to you in exchange for the support you offered to me last week. b. The undersigned is sincerely grateful for the kind assistance you provided last week. c. Thanks for your help last week. d. It is my sincere hope that it was not too much of an inconvenience for you to sacrifice your valuable time to assist a colleague last week.

The sentence Your attendance at Monday's marketing meeting is absolutely essential could be improved by eliminating a(n) a. flabby expression b.opening filler c. empty word d.redundancy

Which of the following sentences is free of opening fillers, redundancies, and flabby expressions? a.There are several reasons that we should start using social media to communicate with customers. b. Our company should start using social media to communication with customers for several reasons. c. Due to the fact that we need to improve communication with customers, our company should start using social media. d. It is perfectly clear that our company should start using social media to communicate with customers.

The sentence "I am writing this e-mail message to let you know that we have received your application for the receptionist position" a.contains empty words b. is an example of good business writing c. contains a long lead-in d. contains a redundancy

What is the most accurate statement about slang and buzzwords? a. Buzzwords are technical terms that are meant to express rather than impress. b. If you want to sound professional, avoid using slangy expressions and buzzwords in your writing. c. Slang and buzzwords will help your writing sound hip and current. d. Buzzwords are informal words with arbitrary and extravagantly changed meanings that quickly go out of fashion.

Basic fundamentals, exactly identical, and repeat again are all examples of a. opening fillers b.redundancies c. flabby expressions d.long lead-ins

One important part of the revising process is to test for ________ to make sure that your message will be immediately understood by the reader. a. conciseness b. punctuation c. clarity d. mechanics

What is the most accurate statement about white space in a business document? a. Strive for paragraphs of nine or more printed lines to make your document more readable. b. Use as little white space as possible to ensure that all space on your page is being put to good use. c. Business communicators should do all of the above when formatting business messages d. Use headings, bulleted or numbered lists, and effective margins to create the desired amount of white space.

During Phase 3 of the 3-x-3 writing process, Jamar is correcting his document's grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and mechanics. What is Jamar doing? a. Editing b. Proofreading c. Anticipating d. Evaluating

Phase 3 of the 3-x-3 writing process begins with doing which of the following? a. Deciding how to organize the message b. Deciding how to organize the message c. Evaluating your document to determine whether it achieves its purpose d. Editing the message to improve content and sentence structure

Conduct a discussion of, give consideration to, and perform an analysis of are all examples of a. verbs that have been converted to nouns. b. long lead-ins. c. long lead-ins. d. trite business phrases.

The sentence In the event that you pass the CPA exam, please consider applying again could be made more effective by eliminating a(n) a. flabby expression. b. redundancy c. opening filler d. long lead-in

Justin is writing a proposal to submit to his company's board of directors. He should spend the most time in the ____ phase to make sure that his document is clear and correct. a) writing b) Justin will spend an equal amount of time in all three phases. c) prewriting d) revising

The sentence There are five new items that we will add to our menu next week could be made more concise by eliminating a(n) a) long lead-in. b) opening filler. c) redundancy. d) flabby expression.

Which of the following statements about headings is least accurate? a) Headings are used only in reports. b) Headings are an effective tool for highlighting c) Headings can help a reader separate major ideas from details. d) Headings can assist the writer by encouraging the grouping of similar information.

Which of the following sentences does not contain a long lead-in? a) You might be interested to learn that our meeting time has been changed. b) Please be advised that our meeting time has changed. c) Our meeting time has been changed. d) I am writing this e-mail message to inform you that our meeting time has been changed.

The best way to evaluate your finished written message is by a) paying a professional to proofread it for you. b) determining the readability level. c) receiving feedback. d) running it through a grammar/style checker program.

Carla was promoted to a position that will require extensive writing. What is the best writing advice you can give her? a) Revision is necessary only for longer, more important documents. b) If you try hard enough, you can write a perfect first draft. c) Spend the most time analyzing the purpose and audience. d) When you finish a first draft, put the document aside and return to it after a break for revision.

A newly hired colleague has asked for your advice about revising e-mail messages, text messages, and tweets. What is the best advice you can give her? a) To avoid messages that waste time, create confusion, and reduce your credibility, take time to revise e-mail messages, text messages, and tweets. b) In today's fast-paced digital age, you shouldn't take time to revise e-mail messages, text messages, or tweets because doing so reduces productivity. c) People don't expect informal text messages and tweets to be perfect, so don't worry about revising them. d)Text messages and tweets are too informal to be used in a business environment.

To make your business messages more readable, you can do which of the following? a) Include a bibliography at the end. b) Incorporate numbered and bulleted lists. c) Add footnotes. d) Eliminate white space.

Phase 3 of the 3-x-3 writing process begins with doing which of the following? a) Evaluating your document to determine whether it achieves its purpose b) Editing the message to improve content and sentence structure c) Deciding how to organize the message d) Composing the first draft

Which of the following is an example of an effective, businesslike expression? a) In accordance with your wishes b) With reference to c) None of these choices d) Pursuant to your request

Which of the following is free of wordy or trite phrases? a) Management has been unable to reach a conclusion regarding contract negotiations with the union. b) Although Chinese is the language spoken by the largest number of native speakers in the world, English is considered the language of international business. c) It is my personal opinion that we cannot create a reduction in our inventory unless we lower prices. d) You may be assured that every effort will be made to ship your order by October 1.

As per your request, enclosed please find, and thank you in advance are all examples of a) long lead-ins. b) redundancies. c) professional business phrases. d) trite business phrases.

Which of the following sentences does not contain a verb that has been converted into a noun? a) Our supervisor made a decision to eliminate overtime. b) The jury concluded that the defendant was guilty. c) The accountant will perform an analysis of the quarter's financial statements. d) The task force made a recommendation to start a wellness program.