English 295 Unit 1 Test

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

A. 25 percent

Which of the following would help to create a conversational but professional tone in a business message? A. Familiar words and personal pronouns B. Frequent abbreviations such as IMHO and BTW C. Technical terms to establish the writer's industry knowledge

A. Familiar words and personal pronouns

Which statement about the communication process is most accurate? A. Feedback helps the sender know that the message was received and understood. B. Because the meanings of words are the same among people, participants in the communication process need not worry about their word selection or usage. C. Only senders are affected by their mood, frame of reference, background, or culture. D. The use of digital networks as a means to transmit messages is declining in today's workplace.

A. Feedback helps the sender know that the message was received and understood.

Which of the following sentences about jargon is most accurate? A. Jargon should be used only when the audience will understand it. B. Effective business communicators know to include some jargon within any message to demonstrate their intelligence and command of the English language. C. Jargon is generally understood by both insiders and outsiders within a field. D. Jargon should never be used in business writing.

A. Jargon should be used only when the audience will understand it.

Which of the following is the best example of bias-free language? A. The servers at Cafe Divine are always professional. B. All managers and their wives are invited to Friday's cocktail party. C. Every flight attendant must submit her security clearance card before boarding. D. Two firemen will collect the toy donations.

A. The servers at Cafe Divine are always professional.

Profiling the audience for a business message helps the writer A. identify the appropriate tone, language, and channel. B. guarantee that the audience will respond positively to the message. C. select slang the audience will recognize and appreciate. D. create a perfect first draft.

A. identify the appropriate tone, language, and channel.

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

A. is anything that interrupts the transmission of a message.

Travis must determine the appropriate channel for an important business message. In this context channel refers to the A. medium through which the message is sent. B. tone and approach needed to accomplish his purpose. C. degree of formality required. D. individuals who will receive the message

A. medium through which the message is sent.

The primary purpose for sending business messages is typically to inform or persuade. A secondary purpose should be to A. promote goodwill. B. earn a promotion. C. sell a product. D. create documentation for legal purposes.

A. promote goodwill.

Media richness refers to A. the extent to which a channel represents all of the information available B. how much a communication channel costs the company to use C. a message's impact on the company's bottom line D. the receiver's actions upon receiving the message

A. the extent to which a channel represents all of the information available

Business writers who use words such as interrogate, remuneration, and terminate are using language many readers would consider A. unfamiliar. B. jargon. C. slang. D. conversational.

A. unfamiliar.

Courteous business messages A. often turn demands into rhetorical questions. B. All answer choices are correct. C. avoid hostility or anger. D. avoid using words that sound demanding or preachy.

B. All answer choices are correct.

Jorge must inform Samantha that she is not eligible to have an August vacation for which she recently applied. Which of the following sentences best demonstrates the "you" view Jorge should use in denying Samantha's application? A. The August vacation schedule was posted in May. B. You should have consulted it earlier.Although the August vacation schedule is full, you may qualify for a vacation in September if you apply now. C. I have not approved your August vacation because you applied too late. D. We didn't receive your application early enough for the August vacation schedule.

B. You should have consulted it earlier.Although the August vacation schedule is full, you may qualify for a vacation in September if you apply now.

Michael usually holds team meetings on Tuesday mornings, but he needs to reschedule next week's meeting to Wednesday morning. To tell team members of the date change for the next meeting, Michael should A. write a short team report. B. send an e-mail. C. meet in person with each team member. D. call a team meeting.

B. send an e-mail.

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

B. solving problems and conveying information.

Positive language in business messages A. grants the reader all requests or demands. B. tells what is and what can be done. C. conveys less information than negative language. D. is an attempt to mislead readers.

B. tells what is and what can be done.

Business messages are most effective when they convey which type of tone? A. Inquisitive B. Formal C. Conversational D. Authoritative

C. Conversational

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

C. The office personnel will assist you with your forms.

You are selecting a channel for sending your message. Which of the following is an important factor to consider when making this decision? A. Cost of the channel B. Confidentiality and sensitivity of the message C. You should consider all of these. D. Amount and speed of feedback and interactivity required

C. You should consider all of these.

As Human Resources Manager, Claire must inform Anthony that company job changes will require him to seek retraining or lose his position. The best channel for Claire to deliver this message is A. an instant message. B. a voice mail message. C. a face-to-face conversation. D. an e-mail message.

C. a face-to-face conversation.

When preparing a business message, you should make your writing audience oriented. Audience oriented means A. presenting ideas clearly but concisely. B. attempting to get your audience to believe and accept your message. C. concentrating on looking at the message from the receiver's perspective. D. writing to solve a problem or convey information.

C. concentrating on looking at the message from the receiver's perspective.

Which of the following sentences is written in active voice? A. All of the sentences use active voice. B. Your password will be given to you after you complete the form. C. You will be given your password upon completing the form. D. We will provide your password after you have completed the form.

D. We will provide your password after you have completed the form.

Lindsay is writing a property description for a new real estate brochure. To make her brochure more effective, Lindsay should anticipate her audience. This means she A. writes using familiar words and a friendly, informal tone. B. concentrates on the price and value of the property. C. identifies the property's outstanding traits and describes them clearly. D. considers what the readers are like and how they will react to the message.

D. considers what the readers are like and how they will react to the message.

Adaptation is the process of A. proofreading and editing a written message. B. sending feedback to the sender of a message. C. impressing your audience with high-level diction and long sentences. D. creating a message that suits the audience.

D. creating a message that suits the audience.

Feedback A. is the process of converting an idea that will convey meaning. B. is not an important part of the communication process. C. includes only those verbal responses from the receiver. D. includes both the verbal and nonverbal responses from the receiver.

D. includes both the verbal and nonverbal responses from the receiver.

A communication channel A. should be selected before idea formation. B. is anything that interrupts the transmission of a message. C. includes only digital means for transmitting messages. D. is the medium over which the message travels.

D. is the medium over which the message travels.

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

D. presenting ideas clearly and concisely.

One technique that improves business writing is the use of empathy. Empathy refers to A. formatting documents to meet business standards. B. appealing to the audience by using a sender focus. C. using inclusive language to eliminate bias. D. putting yourself in the receiver's shoes to adapt the message to the receiver's needs.

D. putting yourself in the receiver's shoes to adapt the message to the receiver's needs.