Business Writing

21. Requires effective paragraph development, correct sentence structure, punctuation, and usage.

Both

24. Avoid plagiarism.

Both

3. Which of the following is NOT a key to building effective sentences?

Deemphasize the verb.

10. The power relationship between you and your reader is irrelevant when writing a report. Facts are facts.

False

10. Your reader will follow your design better if he or she isn't aware that you are leading the reader through the document with design elements.

False

11. Varying your design throughout the document will provide visual stimulation and keep the reader interested.

False

11. When writing for your supervisor you should transmit the image of a colleague.

False

12. In well-run organizations, the power relationship between the writer and the reader should not affect the writing.

False

12. The more time they need to read your document, the more they will appreciate your contributions to the company.

False

18. Squeaky-clean prose can make you sound pompous.

False

20. Always write to impress.

False

20. Frequently change the heading levels, and use as many levels as feasible.

False

22. Use the same size headings throughout, regardless of importance.

False

8. Design decisions, much like revision and editing, should wait until later in the writing process.

False

9. One similarity between writing at school and writing on the job is that your writing will remain confidential in both situations.

False

7. Larry is writing a memo to convince the lunchroom staff to clean the tables more often in the afternoon, when he likes to proofread his documents while taking a coffee break. The most effective way to start his memo is

I know you work as hard as the rest of us do and perform a vital service to your fellow employees.

3. Which of the following statements is true of technical writing?

It involves a variety of document types.

4. Which of the following statements is/are true?

Negative assertions such as "no graphics software does more" are often deceptive. It is possible to deceive readers without lying.

5. Which of the following guidelines is/are useful to remember in developing instructions?

Numbered steps will help your readers.

4. Which of the following statements is/are true of documents you will write on the job?

They have an indefinite life. They may be accessed from an organization's archive over an infinite time.

4. Which of the following statements is/are true of users working with a computer program?

They need to quickly find specific pages or screens in the user's manual. They go to the user's manual when they have a specific problem.

6. If you are faced with an ethical dilemma, a good rule of thumb to help you make a decision is:

Think of someone you admire, and ask yourself how that person would handle the dilemma.

10. All of the following produce large quantities of technical writing: university offices, corporations, research centers, hospitals, businesses of all sizes, nonprofit organizations.

True

11. In the workplace, most of your readers will not read all of what you write.

True

13. Designing documents that will prevent their misuse should be one of your primary goals.

True

13. You should always attempt to fit your message to each reader.

True

14. Given the choice between correctness and clarity, the preferred choice is correctness.

True

15. Any digital communication you make may eventually find itself in cyberspace, where it can be accessed by others.

True

17. Word choice often affects the tone of your document.

True

19. A simple style is a natural style.

True

21. Create a pattern for the headings, and stick to it.

True

7. When you plan a document's visual design, check to see if your company has standard design criteria.

True

9. Content decisions, such as audience, context, and purpose, are important when making design decisions.

True

9. Your level of responsibility in the organization will reflect what you say and how you say it.

True

1. Which of the following guidelines will NOT make your e-mails easier to read and understand?

Use long paragraphs.

16. Requires strict security procedures.

Writing at work

17. Major problem posed by legal liability.

Writing at work

18. Readers may be unknown to the writer.

Writing at work

19. Writing may be archived indefinitely.

Writing at work

23. Achieves job goals.

Writing at work

25. Addresses a variety of readers who have different perspectives from those of the writer.

Writing at work

20. Has a single, expert reader.

Writing in school

22. Writing used to illustrate knowledge.

Writing in school

8. All but one of the following are important goals that connect your reader, purpose, and context.

You want everyone to read all of your document.

7. In the workplace you will write for all but one of the following readers:

a single reader who is a specialist in a subject area you are writing on.

14. Good writing has

active voice and few prepositional phrases.

1. As a professional, you have ethical obligations to which of the following?

all of the above

1. When you segment a circle graph (pie diagram),

all of the above

15. A host of factors determines your reader(s)' perception of and perspective on your writing:

all of the above

2. Effective writers adjust their style to readers'

all of the above

2. Which type of organization produces large amounts of technical writing?

all of the above

3. Which of the following techniques is/are useful in bringing active space to your pages and screens?

all of the above

5. When you consider your readers, you should think about their

all of the above

5. Which of the following is/are copyrightable?

all of the above

15. When making decisions about ethical dilemmas,

always make a decision that you could live with if it became public.

18. Using questions for headings

anticipates the reader by supplying answers.

16. Headings such as "Introduction" and "Conclusion"

are not useful because they don't tell the readers anything about the topic.

8. Others will use your workplace writing

as information they need to do their own job. as documentation of your accomplishments.

13. If you are asked to do something unethical on the job,

ask polite questions that clarify the request. explain your dilemma.

4. Important information should be placed

at the beginning of the document.

16. One way to make lengthier sentences clearer and thus more readable is to

build sentences with clauses and as many verbs as possible.

2. What is the greatest difficulty in designing line graphs?

choosing the spacing for each axis.

6. One challenge when planning a document is juggling three important goals:

connecting your reader, purpose, and context.

8. Sentences in a paragraph should

follow a logical order.

19. When writing standard documents, such as a proposal report,

follow the expected format.

2. In business organizations, most employees

have more to read than they can or will read.

12. Designing documents for the Web has advantages over designing printed documents because

illustrations and color will be easier and less expensive to include

7. A brief acknowledgment, such as "Dr. Jones studied cancer in mice, and his results show . . .," is all that is required

in informal writing situations.

13. Active space is the space

inside the text that helps readers find information quickly

17. Using a string of nouns as a heading is

is a bad idea because the heading will be ambiguous.

9. A copyright

is automatic as soon as the material is created.

8. Using the words, images, or ideas of others without attribution

is plagiarism.

13. Sentence 1: "When this question is read, your understanding becomes confused because . . ." Sentence 2: "When you read this question, you understand it because . . ." Sentence 2 is clearer because

it makes clear to whom the pronoun refers.

9. Most paragraphs should be organized using

linear text.

2. If you think the template you are supposed to use isn't appropriate for your audience and your message, you should

make a case with your supervisor for changes to the format.

6. Your textbook says that "On the job, keep in mind that no one wants to read anything you write." Consequently, when you write you should . . .

make sure everything you write is clear, correct, necessary, and polite.

4. Characteristics of bad writing include which of the following?

many is/are verb forms.

12. You do not need permission to use all but one of the following:

material that has never been registered with the copyright office.

3. To be copyrighted, material must

none of the above

14. The rules change when designing online documents. For instance,

paragraphs can be of one sentence.

10. When you quote a source, in order to avoid plagiarism

put material in quotation marks and specify the source.

5. When you sign your name to a report or letter, you are

responsible for the contents.

6. Professional documents

should be only as complex as the situation requires.

12. Passive voice

should be used as little as possible.

14. If asked to take an unethical action, one reason to cite the code of conduct for your profession or company is to

show that the request is considered unethical in your profession or company.

6. You should start every paragraph with a topic sentence

so readers can survey the document by reading the topic sentences.

1. Writing in school and writing at work differ because

the purposes of each differ. the audiences of each differ.

1. When developing a document, you should think first about

the readers of the document.

14. It is important to know the following about your readers, except:

their ages.

3. In developing any communication, which of the following is NOT one of your main goals?

to keep your communication complex but brief.

3. What is the purpose of an organization chart?

to show the divisions and levels of responsibility within an organization.

1. For most writing, you should

use conversational language.

10. When writing for a general rather than a specialized audience don't

use jargon.

5. In messages that you want readers to digest quickly, you should

use less detailed writing.

2. Which of the following is NOT considered a form of unethical communication?

use of erroneous typography.

15. For documents that will be read on mobile devices,

use single spacing with an extra line inserted between paragraphs

15. A paragraph is clearer when the sentences

vary in length.

11. When you begin a job assignment, ask your supervisor

what style he would prefer.

7. An effective style

will make it more likely that your report will be read.

11. If you alter material you have borrowed from another source, such as a chart or table,

you have to acknowledge the source and acknowledge that you have altered the material.