(cawt116) ch 4 practice test

A good standard to apply to your writing is to remember that it should primarily be used for formal messages. takes the place of a personal appearance. is not as important as it seems. is not read closely by many audiences.

takes the place of a personal appearance.

Which of the following sentences avoids buzzwords and slang? Our stock prices tanked last quarter. All companies must follow the guidelines outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The architects blew the budget for the design of the new energy center. The company decided a new paradigm shift was needed to increase sales.

All companies must follow the guidelines outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Long sentence lead-ins... are unnecessary introductory words. avoid reader confusion. demonstrate effective language usage. introduce the "meat" of the message.

are unnecessary introductory words.

Headings should be used only in formal messages. (t/f)

false

Expressions that are intended to impress rather than express are known as

buzzwords

The terms editing, proofreading, and evaluating are synonymous. (t/f)

false

White space refers to unclear content. the time a reader takes to process information. empty space on the page. margins only.

empty space on the page.

You can often reduce flabby expressions to single words. (t/f)

true

Which of the following about writing and revising business documents is most accurate? Revision is not necessary for informal documents such as internal memos or e-mail messages. Experienced business writers rarely need to revise. The real work of revision should happen in the writing stage as you select words and form sentences. Evaluating your message involves analyzing whether your message achieves its purpose.

Evaluating your message involves analyzing whether your message achieves its purpose.

Which statement about proofreading is most accurate? Only important messages or documents need to be proofread. Good business writers wait at least 24 hours or longer to proofread a document. Documents with errors do not affect a person's credibility because readers understand that everyone makes mistakes. Proofreading should occur while the document is being written.

Good business writers wait at least 24 hours or longer to proofread a document.

Which sentence avoids redundant expressions? It is absolutely essential that our accounting records are accurate. I want to thank each and every stockholder. Please refer back to the June financial statements. Let's not repeat our competitor's mistakes.

Let's not repeat our competitor's mistakes. PreviousNext

Which of the following sentences demonstrates clear writing? A supervisor asked everyone to work an extra day. A supervisor asked production employees to work an extra day. A supervisor asked everyone to work on Saturday. Lindsey Goulet asked production employees to work on Saturday.

Lindsey Goulet asked production employees to work on Saturday.

Which of the following is the best advice to follow when you proofread a routine document? Proofread the document using a printed copy. Rely solely on a spell-checker to catch any errors. If proofreading on screen, display the entire document at once. Proofread your document as you compose your ideas. PreviousNext

Proofread the document using a printed copy.

Which of the following sentences uses the most precise language? The board approved a large budget increase. The board approved a 34 percent budget increase. The board approved a substantial budget increase. The board approved a sizeable budget increase.

The board approved a 34 percent budget increase.

Which of the following sentences contains the best use of vivid adjectives without overkill? All sentences use vivid adjectives effectively. The resort offered luxurious suites with Jacuzzi tubs and saunas. The resort had nice rooms. The all-inclusive, top-notch resort offered luxurious, totally marvelous suites with incredible extras.

The resort offered luxurious suites with Jacuzzi tubs and saunas.

All of the following sentences contain unnecessary fillers except There are three important issues to discuss at today's meeting. It was our office manager who won the raffle. There is only one job opening available. Three candidates are running for the board.

Three candidates are running for the board.

Which of the following sentences is most effective? Due to the fact that we have just received your check, your account is up-to-date. Your account is now up-to-date. At this point in time, your account is up-to-date. This is to inform you that your account is now up-to-date. PreviousNext

Your account is now up-to-date.

There is a new software company that will be hiring employees is an example of a sentence with a filler. faulty parallelism. a wordy prepositional phrase. concise wording.

a filller

Words such as definitely, quite, actually, extremely, and totally are adjectives that may be omitted because they are imprecise. adverbs that should be used as often as possible in business writing to show excitement and enthusiasm. adverbs that should be used only sparingly in business writing. adjectives that add a welcome degree of emotion to your writing.

adverbs that should be used only sparingly in business writing.

An electronic grammar- or spell-checker provides sufficient proofreading for most business messages. (t/f)

false

In the near future is a more effective expression in business writing than soon. (t/f)

false

The following sentence demonstrates effective writing: Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions. (t/f)

false

When designing documents, you should place as much text as possible on a page to keep the reader engaged. (t/f)

false

How many typefaces should you use in a business document?

no more than two

There is and It is are examples of sentence fillers. grammatical errors. long lead-ins. redundancies.

sentence fillers

Getting burned is an example of a(n) ____________ expression. passive cliched active slang

slang

As you revise, make your writing clear by using specific verbs, concrete nouns, and vivid adjectives. (t/f)

true

To sound current, fresh, and trendy, effective business communicators make ample use of slang when writing and speaking. (t/f)

false

Use bulleted lists to represent a sequence of ideas or a numbered order. (t/f)

false

When using either a bulleted or numbered list, you should always follow each idea with end punctuation. (t/f)

false

Your goal as a business writer is to impress your reader. (t/f)

false

Monica's supervisor has expressed concern about the readability of her messages, claiming that paragraphs are often too long. What aspect of her writing should Monica focus on to address this issue? Evaluating her purpose Researching Proofreading Formatting

formatting

All of the following are tips you should follow when microblogging except... personalize your message if possible. include only the main ideas. ignore spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. choose descriptive but short words.

ignore spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

"Tightening" your message refers to proofreading for grammatical and mechanical errors. addressing more than one topic in the same message. looking for shorter ways to say what you mean. cutting out background information.

looking for shorter ways to say what you mean.

Branch managers of First Federated Savings and Loan received this e-mail message: Please inform all personal that management retains the right to check personal belongings of employees before employees leave the bank. What error did the writer make?

proofreading

In describing sexual harassment in the workplace, Julia explains that Supervisors are getting burned in harassment lawsuits. Julia is using slang in this statement. (t/f)

true

Microblogging consists of short messages exchanged on social media sites. (t/f)

true

Nearly all text in Western cultures is aligned at the left and reads from left to right. (t/f)

true

The following sentence contains a zombie noun: Our purchasing department will give consideration to the RFP submitted by Powertex. (t/f)

true

When right margins are not aligned or justified, they provide more white space and improve readability. (t/f)

true

To improve readability and comprehension, develop long paragraphs. construct paragraphs consisting of 12-15 printed lines. avoid the use of topic sentences on shorter paragraphs. use approximately 20 or fewer words per sentence.

use approximately 20 or fewer words per sentence.

Dylan is designing his document to enhance readability and comprehension. What is the best advice you can give Dylan? Justify the left and right margins so they are both even. Create white space by using headings, bulleted or numbered lists, short paragraphs, and effective margins. Use ALL CAPS anywhere in a document to emphasize key points. Use multiple typefaces within the document.

Create white space by using headings, bulleted or numbered lists, short paragraphs, and effective margins.

Think outside of the box is an example of

cliche

You should follow the same proofreading process for a routine document and a complex document. (t/f)

false

Listed items should reflect parallel structure, which means that they should all use the same graphic font. they should be expressed using the same grammatical structure. each should be followed by a comma. they should be next to each other rather than vertical.

they should be expressed using the same grammatical structure.

Proofreading should take place only after the content of a message is in its final form. (t/f)

true

The best way to judge the success of your communication is through feedback. (t/f)

true

The dangers of using slang in business writing include using language that is too informal. All answer choices are correct. obscuring meaning. using words that quickly go out of fashion.

All answer choices are correct.

Due to the fact that is a flabby expression that could be shortened to the word(s) Because. Until. Despite. Although.

Because

Which statement regarding headings is most accurate? Headings appear most often in business letters. Headings provide visual distraction for readers; thus they should be avoided. Headings highlight information and improve readability. Headings should be avoided in all business documents.

Headings highlight information and improve readability.

All of the following sentences contain unnecessary fillers except There is only one job opening available. It was our office manager who won the raffle Three candidates are running for the board. There are three important issues to discuss at today's meeting.

Three candidates are running for the board.

Which of the following best avoids a long lead-in? You may be interested to learn that we will send the information you requested. I am writing this letter to inform you that we will send the information you requested. This is to advise you that we will send the information you requested. Yes, we will send the information you requested.

Yes, we will send the information you requested.

Katelyn is writing a letter to thank a potential employer for her job interview. Which of these sentences contains modern expressions Katelyn should use? Thank you in advance for considering me for your available position. You will note that my coursework has thoroughly prepared me for your medical technician position. Pursuant to your request, I will return for a second interview on May 28. Enclosed herein please find the salary history you requested during the interview.

You will note that my coursework has thoroughly prepared me for your medical technician position.

Document design techniques to improve readability include headings for visual impact. use of white space. typefaces and fonts. all of these choices.

all of these choices.