Chapter 3 Quiz

Mia has planned a meeting with Khaled, her subordinate. Which of the following words spoken by Mia to Khaled indicates the lowest level of politeness?

Attend the meeting tomorrow. Explanation The words spoken by Mia to Khaled that indicate the lowest level of politeness are "Attend the meeting tomorrow." Different ways of asking for action carry different levels of politeness.

Which of the following sentences in an advertisement for MegaWatt lightbulbs correctly applies positive emphasis?

MegaWatt lightbulbs offer a five-year warranty. Explanation The sentence that appropriately applies positive emphasis is "MegaWatt lightbulbs offer a five-year warranty." While creating positive emphasis, you should avoid negative words and words with negative connotations. In addition, you should beware of hidden negatives and focus on what the audience can do rather than on limitations.

Maureen is attending a fundraiser for her nonprofit and is excited about being introduced to Anna Corbin, a renowned philanthropist. Since Maureen has not interacted with Anna before, Maureen should address Anna as

Ms. Corbin. Explanation Maureen should address Anna as "Ms. Corbin." While talking or writing to people outside your organization, it is best to use first names only if you have established a personal relationship. If you do not know someone well, you should use a courtesy title. Ms. is particularly useful when you do not know what a woman's marital status is. However, even when you happen to know that a woman is married or single, you still use Ms. unless you know that she prefers another title.

Carla, a manager, is required to inform her subordinate that he will not be receiving a promotion based on his annual performance review. Which of the following is the best way for Carla to give her subordinate this information using you-attitude?

No basis for a promotion was found in the annual performance review. Explanation The best way to give her subordinate this information using you-attitude is by saying, "No basis for a promotion was found in the annual performance review." In negative situations, avoid the word "you." Protect your audience's ego. Use passive verbs and impersonal expressions to avoid assigning blame.

Morgan is Brian's manager. She has to inform Brian that she will not be able to approve his annual raise because of upcoming budget cuts. Which of the following is the best way for Morgan to convey this bad news using you-attitude?

The team will not receive raises this year due to budget cuts. Explanation The best way for Morgan to convey this news using you-attitude is to say, "The team will not receive raises this year due to budget cuts." In negative situations, avoid "you." Protect your audience's ego. Use passive verbs and impersonal expressions to avoid assigning blame.

With regard to biased language, which of the statements below is true about the following job titles: executive, accountant, inspector, pilot, and secretary?

They are all neutral. Explanation All the listed job titles are neutral. Neutral job titles do not imply that a job is held only by men or only by women. Many job titles are already neutral; other titles reflect gender stereotypes and need to be changed.

A manager has to inform her subordinates that their performances are not up to the mark. To maintain positive emphasis, which of the following is the best way for her to communicate the bad news to them?

To ensure that employee performance is good this year, we are changing the productivity guidelines. Explanation To maintain positive emphasis, the best way for her to communicate the bad news to them is to say, "To ensure that employee performance is good this year, we are changing the productivity guidelines." In negative situations, avoid negative words and words with negative connotations. If you find a negative word, try to replace it with a positive word.

Keeping in mind tone, power, and politeness in business messages, which of the following statements about trust is true?

Trust is enhanced by delivering what you promised. Explanation A large part of trust comes from honesty and ethics. But by themselves, they are not enough. Trust is also delivering on your commitments. This delivery is important for you when you start new jobs and then move up the organizational rungs.

Vera owns an online retail store that sells wearable electronic devices. A new customer has just placed an order for a very expensive smart watch. Which of the following best illustrates a confirmation of the order using you-attitude?

Your order #2867 has been confirmed. Explanation "Your order #2867 has been confirmed" best illustrates a confirmation of the order using you-attitude. A specific referral, rather than a generic "your order" or "your policy," helps show that your customer is important to you.

A sentence from a travel agent to a customer reads, "I hope this is the vacation package you are looking for." This sentence lacks positive emphasis primarily because it

contains a hidden negative. Explanation This sentence lacks positive emphasis primarily because it contains a hidden negative. Some words are not negative in themselves but become negative in context. "I hope" and "I trust" are words that suggest that you aren't sure.

Which of the following job titles is regarded as sexist in business communication?

foreman Explanation Nonsexist language treats both sexes neutrally. You should check to be sure that messages are free from sexism in four areas: job titles, courtesy titles and names, pronouns, and other words and phrases. Neutral titles do not imply that a job is held only by men or only by women. "Foreman" implies that supervisors are always male.

Which of the following actions is most likely to emphasize the negative information in a message?

giving the negative information a lot of space on the page Explanation Giving a topic a lot of space emphasizes it. Therefore, you can de-emphasize negative information by giving it as little space as possible. Negative information should be mentioned only once in a message. Listing negatives with bulleted or numbered lists takes space and emphasizes material.

In which of the following business situations would you typically need to be most polite?

if you are asking for something that will inconvenience the audience Explanation Different ways of asking for action carry different levels of politeness. You need to use more politeness when asking for something that will inconvenience the audience and help you more than the person who does the action.

A sentence reads, "To increase the skin cleansing you obtain from the product, we have added a special chemical to it, which has increased the price of the product." Which aspect of maintaining positive emphasis does this sentence best indicate?

linking a negative element to a benefit by placing the benefit first Explanation This sentence best indicates the linking of a negative element to a benefit by placing the benefit first. When you have a benefit and a requirement the audience must meet to get the benefit, the sentence is usually more positive if you put the benefit first.

Which of the following is the most effective way to make a sentence nonsexist?

omitting the pronouns Explanation Business communication uses four ways to eliminate sexist generic pronouns: use plurals, use second-person "you," revise the sentence to omit the pronoun, or use pronoun pairs.

Which branch of psychology studies how to help people thrive?

positive Explanation Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that studies how to help people thrive. Its goal is to increase thriving, also called flourishing, well-being, and happiness.

Which of the following best demonstrates you-attitude?

protecting the audience's ego Explanation You-attitude is a style of communication that looks at things from the audience's point of view, emphasizing what the audience wants or needs to know, respecting the audience's intelligence, and protecting the audience's ego.

To reduce bias in communication, when you are addressing a reader whose name or gender you do not know, you should

replace the salutation with a subject line. Explanation When a reader's name and gender is unknown, there are three options to make the email or letter nonsexist: Omit the salutation and use a subject line in its place; use the reader's position or job title; or use a general group to which your reader belongs.

Which of the following best helps apply you-attitude on a sentence level?

using "you" more often than "I" in positive situations Explanation In order to apply you-attitude, it is important to focus on the audience's point of view and avoid talking about feelings except to congratulate or to offer sympathy. In positive situations, you should use "you" more often than "I."

In which of the following situations is it considered insensitive to use positive emphasis?

when terminating an employee's employment Explanation Positive emphasis is not always appropriate. Some bad news is so serious that presenting it with positive tone is insensitive, if not unethical. Layoffs, salary cuts, and product defects are all topics in this category.