BA 324 Exam 1
10. A paragraph is coherent when _________. a. one idea logically leads to the next b. it contains fewer than ten sentences c. it avoids dovetailed sentences d. it contains more than one main idea
A
23. What type of sentence fault results when a writer joins two independent clauses without using a conjunction or semicolon? a. Run-on sentence b. Comma splice c. Fragment d. Simple
A
27. A company's annual report describes the company's efforts to give back to the community. The primary purpose of this report is to ________; the secondary purpose is to ________. a. inform; promote goodwill b. persuade; inform c. inform; persuade d. promote goodwill; persuade
A
37. Franco wants to emphasize the new features of a product he is selling. What should he do? a. Use vivid words to describe the features. b. Put the most important information in the middle of his sentences. c. Use the passive voice to describe the features. d. Put the most important information in a dependent clause.
A
41. An interview committee must decide which interviewee to hire as the company's new project manager. Committee members have decided to vote and then hire the candidate receiving the most votes. What method for reaching group decisions is this team using? a. Majority b. Consensus c. Authority rule with discussion d. Averaging
A
42. 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. Proofreading b. Evaluating c. Editing d. Anticipating
A
48. Which of the following is an example of horizontal communication in an organization? a. Six marketing reps meet to discuss ideas for targeting new customers. b. An accounting clerk submits a progress report about a current project to her supervisor. c. An employee suggests to her supervisor a way to improve customer service. d. A supervisor sends an e-mail message to all division employees detailing the newest procedure for submitting expense claims.
A
49. Steven is an analytical, action-oriented person and places great value on business messages that are objective, professional, and efficient. He is most likely part of a(n) ____ culture. a. low-context b. spiral logic c. high-context d. intuitive
A
5. Joe follows up with one of his direct reports by phone after sending an email with instructions for completing a project. During the call, he asks if the receiver has any questions about the e-mail. Joe is attempting to ensure successful communication with ________ . a. feedback b. encoding c. bypassing d. decoding
A
56. Which of the following is an example of a soft skill? a. Being able to work well as part of a team b. Knowing how to prepare financial statements c. Having experience using various software packages d. All of these choices
A
57. Which of the following statements about paragraphs is most accurate? a. A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. b. The primary idea always appears first in a paragraph. c. Well-constructed paragraphs can discuss more than one topic. d. All of these statements are accurate.
A
62. Which of the following is an advantage of written communication? a. Creates a permanent record b. Provides immediate feedback c. Is more personal than oral communication d. Is effective for delivering nonverbal cues
A
67. Rodney wants to motivate his sales force to increase sales in the upcoming quarter. Which channel should he choose to be the most persuasive? a. A face-to-face group meeting b. A phone call to each sales team member c. A group e-mail d. A memo posted in a central area
A
68. Nasim has come to you for advice about conducting a virtual meeting. What is the best advice you can give him? a. Recap and summarize often throughout the meeting. b. Avoid asking questions of specific people as this might intimidate them. c. Keep summarizing to a minimum to save time. d. Avoid small talk or introductions since people regard them as a waste of time.
A
71. When your department head Ms. Westlake arranges chairs informally in a circle during a meeting, what kind of message is she sending? a. A nonverbal message that she is encouraging an open, egalitarian exchange of ideas b. A nonverbal message that she prefers to be separated from others c. A nonverbal and verbal message regarding her aloofness and preference for restricted communication d. A verbal message that she is wary of visitors and indifferent to communication
A
77. In its simplest form, communication is defined as ________. a. the transmission of information from a sender to a receiver b. the transmission of data from a sender to a receiver c. the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver d. the transmission of ideas from a sender to a receiver
A
86 . An example of a country that has a low-context culture is a. the United States. b. Saudi Arabia. c. China. d. Japan.
A
90. Which of the following is a sentence fragment? a. Although we expect sales to increase next quarter. b. We expect sales to increase next quarter. c. Although we expect sales to increase next quarter, we can't afford to hire any additional employees right now. d. We can't afford to hire any additional employees right now.
A
11. Michelle is preparing an outline to help her write a report to her supervisor about her recent attendance at a technology symposium. Which of the following should she do? a. Divide the main topic into at least ten major components. b. Break each major component into at least two subpoints. c. Ask her supervisor what the title of the report should be. d. Don't worry if some of the components overlap in content.
B
15. The three basic functions of business communication are to ________. a. inform, entertain, and impress b. inform, persuade, and promote goodwill c. inform, persuade, and explain d. inform, instruct, and entertain
B
16. The sentence I am writing this e-mail message to let you know that we have received your application for the receptionist position contains a ________. a. redundancy b. long lead-in c. buried verb d. spelling error
B
17. At this point in time, due to the fact that, feel free to, and in the near future are examples of ________. a. redundancies b. flabby expressions c. long lead-ins d. opening fillers opening fillers and long lead-ins. Revise sentences so that they don't start with fillers (there is, there are, it is, it was) and long lead-ins (this is to inform you that).
B
21. The term used to describe the overall impression you continue to build throughout your career is your "professional ________." a. communication b. brand c. resume d. style
B
26. To vs. too and then vs. than are examples of ________. a. formatting errors b. easily confused words c. typos d. tone issues
B
28. The best business writing is purposeful, economical, and ________. a. technical b. audience oriented c. revenue driven d. feelings oriented
B
30. "Around-the clock availability" a. means that you will be paid for working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. b. means that you may be expected to work long hours without extra compensation and be available practically anytime and anywhere, should a crisis strike at work. c. is illegal under U.S. law. d. refers only to websites, not people.
B
33. Jorge is working on a sales brochure to promote a new product. Which of the following will Jorge do during the third phase of the writing process? a. Anticipate how customers will react to the message. b. Proofread the brochure carefully for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. c. Conduct all necessary research to make sure that the brochure will meet his customers' needs. d. Decide how to organize the brochure to make it most persuasive to his customers.
B
36. Which of the following statements about facial expressions and posture is the most accurate? a. Most people can control their facial expressions well enough to control the nonverbal messages they send. b. Standing up straight sends a message of confidence, competence, diligence, and strength. c. Words carry more weight than facial expressions and posture. d. Leaning toward a speaker suggests confrontation.
B
43. You are preparing an outline for your report on Web security in the workplace. Which of the following should be a major category for this outline? a. Spam b. Web Security Threats c. Phishing d. Adware and Spyware
B
45. To improve communication and to compete more effectively, many of today's companies have ________. a. eliminated the grapevine b. restructured and reengineered themselves into smaller operating units and work teams c. discouraged free-flowing communication d. increased the number of levels in the communication chain
B
46. Dale recently completed diversity training. Which of the following was he most likely taught during the training? a. If you work hard enough at it, you can talk about cultures without using mental categories, representations, and generalizations to describe groups. b. Unfounded generalizations about people and cultures can lead to bias and prejudice. c. Today the word stereotype has a positive meaning. d. Because they are fixed and rigid, stereotypes are always entirely false.
B
51. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about your workplace appearance and attire? a. When building your workplace wardrobe, buy as many outfits as possible. b. Casual dress policies have led to reduced productivity and lax behavior in some workplaces. c. If you're competent, it doesn't matter what you wear. d. To make yourself stand out in the workplace, wear flashy garments and clunky jewelry.
B
52. The expression "cultures are inherently logical" most closely means that ________. a. knowing one's own cultural norms is all each person is responsible for b. nearly all serious rules and values originate in deep-seated beliefs c. physical appearances, such as clothing and hair, are not influenced by cultural norms d. it is illogical to think that you would have similarities to someone from a different culture
B
59. What is the most accurate statement about proofreading and document errors? a. Documents with errors do not affect your credibility or the success of your organization. b. You should proofread your document continuously while writing it. c. Checking format is not part of the proofreading stage. d. It can be difficult to catch our own errors because most of us read what we thought we wrote.
B
61. As a technical support rep, Michael is responding to a customer's question sent to him via e-mail. What should Michael's first task be? a. Print the customer's message. b. Determine the purpose of the message he will send as a response. c. Start composing his reply. d. Conduct any necessary research.
B
63. Which of the following is an example of a formal research method? a. Hank talks with his boss to decide what items to include on the meeting agenda. b. Amy conducts a Web search to find information about a competitor's products. c. Galen looks in the company files for copies of minutes from previous meetings. d. Emily calls a few of her colleagues to learn how they feel about carpooling.
B
65. Which of the following is an invisible sign of culture? a. An attorney wears a conservative suit to court. b. Christopher believes that adults need to be responsible for their actions. c. On their anniversary Matthew takes his wife to dinner. d. At every department meeting, the manager sits at the head of the conference table.
B
7. Which of the following is an example of an internal disruption in the decoding process? a. Loud construction sounds outside prevent Samuel from hearing the message. b. Meaghan finds her mind drifting during a lecture as she thinks about her upcoming trip to Florence. c. Brandon is finding it hard to pay attention during the interview because the interviewer's phone keeps ringing. d. Sylvia finds it difficult to read her colleague's e-mail message because it's filled with grammatical errors and typos.
B
73. Clauses that begin with words like although, since, because, when, and if are usually ________. a. independent b. dependent c. direct d. indirect
B
74. Concise writing significantly affects organizations because time equals ________. a. business b. money c. vacation d. customers
B
78. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about social networking among cultures? a. Social networking tends to make introverts more extroverted. b. In real life and online, we instinctively tend to gravitate toward people who seem similar to us. c. The majority of networking experts agree that social media offer limited intercultural engagement. d. Online environments make social presence and interpersonal contact easier for all people.
B
82. Blake has just written an e-mail message to his colleagues. Before sending it, he wants to make sure that it has high skim value. In doing so, he is checking ________. a. conciseness b. format c. clarity d. punctuation
B
84. Which of the following is the best example of business writing? a. It would be advantageous for you to enlighten your employees regarding the company's new social media policy. b. Please tell your employees about the company's new social media policy. c. You are hereby advised to inform your employees about the new social media policy that has been adopted by the company. d. The individual referenced above must inform his or her subordinates in regard to the company's new social media policy.
B
85. Learning more about the powerful effect that culture has on behavior will ________. a. be possible only if you travel outside of your own country. b. help you reduce friction and misunderstanding in your dealings with people from other cultures. c. help you become a better writer. d. allow you to put an International Experience section on your resume.
B
87. Alfonso has been invited to attend his first sales meeting and wants to be an active and productive member from the very beginning. Which of the following should he do to make a good impression? a. Keep his smartphone on so that he doesn't miss an important call during the meeting. b. Come prepared to the meeting by doing any preliminary work required. c. Keep his comments and questions limited to his own personal sales numbers. d. Wait to share his views after the meeting so that the meeting can move along efficiently.
B
88. Which of the following is an informal research method? a. Searching the Web b. Looking in the company files for information c. Conducting a scientific experiment to gather information under controlled circumstances d. Searching for information in public and college libraries
B
9. An example of a country with a high-context culture is a. Germany. b. Japan. c. Scandinavia. d. U.S.
B
94. The "grapevine" is most accurately described as ________. a. frowned-upon water cooler discussions that impede productivity b. an informal channel of communication that carries organizationally relevant gossip c. an e-mail chain involving multiple people to make a decision d. an organizational newsletter detailing recent accomplishments
B
96. Which of the following is an effective way to improve your nonverbal communication skills? a. Ignore facial expressions and body language; instead, focus only on the verbal message. b. Ask friends and family members to give you feedback on your nonverbal behavior. c. Try to avoid associating with people from diverse cultures since you might misunderstand their nonverbal messages. d. Broaden your computer skills to include programming.
B
100. One effective way to overcome writer's block is to ________. a. stare at the page until you think of something to write b. concentrate on finding the right words and perfect sentence structure before putting your ideas on paper c. work in a quiet environment in which you can concentrate d. check your Facebook page to see if anything inspires you
C
14. The 21st-century economy depends mainly on ________. a. raw materials b. manufacturing c. information and knowledge d. physical labor
C
19. You can manage and protect your professional "brand" online by posting thoughtfully to blogs, writing competent e-mails, and ________. a. avoiding social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook b. updating your resume monthly c. making astute comments on social media sites d. choosing face-to-face interactions over writing
C
20. In planning their wedding, a couple creates a website that will allow friends and relatives to donate money to their honeymoon expenses in lieu of traditional wedding gifts. This is an example of ________. a. crowdsourcing b. crowdstorming c. crowdfunding d. crowd marketing
C
22. Which of the following is a compound sentence? a. If you have any questions, please e-mail me. b. Before the meeting ended, Sofia shared her new product idea; consequently, her ideas were included in the meeting minutes. c. Raymond applied for the position, and he was called for an interview two days later. d. It's highly likely that your request for leave will be approved.
C
24. Riley is a customer service representative and has just gone through training to improve his listening skills. Which of the following skills was he most likely taught that will make him a better listener? a. Mentally criticize grammar, voice, tone, and speaking style to get a better sense of what the customer is like. b. Tune out what the customer is saying if you already know the answer.. c. Remain silent for a few seconds after a customer finishes to be sure the thought is completed. d. Because listening is automatic, divide your attention among two or more tasks to be more productive.
C
25. Jing-Ying places great value on the posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expressions of employees within the workplace. She is most likely part of a(n) ____ culture. a. low-context b. linear logic c. high-context d. analytical
C
32. Which of the following sentences does not contain any buried verbs? a. The health care industry is dependent on a highly trained staff. b. The task force reached a conclusion that the company should go public. c. In some parts of the world, business is not conducted over meals. d. We have made plans to create a reduction in our operating expenses.
C
34. Which of the following occurs during the second phase of the 3-x-3 writing process? a. Deciding on the purpose of your message b. Profiling your audience c. Conducting research to gather the data you need to provide facts d. Evaluating whether your message will achieve its purpose
C
35. Of the following, the least rich (or leanest) communication media are ________. a. face-to-face meetings and conversations b. e-mail messages c. flyers or posters d. telephone calls
C
39. Which of the following statements about manners and business etiquette is most accurate? a. Good manners and professional demeanor are hard skills that employers value in employees. b. Because you aren't born with the ability to be courteous, civil, and professional, learning these skills is difficult. c. Employers are more likely to hire and promote someone who is courteous and professional. d. You should never express disagreement with a coworker.
C
4. Which of the following is the first step in solving business problems competently? a. Gathering the necessary people together for a face-to-face meeting b. Generating feasible ideas for a solution c. Understanding the problem clearly d. Determining a deadline for implementing the solution
C
40. Social presence is defined as a. how extroverted a person is. b. how well a company uses social media for communication. c. the degree of "salience" (being there) between a sender and receiver using a communication medium. d. a person's ability to get along with others.
C
54. Which of the following statements about saving face is most accurate? a. Members of low-context cultures are indirect and go to great lengths to avoid giving offense by saying no. b. People in low-context cultures are extremely concerned with saving face. c. Face refers to the image a person holds in his or her social network. d. In business transactions around the world, economic factors are the primary motivators of people.
C
55. Editing is the process of ________. a. correcting the grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and mechanics of your message b. finding and correcting errors in documents seeking to persuade c. improving the content and sentence structure of your message d. improving text messages and tweets
C
64. Which of the following statements about anticipating and profiling your audience is most accurate? a. If you don't actually know your readers, it is impossible to picture what they are like. b. Because postings to sites like Facebook and Twitter are so brief and informal, there is no need to anticipate your audience. c. You will adjust your tone, style, and content to accommodate the expectations and needs of your audience. d. You should profile your primary audience only.
C
66. In which part of the globe do today's workers put in the longest hours on average? a. Japan b. Europe c. United States d. Middle East
C
69. You want to simplify your language and use short, familiar words that your audience will recognize. Which of the following sentences has the best wording? a. Your remuneration will be commensurate with your results. b. Please substantiate that the new color scheme doesn't obfuscate the overall message. c. Employees are invited to attend a special luncheon next week. d. Your presence at Friday's meeting is compulsory.
C
72. Taylor is writing to deny an employee's request to work from home three days a week. She should write the letter using the ________. a. direct pattern b. geographical pattern c. indirect pattern d. chronological pattern
C
79. While conducting an orientation session for new employees, Clayton noticed looks of confusion on the faces of some listeners. He then paused and asked his audience, "What questions do you have so far?" Clayton was striving to overcome communication barriers by ________. a. questioning his assumptions, biases, and prejudices b. improving his language and listening skills c. creating an environment for useful feedback d. reducing physical distractions
C
8. Which of the following is a clause? a. On Monday b. Will be presenting c. When you were on vacation d. On our Facebook page " independent clause (a complete thought) and a dependent clause (a thought that cannot stand by itself)."
C
80. Which of the following is not a form of nonverbal communication? a. The appearance of a business document b. Showing up late for a job interview c. The adjectives used in a sales letter d. Raising one's voice when angry or frustrated
C
81. Which of the following is an example of upward communication in an organization? a. Three administrative assistants meet to discuss possible software upgrades. b. A department manager sends a text message to his employees about a new overtime policy. c. A warehouse worker suggests to his boss a way to improve employee morale. d. The CEO sends an e-mail message to all employees inviting them to a company picnic.
C
89. Malcolm is part of a team developing a new smartphone app to track traffic patterns. Because team members are located throughout the country, they don't meet in person. Instead, they use communication technology to collaborate on the project. Because members use technology to stay connected, Malcolm is part of a a. departmental team. b. cross-functional team. c. virtual team. d. self-directed team.
C
91. Businesspeople from which country are most likely to speak using extravagant or poetic figures of speech? a. Canada b. United States c. Brazil d. Germany
C
1. Jeanette is offended when she notices that only masculine pronouns are used in the company's human resources manual. This decoding problem is a result of ________. a. a closed communication climate b. Bypassing ( missing each other with their meanings) c. an external disruption d. a semantic obstacle (emotional response)
D
12. You want to use precise, vigorous words to give your readers more information and keep them interested. Which of the following sentences has the best wording? a. Your order will ship next week. b. Please get back to me as soon as possible. c. Our latest income statement shows a decrease in profits. d. The March balance sheet reports a 10 percent decrease in expenses for the first quarter of the fiscal year.
D
13. Select the least accurate statement about culture. a. Culture is the basis for how we tell the world who we are and what we believe. b. Culture can be both visible and invisible. c. The rules in any culture are inherently logical. d. Because cultural norms are so deep-seated, they almost never change.
D
18. Workplace diversity benefits ________. a. consumers b. work teams c. business organizations d. all of the above
D
2. A working group was formed to rewrite the company's mission statement. The members have been meeting for quite some time. They are extremely loyal to one another and have figured out how to solve any conflicts that might arise. Information is flowing freely, they are happy with their results, and they will soon meet the deadline set by management. What phase of team development are they experiencing? a. Forming b. Storming c. Norming d. Performing
D
29. Teleworkers, employees who remain outside of the office most of the time, and self-employed individuals now represent roughly ________ percent of the workforce. a. 5 b. 15 c. 20 d. 30
D
3. You are in charge of preparing a sales brochure and must profile your audience. What question should you ask to profile your primary audience? a. What do I know about this person's education, beliefs, culture, and attitudes? b. How much does this person know about the subject? c. Should I expect a neutral, positive, or negative response to my message? d. You should ask all these questions.
D
31. Which of the following is an example of downward communication in an organization? a. A business professor submits a conference report to her dean. b. Four accountants meet to discuss the quarterly financial reports. c. Members of a task force submit a progress report to the CEO. d. The CFO sends information about a new accounting regulation to employees in the accounting department.
D
38. During business negotiations, which group of individuals is most likely to place more emphasis on the surrounding context than on the actual words? a. Germans b. Americans c. Canadians d. Japanese
D
44. Leaning forward, maintaining eye contact, and listening to more than a person's spoken words are ways to show that you are a. capitalizing on lag time b. aware of gender differences c. separating facts from opinions d. actively involved
D
47. Jake is working for a global consulting firm and will be writing letters to intercultural audiences around the world. What is the best advice you can give him? a. Always use a direct approach to make your letters as clear as possible. b. Use your own format and style so that all your letters are consistent. c. Send letters to lower-ranking employees to avoid offending higher-ranking employees. d. Replace two-word verbs such as put off with clear single words such as delay.
D
50. Select the sentence with the passive-voice verb. a. Michael Lewis wrote a book about the financial crisis. b. Many new grads begin their job search on LinkedIn. c. Even with little experience, Andrew applied for the position. d. The website was redesigned by a team of professionals.
D
53. Which of the following is an example of an informal organizational communication channel? a. A supervisor gives a performance appraisal to her subordinate. b. An employee suggests to his supervisor a way to increase productivity in his department. c. Research and development team members hold a virtual meeting to discuss ideas for future products. d. An employee starts a blog to share her personal work experiences, opinions, and observations.
D
58. Which of the following is done during Phase 2 of the writing process? a. Adapting b. Proofreading c. Analyzing d. Organizing
D
6. Which of the following statements about today's work environments is most accurate? a. The "anytime, anywhere" office means that employees work fewer hours. b. "Co-working" requires employees having to be in the office at the same time. c. Traditional offices do not contain flexible workspaces. d. Working from home or on the road makes communication skills even more important.
D
60. As part of the encoding process, the sender of a message must ________. a. select the receiver's preferred communication channel b. ask the receiver if he or she understands the message c. keep all messages in English for universal understanding d. select appropriate words or symbols given the receiver's experiences and culture
D
70. Achieving literacy in the digital age requires using multimedia applications, staying connected to people and knowledge via technology, using technology thoughtfully and professionally, and ________. a. ensuring that you have the latest-model phone or tablet b. facilitating more face-to-face meetings c. learning various computer programming languages d. thinking critically about new media
D
75. Zachary needs to deliver a sensitive message to a colleague and decides to deliver it face-to-face. Zachary is in the process of ________. a. encoding the message b. decoding the message c. preparing for feedback d. selecting the channel for the message
D
76. Which of the following statements about the middle class in emerging economies is accurate? a. By 2030, two-thirds of the world's middle class will reside in the United States. b. Estimates suggest that 20 percent of world growth over the next few years will come from emerging markets. c. Many countries such as China and India have become more suspicious of foreign investment and free trade. d. Once known only for cheap labor, many countries with emerging economies are now seen as promising markets.
D
83. Which of the following elements of a collaborative document should you consider commenting on in an effort to edit without making enemies? a. Tone b. Purpose c. Organization d. All of the above
D
92. Caroline is writing a business letter to a German client. What should she do as she prepares the letter? a. Use jargon to introduce the client to U.S. culture. b. Use longer sentences and paragraphs to make her letter look more formal. c. Use words that have several meanings. d. Observe the receiver's title and rank.
D
93. Sensitive communicators know the difference between facts and opinions. Which of the following statements would be considered factual? a. Consumers are willing to pay more for a product if they believe that it was produced ethically under fair-trade standards. b. Social responsibility is a marketing tool to increase sales. c. Women have been limited by the corporate "glass ceiling." d. Women are starting businesses at two times the rate of men.
D
95. Mina wants to use the communication medium with the highest social presence. Which of the following should she choose? a. E-mail b. Blog posting c. Discussion forum posting d. Live chat
D
97. Melanie is working on a report and has reached Phase 2 of the 3-x-3 writing process. What should she do first in this second phase? a. Write the rough draft of her report. b. Decide how to organize the report. c. Analyze her purpose and audience. d. Gather any necessary information.
D
98. A free exchange of information helps organizations a. respond rapidly to changing markets. b. build employee morale. c. serve the public. d. do all of these (respond rapidly to changing markets, build employee morale, serve the public).
D
99. Which of the following statements about ending a meeting is most accurate? a. The meeting should not end until all agenda items have been fully discussed. b. If minutes are taken, they should be distributed at the next meeting. c. Because all participants should be responsible for paying attention during the meeting, a summary at the end of the meeting would be a waste of time. d. All participants should leave the meeting with a full understanding of what has been accomplished.
D
