Chapter 9 Quiz
A business report is defined as an orderly, subjective presentation of information for decision-making purposes.
False
A pie chart is most effective for comparing trends in the overall magnitude or amount of various items.
False
Abbreviations and symbols should not be used in tables.
False
Business writers usually review primary data before taking the second step of collecting any secondary data that is needed.
False
Charts are easier to comprehend and interpret when they are presented in a three-dimensional format.
False
Check that questions involving multiple topics are neutrally worded to elicit multifaceted responses.
False
Do not compromise the level of completeness, accuracy, or precision needed to solve your problem by using the least expenditure of time and money on data collection.
False
Free-response items are the easiest questions to tabulate and to be freely interpreted.
False
If 10 percent of all the employees at Target responded to a survey, we could conclude that the responses represented the views of the remaining employees.
False
If you ask about sensitive issues such as age or salary, narrow the categories presented as alternatives to encourage more specific responses.
False
If you create a table based on primary data, you should include a source note below it.
False
If you use verbs and adverbs as keywords, your search will return a larger number of results than if you use nouns as your keywords.
False
Information on a webpage is considered unpublished secondary data because it is not widely disseminated through primary sources.
False
Information posted on commercial websites must, by law, conform to standards for accuracy and political correctness.
False
Pilot-test your questionnaire on a broad cross-section of people, and make any needed improvements as you continue the survey.
False
Readers should be more concerned about the quality of information in a scholarly journal than about the quality of information on a recently updated website.
False
Researchers have an ethical obligation to truthfully disclose all data when respondents ask.
False
Reviewing secondary data can provide sources for additional information, suggest methods of primary research, or give clues for questionnaire items.
False
Tables typically appear above the text that first refers to them.
False
The main disadvantage of mail questionnaires is that the respondents are not typically honest with their answers.
False
The point of a table summarizing the data gathered for a report is to convey important trends.
False
The point of surveying people is to collect primary data.
False
To avoid confusing readers, pie charts should contain no more than four wedges.
False
Use a chart when individual values are more important than the overall picture of what the information represents.
False
Using the OR search operator decreases the number of hits.
False
Websites of federal government institutions are designated by a ".fed" ending.
False
When arranging data in tables, you will confuse readers if you use a different organizational pattern than the pattern you used for questions in the questionnaire.
False
When preparing a line chart, begin the horizontal axis with zero, even when the amounts are large.
False
When presenting percentages that total 100 percent, you should avoid rounding numbers down.
False
When simplifying a table, you should strive to provide more specifics rather than risk reducing comprehensibility.
False
When the categories for a questionnaire item are mutually exclusive, you are covering every possible alternative.
False
When you conduct a questionnaire, you survey people by telephone, e-mail, mail, or interviews.
False
When you factor a problem, you think about all the secondary and primary data you will gather for your report.
False
When you synthesize data, you look at how the tables and charts explain or deviate from the trends you are interpreting.
False
You may get more valid responses when you interview people face-to-face.
False
You should avoid using any secondary data that was collected and analyzed years or even months ago.
False
You should be wary of secondary data if several independent studies confirm the same results.
False
You should reinforce key points in your report by presenting the information in both tables and charts.
False
Commercial websites (those ending with .com) are sponsored by organizations with a profit incentive.
True
Cross-tabulation is the process of analyzing two or more pieces of data together.
True
Different types of data lend themselves to different types of analysis.
True
Factoring your problem means breaking it down into components so you will know what data to collect.
True
If your questionnaire is long, divide it into sections by grouping together all questions dealing with a particular topic.
True
Label all types of charts in your report as figures, and number them consecutively, separately from tables.
True
Line charts are effective for portraying changes in data over time.
True
Mail questionnaires are most effective when sent to a target audience with similar interests and backgrounds.
True
No questionnaire is complete without directions plus a name and return address.
True
Pace your analysis of the data in your report to avoid overwhelming your reader with too many facts and figures presented too quickly.
True
Population data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1980 may be valid and relevant to a report you prepare today.
True
Presenting data in charts adds visual appeal and enhances reader comprehension.
True
Primary data collection includes three kinds of surveys: questionnaires, interviews, and telephone inquiries.
True
Secondary data may be published or unpublished.
True
Studying secondary data is generally less costly and less time-consuming than collecting primary data.
True
The best use of a bar chart is to compare several variables at a certain point or over a specific time period.
True
The first step before collecting data is to define the report's purpose and analyze the intended audience.
True
The purpose of a business report is to provide practical, "need-to-know" information that helps the reader solve a problem or make a decision.
True
To avoid biasing responses to your questions, arrange the alternatives logically, such as in alphabetical or chronological order.
True
To simplify a table, you might group together negative responses such as "strongly disagree" and "disagree" or positive responses such as "strongly agree" and "agree."
True
Using Boolean logic allows you to broaden or narrow the extent of your Internet search.
True
Web crawlers find and index webpages by following links from one page to another.
True
Wedges in a pie chart are usually arranged clockwise in descending order or in another logical order, starting at 12 o'clock.
True
When analyzing data, first look at each piece alone, then look at each in combination with other data, and finally synthesize all your findings.
True
When you place quotation marks around a phrase, the search will be restricted to sites that contain that exact phrase.
True
When you use the AND operator, the search engine must identify sources that contain keywords on both sides of AND.
True
Write the cover letter that accompanies a questionnaire as a persuasive message.
True
You should be wary of secondary data from studies that were conducted merely to prove a point rather than to determine the actual solution to a problem.
True
You should discuss the overall finding(s) in your report before discussing cross-tabulation data and pointing out questions raised by the data.
True
Your readers should be able to understand each table without having to read the corresponding section of the report.
True
Because search engines read command lines from left to right, a search for a two-word phrase would identify websites related to the first word but not to the second.
True
Before using secondary data, check that the information was collected through standard research procedures.
True
Before you begin interpreting data, be sure the information is relevant, complete, and accurate.
True
Although a table has less visual impact than a graph, it is an efficient way to present numerical data and allow readers to compare figures.
True
Bar charts are graphs with horizontal or vertical bars representing values.
True
Be sure that all the questions you include in a questionnaire are necessary to help you solve the problem.
True
