SSC102 Chapter 4, 5, 6
T
Changing writing methods can help overcome writer's block.
C
Composing with style means a. using formal language. c. using clear, concise words that convey your personality. b. using unusual words. d. using language that creates a sense of mystery for the reader.
F
Diversity has become widely recognized in business; therefore, the use of unbiased language is no longer an essential consideration in the composition of business messages.
F
E-mail is so popular because it affords a high degree of privacy.
F
Format and style of a message vary with the audience.
T
Generally, the direct plan of paragraph organization is recommended for good news or neutral news.
F
Grammar and spelling errors need not be corrected in business messages sent via e-mail.
B
If less than a full paragraph of letter text can be carried to a continuation page, the writer should: a. choose a larger font and use wider margins. b. revise the message to fit on one page. c. select a smaller font. d. use narrower margins.
F
If you inadvertently send an e-mail before you are ready, it is easy to retrieve or cancel the e-mail.
T
In a personal business letter, the date is keyed directly below the writer's return address.
T
In some situations negative words can be used for emphasis.
F
Letterhead stationery should be used for all pages of a letter.
F
Long sentences are more effective than short sentences because you can cover more thoughts in one sentence.
A
Margo Clark keyed a letter written by Bill Ramkin and signed by D'Wayne Bullock. Which of the following sets of reference initials best represents this situation? a. BR:mc b. DB/mc c. DB/BR:mc d. mc
F
Memos may have an internal or external audience.
T
Message purposes should be established within the framework of the four business communication goals.
F
Mixed punctuation means the salutation is followed by a colon, and the complimentary close has no punctuation.
F
Obsolete words sound formal and, therefore, are appropriate in formal but not informal business communication.
B
Of the following sentences, which would be unbiased? a. The white teacher spoke to the inner-city youths. c. The Jewish lady moved into an upscale townhouse in Manhatten. b. Mrs. Smith talked with the students about the difficulties experienced by single-parent families. d. Mr. Brown, 85, spent Thanksgiving with his family.
T
One way to emphasize an idea is to tell the receiver what is important.
T
Organizations select 20-pound bond for letterhead stationery not only because it looks good but also because it is durable.
F
Passive voice is preferred in business messages because they avoid use of first-person pronouns.
T
Proofreading is done before and after revising and editing.
F
REGISTERED MAIL is an addressee notation.
T
Readability formulas assess the sentence length, complexity of sentence structure, and the number of syllables or characters in words.
T
Repeating key words in sentences is a way of giving emphasis to the ideas represented by those words.
F
Research represents the most common Internet application.
F
Revising and editing are different names for the same process.
C
Ruthann Rodgers is writing a personal business letter to her bank. Which of the following represents the correct format for the heading of her letter? a. August 6, 2011 1234 Avenue C Denver, CO 75926-3882 b. Ruthann Rodgers 1234 Avenue C Denver, CO 75926-3882 August 6, 2011 c. 1234 Avenue C Denver, CO 75926-3882 August 6, 2011 d. August 6, 2011 Ruthann Rodgers 1234 Avenue C Denver, CO 75926-3882
T
Secondary purposes support the main idea in a written message.
T
Sentence unity comes from limiting content to one main idea.
F
Short sentences are understandable, so your writing should only use sentences with no more than 20 words.
T
Technical words are terms with a special meaning in a particular field.
F
The "cc" feature of e-mail is used to ensure receivers' e-mail addresses are not made public.
D
The best organizational plan and best type of message for persuading someone to donate to a community project that feeds the homeless is a(n) a. direct, oral message. b. direct, written message. c. indirect, oral message. d. indirect, written message.
T
The color and quality of the paper used for an envelope should match that used for the letter
T
The complimentary close Respectfully is too formal to use with the salutation Dear Rob.
F
The difference between executive letterhead stationery and standard letterhead stationery is the quality of the paper.
F
The first step in developing a business message is to draft the message.
A
The four areas in which you analyze the receiver of a message are a. knowledge, interests, attitudes, and emotional reaction. b. knowledge, interests, attitudes, and gender. c. knowledge, interests, emotional reaction, and age. d. knowledge, interests, emotional reaction, and culture.
F
The impression a message makes is based solely on its content.
D
The letter format in which a subject line is standard rather than supplementary is the: a. full block format. b. modified block format. c. modified block format with indented paragraphs. d. simplified format.
T
The most important information in an e-mail should be the opening sentence or paragraph.
F
The notation bcc stands for business courtesy copy.
F
The primary criterion for an understandable word choice for a message is to choose a word that the sender understands.
B
The revising process includes all but which one of the following? a. Checking to see that business communication principles have been applied b. Determining whether the message is mechanically correct c. Thinking about the visual image the message creates d. Verifying the content for accuracy and completeness
T
The revision stage allows the writer to make changes that add strength and distinctiveness to the message.
T
The spacing used for the body of a memo is the same as that used in a full-block letter.
F
The traditional outline method works well when generating ideas and determining how they relate to one another
F
The trend in business writing is to place the receiver's name in an attention line rather than keying it as the first line of the inside address.
T
The two most valuable resources for the business communicator are a dictionary and a thesaurus
C
The words that communicate best are usually those that are a. words that you know best c. words slightly below your receiver's vocabulary level b. words that will increase the receiver's vocabulary because he or she will need to check a dictionary for the meaning. d. words slightly above your receiver's vocabulary level
F
There is no place in business messages for weak words.
F
Use emoticons in business e-mail to give personality to your messages.
T
Using a greeting before and a signature after the text of an e-mail message is a function of style, not a format requirement.
F
Vague or abstract words are indefinite words, but they have a specific meaning that is the same for each receiver of the message.
F
Websites need regular maintenance; at a minimum, semi-annual updates to a website should be made.
A
When a message extends to two or more pages, a. key the receiver's name, the page number, and the date starting one inch from the top edge of the paper. b. place the heading items two inches from the top of the sheet. c. the text begins on line 7. d. repeat the inside address and the date as shown on the first page of the document. e. use letterhead, and place the date two inches form the top edge of the paper.
F
When using sentence structure to give ideas emphasis, place the most important ideas in the dependent clauses.
D
Which of the following date displays is correct for a business letter? a. 03/06/2011 b. 12 Oct. 2011 c. 2011 January 07 d. May 16, 2011
C
Which of the following is NOT a step in the proofreading process? a. Pay special attention to names, numbers, and unusual words. b. Read the material once for content, once for mechanics. c. Read the material to a colleague bottom to top. d. Use your word processing software spell checker to check for spelling errors.
A
Which of the following is NOT part of the planning process? a. Apply the principles of business communication. b. Establish purposes. c. Outline the message content. d. Select the organizational plan.
D
Which of the following is an appropriate situation in which to use e-mail? a. Cancellation of a meeting scheduled for this afternoon b. Discussion of a job performance evaluation c. Negotiation of a salary increase d. Reminder of an upcoming deadline for budget submissions
C
Which of the following is the best subject line for an e-mail message? a. Budget Request b. Budget Request and Performance Appraisal Due c. Budget Request Due February 15 d. FW: RE: FW: FW: Budget Request
D
Which of the following is the three-step process for developing business messages? a. Analyze receiver and situation, select organizational plan, and compose message content. b. Determine purposes, analyze receiver and situation, and compose message content. c. Plan, compose, proofread. d. Plan, draft, finalize.
B
Which of the following items is not considered to be a standard letter part? a. Complimentary close b. Enclosure notation c. Heading d. Reference initials
C
Which of the following salutations works best in a letter addressed to the attention of Barb Colby, the Marketing Manager at Jeckyl Manufacturing Company? a. Dear Barb: b. Dear Ms. Colby: c. Ladies and Gentlemen: d. To Whom it May Concern:
D
Which of the following sentences lacks agreement of subject and verb? a. The fifth grade class has recess at 10 a.m. c. Martina or her children were always at home on Saturdays. b. Mary and Janice go to the grocery each day. d. Each year supervisors reminds their staff of Internet-use policies.
A
Which of the following statements about instant messaging is NOT true? a. A professional tone with no slang is a hallmark of instant messaging. b. The content of an instant message should be limited to one or two thoughts. c. The message length is limited. d. The most-used feature of instant messaging is the "away" message alert.
C
Which of the following statements about letterhead stationery is incorrect? a. It should not extend beyond the top two inches of the page. b. It may be professionally printed or created with computer software and a printer. c. Only contact information should be included in a letterhead. d. Some letterhead information can be printed at the bottom of the sheet.
D
Which of the following words is not a transitional word or phrase? a. second c. for example b. finally d. readily
C
Which of the words below is most likely to be understood for a middle-level receiver? a. hermetic c. enjoyment b. hilarity d. heuristic
B
Which one of the following incorrect sentences lacks parallelism? a. Managing the store, practicing violin, and attending classes keeps Mary busy. c. Jane Harris, who lives in Martinville, sings in their community choir each year. b. Leave your practice problems on the desk, your homework should be completed, and be ready for tomorrow's test.. d. Marsha, John, and Milton take a bicycle ride each evening.
A
Which words are examples of obsolete words? a. enclosed herewith c. bottom line b. get over it d. unhappy
F
Writers should use the "more is better" principle when selecting the number and variety of word processing emphasis techniques to use in print and e-mail messages.
F
06/03/2011 is an acceptable format for the date in a letter from an organization to one of its customers..
T
A distribution list may be used when multiple receivers are sent the same e-mail message.
F
A grammar checker detects and corrects grammar and punctuation errors.
T
A letter may be used for formal communication between an organization and its employees.
T
A long sentence in a business letter is 30 words or longer.
T
A message with long words and sentences may have a high readability level even if the words are familiar and the sentences are easy to understand.
T
A postscript may be keyed or handwritten.
C
A sentence in a paragraph that helps your receiver move from one aspect of the subject to another is called a a. contrasting sentence c. tie-in sentence b. unified sentence d. structural sentence
C
A sentence structure that allows one idea to be emphasized and one idea to be de-emphasized is the a. simple sentence c. complex sentence b. short sentence d. compound sentence
F
A specialized dictionary is one that shows special symbols for word pronounciation.
F
A strong word will be either an adjective or adverb because both are descriptive words.
T
A subject line is considered part of the letter body.
F
A thesaurus suggests alternatives or antonyms for words in a message.
T
A user-friendly web design and effective navigation enhance the credibility of a website.
A
A writer may use street abbreviations (e.g., St. for Street) within an inside address when: a. abbreviating the word will create a balanced display. b. correspondence from the receiver uses such abbreviations. c. the writer is confident the receiver will understand the abbreviation. d. the writer is in a hurry.
F
Addressee and delivery notations are placed on an envelope, but not on a letter.
T
All computer programs are not compatible when it comes to attachments, and some e-mail programs don't support multiple attachments.
F
Although the language in which a letter is written may vary from country to country, the formats used for letter are standard worldwide
T
An advantage of a written message is that it is a permanent record that may have legal value
B
An advantage of an oral message is that it a. accommodates lengthy and complex content. b. allows for immediate feedback. c. can have legal value. d. provides a permanent record.
T
An advantage of oral messages is that they can be transmitted quickly.
T
An enclosure notation alerts the receiver that something has been included with the letter.
F
An obsolete word is one that is overused in normal conversation or messages and has lost its effectiveness.
T
Blogs are more conversational in tone than a business letter.
T
Business e-mail should be developed using the same three-step plan as other messages.
