1. In business messages, using terms such as "if," "hope," and "trust" is
a. common courtesy.
b. acceptable for very formal contexts.
c. usually a bad idea since it takes away from the writer's credibility.
d. a good way to show your modesty.
e. all of the above
2. Which of the following is a compound sentence?
a. Daved is a good worker, and he deserves a raise.
b. Because Daved is a good worker, he deserves a raise.
c. Daved, a good worker, deserves a raise.
d. Having been a good worker, Daved will no doubt receive a raise.
e. None of the above
3. Using the passive voice makes sense when
a. you want to be diplomatic in pointing out a problem or error.
b. you want your sentence to be easier to understand.
c. you need to make your sentences shorter.
d. you want to emphasize the subject.
e. You want to emphasize the direct object.
4. "While you may not agree with Joan's recommendations, you must admit that her
suggestions would save the company money" is a
a. simple sentence.
b. compound sentence.
c. complex sentence.
d. compound-complex sentence.
e. none of the above.
5. To downplay a dependent clause in a complex sentence, you
a . place it at the beginning of the sentence.
b. place it at the end of the sentence.
c. place it in the middle of the sentence.
d. set it off with a semicolon.
e. use language that is not forceful or threatening
6. When revising a document, you should
a. first read through it quickly to evaluate its overall effectiveness.
b. first look carefully for grammatical errors.
c. try to accomplish all revision tasks in one pass, in order to finish
quickly.
d. pay closest attention to the document's spelling.
e. all of the above
f. none of the above
7. Informative headings and subheadings
a. simply identify topics covered in the document.
b. guide readers to think a certain way about the topics covered.
c. are easier to write than descriptive headings.
d. are less helpful to readers than descriptive headings.
e. All of the above
8. What is wrong with the following phrase? "To waste time and missing deadlines
are bad habits."
a. Similar ideas are not parallel.
b. It contains a dangling modifier.
c. It contains a split infinitive.
d. It does not emphasize the "you" attitude
e. Nothing-it is grammatically correct as written.
9. "Visible to the eye" is an example of
a. a cliché.
b. redundancy.
c. the passive voice.
d. obsolete language.
e. Descriptive writing
10. Starting a sentence with "It is" or "There are" is
a. usually a sign that the sentence could be shorter and more active.
b. perfectly acceptable, and you need not try to rewrite the sentence.
c. a sign of the active voice being used.
d. A sign passive voice is being used
e. all of the above.
19. Justified margins are not preferred for business documents because they
a. make the document harder to read.
b. darken the message's appearance because there is less white space.
c. make messages look less personalized.
d. do all of the above.
e. do none of the above.
20. Which of the following lists contains the elements of a business letter in the proper
order?
a. letterhead, date, inside address, salutation, message, complimentary close
b. letterhead, inside address, date, salutation, message, complimentary close
c. date, letterhead, inside address, salutation, message, complimentary close
d. none of the above
21. What is wrong with the following sentence? "Driving to the office, a police officer
stopped me for speeding."
a. It lacks parallelism.
b. It contains a dangling modifier.
c. It contains an awkward pointer.
d. Nothing-it is grammatically correct as written.
22. When it comes to legal issues,
a. e-mails mean very little-only printed documents can be used in court.
b. e-mail and other electronic documents have the same weight as printed ones.
c. your e-mail messages are off limits-using them in court would violate your
privacy.
d. none of the above are correct.
23. The subject line of an e-mail message
e. is one of the most important parts.
f. helps recipients decide whether or not to read the message.
g. should do more than simply describe the general topic of the message.
g. does all of the above.
24. Which of the following is an example of an effective e-mail subject line?
h. Website redesign is on schedule
i. Status Report
j. Employee Parking
k. All of the above
l. None of the above
25. When exchanging multiple e-mails with someone on the same topic,
a. use the same subject line to avoid confusion.
b. write a descriptive kind of subject line.
c. modify the subject line with each response.
d. change the topic whenever the date changes but not before.
26. If you do not have a constant supply of new information to post on a business blog,
m. your audience will appreciate not having to process information that changes constantly.
n. re-post old material so your audience will not lose interest.
o. online audiences are likely to ignore your material.
p. none of the above
27. When making a routine request, you should
q. use the inductive plan.
r. assume the reader will comply with your request.
s. demand immediate action.
t. do all of the above.
u. do none of the above
28. When asking questions in a request message
a. begin with the least important question and work your way up to
the most important.
b. avoid any open-ended questions.
c. begin with the most important question.
d. weave your questions into the rest of the content of your message.
29. In closing a request for a recommendation, you should include
v. an expression of appreciation.
w. an indication that you've enclosed a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
x. the full name and address of the person to whom the letter should be sent.
y. all of the above.
30. When making a claim or requesting an adjustment, your closing should usually
z. clearly state how angry and disappointed you are.
aa. explain the specific details of the problem.
bb. request a specific action or express your desire to find a solution.
cc. do all of the above.
31. The closing of a routine reply or positive message should
dd. clearly state who will do what next.
ee. explain the reasons for any negative information you have included.
ff. offer an explanation for why this decision was made.
gg. do all of the above.
hh. None of the above
32. When responding to a customer complaint about one of your company's services, you should
a. soften the situation with statements such as "Nobody's perfect" or
"Mistakes will happen."
b. use a generous, begrudging tone.
c. use a standard form letter and a generous tone.
d. avoid blaming anyone in your organization by name.
e. none of the above
33. If a customer requesting an adjustment is at fault for the problem, the best response is to
a. refuse the claim without any explanation.
b. refuse the claim and point out the customer's mistake.
c. honor the claim but do so grudgingly.
d. honor the claim but tactfully point out that your firm was not at fault.
e. None of the above.
34. It may be unethical to omit negative information from a recommendation if the
a. information is well-known in the workplace.
b. information is true and relevant.
c. applicant asks you to do so.
d. position is a high-ranking one.
e. All of the above
35 When using the direct approach to deliver bad news, the closing should include
a. an explanation for the bad news.
b. an action step for those who want to appeal or contest the bad news.
c. a positive, respectful statement.
d. an apology.
e. All of the above
36. A poorly written buffer can
a. trivialize the reader's concerns.
b. divert attention away from the problem.
c. mislead the reader into thinking good news follows.
d. all of the above.
37. In the reasons section of a negative message, you should
a. present enough detail for the audience to understand your decision.
b. explain what your decision is before you explain why you have reached it.
c. apologize for the negative decision.
d. do all of the above.
e. do none of the above.
38. Using the indirect approach, the bad news comes
a. immediately after the buffer.
b. immediately before the reasons.
c. immediately after the reasons.
d. In the last or next to last sentence
39. Which of the following statements does the best job of delivering the bad news
clearly and professionally?
a. I am sorry to have to tell you that you were not selected for the position.
b. Because you do not have the experience we clearly listed in the job
posting, we cannot offer you the position.
c. Although you currently do not have the master's degree that we require
for this position, we would be happy to reconsider your application
once you have completed your degree.
d. Several other applicants were more qualified for the position than
you were, so we apologize for not offering you the job.
e. none of the above
40.. Whether or not you should apologize when delivering bad news about transactions
depends mainly on
a. how much the customer has purchased from your company in the past.
b. the medium you are using for the message.
c. how long it has been since the problem occurred.
d. none of the above
41. Someone suing for defamation must prove
a. that the statement is false.
b. that the language is injurious to the person's reputation.
c. that the statement has been published.
d. all of the above
42 Which of the following is not an example of demographic information?
a. Age
b. Occupation
c. Lifestyle
d. Income
e. None of the above.- they all are demographic indicators
43. AIDA stands for
a. appeal, indirect, direct, action.
b. anticipate inquiry in doing adjustments.
c. assume, insist, describe, act.
d. attention, interest, desire, action.
e. none of the above
44. The purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to
a. introduce the main idea.
b. create interest in the main idea.
c. help the audience embrace your idea by explaining how the change will
benefit them.
d. suggest the action your audience should take.
e. None of the above
45.. An effective ending for a persuasive message would be
a. Simply return the enclosed coupon by June 15 for your free oil and
filter change.
b. Please respond as soon as possible.
c. Wouldn't you like to save some money?
d. Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.
46. An advertisement stating that a new resort offers "freedom and comfort along with
great value" is using
a. an emotional appeal.
b. an analogy.
c. an inductive appeal.
d. both logical and emotional appeals.
e. Invalid reasoning.
47. In marketing and sales messages, what is the primary difference between selling
points and benefits?
a. Selling points are positive whereas benefits are not.
b. Selling points focus on the user rather than the product.
c. Selling points focus on the product rather than the user.
d. None of the above are correct.
48. If price is one of your strong selling points, you should
a. mention special offers, such as volume discounts, before actually stating
the price.
b. compare the price to the cost of some other product or activity ("This
exercise equipment costs less than a health club membership").
c. break the total price into smaller units ("Just six easy payments of
$19.95 each will bring you this lovely collector's item").
d. give it a position of prominence, such as in the headline or as the last
item in a paragraph.
49. In sales letters, a postscript (P.S.) below your signature is
a. not likely to draw the reader's attention.
b. often one of the first and last parts people will read.
c. almost always inappropriate.
d. expected by most consumers.
e. None of the above.
50. For general business messages, your writing should be geared to readers at the
a. fourth-grade level.
b. fifth- to sixth-grade level.
c. eighth- to eleventh-grade level.
d. twelfth- to fourteenth-grade level.
e. none of the above