Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
CH1 C) Subordinates
1. Which of the following does NOT involve D) Stockholders
communicating in the workplace?
6. Organizations expect writing to be professional and
A) Answering customer letters free from typographical and grammatical errors, so it
makes sense to
B) Listening to instructions
A) rely exclusively on spell check software
C) Lifting heavy boxes programs.
D) Working on a team project B) depend on secretaries to do all of your
writing.
2. Which of the following is an example of nonverbal
communication? C) edit and proofread your written documents
carefully and more than once.
A) An online blog where employees in
different cities can share ideas D) have documents sent out to a professional
printer to have copies made
B) A company logo designed to project the
organization's image 7. Writing skills for professionals in the workplace
C) An e-mail message reminding employees A) are rarely used because the Internet has
of an upcoming staff meeting significantly reduced the need to write
D) A phone call from an attorney to a client B) are not required because secretaries do
most of the writing for professionals.
3. Effective business communication
C) are not necessary since form letters and
A) decreases the number of positive responses
pre-designed templates are now available.
to requests on the first try.
D) are a key job requirement that is frequently
B) increases reading time.
listed in professional job descriptions.
C) increases the time that it takes
8. When writing is not as good as it could be, you and
disagreements to surface.
your organization pay the price in all of the following
D) builds a positive image of your EXCEPT:
organization.
A) Ineffective results
4. Which of the following is an example of an internal
B) Reduced workload
document?
C) Wasted time
A) A performance appraisal of an employee
after his first six months on the job D) Lost goodwill
B) A corporation's annual report released at 9. The primary purpose of a document that is written
the end of the year to convince readers to change their opinions is to
C) A claims adjustment letter that grants a A) answer a question
refund to a customer for a faulty product
B) building goodwill
D) A price quote for the purchase of new
computers C) persuade
5. Which of the following is an external audience of D) inform
an organization?
10. Which of the following is NOT an important
A) Peers aspect of working in teams?
1
A) Drawing on each team member's strengths A) learn to delegate well when working in
groups.
B) Resolving conflicts constructively
B) communicate well with customers and
C) Cooperating with others colleagues.
D) Assigning your work to others C) actively work to change an organization's
conventions.
11. Which of the following is NOT a reason that
people typically put things in writing? D) are able to work well alone most of the
time.
A) To give themselves visibility within the
organization CH2
B) To brainstorm ideas for a group decision 1. The primary audience for a business message is
made up of
C) To make the information convenient for
the audience to access A) people who represent the opinions of the
majority.
D) To create a record
B) everyone who receives it.
12. Which of the following is a technical error in a
written document rather than a weakness in the C) decision makers in an organization
document's style?
D) individuals with the highest status in an
A) Misspelled word organization
B) Vague request 2. The type of audience who has the power to stop
your message instead of sending it on to the primary
C) Legalistic language
audience is
D) Selfish tone
A) a gatekeeper
13. Every business organization that has many
B) a watchdog audience
employees has
C) an auxiliary audience
A) a flat communication structure.
D) a secondary audience
B) stockholder.
3. Which of the following methods is NOT a useful
C) a grapevine
way of analyzing an individual who is your audience?
D) an intranet.
A) Talk to other people who know this
14. In a business setting, conventions individual.
A) are non-routine practices that employees B) Assume this individual thinks the same
must learn. way as someone you know who has similar
demographic characteristics.
B) include unusual occurrences in a business
that are outside of the norms. C) Watch and observe this individual on the
job.
C) are routine, widely accepted ways of
thinking and doing things. D) Rely on what you already know about this
individual through your previous experiences
D) are new ways of conducting business as a with him or her.
result of enhanced technologies.
4. The ability to feel compassion and understanding
15. As more people compete for fewer jobs, the ones for another person's situation is
who will build successful careers are those who
A) empathy
B) common sense
2
C) professionalism C) You may only report concerns and issues
to your immediate supervisor
D) audience analysis
D) There does not seem to be a strict chain of
command
5. Which of the following is NOT measured by the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?
9. The question "What's in it for me?" in a business
A) The ways people differ message relates most closely to
B) Stylistic preferences that people tend to A) the level of formality
have
B) a description of the features of a product or
C) Personality types policy
D) Demographic facts about people C) the hierarchy of needs
6. Which of the following does NOT involve a D) audience benefit
demographic characteristic of potential customers that
you will meet at a trade show? 10. Which of the following is an example that would
relate to a discourse community?
A) Over 75% of the individuals own or work
for companies that could use your product A) Employees are rewarded with bonuses for
contributing good ideas that save money or
B) At least 40% of the individuals are nearing time
retirement age
B) The higher-level managers have the largest
C) Nearly 25% of the individuals are from offices on the top floor of the building
South Carolina and Georgia.
C) There are very few levels of management
D) Only about 30% the individuals are college between the company president and the front-
graduates line workers in a service business.
7. Many organizational situations involve an audience D) Extensive evidence and documentation is
that consists of a group of people. Which is an required to convince a manager to deviate
appropriate approach to analyzing this type of from a company routine
audience?
11. A written message is preferable to an oral one
A) Avoid making any generalizations at all when you want to
since group members are individuals.
A) modify plans
B) Identify things that members of the group
have in common. B) present extensive and complex data
C) Disregard all demographic information to C) resolve conflicts and build consensus
avoid stereotyping people
D) get immediate action or response.
D) Rely on the fact that generalizations are
true for all members of a group. 12. According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which
of the following is an Esteem/Recognition need?
8. Which of the following practices indicates that an
organizational culture does NOT value equality and A) Having friends and working with people
individualism? you like
A) You are encouraged to contribute and B) Being the best you can be
discuss ideas.
C) Being treated fairly
B) There is a great deal of interaction between
D) Being promoted to a position of
upper management and line employees
responsibility
3
13. If an audience is resistant to a change you are A) disregards the audience's ego
suggesting, a good approach is to
B) looks at things from the audience's point of
A) deliver all aspects and details about the view.
message at once to get it all out in the open
C) emphasizes what the writer wants the
B) be as ambiguous as possible to avoid audience to know
offending the members of the audience
D) at times questions the audience's
C) begin the message with something both intelligence
you and the audience can agree upon
3. Which of the following is a principle for achieving
D) try to convince the audience that you have you-attitude?
the only perfect solution
A) Refer to a customer's order in general terms
14. Developing logic and suggesting reader benefits is if he always buys the same thing
MOST essential when you are writing to someone
who B) Use the word "you" in negative situations
to protect the audience's ego.
A) you have a very strong, positive
relationship with C) Make assumptions about how the audience
feels about a situation in order to show
B) is neutral about the message you are empathy
delivering
D) Use passive verbs and impersonal
C) has had a negative experience with the expressions to avoid assigning blame
organization you work for
4. Which of the following statements MOST
D) agrees with what you are saying. effectively applies the you-attitude?
15. Which is not an example of a psychographic A) "We will have your cabinets ready by
characteristic of an individual? August 18th."
A) A manager values open, honest B) "Your order for cabinets is in production."
communication in business dealings
C) "Your cabinets will be delivered to you on
B) An employee has set high goals for August 18th."
improving herself both personally and
professionally D) "We began working on your cabinets a few
days ago."
C) A worker believes that in exchange for his
wages, he owes his company an honest day's 5. "You will be thrilled to hear that your department is
labor. going to move to the newly-renovated office space up
on the fifth floor." Does this sentence properly apply
D) An executive earns $120,000 per year and the you-attitude?
receives an annual performance bonus
A) No, because it is presumptuous and
CH3 degrading to assume that the audience will be
pleased with this decision
1. The desirable tone for business writing is all of the
following EXCEPT B) Yes, because the audience is being offered
an opportunity that others would consider
A) professional but not stiff. highly desirable
B) friendly but not phony C) No, because there was no mention of who
will be moving the furnishings and equipment
C) polite but not groveling
D) Yes, because being located on a higher
D) arrogant but not confident
floor is a nonverbal indication of prestige and
2. The you-attitude is a style of communication that importance
4
6. Which of the following is a way to deemphasize D) putting bad news at the beginning of a
negative information? message to get it over with.
A) Mention the negative information only 11. In which of the following situations would using
once in the message the word "you" typically NOT be appropriate?
B) Put the negative information in the last A) When commending an employee for a job
sentence of a paragraph at the bottom of the well done
page.
B) When congratulating a colleague on a
C) Put the negative information in a vertical promotion
list.
C) When correcting a subordinate for not
D) Give the negative information plenty of completing a task properly
space.
D) When requesting budget information from
7. Which of the following should NOT be used in a the accounting department
negative situation where you wish to avoid blaming
the audience? 12. Which of the following sentences would be
considered the HIGHEST level of politeness?
A) the you-attitude
A) Submit your budget request to me by
B) hidden negatives January 31st.
C) impersonal expressions B) Please submit your budget request to me by
January 31st.
D) passive verbs
C) Your budget request must be on my desk
8. "Each pilot must pass through airport security and by January 31st.
show his identification card, just like the passengers
do." This sentence is D) Would you please submit your budget
request to me by January 31st?
A) grammatically correct and bias-free.
13. Which of the following is NOT an example of a
B) grammatically correct but not bias-free. hidden negative?
C) neither grammatically correct nor bias-free. A) Please be patient while we work to resolve
this issue.
D) bias-free but not grammatically correct.
B) "But" after a negative statement
9. Which of the following is a sexist job title?
C) You look in better shape since you have
A) Fireman
been going to the gym.
B) Pilot
D) "However" after a positive statement
C) Nurse
14. "You will never regret your decision to insure
D) Manager your company with Equity Mutual Co." What is the
primary flaw in this sentence?
10. All of the following are techniques for creating
positive emphasis EXCEPT A) It contains a hidden negative.
5
the alternative that both correctly evaluates the B) The writer gets right to the point, wasting
sentence and correctly explains the reason for the as few words as possible.
evaluation.
C) The presentation style is very indirect.
A) Good you-attitude because it contains a
reader benefit D) The writer relies more on nouns than verbs
to carry the weight of sentences.
B) Good you-attitude because focuses on what
the reader will do 5. Reports that will be read at later dates by people
from different backgrounds should
C) Lacks you-attitude because it focuses on
what the writer has done or will do A) be written very informally
1. A sentence that sounds like an afterthought might 6. In which situation would it be appropriate to use
begin with which of the following? technical jargon in a document?
A) And we have a new training program A) In a job application letter for a highly
specialized position
B) Furthermore, the tax laws are in our
favor B) In a brochure targeted at the general public
D) But in the future we will try to D) In a press release announcing that the
company has hired a new executive
2. Which of the following will help make your
business writing easy to read? 7. Passive verbs would NOT be used if the goal is to
A) Using nouns rather than verbs to carry the A) emphasize the object receiving the action,
weight of sentences not the agent.
A) the words you used so far in the message A) forecasts the structure, but not the content,
of a paragraph.
B) whether the message will be printed or sent
via e-mail B) is only used for paragraphs that contain
more than one idea.
C) the audience you are addressing
C) is most effective when it is very explicit.
D) the situation that you are dealing with
D) appears at the end of the paragraph as a
4. Which is an indication that a writer is confident? summary statement.
A) The writer presents a good deal of 9. "The members of SIFE are actively involved in
information before stating the main idea. business-related community service work" is a
6
sentence that appeared in the local newspaper. The 14. When compared to research papers prepared for
problem with it is college courses, business and administrative writing is
A) SIFE is an informal contraction. A) more formal.
B) SIFE is an unfamiliar acronym. B) less friendly.
C) SIFE is an emotionally charged term. C) less concerned about technical errors.
D) SIFE's work was all done outside of the D) more personal.
local community
15. Warren Bent is preparing a brief memo to his staff
10. Transition words that indicate cause and effect to explain a new policy. Which of the following
include should NOT be included in the memo?
A) To illustrate A) Personal pronouns
B) On the other hand B) Contractions
C) For this reason C) Gerunds
D) In addition D) Minor grammatical lapses
11. Which of the following will help make your
business writing easy to read?
A) Consistent sentence length for all sentences
CH5
B) Wordiness
1. Good writers are likely to
C) Business jargon
A) use one writing strategy for all situations.
D) Parallel structure
B) adhere strictly to a set of established rules
for writing.
12. Which of the following sentences that begin a C) carefully analyze the initial problem before
letter is appropriate for contemporary business beginning a draft.
communication?
D) edit documents during the process of
A) "Here are the contracts you requested." writing the first draft.
B) "Pursuant to your request, we are 2. Which of the following would be considered a
forwarding you the contracts you requested." planning activity when writing a report?
C) "Your contracts are enclosed herewith." A) Evaluating your work
D) "Enclosed please find the contracts you B) Defining the purpose
requested."
C) Rearranging content
13. Which of the following makes business writing
effective if used consistently? D) Checking for grammar and spelling errors
7
C) Replacing financial information that was A) Practice writing regularly and in
originally used in the report with more current moderation
data that just became available
B) Talk harshly to yourself
D) Rearranging the order of several
paragraphs to enhance the flow of ideas C) Talk about writing to other people
4. Maria realizes that she has used the word "their" D) Eliminate distractions
when she meant "there," so she replaces her original
9. If you spent 12 hours analyzing the situation and
word with the correct term. What part of the writing
your audience, gathering information, and organizing
process does this activity represent? what you have to say AND 12 hours evaluating,
A) Planning revising, editing, and proofreading a written
document, about how long should you have spent
B) Gathering actually writing the content in the document?
C) Revising A) 6 hours
D) Editing B) 12 hours
5. If you ask your co-worker Steve to give you C) 18 hours
feedback on a document, he might address all of the
following questions with you EXCEPT: D) 24 hours
A) How many hours did you spend on the 10. What technique for generating ideas involves
actual writing? writing down ideas, circling them, and looking for
patterns or repeated ideas?
B) Is your pattern of organization appropriate?
A) storyboarding
C) Did a revision that you made solve an
earlier problem? B) freewriting
7. Kelly made one design error in the business 12. When you are presenting a series of numbers in a
document she just prepared. What is the mistake? business document, you should use a
9. You are preparing a one-page handout for a 14. Which would mean that headings are in parallel
business presentation that will include a small photo format?
of a new prototype you hope to design. So that the
A) All headings appear in all capital letters.
photo gets maximum emphasis on a page otherwise
filled with text, place it B) All headings are either a question or a
phrase.
A) in the top left quadrant of the page
C) All headings are in 16 pt. red Veranda font.
B) in the bottom left quadrant of the page.
D) All headings are a complete sentence.
C) in the center of the page
15. Which of the following would be characteristic of
D) on the back of the page
an effective marketing brochure?
10. A company's total budget is allocated among six
A) Right justified text on all the inside panels
departments in unequal amounts. The best visual to
show the proportionate share that each department B) Use of lists
will receive is a
C) Use of six different fonts
A) table
D) Long paragraphs of descriptive text
B) bar chart
CH7
C) line graph
1. Which of the following will NOT help students
D) pie chart become more aware of the job requirements in a
particular field?
11. Which of the following is NOT a design issue to
address when creating visually attractive documents? A) Getting summer internships
A) Headings B) Attending job fairs and job seminars
10
C) Joining student clubs and organizations in D) Selected as high school cheerleading
the field captain two consecutive years
D) Participating in intramural sports activities 6. Which of the following should be included in a
professional rsum?
2. A skills rsum
A) Photos
A) summarizes what a person did in a reverse
time sequence order. B) Military service
B) can showcase abilities and strengths C) Controversial activities
through a series of unrelated jobs.
D) Social security number
C) emphasizes degrees, job titles, and dates.
7. Which of the following is a way that employers
D) is appropriate when a person's education perceive or use rsums?
and experience are a logical preparation for a
position. A) Employers use rsums to disqualify
applicants from the job.
3. Which of the following should NOT be included in
a professional rsum? B) Employers assume that a rsum is too
short to be indicative of what the applicant's
A) Technical jargon work is like.
B) Marital status C) Employers read every word in rsums to
be thorough
C) Names of honor societies
D) Employers place very little emphasis on
D) Personality traits rsums when evaluating candidates for a job.
4. A chronological rsum is appropriate when 8. Employers will be MOST likely to reject rsums
that
A) you want to emphasize degrees, job titles,
and dates. A) are more the one page long.
B) you are changing fields. B) do not include the name of the company
the person is applying to.
C) you want to show competence in a field by
combining experience from paid jobs, C) contain grammatical or spelling errors.
activities or volunteer work, and courses.
D) present experience and credentials in
D) your education and experience are not the reverse chronological order
usual route to the position
9. Which of the following is a technique for
5. Which is of the following should be omitted from emphasizing material in a rsum?
the rsum of a 30-year-old female finance manager
who is applying for a similar but higher-paying A) Presenting it in vertical lists
position at another firm?
B) Including it as part of a lengthy paragraph
A) Served as Treasurer of a regional
professional organization for the last three C) Using very little white space around it
years
D) Positioning it in the middle of a page
B) Started at the company as an accounts
10. You have written the following description of
payable clerk and was promoted twice to her
your work as a retail store manager: "Attend
current position
corporate meetings, prepare employee work
C) Completed additional college coursework schedules, account for daily sales, train new
beyond her MBA degree managers, and clean the store." On your rsum, the
phrase "clean the store" should be
A) put first in the series to emphasize it.
11
B) put in the middle of the series to 15. An applicant who has no volunteer work
deemphasize it. experience thinks that it will be important to the
organization where he is applying. On his rsum, he
C) kept where it is to deemphasize it. should
D) kept where it is to emphasize it. A) explain why he has not time for volunteer
experience.
11. Which of the following should NOT be included
in a rsum? B) include the names of several non-profit
organizations where he plans to volunteer.
A) Complete sentences
C) name an organization and provide dates
B) The word "I"
when he volunteered.
C) Sentence fragments
D) omit any reference to volunteer work.
D) Gerunds, which are verbs that end in "ing"
CH8
1. A rsum is different from a job application letter
12. Which of the following is NOT appropriate for the in that
design and layout of a rsum?
A) it shows that the job candidate has
A) Additional white space to offset important knowledge of the organization.
information
B) it uses short, parallel phrases and sentence
B) Placing the Education section before the fragments.
Work Experience section
C) it is adapted to the needs of a particular
C) Using several colors to point out sections organization rather than to a position.
and sub-sections
D) it explains controversial material in a
D) Including bullet lists to showcase a series positive way.
of related pieces of information
2. Which of the following would NOT be helpful in
13. John has had five unrelated jobs with time lapses finding out about job opportunities?
in between. In each of these jobs, he was involved in
A) Searching the Web for job listings
some capacity with working with computer hardware
and became quite good at it. He also volunteered to B) Conducting a referral interview
set up the computer at his church. Choose the
alternative that indicates the kind(s) of rsums, if C) Preparing a job application letter
any, that is/are appropriate for John.
D) Taking an internship in the field of interest
A) Chronological rsums
3. To create a good application letter, you should do
B) Skills rsums all of the following EXCEPT:
C) Both chronological and skills rsums A) indicate the department you would like to
work in, but not a specific position
D) Neither chronological nor skills rsums
B) explain how your experience and skills
14. Which should NOT be included as a heading in a match major requirements of the job
chronological rsum?
C) address the letter to a specific person
A) Honors and Awards
D) discuss your writing, speaking, and
B) Work Experience interpersonal skills
C) Community Service 4. Which of the following questions is NOT
appropriate for an information interview?
D) Education and Experience
A) When will you be retiring?
12
B) How do you spend your typical day? 9. A prospecting job application letter
C) What do you like least about your job? A) is the appropriate type of letter if you are
responding to a job announcement.
D) What courses would you recommend as
preparation for this kind of work? B) should follow the direct writing plan for
persuasive messages.
5. The purpose of a job application letter is
C) should not name a specific position for
A) to get a job offer. which you are applying since you do not know
what job openings the company has.
B) to get an interview.
D) should not begin by asking for the job in
C) to get information about what the day-to-
the first paragraph.
day work involved in a specific position.
10. Which of the following should be included in a
D) to substitute for a rsum.
solicited but NOT a prospecting job application
6. To adapt your job application letter to a specific letter?
organization, you will need to know all of the
A) a complete discussion of the writer's skills
following EXCEPT:
and qualifications
A) what the specific position that you are
B) a opening statement that you are applying
applying for involves.
for a particular advertised position
B) facts about what the organization does and
C) dates and times that you are available for
what its mission is.
an interview
C) the name and address of the person who
D) a request for an interview
should receive the letter
11. Which of the following should NOT be included
D) information about other people who are
in BOTH a solicited and a prospecting job application
applying for the job.
letter?
7. Which of the following is NOT acceptable during a
A) Discussion of your leadership experience
referral interview?
B) Information that makes it clear that you are
A) Asking for help on what to include in your
knowledgeable about the organization
job application letter
C) A request for an interview for a specific job
B) Asking for the job you are interested in
D) An opening statement that captures the
C) Asking the interviewer to offer suggestions
reader's attention
on how you might improve your rsum
12. Which one of the following is NOT a Web site
D) Asking the interviewer for names of other
whose primary purpose is to provide job listings for
people in the company you could call for
many companies and industries?
information
A) eBay.com
8. You should write a solicited job application letter
when you B) CareerBuilder.com
A) know the company is not hiring. C) Monster.com
B) are trying to tap into the hidden job market. D) Careers.org
C) have seen a position advertised on the 13. Which of the following is appropriate to include
company's website. in a job application letter?
D) have read in a trade journal that the A) Negative information about yourself
company is downsizing.
B) Pleading statements
13
C) Technical jargon c. wait for the interviewer to contact you with a
decision
D) Apologies
d. listen actively to the interviewer
14. Which is an appropriate statement to include in a
job application letter? 3. All of the following are recommended in the job
interview process EXCEPT:
A) "I have learned everything there is to know
about your company." a. bringing a notebook and pen in a briefcase to
the interview in case you decide to take notes.
B) "I am anxious to meet with meet with you
to talk about this opportunity." b. preparing a practice video of yourself ahead of
time and handing it over to the interviewer
C) "You can check my references if you need when you arrive.
to verify what I have said in this letter."
c. bringing extra copies of your resume to the
D) "My responsibilities as President of the interview even if the company already has the
Free Enterprise Club included organizing job copy you mailed to them.
fairs."
d. finding out what employees wear at the
15. Which of the following is NOT a good practice organization where you are applying and dress
for formatting job application letters? just one level above that.
A) Use several paragraphs with one idea in 4. A job applicant should prepare a list of questions
each rather than one long paragraph. to ask during the interview. Which of the
following is an appropriate question?
B) Keep the first and last paragraphs fairly
short. a. What salary are you offering for this position?
C) Go on to a second page as long as you have b. How profitable has the company been over the
at least two lines of body text on the second last five years?
page.
c. What type of training opportunities are there
D) Have at least three paragraphs. for keeping current in the field?
CH9 d. How many sick days would I be allotted each
year?
1. Today many employers expect interviewees to do
more than just answer standard questions, 5. All of the following are examples of traditional
including all of the following EXCEPT: interview questions EXCEPT:
a. be creative in the process rather than a. Where do you see yourself in thirty years?
following instructions that the company has
issued. b. What have you read recently?
b. participate in a role-playing exercise. c. What makes you think you are qualified to
work for this company?
c. take aptitude tests to help predict how good a
match the interviewee is for the job. d. What is your greatest weakness?
d. interview via videoconference with a team of 6. The best time to begin discussing salary and
people from the company. benefits is
2. The chances that an interview will be successful a. during the job interview.
increase if you do all of the following EXCEPT:
b. after you have the job offer.
a. prepare by researching the company and
learning about the interviewer c. in the follow-up letter after the job interview.
14
7. All of the following are good ways to prepare for a. stress interview.
salary negotiations EXCEPT
b. second interview.
a. researching on the Web.
c. behavioral interview.
b. contacting friends who are now in the
workforce to find out what they are making. d. situational interview.
c. asking the interviewer what the average rate is 12. During a job interview you are asked to organize
for the job. and prioritize tasks that are listed in the inbox of
an e-mail account. You are probably in a
d. checking trade journals.
a. second interview.
8. If you have more than one job offer, it is
imperative to determine what is most important to b. situational interview.
you. All of the following are good questions to ask
c. behavioral interview.
yourself EXCEPT:
d. stress interview.
a. Am I willing to take work home?
13. Your interviewer asks you "Why in the world
b. Am I willing to travel?
would you apply for this job when your only
c. Where do I want to live? experience is coaching a high school basketball
team?" Your best response is to
d. Will this position give me time to look for
another job? a. say "You are just defensive about basketball
because you are so short."
9. Which is NOT typical behavior of a successful
interviewee? b. say "I know what you're doing. You're trying
to see how I respond to stressful questions.
a. Making eye contact often with the interviewer Let's move on to something else."
b. Using technical jargon that only people in the c. get up and walk out.
company would be familiar with
d. say "You're asking if my experience working
c. Asking questions about what the company does with and managing a team can help your
and who its competition is company with its committee work, and of
course those skills will transfer over."
d. Personalizing the questions asked and relating
them to the job 14. During an interview, it is recommended that you
10. Your interviewer calls you into his office at 11:30 a. watch for cues from the interviewer that
for your 11:00 interview and points to a low chair indicate he or she is ready to move on to
across from his large desk. He looks at you but another question.
says nothing for at least one minute. Finally he
asks, "What are you doing here?" You are b. be honest about how difficult and incapable
probably in a your previous employer was.
a. stress interview. c. only take cell phone calls if they are extremely
important.
b. situational interview.
d. contain your enthusiasm for the job so that
c. behavioral interview. you do not seem desperate.
d. second interview. 15. Which of the following should you NOT do in the
close of a job interview?
11. In a job interview you are asked to discuss a crisis
situation that you were involved in at a previous a. Show enthusiasm for the job.
job and to talk about how you worked as part of a
group in dealing with it. You are probably in a b. Ask the interviewer when the company plans
to make a hiring decision.
15
c. Give a final explanation for a weakness that D. Patrick received a voice mail because he was
you have. away from his desk when the call came in.
d. State why you are a good match for the job. 5. One of the primary purposes of simple informative
messages is to
CH10
A. meet the needs of the writer.
1. Information overload
B. communicate information to the reader.
A. keeps people well informed and up to date
C. emphasize negative elements of a situation
B. forces people to be selective about the
messages they open and read. D. request a response from the reader.
C. is a primary purpose of informative and 6. Which would NOT be an appropriate reason for
positive messages. meeting with colleagues face to face?
D. ensures that people get all the important A. You need a permanent record of your
information that they need discussion for the file.
2. Which of the following would be considered an B. Your colleagues' signatures are required on the
informative or positive message? final document.
A. Convincing the local tax commissioner that C. You will be working together on a complex
your property tax hike is too high project and you have never met before.
B. Advising your staff that there is no money in D. You need to brainstorm to reach a rather quick
the budget for raises this year decision.
C. Requesting information from a supplier about 7. Which is appropriate for an e-mail message?
a new product on the market
A. A somewhat degrading comment about a
D. Letting customers know that your company colleague's writing abilities
can now accept orders online
B. An urgent notice to committee members
3. Which of the following is NOT a desired outcome letting them know of a change in location for
of an informative or positive message? their afternoon meeting
A. The reader accepts the message and does not C. Sarcasm because your boss, who was late to
respond work this morning, reminds the staff to return
from breaks on time
B. The reader fully understands the message
D. Gossip that your friend at another company
C. The reader responds in writing with a few would love to hear
questions
8. of business writing does NOT
D. The reader is left with a good impression of
the writer and his or her organization. A. indicate that the writer is familiar with writing
conventions.
4. Patrick is puzzled by how an informative message
from a colleague in the same office building was B. make writing more effective.
delivered to him. What may have happened?
C. limit writers in terms of what they can say.
A. Patrick received an e-mail without a subject
line D. make writing quicker.
B. Patrick received an interoffice memo with 9. Which statement presents a negative element in a
yesterday's date positive way?
C. Patrick received a Federal Express overnight A. We don't give refunds on electronic equipment
document package at 10:30 a.m. if the box has been opened.
16
B. This box has been opened, so you will just 13. Which of the following is an appropriate goodwill
have to keep the equipment. ending to a letter to a new customer that you have
met only once?
C. We have a policy here that just cannot be
violated. A. "Thank you for your business. Say hello to the
wife for me."
D. You can only return the equipment in
exchange for a store gift card of equal value. B. "Please don't hesitate to call me with any
questions you may have."
10. Which of the following would be the BEST
strategy to follow in the opening paragraph of a C. "You made an excellent choice - this is most
memo announcing the decision to upgrade all of cost efficient equipment on the market for a
the computers in the sales department? medium-sized business like yours."
A. Build goodwill by apologizing for the fact that D. "This equipment will do it all for you. You
employees will be inconvenienced because obviously can't say the same for your
they will have to back up all of their data. treadmill"
B. Explain the reason for the decision so 14. To build goodwill in a letter granting a claim,
employees will have the necessary state that you are giving the customer what she
background to understand the decision itself. wants
C. Stress that the decision has been made to A. in the first sentence of the letter.
benefit the employees.
B. after you explain how you made the decision
D. State that the computers will be replaced and to grant her request.
give the date when the new ones will be
installed. C. after you clarify that she is the only one who
has had a problem of this type.
11. A subject line for an informational or positive
message D. after you let her know that it was the supplier's
fault for selling a defective part.
A. should tell readers why they need to read the
document. 15. When writing informative and positive messages,
you should include reader benefits when
B. will ensure that readers will respond to the
message. A. the benefits are so obvious that to restate them
insults the reader's intelligence.
C. should be significantly different from the first
paragraph. B. you are presenting policies.
D. should be lengthy so that it provides a C. stressing benefits may make the reader sound
framework in which to set what you are about selfish.
to say.
D. you are presenting factual information only.
12. A company will announce to its salespeople who
CH11:
travel that they will receive a 40% discount on
hotel rooms at the ComeOn Inn during September. 1. Which of the following is NOT a primary purpose
Which of the following is the BEST subject line? of a negative message?
A. Policy on Overnight Stays A. To have the reader read, understand, and
accept the message
B. ComeOn Inn, the Water's Fine
B. To encourage the reader to contact you again
C. New Discount on Hotel Rooms
about the same subject
D. New Policy Granting a 40% Discount for
C. To give the reader the bad news
XYZ Employees on Hotel Rooms Rented
from ComeOn Inn for Regular Business, D. To maintain as much goodwill as possible
Occasional Business, or Personal Use
17
2. A buffer must should know that an important shipment that was due to
arrive this morning has been lost in transit?
A. state the bad news.
A. After yesterday, I did not think things could
B. put the reader in a good frame of mind. get any worse!
C. imply that a positive response will follow. B. We received most of the items we were
expecting in this morning's delivery.
D. be completely unrelated to the bad news that
will follow. C. I just learned that our order has been
misdirected and won't be here today.
3. Which would NOT be used as a buffer to a
negative message? D. We need to think about using a different
shipping company.
A. Good news
8. In a bad news memo to subordinates, you should
B. Chronologies of events
open with
C. Thanks
A. a buffer.
D. Reasons for the refusal
B. an alternative.
4. Which of the following is a negative message?
C. an apology.
A. An acknowledgement
D. a clear statement of the problem.
B. A letter that accompanies an order
9. Offering the audience an alternative when you
C. A disciplinary notice cannot comply with their original request
D. A job application letter A. gives the audience another way to get what
they want.
5. Which of the following would NOT be an
audience response to a negative message? B. is a way of handling the situation without
having to deliver the bad news at all.
A. It doesn't matter one way or the other.
C. is a cowardly way of avoiding the issue.
B. I am really disappointed in your company's
service. D. indicates that you do not care very much about
the audience.
C. We'll be taking our business elsewhere next
time. 10. An effective refusal in a negative message
6. Writers may disappoint or upset readers when B. is stated just before the valid reasons that the
delivering bad news, and the situation may writer will present.
become even worse if
C. is vague so that readers do not become
A. they feel they have been taken seriously. unnecessarily upset.
B. they were in the same position, they would D. can be implied rather than stated directly.
have made the same decision.
11. Which of the following is a negative subject line?
C. the decision was different for other people.
A. "Reduction of Travel Benefits"
D. the decision is reasonable in light of current
B. "Change in Personal Leave Policy"
circumstances.
C. "Improving On-Time Performance"
7. Which is an appropriate way for a subordinate to
begin a message to her supervisor letting him D. "Results of Customer Service Survey"
18
12. Which of the following should be mentioned to A. A sales report that lists revenues by region for
defend a decision to deny an audience something the last three months
they requested?
B. A progress report from a committee
A. Company policy researching real estate options
B. All possible reasons, both weak and strong C. A memo that describes procedures for logging
in to the new computer system
C. A strong reason even though it makes the
company look bad D. A business plan designed to attract potential
investors
D. An audience benefit in spite of the decision
2. The strength of your case in a persuasive message
13. Which sentence is MOST appropriate to include is based on three aspects of persuasion, which
in a negative message? include all of the following EXCEPT
A. "I know you will agree that it makes sense to A. credibility.
relocate to the south side of the city."
B. argument.
B. "Fortunately, there are some benefits to
relocating that may make the move easier." C. threats.
C. "I am sorry to tell you that things are going to D. emotional appeal.
change around here."
3. Ken works for a design company and is looking
D. "I am afraid that it has become too expensive for ways to attract new clients to the firm. When
to continue to rent this office space." developing his persuasive strategy, which of the
following is NOT a question that needs to be
14. In negative messages, the best endings considered?
A. look to the past. A. What objections will the audience have?
B. mention the bad news one final time. B. What kind of persuasion will best help me
achieve my personal goals?
C. assume that the message in the letter was
actually good news. C. What do we want people to do?
D. look to the future. D. How strong a case can we make?
15. In which of the following sentences is the refusal 4. Which of the following questions or statements is
implied rather than directly stated? appropriate for learning about objections your
audience may have to your proposal?
A. We cannot accept your application because we
received it after the deadline. A. What suggestions do you have for improving
this plan?
B. If you had submitted your application on time,
we would not have rejected it. B. Can you find anything in this proposal you
can't live with?
C. Since the first deadline has passed, you may
want to submit your application again next C. You DO like it, yes?
month.
D. Do you have any problems with it?
D. We accepted all applications that were
submitted on time, but yours wasn't one of 5. Which is the LEAST effective way to understand
them. a corporation's culture?
CH12: A. Solicit advice from colleagues and
supervisors.
1. Which of the following is a persuasive business
message? B. Read business articles on the Internet about
corporate culture.
19
C. Learn who the role models are in the D. Ending by telling readers what they should
company. now do after reading the message
D. Observe how upper management interacts 11. An effective opener to a sales or persuasive letter
with employees. may include all of the following EXCEPT
6. Which of the following statements is a typical A. Narrations or anecdotes
result of using threats to motivate people in the
workplace? B. Questions
C. Threats produce permanent change. 12. In a sales letter, the exact price of a product
should
D. Threats ensure that appropriate actions that
already are being taken continue. A. not be mentioned at all.
7. Which is NOT a source of credibility in the B. be stated right at the beginning, since this is
workplace? what customers are interested in.
20
C. should focus on problems that can be solved D. Company executives and managers remain in
or alleviated so that potential donors feel that the U.S. and have to find creative ways to
their contributions will make a difference. manage migrant workers from a distance.
D. should never suggest a monetary amount that 5. Diversity in the workforce tends to
donors should contribute since that is bold and
presumptuous and may offend potential A. reduce company profits.
donors.
B. limit new perspectives and thinking.
CH13: C. help companies adapt to the different
1. Which is NOT true about cultural differences? segments of the global economy.
A. People in the same culture all have the same D. force women and minorities into low-status,
values. low-paying jobs.
B. People in different cultures have many 6. In low-context cultures, which of the following
different beliefs. would rate as HIGH when compared to high-
context cultures?
C. People in different cultures have different
norms of behavior. A. Use of nonverbal signs to communicate
21
D. maintain direct eye contact when speaking to A. Frequent long pauses, unvaried tone, average
superiors. volume
10. Which of the following is NOT a possible B. Very loud volume, very low pitch, clear
nonverbal message that a person may send when enunciation
he refuses maintain eye contact with you?
C. High pitch, very rapid pace, unvaried tone
A. He lacks confidence in himself.
D. Varied pitch, varied tone, varied volume
B. He is lying.
15. In China, the color red is associated with
C. He is visually impaired.
A. youth
D. He does not respect you.
B. good fortune
11. Which of the following does NOT demonstrate
nonverbally that the president of a company has C. the new year
power and status?
D. death
A. His office is the largest and is located on the
top floor.
CH14:
B. No one says anything when he keeps them
waiting for an appointment. 1. Positive roles and actions of individuals that help
a group build loyalty, resolve conflicts, and
C. He nods his head and smiles frequently during
function smoothly include
a videoconference with the overseas office.
A. planning work, giving directions, and fitting
D. He sits at the head of the boardroom table at
together contributions of group members.
meetings.
B. being silent in meetings and not contributing.
12. Learning about nonverbal language is valuable for
all of the following EXCEPT C. showing group members that they have been
heard and that their ideas are being taken
A. helping us project the image we want.
seriously.
B. making us aware of the signals we are
D. identifying gaps in the group's knowledge.
interpreting in other people.
2. Negative roles and actions that hurt the group's
C. preventing us from sending any unintended
product and process include all of the following
negative messages in the future.
EXCEPT
D. giving us more control over the symbols and
A. Overspeaking
cues we communicate to others.
B. Summarizing
13. In which type of culture do people tend to tend to
schedule their time and do one task at a time? C. Blocking
A. Polychromic D. Dominating
B. Monochronic 3. Effective groups balance three kinds of
leadership, which parallel the three group
C. High-context
dimensions: Which of the following is NOT one
D. Low-context of the three group dimensions?
14. You will be presenting for 20 minutes to an A. Informational leaders generate and evaluate
audience at a professional conference. Which is a ideas and text.
good combination when considering how your
B. Interpersonal leaders monitor the group's
voice can be most effective in conveying
process, check people's feelings, and resolve
professionalism?
conflicts.
22
C. Procedural leaders set the agenda, make sure 8. Which is NOT a question that would be asked as
that everyone knows what is due for the next part of the procedural dimension of group
meeting, communicate with absent group interaction?
members, and check to be sure that
assignments are carried out. A. When will assignments be due?
C. Determine who in the group would make a D. a negative role that individuals play in the
poor leader and keep that person from group process.
performing leadership tasks.
10. Which of the following is a danger of groupthink?
D. Realize that group members are not
responsible for each other's happiness. A. The group will take longer to reach a decision
than is necessary.
5. Which of the following is NOT a cause of
listening errors? B. Each person will believe that he or she is right,
making it impossible to agree.
A. Inattention
C. A full range of alternatives will never emerge,
B. Misinterpretation resulting in a poor decision.
14. Which of the following would NOT be considered A. How will you get answers to your questions?
a collaborative writing assignment? B. Are you sure that a solution can be found in
A. One person writes a document and several the time available?
others proofread it
C. What organizational problem exists?
B. Several people work together on all sections
D. Who in the organization would have the
simultaneously
power to implement your recommendation?
C. One person writes a document with others
4. A good report problem in business meets all
providing input and feedback
EXCEPT which of the following criteria?
D. Several people each assume responsibility for
A. The audience for the report able to implement
a section of the document
the recommended action.
15. "I can't seem to get a direct answer on whether or
B. It is narrow, yet challenging.
not we have funds in the budget to cover this
purchase." Which of the following checks for C. The data, evidence and facts are sufficient but
feelings? unavailable to you.
A. You think that we are avoiding the issue. D. The facts are sufficient to show that the
recommendation will solve the problem.
B. We don't have any money.
5. Which of the following is NOT needed in the
C. I received your voice mail but did not respond
purpose statement of a report?
to it yet.
A. The problem that the organization is
D. You seem upset about this situation.
experiencing
CH15: B. The specific technical questions which must
1. Which of the following is a formal report? be solved
A. A two-page document justifying why new C. The rhetorical purpose of the report
equipment is needed
D. The conclusion that will be delivered in the
B. A long document with a title page, a report
transmittal, and a table of contents 6. Which of the following would NOT be goal of a
C. A three-page document that summarizes proposal?
quarterly sales figures
A. To report on the progress of a project that has
D. PowerPoint slides printed out and bound already been implemented
together
B. To get the person making the proposal
accepted to do the job proposed
24
C. To implement a change that has already been 11. What type of progress report would you write if
agreed upon you want to cancel a project that is not working
out?
D. To help an organization decide whether to
change A. Recommendation progress report
7. In which of the following sections of a proposal B. Final progress report
for a class research project would you be MOST
likely to include a draft of your survey questions? C. Chronological progress report
D. Definitions A. problem-solution.
2. Patterns that help draw meaning from data include B. eliminating alternatives.
all of the following EXCEPT
C. general to particular.
A. demographics.
D. pro and con.
B. differences.
7. You are writing a report that recommends
C. how things have changed over time. renovation projects at each of your three locations
in the city. The most appropriate organizational
D. word choice. pattern would be
3. If your experiment disproves your hypothesis, you A. pro and con.
can still write a meaningful report by doing all of
the following EXCEPT: B. functional.
27
A. "This presentation will cover interpersonal C. Showing them how the topic affects the
skills, telephone etiquette, and upselling." company
B. "This presentation will show that some D. Letting them know the topic is part of the
departments are not providing high levels company policy
of customer service."
10. Which of the following is NOT one of the modes
C. "This presentation will cover customer for openers in oral presentations?
service."
A. Quotation
D. "This presentation will explain why
customers are so important to the success B. Anecdote
of the company."
C. Question
6. An oral message is preferable to a written one
D. Conclusion
when one of the goals is to
11. You are giving a 30-minute presentation to
A. report many specific details of a law,
potential investors in your new business. Which of
policy, or procedure.
the following should you write out and memorize
B. present extensive or complex financial before speaking, rather than putting it on note
data. cards?
C. modify a proposal that may not be A. Answers to all the questions the audience
acceptable in its original form. may ask
D. minimize undesirable emotions. B. The quotation you will use in the opening
7. The speaker presents questions or issues that both C. The entire presentation
speaker and audience have agreed on in advance.
D. Names of the audience members
This is characteristic of a(n)
12. Which of the following would be appropriate for
A. PowerPoint presentation.
the end of an oral presentation?
B. guided presentation.
A. Telling the audience what to do to now
C. interactive presentation. that they have heard the presentation
A. learning about the physical conditions in D. Telling a joke directed at the audience
which you will be speaking. 13. Which of the following is recommended for an
B. analyzing the audience and adapting the effective PowerPoint presentation?
message to them.
A. Make seven to ten points on each slide.
C. incorporating proper headings and
B. Use a light background if the lights will be
paragraph indentation.
turned on during the presentation.
D. simplifying what you want to say. C. Customize your slides with your
9. Which of the following is a way to make ideas organization's logo.
relevant to the audience?
D. Use a different background design for each
A. Stating why you are passionate about the slide in the presentation.
subject
B. Linking what you say to their experiences
28
14. Which of the following is NOT an example of a
signpost?
A. Saying "We have one last point to cover
now."
B. Saying "This is a growing problem that
affects all of us."
C. Saying "The conclusion we can draw from
all of this is"
D. Changing the PowerPoint slide to indicate
a new topic
15. How many points should you limit yourself to in a
typical presentation?
A. One
B. Three
C. Eight
D. There is no limit.
29