Business Writing
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Business Writing is a course designed to develop students' ability to communicate effectively and professionally within a business environment. The course covers the principles and practices of clear, concise, and purposeful writing for various business contexts, including emails, memos, reports, proposals, and presentations. Emphasis is placed on audience analysis, tone, organization, coherence, and the correct use of grammar and mechanics. Students will also explore strategies for persuasive and informative writing, the use of digital communication tools, and the ethical considerations necessary for successful business correspondence. Through practical assignments and real-world scenarios, students will gain the skills needed to convey information and ideas confidently in todays global business environment.
Recommended Textbook
Excellence in Business Communication 4th Canadian Edition by John V. Thill
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18 Chapters
1541 Verified Questions
1541 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication
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98 Verified Questions
98 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How does the primary function of upward-flowing communication differ from that of downward-flowing communication?
Answer: Communication that flows upward mainly helps managers solve problems and make intelligent decisions.On the other hand,communication that flows downward is geared primarily toward helping employees do their jobs.
Q2) Describe four common types of communication barriers.
Answer: The common types of communication barriers are distractions,competing messages,perceptual differences,language differences,restrictive environments,and deceptive tactics.Distractions,both physical and emotional,are particularly common in today's round-the-clock business world.Information overload (based on the sheer number of messages that people receive on the job)can make it difficult to discriminate between useful and useless information.Perceptual and language differences occur when two or more stakeholders develop different mental images of a single event or situation.Restrictive environments are those that limit the flow of communication.Stakeholders create another type of communication barrier when they seek to manipulate their receivers by using deceptive tactics.
Q3) After getting a message,a receiver responds by giving the sender __________.
Answer: feedback
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Chapter 2: Communicating in Teams and Mastering
Listening and Nonverbal Communication
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104 Verified Questions
104 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In this day and age,there is no need to follow parliamentary procedure in meetings. A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Most people are unable to process information as quickly as a speaker talks,so they get behind in comprehending what the speaker is saying.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Group members who try to help people work well together are able to fill a
A) team-maintenance role.
B) task-facilitating role.
C) self-oriented role.
D) coordinating role.
Answer: A
Q4) __________ is knowing how to behave properly in a given situation. Answer: Etiquette/etiquette/business etiquette
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Chapter 3: Communicating Interculturally
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is ethnocentrism,and how can it be overcome?
Answer: Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to one's own group's standards,behaviours,and customs and to see all other groups as inferior by comparison.You can overcome ethnocentrism by acknowledging distinctions and by avoiding assumptions and judgments.
Q2) For more effective intercultural communications make sure you and the listener agree on what has been said and decided.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Regardless of the country you're doing business in,a person suspected of a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The process of sending and receiving messages between people of different cultures is called __________.
Answer: intercultural communication
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Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
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Sample Questions
Q1) Posters and signs are best used for messages that ________________
A) require no interactivity.
B) require a quick response.
C) require the attention of others.
D) require feedback.
Q2) Factors you should consider in choosing a communication channel and __________ include formality,confidentiality,feedback,time,and cost.
Q3) When you get a vague request for information,the best way to handle it is to provide all the information you can and to allow audience members to pick and choose what is useful to them.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The first step in the planning phase is to define your __________.
Q5) If you require a lot of collaboration with your audience,then _____________
A) communicator control will be high and audience participation will be low.
B) communicator control will be high and audience participation will be high.
C) communicator control will be low and audience participation will be low.
D) communicator control will be low and audience participation will be high.
Q6) Good organization saves your audience __________.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
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Sample Questions
Q1) When you are criticizing or correcting,it is best to ??______________
A) focus on what the person can do to improve.
B) emphasize a person's mistakes so that he or she will not make the same mistakes again.
C) be blunt and call attention to the person's failures or shortcomings.
D) make the person an example for everyone else to learn from.
Q2) You can adopt the "you" attitude ????????????________________________
A) by replacing certain pronouns with better pronouns.
B) by replacing terms that refer to yourself and your company with terms that refer to your audience.
C) by stating what you want and expecting the audience to go along with it.
D) By recognizing one audience member's achievements.
Q3) __________ words,such as nouns,verbs,adjectives,and adverbs,carry the meaning of the sentence.
Q4) You are scheduled to discuss a negative performance evaluation with one of your employees.How can you use the "you" attitude during your conversation?
Q5) List three strategies for improving your audience sensitivity.
Q6) Briefly explain the difference between tone and style in business writing.
Q7) List at least two types of biased language and explain how to avoid each type.
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Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
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85 Verified Questions
85 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When editing for content and organization,pay special attention to
A) grammar and usage.
B) punctuation and spelling.
C) the beginning and ending of the message.
D) style and tone.
Q2) Which of the following sentences contains a camouflaged verb?
A) "Some do; others don't."
B) "She is a marketing manager but also serves as ad manager."
C) "It is John's recommendation that she be hired."
D) "He slowly, deliberately added the numbers."
Q3) Using a(n)__________ is a wonderful way to weed out major typos,but you can't use it to replace good spelling skills.
Q4) A grammar checker _____________
A) scans visual images into your computer.
B) highlights phrases in passive voice.
C) suggests correct spelling.
D) helps you find just the right word for a given situation.
Q5) Explain at least three of the steps involved in editing documents for clarity.
Q6) Briefly describe at least three advantages of using lists in business documents.
Page 8
Q7) Space on a page that is free of text or artwork is called __________ space.
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Chapter 7: Crafting Messages for Electronic Media
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Sample Questions
Q1) To avoid sending a flaming email message,_________________
A) be spontaneous.
B) let it sit for at least a day and then revise or delete it.
C) copy your superior on the message.
D) turn your computer off for a while because it is obviously overheated.
Q2) List five ways businesses are using blogs.
Q3) Blogs have also become a popular medium for __________ support-enabling employees to answer questions and offer tips and advice.
Q4) "Spim" refers to _____________
A) unwanted email from unknown sources.
B) email that contains computer viruses.
C) the IM version of email spam.
D) none of the above.
Q5) Define "RSS" and briefly describe its function.
Q6) If you do not frequently have new information to post,a traditional website will be more effective than a blog for your business.
A)True
B)False
Q7) A video podcast is often called a __________ or __________.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
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87 Verified Questions
87 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When making a direct request,you state what you want in the first sentence or two and then follow with an explanation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Friendly notes with no direct business purpose,such as those conveying congratulations or thanks,are called __________ messages.
Q3) In responding favourably to a claim even though the customer was at fault,should you indicate that your company was not to blame? Why or why not?
Q4) A letter telling someone that she or he got the job is a(n)__________ document,so make sure all statements are accurate.
Q5) Dissatisfied customers make a(n)__________ or request a(n)__________.
Q6) The __________ of a routine request provides justification,explanation,and details.
Q7) Whenever you can assume that your audience will be interested in what you have to say or be willing to cooperate with you,use the direct approach.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Writing Negative Messages
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91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the five main goals when delivering bad news?
Q2) A letter to a prospective employer refusing to provide a recommendation _____________
A) is considered unethical; these requests should not be refused.
B) should follow the indirect plan.
C) should be brief and direct.
D) all of the above.
Q3) Rewrite the following sentence using the "you" attitude: "You shouldn't have put the blender into the dishwasher."
Q4) Even when the company is at fault,some experts believe the company should never __________.
Q5) If you defame Greg in a letter,Greg must prove that the statement hurt his reputation,that the statement has been published and ______________________
A) that the statement is false.
B) that the statement is considered slander.
C) that the statement is outrageous.
D) that the statement is true.
Q6) When composing bad-news messages,it is important to be sensitive to variations across __________.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Writing Persuasive Messages
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When writing a persuasive claim letter _____________
A) assume that the other person is trying to cheat you.
B) use a confident and positive tone.
C) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company.
D) do all of the above.
Q2) If you expect a hostile audience,you should be careful to present all sides of an issue before making the case for your own argument.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Organize persuasive messages using the AIDDO model.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Personality,lifestyle,and attitudes are assessed through _____________
A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) inkblot tests.
D) examining census data.
Q5) When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?
Q6) Persuasive messages often follow a specialized form of the indirect approach called the ?__________ plan.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Planning Reports and Proposals
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105 Verified Questions
105 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If you have certain biases that influence your report conclusion,____________________
A) make sure you keep them to yourself; otherwise, you might be negatively labeled.
B) do additional research so you can eliminate those biases.
C) suggest actions for the company to take based on your biases.
D) you are ethically obligated to inform the audience.
Q2) Intellectual property includes patents,copyrighted materials,trade secrets,and
A) blogs.
B) internet domain names.
C) company website code.
D) social media.
Q3) A(n)__________ is a logical interpretation of the facts and other information in your report.
Q4) Although it is persuasive,the 2 + 2 = 4 approach is not an efficient way to organize an analytical report.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the basic function of internal proposals.
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Chapter 12: Writing Reports and Proposals
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Sample Questions
Q1) What four topics are commonly covered in the introduction to a business proposal? Briefly explain each one.
Q2) Communicating with people in other cultures often calls for more formality.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A bar chart would be particularly useful for ______________
A) summarizing the salaries of presidents at 20 corporations from 1987 to 1990.
B) comparing market shares of three breakfast cereals from 1987 to 1990.
C) showing the stages in production of a jet engine.
D) depicting the proportion of advertising dollars spent on various major media.
Q4) When writing a business report,how can you make your tone less formal?
Q5) One of the most common uses of maps in business reports is ______________
A) to show physical differences in variables.
B) to show concentrations of variables by geographic area.
C) to show quality differences in variables.
D) to show business locations.
Q6) Computer software offers a variety of tools that automatically give you the design sensibility that is needed for effective visuals.
A)True
B)False
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Completing Reports and Proposals
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84 Verified Questions
84 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) With the advent of sophisticated computer tools for producing reports,more and more employees are turning over the production of their reports to a special department set up for that purpose.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A(n)__________ is a list of sources consulted when preparing a report.
Q3) The table of contents for a complex formal report lists ___________________
A) every level of heading in the report plus all illustration and table titles.
B) only the top two or three levels of headings plus prefatory and supplementary parts.
C) everything but prefatory parts.
D) everything but supplementary parts.
Q4) Transmittal letters for unsolicited proposals should follow the form for
A) persuasive messages.
B) bad-news messages.
C) good-news messages.
D) routine messages.
Q5) A(n)__________ synopsis presents the main points of a report in the order in which they appear in the text.
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Chapter 14: Designing and Delivering Oral and Online Presentations
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91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Using electronic presentation software ___________________
A) is too difficult for most speakers.
B) allows you to incorporate photos, sound, video, and animation into your presentations.
C) allows you to make each slide much more complicated than you would a visual for a printed report.
D) is all of the above.
Q2) The speaking outline is not an appropriate place to include notes about the visual aids.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Using __________ __________ such as flip charts and slides can help you create audience interest,illustrate points,and increase your audience's ability to remember information.
Q4) To hold your audience's attention during the body of your speech,___________________
A) make at least seven or eight main points.
B) include numerous abstract ideas.
C) relate your subject to your audience's needs.
D) do all of the above.
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Chapter 15: Building Careers and Writing Résumés
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Sample Questions
Q1) The hidden job market refers to the job openings that are never advertised.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The more good information you present about yourself in your résumé,the better.
A)True
B)False
Q3) As a general guideline,if you have less than 10 years of professional experience,try to keep your résumé to one page.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The __________ __________ section of a résumé may highlight your strongest points in a brief summary of qualifications.
Q5) If you are planning a career change and want to prepare a résumé emphasizing skills that qualify you for a job in your new field,the best organizational plan for your résumé would be ___________
A) chronological.
B) functional.
C) targeted.
D) indirect.
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Chapter 16: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
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Sample Questions
Q1) You are likely to impress an interviewer by being _______________________
A) open, enthusiastic, and interested.
B) boastful, intelligent, and courteous.
C) clean, speaking clearly and slowly, and smiling.
D) honest, well educated, and good looking.
Q2) Explain the function of each phase of an application letter written in the AIDA format.
Q3) In general,employers are looking for two things: proof that a candidate can handle a specific job and __________________
A) excellent references.
B) high employment test scores.
C) evidence that the person will fit in with the organization.
D) long-term commitment to the organization.
Q4) Part of your preparation for job interviews is an evaluation of your voice tone and speaking habits.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List at least five things that you might want to find out during a job interview.
Q6) A letter declining a job offer follows the __________ plan.
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Chapter 17: Format and Layout of Business Documents
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Sample Questions
Q1) The design for letterhead stationery should be as simple as possible.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When sending a memo to a long list of people,what notation should you use in the TO: position?
A) Everyone
B) See distribution list
C) 10 people
D) (leave it blank)
Q3) The quality of paper is measured by ____________
A) length and width.
B) weight and cotton content.
C) colour and texture.
D) whether or not it is imprinted with the name and address of the company.
Q4) To make a document look personal and interesting,vary the line length.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Email messages can act as memos but not as letters.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Documentation of Report Sources
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Sample Questions
Q1) To document report sources in a test using APA style,insert the author's surname and the date of publication at the end of a statement.
A)True B)False
Q2) In the APA style,titles of articles are put in quotation marks and all important words are capitalized.
A)True B)False
Q3) The APA style recommends listing as references only those works actually cited in the text.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If you use the MLA style,your in-text citations include the author's last name and a page reference within parentheses.
A)True B)False
Q5) Content notes are used to document quotations and paraphrased passages. A)True B)False
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