Business Writing Exam Review
Course Introduction
Business Writing focuses on developing the skills required to communicate effectively and professionally in a business environment. Students learn to craft clear, concise, and purposeful documents such as emails, memos, reports, proposals, and business letters. The course emphasizes audience analysis, organization of ideas, tone, format, and the use of appropriate language to achieve strategic objectives. Through practical exercises and real-world case studies, students enhance their ability to convey information, persuade stakeholders, and support decision-making in diverse workplace settings.
Recommended Textbook
Business Communication 4th Canadian Edition by Isobel Findlay
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13 Chapters
1187 Verified Questions
1187 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2567
Page 2
Chapter 1: Communicating in a Changing Business World
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51107
Sample Questions
Q1) Unnecessarily limiting the available options is called _____.
Answer: blindering
Q2) When the cost of miscommunication is high, effective managers will use only one channel to convey their message, to cut down on the chances of misunderstandings.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Indicate the semantic category, if any, for the following statement: "This page contains a True-False Question."
A)Observation
B)Inference
C)Judgment
D)Opinion
Answer: A
Q4) _____ audiences are defined as other people in the same organization, including subordinates, superiors, and peers.
Answer: Internal
Q5) _________ occurs when two people use the same symbol to mean different things.
Answer: Bypassing
3
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Chapter 2: Adapting to Audiences
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94 Verified Questions
94 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The primary audience of your document always differs from your initial audience.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a psychographic characteristic?
A)Income level
B)Race
C)Lifestyle
D)Religion
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following words is LEAST negative?
A)Cautious
B)Unsure
C)Delay
D)Wait
Answer: A
Q4) You-attitude revisions are longer and have more information.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Planning, Composing, and Revising
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The thinking Jill does about how to achieve her purposes in her memo on the new bonus plan is called _____.
Answer: planning
Q2) Writers have the right to package their ideas as attractively as possible, even if that means omitting key information.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) Most writers edit more accurately from a printed copy of a document, rather than from a screen.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Which of the following is generally NOT good style in business writing today?
A)The use of personal pronouns
B)A formal style traditionally favored in college and university
C)The use of active verbs
D)A conversational style
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) You need to adapt visuals from a hard copy report for a PowerPoint presentation.Which of the following strategies should you use?
A)Increase the complexity of the visuals
B)Retain figure numbers
C)Consider using charts instead of tables
D)Eliminate titles for visuals
Q2) George Miller has shown that people can easily process ten to twelve bits of information at a time.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Headings must be complete sentences.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Putting parts of a document in small fonts may reflect poorly on the company issuing the document.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Why should you use headings in documents?
Q6) How should one test the design of a document? Why is this testing useful?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Communicating Across Cultures
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91 Verified Questions
91 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51103
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a good guideline to follow when writing to international audiences?
A)Write in the reader's language if you have any knowledge of the language at all; doing so greatly increases goodwill, even if you make mistakes.
B)Write using familiar terms (e.g."agree" instead of "concur").
C)Avoid slang, contractions, and sports metaphors.
D)Make requests more indirect, unless you know that your reader understands North American behaviour.
Q2) Canada is arguably the most culturally diverse country in the world.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Why is it a bad idea to memorize a list of cultural characteristics and then use that list to interpret everything done by a person from that culture?
Q4) Explain how immersion in local cultures can help a global business.
Q5) _____ space is the distance someone wants between him-or herself and other people in ordinary, non-intimate interchanges.
Q6) How can religion influence people's values and beliefs? Why is it important to recognize this influence?
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Chapter 6: Working and Writing in Teams
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51102
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a positive aspect of wikis?
A)They are good vehicles for stable, long-term information storage.
B)They can be useful for discussing controversial topics.
C)They are helpful project management tools.
D)They don't typically require intense information technology support.
Q2) Yixin's team has just chosen her as its leader.Which stage of team formation is her team likely in?
A)Orientation
B)Formation
C)Coordination
D)Formalization
Q3) Give three suggestions for promoting successful team writing, and explain why these suggestions work.
Q4) Reducing conflict in a team sometimes means realizing that team members are not responsible for each other's happiness.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do formal meetings differ from informal meetings?
Q6) Explain when a group would choose to use dot planning and how it works.
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Q7) Repeatedly disagreeing with ideas the team proposes is known as
Chapter 7: Routine Messages
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The _____ line is the title of a document.
Q2) Subject lines should usually be complete sentences.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A(n) _____ line tells what the letter is about; a(n) _____ line refers the reader to the number used on previous correspondence or the order (or invoice number) that this letter is about.
Q4) If you can't make a subject line both short and specific, it's better to make it short.
A)True
B)False
Q5) When a letter runs two or more pages, letterhead stationery should be used only for the first page.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Which of the following should you NOT include in a voice-mail message?
A)A directive to call you back whenever the recipient is free
B)Your name and phone number
C)Enough information for your recipient to take any necessary action
D)A summary of the purpose of your message
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Negative Messages
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51100
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following would be the LEAST appropriate in the closing paragraph of a negative message?
A)"Let us know if model #A01 would be a suitable substitution."
B)"Our layaway plan will enable you to purchase all the clothes the kids need for school."
C)"We hope our decision meets with your approval."
D)"If the last week in February would be acceptable, I could schedule an afternoon workshop as well."
Q2) Which of the following options BEST explains why you should not include every possible reason in a negative message?
A)The message will become unnecessarily lengthy, and possibly confusing
B)If readers can dismiss one or more reasons, they may feel they're correct after all
C)This method can appear obnoxious to readers
D)Negative messages should only imply reasons, not explicitly list them
Q3) According to Deborah Tannen's research, "I'm sorry" means different things to North American women and North American men.Explain the difference.
Q4) When should a buffer be used?
Q5) How and when should you apologize in a negative message?
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Persuasive and Sales Messages
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92 Verified Questions
92 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) You're raising money for a daycare in a poor neighborhood.Your fundraising letter states that, while parents who qualify do pay a small sum of the cost, they cannot possibly cover it all; you're careful to cite exact dollar amounts, and average incomes in the neighborhood.Which of the following options BEST describes the kind of proof that this strategy fulfills?
A)The problem deserves the reader's attention
B)Your organization is helping to solve the problem
C)Private funds are needed
D)Your organization will use the funds wisely
Q2) If an objection to your argument is false and is based on misinformation, which of the following would be the BEST way to counter it?
A)Ignore the objection.
B)Identify the objection and argue against it.
C)Give the response to the objection without naming the objection.
D)Attack the source of the objection.
Q3) How can you create a successful viral video? Discuss one you've seen, and analyze how well it performed this process.
Q4) A mailing list composed of people with no prior connections to your group is known as a ________ list.
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Chapter 10: Planning, Researching, and Documenting Reports
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51098
Sample Questions
Q1) You are writing a report that focuses on the current challenges in each department in your organization.Which of the following would be the most appropriate organizational pattern for your report?
A)Comparison/Contrast
B)Elimination of Alternatives
C)Functional
D)Chronological
Q2) You are creating questions for a survey on the writing problems of students on your campus.You initially hand out surveys to tutors in the writing centre.What is this kind of sample called?
A)Convenience sample
B)Judgment sample
C)Random sample
D)Simple random sample
Q3) A _____ is a document that suggests a method for finding information or solving a problem.
Q4) When should you use a problem-solution organizational pattern in a report, and how should you structure it?
Q5) The __________ date is the date on which a Web site was last updated.
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Chapter 11: Writing Proposals and Reports
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93 Verified Questions
93 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) You are writing a report that recommends that your company organize a fundraising campaign to aid several hundred people in your community whose homes have been destroyed by the worst flood your city has ever seen.You anticipate that readers will be very supportive of your recommendation.Which of the following is the BEST title for your report?
A)Creating a Campaign to Fund Flood Recovery Efforts
B)ABC Corporation and the Flood
C)Supporting Flood Victims
D)Money Required to Do Our Part
Q2) List in order the steps you should normally follow in writing a transmittal.
Q3) Proposals for class research projects should include a work plan.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Always explain in reports any definitions (of terms, acronyms, etc.) needed to understand the conclusions and recommendations of the report.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How can you maximize your chances of submitting a successful proposal in response to an RFP?
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Chapter 12: Making Oral Presentations
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90 Verified Questions
90 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51096
Sample Questions
Q1) You are about to walk into a presentation that could get you a promotion or get you in trouble, depending on your performance.You feel very shaky.Which of the following is the BEST advice?
A)Have a drink, just one, to relax a bit.
B)Have an energy drink to make yourself more alert.
C)Try to cover up and play cool with your audience.
D)Tell yourself that you are "ready to present, feeling very up and alert."
Q2) In a _____, the speaker presents the questions or issues that both speaker and audience have agreed on in advance.The speaker serves as a facilitator to help the audience tap its own knowledge.
Q3) Presenters should simplify numbers by reducing them to two significant digits.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Even if there's an expert in the room, you should attempt to answer all questions yourself; redirecting a question to the expert seriously damages your own credibility.
A)True
B)False
Q5) To __________ means to voice all the sounds of each word.
Q6) Explain how to prepare for a group presentation.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Employment Communications
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97 Verified Questions
97 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/51095
Sample Questions
Q1) It is not necessary to research an organization's larger goals since you can ask those kinds of questions in an interview.
A)True
B)False
Q2) How can you find out useful information about a potential employer? Make sure you discuss at least two ways.
Q3) Successful interviewees back up claims with specific examples of what they have done.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When you want to work for an organization that has not announced openings, you should write a _____ job application letter.
Q5) Since companies are impressed by ambitious workers, new college graduates should list as their career objective the positions they hope to hold much later in their careers.
A)True
B)False
Q6) How should you organize a solicited job letter?
Q7) What should you wear to an interview for a managerial or professional position?
Page 15
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