Professional Communication
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
Professional Communication is a course designed to enhance students' abilities to communicate effectively in a variety of professional settings. The course covers essential communication principles, including verbal, nonverbal, and written skills, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and appropriateness. Students will engage in activities such as preparing and delivering presentations, participating in meetings, writing business correspondence and reports, and utilizing digital platforms for communication. Emphasis is placed on audience analysis, intercultural awareness, professional etiquette, and ethical considerations, preparing students to succeed in diverse, dynamic workplaces.
Recommended Textbook
Business Communication Polishing Your Professional Presence 2nd Edition by Barbara G. Shwom
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12 Chapters
1201 Verified Questions
1201 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Becoming a Successful Business Communicator
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/39072
Sample Questions
Q1) Padma is assisting with the preparation work for that evening's dinner service. The chef asks her if the "mise en place" for the meat station is ready. Padma answers no; she was asked to assemble and prepare ingredients, not to do mise en place. The chef storms off, angrily shouting for someone else to get it done. Padma mentions this to a coworker, who informs her that the French term "mise en place" translates to "set in place," and signifies the set up of ingredients needed for a particular dish or area of the kitchen. Now Padma has to tell the angry chef that the job he just started someone else on is duplicating the preparation work she has already done. This is an example of a
A) psychological barrier
B) technological barrier
C) language barrier
D) physiological barrier
E) mixed message
Answer: C
Q2) Barriers to communication can occur at any point in the communication process.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Working With Others: Interpersonal, Intercultural, and Team Communication
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following represents verbal communication?
A) shaking head
B) frowning
C) using those specific words
D) using an angry tone of voice
E) emphasizing the word "yet"
Answer: C
Q2) Your employee Jeremy is very creative and has offered some very insightful analysis this past year. At the annual review, though, you will need to share some constructive criticism with him. He is prone to missing deadlines and often turns in work with typos and grammatical errors. Frame these negative comments positively.
Answer: "What I really appreciate about you, Jeremy, is your creativity and highly insightful analysis. And you'd be even more effective if you spend additional time proofing your work and make turning it in on time a priority."
Q3) Analyzing the cause of a conflict serves no useful purpose.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Managing the Communication Process
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which example uses a conversational style?
A) Enclosed please find my proposal for your perusal.
B) Thank you in advance for your prompt and careful attention to this matter.
C) Please return all forms within two business days.
D) Your kind attention to this issue will be much appreciated and will facilitate cooperation in our department.
E) As per your request I have provided all the various documents that you are in need of.
Answer: C
Q2) Simple, well-planned messages ________.
A) don't require a first draft
B) should have exactly one draft
C) benefit from at least two drafts
D) require at least five drafts
E) tend to be less successful in conveying the information
Answer: C
Q3) Messages have either primary audiences or secondary audiences, not both.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Communicating Routine Messages and Building
Goodwill
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a routine announcement?
A) notifying customers about a change in policy
B) persuading a client to accept a new deadline
C) acknowledging that you have a meeting with your boss
D) notifying a customer that you will grant his claim for a refund
E) expressing concern when a coworker has experienced personal misfortune
Q2) Sympathy messages ________.
A) must only be sent to people with whom you have a close relationship
B) should never be sent in printed cards
C) should not be sent until an appropriate amount of time has passed after you hear about the situation
D) are more meaningful when handwritten
E) will not be appreciated by business acquaintances
Q3) Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding instant messaging?
A) It allows multitasking with multiple medium options.
B) It hampers the efficiency for geographically dispersed workgroups.
C) It is completely secure.
D) It is typically used for sending out confidential information
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E) It does not allow for real-time communication of information.
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Chapter 5: Communicating Persuasive Messages
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Given this situation, your message ________.
A) must be organized directly
B) should begin with your specific recommendation
C) should not conclude with a call to action
D) should begin by providing context of the situation
E) must not use indirect organization
Q2) Which of the following terms best represents the way you would like your audience to respond to your message?
A) purpose
B) audience need
C) desired outcome
D) business result
E) potential resistance
Q3) The first step in influencing behavior is to motivate your audience.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Social media provides you with a unique opportunity to put triggers in the paths of motivated people.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Communicating Bad News
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100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Using email to communicate bad news ________.
A) is never a good choice
B) doesn't give your audience time to analyze the bad news before replying
C) makes it more likely that the person communicating will sugarcoat the bad news
D) frees the communicator from worrying about being confronted by an angry audience
E) has been unanimously justified by human resource professionals in the case of firings and layoffs
Q2) Which of the following statements works best to soften the impact of the bad news?
A) Unfortunately, your warranty does not cover the kind of damages that you have caused.
B) Because the damage was due to your negligence, the repair cost is your responsibility.
C) These repairs cannot be performed free of charge.
D) Your warranty extends only to manufacturing defects, not accidental breakage.
E) We must reject your claim as the damage in this case was your fault.
Q3) How would you suggest improving this message?
Q4) How would you advise Stacey to convey to the employees that they are fired?
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8
Chapter 7: Finding and Evaluating Business Information
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true of workplace research?
A) Its starting point is a topic.
B) The goal of most workplace research is for the researcher to invent a new product.
C) Employers will expect you to have all the information you need at your fingertips.
D) You will need to find appropriate sources.
E) It requires skills completely different from those used in academic research.
Q2) Which of the following assignments would require you to conduct research and share the results?
A) investigating why product sales are low
B) implementing a new code developed by your colleague
C) adding the results that you have just received to your report
D) organizing a marketing team meeting
E) sending an apology email to the client for delay in delivery
Q3) The peer-review process is designed to ensure that articles are accurate and honest.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Identify your primary audience, and your analysis of their concerns and needs.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Preparing Persuasive Business Proposals
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to businesspeople in the United States, which of the following is most likely to be the biggest benefit to stress in a business proposal?
A) gain in status
B) relationship with people
C) benefit for the society
D) profit
E) gain in power
Q2) Which of the following is NOT required for you to do?
A) Convince the school that you have understood what they are looking for in the enrichment program.
B) Give the audience confidence that your program helps accomplish the goals the school is trying to achieve.
C) Show the school that your program meets their requirements.
D) Grab the school's attention and convince them that an enrichment program would be a good idea.
E) Build your credibility along with that of your program in your audience's eyes.
Q3) Describe the proposal you would write in this situation.
Q4) Which do you think is easier, writing an RFP or writing an unsolicited proposal?
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Page 10
Chapter 9: Preparing Business Reports
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100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) If you want to represent the percentage of respondents in a survey who preferred your product to products from four of your competitors, the best graph to use would be a ________.
A) histograph
B) pie chart
C) line chart
D) histogram
E) scatter plot
Q2) A(n) ________ is a separate, standalone mini-report inserted at the beginning of a formal analytical report that completely summarizes the report's main ideas and recommendations.
A) introduction
B) abstract
C) executive summary
D) glossary
E) informational report
Q3) What do you think is the most compelling reason to use report decks?
Q4) Discuss the appropriate methods for designing data objects, axis, axis labels, and scales for a graph.
Q5) Discuss the guidelines for designing deck slides.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Preparing and Delivering Business
Presentations
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A ________ is recorded without an audience, posted on a website or a social media site such as YouTube or Vimeo, and distributed through website or social media links.
A) slide
B) webcast
C) web post
D) seminar
E) podcast
Q2) The more specific your objective, ________.
A) the more difficult it will be to create an effective presentation
B) the more time it will take to create an effective presentation
C) the longer your presentation will need to be to be effective
D) the easier it will be to create an effective presentation
E) the less persuasive your presentation will be
Q3) Discuss the significance of analyzing the setting of your presentation.
Q4) A presenter should avoid speaking slowly, especially at the beginning of the presentation.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the steps involved in analyzing your message.
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Chapter 11: Communicating Your Professional Brand: Social
Media, Résumés,
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101 Verified Questions
101 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Exaggerating on your résumé ________.
A) is permitted to a given level
B) is acceptable if the information is trivial
C) is acceptable if the information pertains to your previous job but not current job
D) can't hurt you after you have made it through the screening process
E) can be perceived as lying by potential employers
Q2) Which of the following guidelines should be followed for writing an effective résumé?
A) List educational information at the end of a résumé.
B) If you are a transfer student, list even those schools where you earned credits but did not graduate.
C) Avoid placing your name at the top of the résumé.
D) If you have less than five years of work experience following college, avoid including your grade point average.
E) Do not include a document title such as résumé or curriculum vitae, which takes up unnecessary space.
Q3) Evaluate the statement "I know that you will want to contact me for this position" as the closing to a cover letter.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Getting the Job Interviewing and Following up
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100 Verified Questions
100 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following types of interviews is most likely to involve several people, such as a search committee, who gather in a conference or seminar room with a job applicant to discuss the position?
A) group interview
B) telephone interview
C) panel interview
D) one-on-one interview
E) action interview
Q2) Dan Schawbel, an authority on personal and professional branding, recommends doing a people search instead of a job search. Discuss what he means and whether or not you agree with this idea.
Q3) A thank-you message should be sent ________ an interview.
A) two days after
B) at least thirty hours after C) within twenty four hours of D) one week after E) on the third day from the date of
Q4) When interviewing, you want to come across as interested but not too eager. Discuss how to balance these goals.
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