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Q:
Jason, an HR manager, is required to make an announcement in his organization. The announcement is that employees who have visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive impairments will be getting additional incentives going forward. Which of the following announcements made by Jason is bias-free?
A. All handicapped employees will be getting additional incentives.
B. All disabled employees will be getting additional incentives.
C. All employees with disabilities will be getting additional incentives.
D. I am happy to announce that all individuals suffering from physical disabilities will be getting additional incentives.
E. You'll be happy to hear that all employees afflicted with physical disabilities will be getting additional incentives.
Q:
To make language nonracist and nonageist, _____.
A. refer only to some groups when mentioning race or age
B. give someone's race or age only when you know it
C. refer to a group by the term it prefers
D. avoid changing your usage of words to define groups
E. use words that suggest that competent people are unusual
Q:
When talking about people with disabilities, use language that:
A. detracts from the person.
B. focuses on the condition.
C. names the person first.
D. defines the person in terms of the condition.
E. demonstrates positive emphasis but not you-attitude.
Q:
Which of the following is most effective when trying to eliminate sexist generic pronouns?
A. Avoiding the use of pronoun pairs
B. Using third person "he" or "she"
C. Using plural nouns
D. Mixing singular nouns and plural pronouns
E. Avoiding the use of "you"
Q:
Chang is the new manager of Good Eats Inc. He is required to send an e-mail to Alex Wales whom he has never met. He is not sure whether Alex is male or female. Which of the following is the most non-sexist way to address Alex in the e-mail?
A. Dear Mr. Alex
B. Mr. Alex
C. Dear Mr./Mrs. Wales
D. Dear Ms. Alex
E. Dear Alex Wales
Q:
Nina is required to write an e-mail to the dean of a college explaining why she would like to pursue a double major in engineering and music. Nina does not know the name or the gender of the dean. Which of the following salutations of polite communication is most appropriate for Nina to use in her letter?
A. Hello
B. Dear Sir
C. Hello Sir
D. Dear Ma'am
E. Dear Dean
Q:
When a person writing a message knows neither the name nor the gender of the reader, the person should:
A. assume that the reader is female.
B. send an informal message to the reader.
C. find out the reader's name and assume the reader's gender.
D. use a general group to which the reader belongs.
E. omit the salutation and subject, and proceed with the body of the message.
Q:
Regarding nonsexist language, which of the following is true of courtesy titles for women?
A. Irrespective of whether a woman is married or single, address her as "Miss."
B. When you happen to know that a woman is married, always address her as "Mrs."
C. If a woman types her name in a certain way, use the title she designates to herself to address her.
D. No matter how a woman introduces herself on the phone, always respond by addressing her as "Miss."
E. If a woman has a professional title, use a different title than you would use for a man in the same profession.
Q:
Esteban is a sales manager. He is in charge of welcoming a new batch of sales executives to his organization and introducing them to the sales team. He is meeting the new batch for the first time. When he introduces the batch to the sales team, they think he is being sexist. Which of the following did Esteban most likely say?
A. Please welcome Joe Boston, Brian Ellis, and Melissa West.
B. Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Ms. West.
C. Please welcome Mr. Boston, Mr. Ellis, and Mrs. West.
D. Please welcome Joe, Brian, and Melissa.
E. Please welcome our new sales executives to the team.
Q:
In official communication, when addressing a woman you don't know well, it is better to:
A. use "Mrs." as the courtesy title.
B. use "Ms." as the courtesy title.
C. avoid a courtesy title.
D. use her last name only.
E. use her first name only.
Q:
A customer walks into a restaurant, sits at a table, and calls out "Can a waitress please take our orders?" What makes his statement biased?
A. It is feministic.
B. It is gender-neutral.
C. It is sexist.
D. It is racist.
E. It is ageist.
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a neutral job title?
A. Nurse
B. Pilot
C. Inspector
D. Secretary
E. Waitress
Q:
Which of the following is an example of a non-sexist job title?
A. Poetess
B. Stewardess
C. Mailman
D. Flight attendant
E. Sculptress
Q:
Which of the following is true of bias-free language?
A. It can help avoid lawsuits.
B. It is unethical but legal.
C. It does not comply with the law.
D. It does not help to sustain goodwill.
E. It can be unfair and unfriendly.
Q:
Which of the following examples illustrates the lowest level of politeness in a message?
A. Please submit your campaign report by Friday.
B. Submit your campaign report latest by Friday.
C. Your campaign reports should be submitted by Friday.
D. Would you be able to submit your campaign report by Friday?
E. I request you to submit your campaign report by Friday.
Q:
Adele is the customer service manager at Knots Inc., an electronic gadget store. She is writing a letter in response to a complaint she received from a new customer, Rita Hades. As Adele does not know Rita on a personal basis, which of the following salutations should she use to address Rita Hades?
A. Dear Rita Hades
B. Dear Mrs. Rita Hades
C. Dear Rita
D. Dear Ms. Hades
E. Dear Mrs. Hades
Q:
Sarah is the customer relationship manager at a designer clothing store. She is drafting a letter to Loretta Franklin, a client, with whom she has established a good personal relationship over the years. Sarah wants to inform Loretta that because of her excellent credit relationship with their store, Loretta will receive a 25 percent discount on all of her purchases going forward. Which of the following salutations should Sarah use to address Loretta Franklin?
A. Dear Ma'am
B. Dear Mrs. Franklin
C. Dear Loretta
D. Dear Loretta Franklin
E. Dear Mrs. Loretta Franklin
Q:
Which of the following is a desirable tone for business writing?
A. Submissive
B. Begging
C. Confident
D. Stiff
E. Arrogant
Q:
Maria is a salesperson at a clothing store. She receives an e-mail from her boss stating: "All salespeople must send their sales report by the end of the day." Maria is not happy about how this statement is phrased. The most likely reason for her unhappiness is that the way the statement is phrased is _____.
A. discriminatory
B. impolite
C. ageist
D. sexist
E. racist
Q:
Which of the following is true of positive psychology?
A. It promotes a workplace where praise and goodwill are part of daily communications.
B. It is closely connected with positive emphasis but not with you-attitude.
C. It is implemented by providing less challenging work with a smaller variety of tasks.
D. It claims that the intensity, not frequency, of positive experiences is a better predictor of happiness.
E. It negates the role of social support because attaining social support is time consuming.
Q:
Which of the following is a way for you to check positive emphasis?
A. Recognize that it should not be so overdone that it has become insincere.
B. Remember that it is appropriate in all circumstances.
C. Remember that it is always realistic.
D. Recognize that it should not demonstrate any kind of restraint.
E. Remember that it should contain hidden negatives instead of negative words.
Q:
Which of the following is true of positive emphasis?
A. Positive emphasis always seems sincere.
B. Positive emphasis is always appropriate.
C. Positive emphasis cannot be overdone.
D. Positive emphasis cannot cloud the reality of any situation.
E. Positive emphasis can be made more effective through restraint.
Q:
When offering a benefit to an audience only if the audience meets certain criteria, the sentence is usually more positive if you:
A. put the benefit first.
B. put the requirement first.
C. avoid mentioning the benefit.
D. avoid mentioning the requirement.
E. replace a negative word with a hidden negative.
Q:
Which of the following examples contains a hidden negative?
A. We delivered the products you had ordered as per the schedule.
B. The products you had ordered will reach you ahead of time as you requested.
C. The courier service has confirmed that the delivery of the products was timely.
D. The e-mail contains the details of the delivery time and products delivered to you.
E. We hope the products you ordered have been delivered to you.
Q:
Which of the following examples uses double negatives?
A. Work doubly hard to reach your targets.
B. It is important to reach your sales targets.
C. Never fail to reach your sales targets.
D. Always ensure you reach your sales targets.
E. Make sure you work hard to reach your targets.
Q:
An organization has been unable to raise sufficient funds from a charity event that took place the previous week. To maintain positive emphasis, which of the following is the least negative way to communicate this information?
A. We failed to raise funds from the charity event last week.
B. We have been unsuccessful in collecting funds from the event.
C. The weak funding plan resulted in insufficient funds from the charity event.
D. We have not finished gathering funds from the charity event last week.
E. We will be able to raise sufficient funds in our next charity event.
Q:
Which of the following is a negative word with a negative connotation?
A. Eliminate
B. Understand
C. Questions
D. Always
E. Possible
Q:
Alana is a campaign leader at an environmental organization. She was asked to write a progress report on her most recent campaign. Although Alana did not complete this task on time, she was able to communicate this to her boss using positive emphasis. Which of the following did Alana most likely say to her boss?
A. I worked very hard but failed to complete the report on time.
B. It is unfortunate that I did not complete the report when you asked for it.
C. My inability to complete the report on time may create backlogs in the campaign.
D. I have completed more than half of the report, and will complete the rest by the end of the week.
E. I apologize for not creating the report on time; I will hopefully be able to send it in by the end of the day.
Q:
While adding positive emphasis to a message, negatives should be placed in the _____ to de-emphasize the negative.
A. first line of the message
B. middle of the message
C. last sentence of a paragraph
D. first sentence of a paragraph
E. first paragraph of the message
Q:
Which of the following statements is true of creating positive emphasis in a message?
A. Linking a negative element to a benefit is good only when the audience acknowledges it as a benefit.
B. Replacing negative words with words that are exact opposites increases accuracy.
C. Removing negative words means being arrogant and pushy.
D. Using straightforward negativity in a message damages credibility.
E. Putting the negative information at the end of a message is better than putting it in the middle of a message.
Q:
Which of the following examples best illustrates a sentence with a hidden negative?
A. Please be patient; the issue will be resolved as soon as possible.
B. The issue will be resolved within a week.
C. Our new brand of cereal is healthier.
D. This itinerary contains all the details of your trip, along with the fares.
E. If you have questions about the registration process, please call the technical helpline.
Q:
Which of the following is a technique for creating positive emphasis in a message?
A. Placing the negative information at the beginning of the message
B. Justifying the negative information in the message by giving a reason
C. Using hidden negatives in the message in place of negative connotations
D. Focusing on the limitations of the audience so that they can be overcome
E. Avoiding linking the negative information in the message to an audience benefit in any way
Q:
Which of the following should you do while organizing information that builds goodwill?
A. Arrange the information to meet all of your needs.
B. Use headings and lists so readers can find key points quickly.
C. Present information that interests the audience in the middle of a paragraph.
D. Avoid showing why information your audience didn't ask for is important.
E. Avoid anticipating an audience's questions because it is distracting.
Q:
Creating goodwill with content involves:
A. placing all the details of a message in the main body.
B. not anticipating the questions your audience is likely to have.
C. arranging the information to meet your needs, not the audience's.
D. showing why information your audience didn't ask for is important.
E. not showing your audience how the subject of your message affects them.
Q:
Benito is a manager at a software firm. Benito's newest team member, Jack, is facing technical issues with the software system. Due to these issues, Jack is unable to meet his deadline. When Jack reports the issue to Benito, Benito responds with an impersonal statement. For the purpose of avoiding blame, which of the following statements used by Benito best illustrates you-attitude?
A. You should really know how to operate this system by now.
B. This is not really my problem. You should talk to the technical team.
C. You must attend a training seminar on the new software system next week.
D. This new software system has been acting up for a while now.
E. Sam Todd has worked on this system before and will be able to resolve the problem.
Q:
Which of the following sentences best exemplifies the use of impersonal expressions?
A. You have not performed well this month.
B. Your department's performance is very low.
C. I am happy to inform you about your promotion.
D. The incentives of all the employees have been cancelled.
E. I have granted you two days of leave as you requested.
Q:
Alberto is the owner of a shoe store. He interviews 10 people for the post of store manager and eventually selects Maya. Alberto e-mails Maya to let her know that she has been selected for the post. Which of the following statements made by Alberto best conveys this information through you-attitude?
A. You'll be happy to hear that you have been selected for the store manager's post.
B. You have been selected for the post of store manager.
C. I'm glad to inform you that I have appointed you as the store manager.
D. I have decided to appoint you as the store manager.
E. I have selected you for the store manager's post.
Q:
Which of the following examples best illustrates the correct use of passive verbs to avoid assigning blame?
A. The customer order was not processed on time.
B. They were not able to submit the proposal on time.
C. He was perfectly capable of completing this project on time, but didn't.
D. You made it impossible for me to add my point of view.
E. You should not have taken leave without getting approval first.
Q:
While applying you-attitude, passive verbs should ideally be used while _____.
A. discussing job roles in a project
B. reporting bad news or limitations
C. explaining the perks of a new position
D. explaining audience benefits for a product
E. listing out the incentives for selling a product
Q:
Which of the following is true?
A. "You" works best in negative situations.
B. "We" works well when it does not include the audience.
C. "I" works well when it includes an audience or a reader.
D. "I" suggests that you are concerned about personal issues.
E. "I" suggests that you are concerned about the organization's needs.
Q:
Yui Hongo works as a guest-relations executive at Stargaze Hotel. She writes a letter to a guest who has recently become a member of the premier club at the hotel. Which of the following introductory statements written by Yui best illustrates you-attitude?
A. You are now a premier club member of Stargaze Hotel.
B. You will be delighted to know that you have become a premier club member of the hotel.
C. We, at Stargaze Hotel, are glad to inform you that you are now a premier club member.
D. I am sure you will be happy to know that you are now a part of our premier club family.
E. It gives me pleasure to inform you that you are now in our premium club.
Q:
Sweeney's Ice-cream advertised its new sundaes on fliers which were distributed in malls. This initiative was successful and customers felt that the advertisement was created especially for them. Keeping in mind you-attitude in messages, which of the following did Sweeney's Ice-cream most likely say in its fliers?
A. We, at Sweeney's, are now offering fresh fruit sundaes at $5!
B. There are brand new flavors available at our store on St. Marks Street!
C. We are now serving the best fresh fruit sundaes in the city!
D. You will be delighted to taste our latest ice creams!
E. You can now try our new fresh fruit sundaes for only $5!
Q:
Which of the following best describes wordiness in a sentence?
A. Adding you-attitude in a sentence
B. Removing all emotional words from a sentence
C. Reducing words in a sentence to make it concise
D. Having more words in a sentence than the meaning requires
E. Adding words to a sentence, which are essential to its meaning
Q:
Revisions for you-attitude often _____ because the revision is more specific and has more information.
A. change the basic meaning of sentences
B. result in crisper sentences
C. result in more ambiguous sentences
D. increase the wordiness of sentences
E. increase the length of sentences
Q:
Which of the following does you-attitude primarily focus on?
A. Differentiating between audience members
B. Emphasizing the needs of the writer or speaker
C. Not protecting the audience's ego
D. Giving more preference to important audience members
E. Stressing on the audience's point of view
Q:
Which of the following is true of goodwill in business communication?
A. Goodwill is less important, now that the majority of jobs are in service.
B. Goodwill increases the challenges of business and administration.
C. Goodwill is important internally, not externally.
D. Goodwill helps to create less staff turnover.
E. Goodwill is built exclusively by you-attitude.
Q:
When you produce a business document with photographs, the photographs as a whole should show exactly 50 percent men and 50 percent women.
Q:
When talking about people with disabilities, use people-first language to focus on the person, not the condition.
Q:
A disability refers exclusively to a physical impairment that interferes with the major tasks of daily living.
Q:
To make language nonracist and nonageist, give someone's race or age only when you know it.
Q:
Replacing the word "manning" with the word "staffing" changes a sexist term to a nonsexist term.
Q:
"Workman," "chairman," and "airhostess" are examples of sexist job titles.
Q:
When you write to people you do not know well outside your organization, it is good to address them by first name to attempt to build a professional relationship.
Q:
The goal of positive psychology connects closely with goodwill, you-attitude, and positive tone, all of which help increase employee happiness.
Q:
While using positive emphasis, it is important to check if the content is appropriate, sincere, and realistic.
Q:
A sentence reads: "Please be patient while we fix the technical difficulties in the system." This sentence demonstrates the use of double negatives.
Q:
"Inadequate," "trivial," and "objection" are negative words to avoid in business communication.
Q:
Positive emphasis can be created by putting the negative information in the middle of the message and presenting it concisely.
Q:
While conveying bad news messages, straightforward negatives always damage credibility.
Q:
While organizing information to build goodwill, you should arrange information to meet your audience's needs instead of your own.
Q:
Good messages apply you-attitude beyond the sentence level by using content and organization as well as style to build goodwill.
Q:
Impersonal expressions don't focus on things and instead talk only about people.
Q:
To create you-attitude at a sentence level use active verbs to avoid assigning blame in a negative situation.
Q:
In most business situations, you should talk about the audience's feelings, because it reduces the distance between the audience and the writer.
Q:
To create you-attitude talk about your own emotions in a message of congratulations or condolence.
Q:
Revisions for you-attitude often change the basic meaning of a sentence.
Q:
Discuss strategies for creating documents for multiple audiences.
Q:
Briefly discuss the steps in identifying and developing good audience benefits.
Q:
Discuss, with the help of suitable examples, how intrinsic and extrinsic motivators help to create effective audience benefits.
Q:
What should you do in a written message when the audience will oppose what you have to say?
Q:
Explain which situations are best for written communication and which for oral communication, and why each is best for those situations.
Q:
What do the terms "organizational culture" and "discourse community mean"? Describe each one.
Q:
Explain how the demographic characteristics of the members of an audience differ from their psychographic characteristics.
Q:
Explain good communication strategies for the sensing type and the judging type in the Myers-Briggs typology.
Q:
Explain the four dichotomies that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator uses to analyze people.
Q:
Organizational messages have multiple audiences. List the audiences and explain how they differ from each other.
Q:
Saul is planning on writing a feasibility report for his business plan. He intends to use this report to get some capital to start his business. Also, this report has to be created keeping in mind the multiple audiences at his current office: the venture capitalists, the bankers, and the managers. Which of the following practices should Saul adopt while drafting the feasibility report?
A. Since the report will be used by both internal and external audiences, Saul should adopt a more informal style of writing.
B. If the decision makers don't need details that other audiences will need, Saul should provide such details in the report's appendices.
C. When writing the body of the report, Saul should not make any assumptions about the degree of knowledge that the decision makers will have.
D. Saul should actively use personal pronouns in the report to keep the style of the report conversational.
E. Saul should place background and explanatory information under the same heading to make it easier for his readers to locate the required information.
Q:
When writing a document for multiple audiences, it is best to avoid:
A. using personal pronouns.
B. using a formal style of writing.
C. including an executive summary.
D. categorizing information using headings.
E. organizing the message based on the decision makers' attitudes.
Q:
When writing a document for multiple audiences, which of the following practices should be adopted to effectively address the audiences' different needs?
A. Using personal pronouns to ensure that all members of the audience interpret the text in a similar fashion
B. Writing the document in an informal style if it is meant for both internal and external audiences
C. Presenting background and explanatory information under the same heading
D. Using a table of contents so that readers can turn to the portions that interest them
E. Keeping the body of the document as short and brief as possible for the convenience of the decision makers
Q:
Coral Dawn, a chain of luxury spas, specializes in Thai massages, Ayurveda remedies, and acupressure treatments. Its target customers are those who enjoy weekend spa treatments after a stressful week at work. When advertising, which of the following statements would best help Coral Dawn link the features of its services to the needs of its audience?
A. Our services are world renowned.
B. If you need to de-stress, try our wide range of relaxing massages.
C. We are rated the best luxury spa.
D. We will make your experience at Coral dawn unforgettable.
E. We are committed toward providing the best services at the most affordable prices.