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The Business Writing Process

Subjects : writing-skills, business-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Active Voice
Figures of Speech
Repetition

2. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Sentence Variety
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Concrete Words

3. What are three levels of Editing?
Garbled Sentences
Wordiness
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Sentence Type

4. A sentence that is so tangled with structural and grammatical problems that it cannot be repaired - often result from trying to include too many ideas in one sentence.
Garbled Sentences
Main parts of instructions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

5. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Recursive
Things to think through when planning a website
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

6. Formal
Selecting the proper medium
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Rules for writing instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal

7. What should you know about a Letter?
Direct Statements
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Purpose - Format - Composition
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

8. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Strategy and Humanness
Information needed for short report
Mechanical Devices

9. Correctness
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Business Writing Style
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

10. Avoid language that attempts to evade responsibility - Avoid deceptive language - Do not deemphasize or suppress important information - Do not emphasize misleading or incorrect information - Avoid using language that is biased - racist - or sexist o
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Ethics in Business Writing
Rules for writing instructions
Information the reader will want - put it first.

11. Goal and audience
Figures of Speech
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Procedures
Things to think through when planning a website

12. What are three levels of Revision?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

13. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Subordination
Biased Language
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

14. Formality Considerations
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Four keys to effective writing
Casual - Informal - or Formal

15. What are Pros of Email?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

16. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Rules for writing instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Figures of Speech
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

17. How do you present information in long messages?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Attractive and Readable Format
Procedures

18. Stages can also be summarized as...
'You Viewpoint'
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Selecting the proper medium

19. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Information needed for short report
Coherent writing
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Organizational - Professional - Personal

20. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Outlining
Intensifiers
Long Dashes
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

21. Words or phrases that suddenly become popular and - because of an intense period of overuse - lose their freshness and precisness - E.g. interface (as a verb) - impact (as a verb) - skill sets - deliverables - slam dunk - bleeding edge - cash cow - 2
Telegraphic Style
Direct Statements
Buzz Words
Idioms

22. Use Initialisms
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Short report
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

23. Etiquette
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Emphasis
Active Voice
Abstract words

24. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Rules for writing instructions
Affectation
Procedures
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

25. Understand and agree on the important goals - organization - and deadlines for the report - Establish group rules early on and stick to them - Put the good of the group ahead of individual egos - Agree on the group's organization - Identify each mem
Short report
Guidelines for successful group writing
Subordination
Long Dashes

26. How do you Plan the message?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Long - Complicated - Requires Negotiation - Questions/Info need clarification/discussion - Info Confidential/Sensitive - Requires Security - Could be Misinterpreted - Emotionally Charged - Requires Tone of Voice - Sent to Avoid - Contains Sensitive I
Strategy and Humanness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

27. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Telegraphic Style
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
similar

28. The skeleton of the document you are going to write--structures your writing by ensuring that it has a beginning - middle - and end.Types: topic outlines - sentence outlines etc.
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Outlining
'You Viewpoint'
Recursive

29. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Sentence Type
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Business Writing Style
Concrete Words

30. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Goal of a letter of application
Active Voice
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Sentence Type

31. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Outlining
Main parts of internal proposals
Emphasis
Conciseness

32. Casual
Concrete Words
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Length

33. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Instructions
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Biased Language

34. When should email NOT be used?
Subordination
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
'You Viewpoint'
Long - Complicated - Requires Negotiation - Questions/Info need clarification/discussion - Info Confidential/Sensitive - Requires Security - Could be Misinterpreted - Emotionally Charged - Requires Tone of Voice - Sent to Avoid - Contains Sensitive I

35. Clairty
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Subordination
Information needed for short report
Euphemismss

36. General considerations with Email Messages
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Instructions
Figures of Speech

37. How is formatting important?
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Purpose - Format - Composition
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

38. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Abstract words
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Short report

39. Put instructions is correct order - right amount of information only - group closely related items into 1 step - give reader hints on how to best accomplish task - state when 1 step affects another - insert graphics where needed
Rules for writing instructions
Biased Language
Outlining
Denotaion

40. Identifying your audience - Establishing your purpose - Formulating your message - and Selecting your style (how something is written rather than what is written) and tone (expresses your attitude toward your topic and audience)
Ethics in Business Writing
Four keys to effective writing
Main parts of internal proposals
Idioms

41. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Purpose - Format - Composition
Position
Long Dashes
Main parts of instructions

42. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Coherent writing
Sentence Variety
Active Voice

43. What are Cons of Email?

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44. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Characteristics of job-related writing
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Examples of medium s of business communication
Garbled Sentences

45. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Guidelines for successful group writing
Examples of medium s of business communication
Main parts of a set of instructions
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

46. What is a Memorandum?
Coherent writing
Examples of medium s of business communication
Long Dashes
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

47. What are Individual Contexts
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Abstract words
Sentence Type
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

48. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Outlining
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

49. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Subordination
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Outlining

50. Conciseness
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Ethics in Business Writing