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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. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Key draft questions
Main parts of internal proposals
Long Dashes
Casual - Informal - or Formal

2. Make sure your e-mail is confidential and ethical - observe all of the proprietary requirements when using e-mail - use an acceptable format- follow all of the rules of 'netiqette' when answering e-mail - adopt a professional style - ensure that yo
Euphemismss
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Garbled Sentences
Examples of medium s of business communication

3. How do you present information in message?
Intensifiers
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Recursive

4. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Conciseness
Characteristics of job-related writing
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

5. Goal and audience
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Things to think through when planning a website
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

6. 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
Abstract words
Procedures
Guidelines for successful group writing
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

7. Formal
Characteristics of job-related writing
Emphasis
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Intensifiers

8. What is a Memorandum?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

9. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Telegraphic Style
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Attractive and Readable Format
Examples of medium s of business communication

10. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
similar
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
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

11. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Buzz Words
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

12. What is Direct Order?
Mechanical Devices
Things to think through when planning a website
Characteristics of job-related writing
Information the reader will want - put it first.

13. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Coherent writing
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Abstract words
Characteristics of job-related writing

14. When should email NOT be used?
Intensifiers
Guidelines for successful group writing
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
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

15. Formality Considerations
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Characteristics of job-related writing

16. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Conciseness
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Sentence Variety
Coherent writing

17. E.g. 'most important'
Sentence Length
Direct Statements
Intensifiers
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

18. What is Indirect Order?
Information needed for short report
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

19. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Main parts of a set of instructions
Figures of Speech

20. What are Pros of Email?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Affectation
'You Viewpoint'
Purpose - Format - Composition

21. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Four keys to effective writing
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Main parts of internal proposals

22. What are Individual Contexts
Idioms
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Mechanical Devices
Organizational - Professional - Personal

23. Casual
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
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
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Rules for writing instructions

24. Conciseness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Strategy and Humanness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

25. Less formal than in the past - Varies from conversational style - The use of personal pronouns is important - In emails etc. something between conversational & business writing should be used - Only use we when it is company policy
Telegraphic Style
Business Writing Style
Ethics in Business Writing
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

26. Clairty
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Outlining
Things to think through when planning a website
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

27. What are Cons of Email?

28. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Concrete Words
One-third
Ethics in Business Writing
Four keys to effective writing

29. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Main parts of instructions
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Coherent writing
Business Writing Style

30. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Biased Language
Purpose - Format - Composition
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

31. General considerations with Email Messages
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Strategy and Humanness
Repetition
Conciseness

32. What are three levels of Editing?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Rules for writing instructions
Concrete Words
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

33. 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
Cliches
Buzz Words
Guidelines for successful group writing
Three P's for success in writing a memo

34. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Short report
Rules for writing instructions
Intensifiers

35. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Climatic Order
Outlining
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Mechanical Devices

36. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Four keys to effective writing
Telegraphic Style
Key draft questions
Instructions

37. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Idioms
Telegraphic Style
Strategy and Humanness

38. How to end an email
Biased Language
Idioms
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

39. What is important in the Revising stage?
Attractive and Readable Format
Characteristics of job-related writing
Get Feedback From Others!
'You Viewpoint'

40. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Sentence Type
Characteristics of job-related writing
Guidelines for successful group writing
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

41. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Coherent writing
Recursive

42. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Examples of medium s of business communication

43. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Guidelines for successful group writing
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Position

44. When to use Instant Messaging?
Denotaion
Characteristics of job-related writing
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

45. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Position
Main parts of instructions
Tone
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

46. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Outlining
Wordiness
Euphemismss

47. What should you know about a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
'You Viewpoint'
Purpose - Format - Composition

48. Correctness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Tone

49. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Things to think through when planning a website
One-third
Key draft questions
Organizational - Professional - Personal

50. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Position
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting