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Test your basic knowledge |
The Business Writing Process
Start Test
Study First
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. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Procedures
Emphasis
Active Voice
Characteristics of job-related writing
2. What is a Memorandum?
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Rules for writing instructions
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
3. Use Initialisms
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Outlining
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
4. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Affectation
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Wordiness
5. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Rules for writing instructions
Biased Language
Intensifiers
6. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Characteristics of job-related writing
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Selecting the proper medium
7. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Direct Statements
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Examples of medium s of business communication
8. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Climatic Order
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
9. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Instructions
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Attractive and Readable Format
Characteristics of job-related writing
10. General considerations with Email Messages
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Idioms
Examples of medium s of business communication
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
11. The ___________ of a word are its meanings and associations beyond its literal definitions - words often have particular connotations for audiences within professional groups and organizations
Connotation
Instructions
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Figures of Speech
12. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Coherent writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Subordination
13. Etiquette
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Business Writing Style
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
14. Places the reader's interest and perspective foremost. It is based on the principle that most readers are naturally more concerned about their own needs than they are about those of a writer or a writer's organization - often means using the words y
15. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Main parts of instructions
'You Viewpoint'
Things to think through when planning a website
16. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Idioms
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
17. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Information needed for short report
Biased Language
Things to think through when planning a website
18. How to end an email
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Abstract words
19. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Purpose - Format - Composition
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
20. How is formatting important?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Outlining
Telegraphic Style
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
21. E.g. 'most important'
Cliches
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Sentence Type
Direct Statements
22. What is critical to a message's success?
Conciseness
Main parts of a set of instructions
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Attractive and Readable Format
23. What are three levels of Editing?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Mechanical Devices
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Characteristics of job-related writing
24. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Wordiness
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Recursive
25. 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
Ethics in Business Writing
Selecting the proper medium
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
26. How do you Plan the message?
Active Voice
Sentence Variety
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
27. 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.
Information needed for short report
Purpose - Format - Composition
Rules for writing instructions
Garbled Sentences
28. What is Indirect Order?
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
29. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Coherent writing
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Concrete Words
30. Plan what you are going to say - polish what you wrote before you sent it - proofread everything
31. 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
Garbled Sentences
Guidelines for successful group writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
32. 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
Sentence Length
Buzz Words
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Concrete Words
33. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Sentence Variety
Biased Language
Business Writing Style
Subordination
34. How do you begin the message?
35. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Climatic Order
Repetition
Euphemismss
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
36. How do you present information in long messages?
Instructions
Sentence Type
Euphemismss
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
37. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Organizational - Professional - Personal
38. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Sentence Variety
Sentence Type
Four keys to effective writing
39. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Sentence Variety
Outlining
One-third
Business Writing Style
40. When to use Instant Messaging?
Concrete Words
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Biased Language
Casual - Informal - or Formal
41. Conciseness
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Emphasis
42. What is Direct Order?
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
43. Am I giving the reader too much or too little info? - does this point belong here? - is this point relevant? - am I repeating or contradicting myself? - have I ended appropriately?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Wordiness
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Key draft questions
44. 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.
similar
Things to think through when planning a website
Outlining
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
45. Steps to Successful Writing
Coherent writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Key draft questions
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
46. What should you know about a Letter?
Purpose - Format - Composition
Concrete Words
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Abstract words
47. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Get Feedback From Others!
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
48. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Instructions
Mechanical Devices
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Recursive
49. Stages can also be summarized as...
Biased Language
Outlining
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Recursive
50. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Euphemismss
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Casual - Informal - or Formal