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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. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Long Dashes
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Intensifiers
Ethics in Business Writing

2. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Procedures
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

3. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

4. When to use Instant Messaging?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Procedures

5. 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
Wordiness
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

6. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Get Feedback From Others!
Figures of Speech
Emphasis
Mechanical Devices

7. Expressions that have been used fro so long that they are no longer fresh but come to mind easily bc they are so familiar. Often wordy as well as vague and cab be confusing - especially to non-native English speakers - E.g. all over the map - run it
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Sentence Type
Cliches
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

8. What is a Memorandum?
Four keys to effective writing
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Main parts of a set of instructions

9. What is Direct Order?
Idioms
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

10. Using short and long sentences strategically
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Characteristics of job-related writing
Sentence Length

11. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Information needed for short report
Direct Statements
Connotation
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

12. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
similar
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

13. How is formatting important?
Connotation
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

14. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Tone
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

15. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Characteristics of job-related writing
Abstract words
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Climatic Order

16. Informal
Things to think through when planning a website
Denotaion
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Main parts of internal proposals

17. What are Pros of Email?
Buzz Words
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Denotaion
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

18. 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
Goal of a letter of application
Business Writing Style
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Main parts of a set of instructions

19. 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
Business Writing Style
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Guidelines for successful group writing
Buzz Words

20. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Outlining
Euphemismss
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Guidelines for successful group writing

21. E.g. 'most important'
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
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
Direct Statements

22. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Figures of Speech
Intensifiers
Idioms
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

23. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Denotaion
One-third
Cliches

24. What are Individual Contexts
Denotaion
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Concrete Words
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

25. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Figures of Speech
Business Writing Style
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

26. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Mechanical Devices
Strategy and Humanness
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

27. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Affectation
Telegraphic Style
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

28. How do you Plan the message?
Key draft questions
Long Dashes
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Garbled Sentences

29. Use Initialisms
Sentence Length
Affectation
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
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

30. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Subordination
Attractive and Readable Format

31. General considerations with Email Messages
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Direct Statements
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

32. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Instructions
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Four keys to effective writing

33. Etiquette
Sentence Length
Procedures
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

34. What should you know about a Letter?
Sentence Variety
Purpose - Format - Composition
Connotation
Main parts of internal proposals

35. 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
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Mechanical Devices
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Rules for writing instructions

36. What are three levels of Editing?
Abstract words
Active Voice
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

37. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Main parts of internal proposals
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Coherent writing

38. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Recursive
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Concrete Words
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

39. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Main parts of internal proposals
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Denotaion

40. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Cliches
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Conciseness
Repetition

41. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
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
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Main parts of a set of instructions

42. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
One-third
Get Feedback From Others!
Garbled Sentences

43. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Concrete Words
Biased Language
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Direct Statements

44. 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
Outlining
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

45. 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)
Purpose - Format - Composition
Examples of medium s of business communication
Four keys to effective writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

46. 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

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47. Steps to Successful Writing
Rules for writing instructions
Affectation
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

48. How do you begin the message?

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49. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
similar
Rules for writing instructions
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

50. What is important in the Revising stage?
Climatic Order
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Get Feedback From Others!