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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
Position
Main parts of internal proposals
Direct Statements
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

2. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Long Dashes

3. What is critical to a message's success?
Goal of a letter of application
Climatic Order
Intensifiers
Attractive and Readable Format

4. Using short and long sentences strategically
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Active Voice
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Sentence Length

5. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Get Feedback From Others!
Figures of Speech
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Three P's for success in writing a memo

6. Correctness
Ethics in Business Writing
Wordiness
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

7. 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
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
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Subordination
Rules for writing instructions

8. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Subordination
similar
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Characteristics of job-related writing

9. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

10. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Main parts of instructions
Climatic Order
Tone
Short report

11. What is important in the Revising stage?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Get Feedback From Others!
Selecting the proper medium
Examples of medium s of business communication

12. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Examples of medium s of business communication
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Concrete Words
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

13. What are three levels of Editing?
Concrete Words
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Telegraphic Style
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

14. General considerations with Email Messages
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Mechanical Devices
Get Feedback From Others!

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

16. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Mechanical Devices
Sentence Type
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

17. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Garbled Sentences
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Main parts of a set of instructions

18. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Coherent writing
Tone
Subordination
Affectation

19. What is Direct Order?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Characteristics of job-related writing

20. How do you Plan the message?
Intensifiers
Information needed for short report
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

21. Formal
Position
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

22. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Repetition
Selecting the proper medium
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

23. Goal and audience
Things to think through when planning a website
Position
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Sentence Variety

24. How do you present information in long messages?
Wordiness
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Connotation
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

25. 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.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Outlining
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
'You Viewpoint'

26. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Conciseness
One-third

27. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Abstract words

28. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Mechanical Devices
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Affectation

29. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Euphemismss
Position
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Conciseness

30. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Biased Language

31. 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
Abstract words
Sentence Variety
Buzz Words
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

32. What is format of most Memos?
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Main parts of a set of instructions
Intensifiers

33. 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
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Cliches
Purpose - Format - Composition

34. What is Indirect Order?
Selecting the proper medium
Characteristics of job-related writing
Climatic Order
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

35. 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.
Cliches
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Garbled Sentences

36. What are Pros of Email?
Cliches
Sentence Variety
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

37. When to use Instant Messaging?
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Outlining
Main parts of internal proposals
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

38. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Attractive and Readable Format
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Subordination
Position

39. How do you begin the message?

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40. The principle of of stressing the most important ieas in writing. You can achieve this with the careful use of: Position - Climatic Order - Sentence Type - Sentence Length - Sentence Length - Active Voice - Repetition - Intensifiers - Direct Stateme
Emphasis
Selecting the proper medium
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Buzz Words

41. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Selecting the proper medium
Concrete Words

42. 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
Business Writing Style
Main parts of a set of instructions
Selecting the proper medium
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

43. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Sentence Variety
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Four keys to effective writing
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

44. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Buzz Words
Goal of a letter of application
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Strategy and Humanness

45. Modifiers that repeat an idea implicit or present in the word being modified contribute to wordiness by being redundant (basic essentials - final outcome) - Coordinated synonyms (each and every - first and foremost.) - Expletives - relative pronouns
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Wordiness
Ethics in Business Writing
Abstract words

46. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Procedures
Telegraphic Style
Information needed for short report
Four keys to effective writing

47. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Attractive and Readable Format
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Denotaion
Mechanical Devices

48. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Selecting the proper medium
Ethics in Business Writing
Procedures

49. Etiquette
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Rules for writing instructions
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
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

50. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Recursive
Mechanical Devices
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Goal of a letter of application