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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. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Cliches
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Sentence Type

2. How do you present information in message?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Abstract words
Attractive and Readable Format
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

3. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Sentence Type
Concrete Words
Main parts of instructions
Affectation

4. How do you present information in long messages?
Business Writing Style
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Euphemismss
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

5. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Repetition

6. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Idioms
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

7. Tell and show how to do something
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Instructions

8. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Telegraphic Style
Euphemismss
Affectation
Main parts of internal proposals

9. 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)
Four keys to effective writing
Guidelines for successful group writing
Coherent writing
Mechanical Devices

10. Formality Considerations
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
One-third
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Casual - Informal - or Formal

11. 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
Short report
Direct Statements
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

12. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
One-third
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Characteristics of job-related writing
Goal of a letter of application

13. What are three levels of Editing?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Subordination
Characteristics of job-related writing

14. 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.
Guidelines for successful group writing
Outlining
Strategy and Humanness
Three P's for success in writing a memo

15. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Goal of a letter of application
Main parts of instructions
Abstract words

16. 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?
Strategy and Humanness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Key draft questions

17. 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
Goal of a letter of application
Sentence Variety
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Ethics in Business Writing

18. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Figures of Speech
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Sentence Variety
Short report

19. What are three levels of Revision?
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

20. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Type
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Selecting the proper medium

21. Clairty
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Strategy and Humanness
Affectation

22. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Characteristics of job-related writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Concrete Words

23. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Long Dashes
Garbled Sentences
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

24. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Intensifiers
Garbled Sentences
Things to think through when planning a website
Active Voice

25. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Information needed for short report
Ethics in Business Writing
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

26. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Information needed for short report
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Guidelines for successful group writing

27. 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

28. 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
Rules for writing instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

29. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
One-third
Climatic Order
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Strategy and Humanness

30. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
Goal of a letter of application
Mechanical Devices
Denotaion

31. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Figures of Speech
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Position

32. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Get Feedback From Others!
Wordiness
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

33. When should email NOT be used?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Characteristics of job-related writing
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
Buzz Words

34. How do you begin the message?

35. 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
Subordination
Figures of Speech
Business Writing Style
Main parts of instructions

36. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Things to think through when planning a website
Conciseness
Active Voice

37. 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
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Key draft questions
Buzz Words

38. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Connotation
Goal of a letter of application
Recursive

39. What is Direct Order?
Get Feedback From Others!
Information the reader will want - put it first.
'You Viewpoint'
Telegraphic Style

40. General considerations with Email Messages
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

41. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Active Voice
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Conciseness
Main parts of instructions

42. How do you know what to include in your message?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Wordiness
'You Viewpoint'

43. What are Pros of Email?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
One-third
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

44. Goal and audience
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Recursive
Things to think through when planning a website
Idioms

45. 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
Short report
Rules for writing instructions
Idioms
'You Viewpoint'

46. How to end an email
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Figures of Speech

47. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Mechanical Devices
Coherent writing
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

48. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

49. Etiquette
Abstract words
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

50. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
One-third
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Euphemismss
Sentence Variety