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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. 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
Short report
Concrete Words
Purpose - Format - Composition
Connotation

2. What are three levels of Editing?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
One-third
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

3. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Procedures
Information the reader will want - put it first.
similar

4. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Sentence Variety
Goal of a letter of application
Business Writing Style
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

5. What are Cons of Email?

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6. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Figures of Speech
Biased Language
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Characteristics of job-related writing

7. Goal and audience
Four keys to effective writing
Main parts of internal proposals
Position
Things to think through when planning a website

8. How do you present information in long messages?
Subordination
Conciseness
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Telegraphic Style

9. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Purpose - Format - Composition
Intensifiers

10. What is a Memorandum?
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

11. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Things to think through when planning a website
Examples of medium s of business communication
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

12. General considerations with Email Messages
Wordiness
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

13. 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.
Get Feedback From Others!
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Wordiness
Outlining

14. Formal
Climatic Order
Affectation
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

15. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Main parts of internal proposals
Four keys to effective writing
Emphasis
Repetition

16. What is critical to a message's success?
Coherent writing
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Denotaion
Attractive and Readable Format

17. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Guidelines for successful group writing
Figures of Speech
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

18. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

19. Stages can also be summarized as...
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Information needed for short report
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

20. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Information needed for short report
Ethics in Business Writing
Position

21. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Outlining
Mechanical Devices
Abstract words
Concrete Words

22. 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
Purpose - Format - Composition
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Cliches

23. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Active Voice
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Main parts of instructions

24. Tell and show how to do something
Business Writing Style
Instructions
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Attractive and Readable Format

25. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Instructions
Wordiness
Intensifiers
Recursive

26. What is format of most Memos?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Buzz Words
Climatic Order
Rules for writing instructions

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.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Garbled Sentences
Four keys to effective writing

28. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Characteristics of job-related writing
Euphemismss
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

29. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Main parts of internal proposals
Strategy and Humanness
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

30. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Goal of a letter of application
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

31. 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
Denotaion
Guidelines for successful group writing
Emphasis
Get Feedback From Others!

32. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Long Dashes
Strategy and Humanness
Position
Sentence Variety

33. How is formatting important?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Telegraphic Style
Attractive and Readable Format
Three P's for success in writing a memo

34. When should email NOT be used?
Repetition
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
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

35. 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
Main parts of instructions
Strategy and Humanness
Sentence Variety
Guidelines for successful group writing

36. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Long Dashes
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

37. 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
Procedures
similar
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

38. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Characteristics of job-related writing
Denotaion
Sentence Type
Attractive and Readable Format

39. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Active Voice
Idioms
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

40. How do you Plan the message?
Climatic Order
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

41. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Sentence Type
Selecting the proper medium
Main parts of internal proposals

42. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Instructions
Intensifiers
Abstract words

43. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Procedures
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Concrete Words

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
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Guidelines for successful group writing
Wordiness

45. 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
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Get Feedback From Others!
Buzz Words

46. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Coherent writing
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Emphasis
Tone

47. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Repetition
Four keys to effective writing
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

48. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Recursive
Active Voice
Buzz Words
Long Dashes

49. 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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Purpose - Format - Composition
Affectation
Business Writing Style

50. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Information needed for short report
Affectation
Attractive and Readable Format
Connotation