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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. 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
Sentence Length
Rules for writing instructions
Attractive and Readable Format
Ethics in Business Writing

2. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Things to think through when planning a website
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

3. Formal
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Short report

4. What is important in the Revising stage?
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Main parts of instructions
Get Feedback From Others!
Procedures

5. How do you know what to include in your message?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Business Writing Style

6. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Tone
Emphasis

7. What are Cons of Email?

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8. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Sentence Type
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

9. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Instructions
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Casual - Informal - or Formal

10. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Recursive
Connotation

11. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Goal of a letter of application
Euphemismss
Guidelines for successful group writing
Characteristics of job-related writing

12. 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.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Outlining
Garbled Sentences
Business Writing Style

13. What is a Memorandum?
Buzz Words
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Sentence Variety
Information the reader will want - put it first.

14. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Main parts of internal proposals
Cliches
Active Voice

15. How do you begin the message?

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16. 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
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Wordiness
Affectation

17. Steps to Successful Writing
Get Feedback From Others!
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

18. Casual
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

19. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Characteristics of job-related writing
Figures of Speech
Concrete Words
similar

20. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Conciseness
One-third
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Position

21. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Four keys to effective writing
Characteristics of job-related writing
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Mechanical Devices

22. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Main parts of a set of instructions
Short report
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

23. 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
Sentence Variety
Attractive and Readable Format
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

24. What are three levels of Revision?
Cliches
Denotaion
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

25. How do you present information in long messages?
Active Voice
Garbled Sentences
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Repetition

26. Etiquette
Main parts of internal proposals
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Attractive and Readable Format

27. 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
Wordiness
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Business Writing Style
Buzz Words

28. Clairty
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

29. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Telegraphic Style
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Position

30. Using short and long sentences strategically
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
One-third
Sentence Length
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

31. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Conciseness
Recursive
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Main parts of instructions

32. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Sentence Length
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Long Dashes

33. 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
Things to think through when planning a website
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Main parts of a set of instructions
Emphasis

34. How is formatting important?
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Cliches
Mechanical Devices
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

35. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Repetition
Active Voice
Long Dashes
Concrete Words

36. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Casual - Informal - or Formal

37. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Main parts of a set of instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Selecting the proper medium
Biased Language

38. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Sentence Length
Main parts of internal proposals
Climatic Order

39. 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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40. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
One-third
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Mechanical Devices

41. What is critical to a message's success?
Attractive and Readable Format
Buzz Words
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Abstract words

42. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Selecting the proper medium
Tone
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

43. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Rules for writing instructions
Casual - Informal - or Formal

44. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Sentence Type
Long Dashes
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Procedures

45. 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
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Denotaion
Connotation
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

46. Correctness
Connotation
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Sentence Variety
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

47. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Information needed for short report
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Buzz Words
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

48. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Affectation
Sentence Variety
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

49. E.g. 'most important'
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Direct Statements
Cliches
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

50. 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
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Climatic Order
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Business Writing Style