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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
Main parts of internal proposals
Things to think through when planning a website
Examples of medium s of business communication
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

2. How do you present information in message?
Repetition
Idioms
Coherent writing
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

3. How to end an email
Long Dashes
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Information needed for short report

4. E.g. 'most important'
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Direct Statements
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

5. Plan what you are going to say - polish what you wrote before you sent it - proofread everything

6. 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.
Garbled Sentences
Buzz Words
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Attractive and Readable Format

7. What should you know about a Letter?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Information needed for short report
Purpose - Format - Composition
Direct Statements

8. What is Indirect Order?
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Intensifiers
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

9. What are Pros of Email?
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Mechanical Devices
Direct Statements
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

10. Steps to Successful Writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Denotaion
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

11. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Procedures
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

12. What are Individual Contexts
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Things to think through when planning a website

13. What types of research is done in gathering information?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Abstract words

14. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Get Feedback From Others!
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Sentence Type
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

15. How do you know what to include in your message?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Guidelines for successful group writing
similar
Procedures

16. 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

17. When should email NOT be used?
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
Figures of Speech
Ethics in Business Writing
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

18. Clairty
Mechanical Devices
Guidelines for successful group writing
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Sentence Variety

19. How do you begin the message?

20. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Key draft questions
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

21. When to use Instant Messaging?
Goal of a letter of application
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Intensifiers
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

22. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Recursive
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Business Writing Style

23. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Characteristics of job-related writing
Sentence Type
Position
Wordiness

24. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
similar
Strategy and Humanness
Characteristics of job-related writing
Ethics in Business Writing

25. Tell and show how to do something
Instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Recursive
Active Voice

26. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Climatic Order
Short report
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Figures of Speech

27. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Attractive and Readable Format
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Sentence Length

28. 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
Biased Language
Recursive
Buzz Words
Connotation

29. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Main parts of instructions
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Euphemismss
Four keys to effective writing

30. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Long Dashes
Conciseness
Information needed for short report
Main parts of internal proposals

31. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Business Writing Style
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Long Dashes
Outlining

32. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Characteristics of job-related writing
Affectation
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

33. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Cliches
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
One-third
Repetition

34. How do you present information in long messages?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Figures of Speech
Active Voice
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

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
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Business Writing Style
Sentence Type
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

36. Casual
Business Writing Style
Goal of a letter of application
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

37. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Sentence Variety
Garbled Sentences
Goal of a letter of application
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

38. General considerations with Email Messages
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Garbled Sentences
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Main parts of instructions

39. Using short and long sentences strategically
Things to think through when planning a website
Telegraphic Style
Sentence Length
Information needed for short report

40. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Figures of Speech
Cliches
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

41. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Main parts of instructions
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

42. Formal
Coherent writing
Short report
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

43. What is a Memorandum?
Cliches
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
similar

44. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Recursive
Buzz Words

45. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
'You Viewpoint'
Key draft questions

46. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Garbled Sentences
Biased Language
Abstract words

47. 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
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Outlining
Position
Rules for writing instructions

48. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Euphemismss
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Mechanical Devices
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

49. 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
Recursive
Active Voice
Buzz Words
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

50. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Main parts of internal proposals
Intensifiers
Figures of Speech
Characteristics of job-related writing