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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. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Conciseness
Information needed for short report
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Characteristics of job-related writing

2. Stages can also be summarized as...
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Concrete Words

3. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Abstract words
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Business Writing Style

4. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Sentence Type
Information needed for short report
Climatic Order
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

5. 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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6. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Attractive and Readable Format
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

7. How do you present information in message?
Direct Statements
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Telegraphic Style
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

8. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Main parts of internal proposals
Get Feedback From Others!
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Abstract words

9. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Things to think through when planning a website
Procedures
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

10. Use Initialisms
Things to think through when planning a website
Biased Language
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Figures of Speech

11. What is a Memorandum?
'You Viewpoint'
Long Dashes
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Casual - Informal - or Formal

12. What is Direct Order?
similar
Telegraphic Style
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

13. 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
Main parts of a set of instructions
Denotaion
Outlining
Wordiness

14. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Repetition
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Wordiness

15. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Key draft questions
Telegraphic Style
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Position

16. 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
Cliches
Coherent writing
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

17. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Direct Statements
Figures of Speech
Purpose - Format - Composition
Sentence Variety

18. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Coherent writing
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Biased Language

19. 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
Conciseness
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Position

20. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Affectation
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

21. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Sentence Length
Characteristics of job-related writing
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Procedures

22. Conciseness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Instructions
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
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

23. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Procedures
Selecting the proper medium
Examples of medium s of business communication
Get Feedback From Others!

24. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Tone
One-third

25. What should you know about a Letter?
Get Feedback From Others!
Purpose - Format - Composition
Long Dashes
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

26. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Ethics in Business Writing
Procedures
Mechanical Devices
Cliches

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
Long Dashes
Buzz Words
Coherent writing
Sentence Type

28. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Affectation
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Goal of a letter of application
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

29. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
One-third
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Active Voice
Subordination

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

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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
Emphasis
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Repetition
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

32. What are Individual Contexts
Sentence Variety
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Outlining
Organizational - Professional - Personal

33. How is formatting important?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Main parts of instructions
Get Feedback From Others!
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

34. Formality Considerations
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Casual - Informal - or Formal
'You Viewpoint'
Conciseness

35. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
'You Viewpoint'
Strategy and Humanness
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Guidelines for successful group writing

36. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Affectation
Sentence Length

37. What is important in the Revising stage?
Telegraphic Style
Connotation
Get Feedback From Others!
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

38. Tell and show how to do something
Affectation
Purpose - Format - Composition
Short report
Instructions

39. What is format of most Memos?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Telegraphic Style

40. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
'You Viewpoint'

41. What are Pros of Email?
Intensifiers
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
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

42. 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.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Recursive
Garbled Sentences

43. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Information needed for short report
Coherent writing
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Things to think through when planning a website

44. Clairty
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Information needed for short report

45. 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
Long Dashes
Ethics in Business Writing
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Outlining

46. 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
Rules for writing instructions
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

47. 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)
Get Feedback From Others!
Long Dashes
Four keys to effective writing
Guidelines for successful group writing

48. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Short report
Selecting the proper medium
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Attractive and Readable Format

49. How do you present information in long messages?
Business Writing Style
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Conciseness
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

50. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Sentence Type
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Intensifiers
Sentence Variety