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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. What are Pros of Email?
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

2. How to end an email
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Climatic Order
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

3. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Goal of a letter of application
Abstract words
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

4. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Short report
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

5. What are three levels of Editing?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Garbled Sentences
Position

6. When should email NOT be used?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in 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
Three P's for success in writing a memo

7. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Short report
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Procedures
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

8. What is important in the Revising stage?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Affectation
Selecting the proper medium
Get Feedback From Others!

9. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Mechanical Devices
Climatic Order
Guidelines for successful group writing

10. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Short report
Sentence Type
Characteristics of job-related writing

11. What is a Memorandum?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Cliches
Casual - Informal - or Formal

12. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Recursive
Connotation

13. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Procedures
Guidelines for successful group writing
Rules for writing instructions

14. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Euphemismss
Active Voice
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Wordiness

15. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
similar
Coherent writing

16. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Sentence Variety
similar
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

17. Correctness
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Outlining
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Buzz Words

18. 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
Business Writing Style
Telegraphic Style
Key draft questions
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

19. What is Indirect Order?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Concrete Words
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

20. What is critical to a message's success?
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Attractive and Readable Format
Garbled Sentences
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

21. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Denotaion
Euphemismss
Strategy and Humanness
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

22. 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 do employers like to see in a resume
Rules for writing instructions
Attractive and Readable Format

23. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Euphemismss
similar
Characteristics of job-related writing
Direct Statements

24. Goal and audience
Wordiness
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Things to think through when planning a website

25. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Intensifiers
Main parts of internal proposals
Recursive

26. Etiquette
Ethics in Business Writing
Business Writing Style
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

27. How do you begin the message?

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28. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Intensifiers
Sentence Variety
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

29. What is Direct Order?
Sentence Length
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Purpose - Format - Composition
Information the reader will want - put it first.

30. 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
Emphasis
Strategy and Humanness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

31. 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
Climatic Order
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Information needed for short report

32. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Long Dashes
Information needed for short report
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

33. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

34. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Repetition
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

35. How do you present information in message?
Sentence Length
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Telegraphic Style
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

36. When to use Instant Messaging?
Euphemismss
Conciseness
Characteristics of job-related writing
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

37. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Four keys to effective writing
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
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
Organizational - Professional - Personal

38. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
One-third
Main parts of instructions
Rules for writing instructions

39. Clairty
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Tone
Buzz Words

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

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41. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Purpose - Format - Composition
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Main parts of internal proposals

42. 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
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Connotation
Tone
Denotaion

43. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Mechanical Devices
Denotaion
Biased Language
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

44. How do you Plan the message?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Characteristics of job-related writing
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

45. Using short and long sentences strategically
One-third
Sentence Length
Procedures
Information needed for short report

46. General considerations with Email Messages
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Outlining

47. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Attractive and Readable Format
Main parts of internal proposals
Long Dashes

48. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Rules for writing instructions
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Length

49. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Get Feedback From Others!
Procedures
Goal of a letter of application
Selecting the proper medium

50. E.g. 'most important'
similar
One-third
Cliches
Direct Statements