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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 Cons of Email?

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2. What is format of most Memos?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Information needed for short report
Subordination

3. Using short and long sentences strategically
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Sentence Length
Purpose - Format - Composition
Recursive

4. Casual
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
'You Viewpoint'
Tone
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

5. How do you know what to include in your message?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Get Feedback From Others!
Goal of a letter of application
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

6. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Recursive
Mechanical Devices
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Guidelines for successful group writing

7. What is the best advice for Drafting?
'You Viewpoint'
Abstract words
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Casual - Informal - or Formal

8. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Sentence Variety
Affectation
Ethics in Business Writing

9. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Information needed for short report
Position
Procedures
Selecting the proper medium

10. 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
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Active Voice
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

11. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Concrete Words
Short report
Climatic Order
Mechanical Devices

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.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Euphemismss
Information needed for short report
Outlining

13. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Get Feedback From Others!
Mechanical Devices
Selecting the proper medium
Strategy and Humanness

14. 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
'You Viewpoint'
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Climatic Order

15. Informal
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Intensifiers

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

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17. Steps to Successful Writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Key draft questions
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing

18. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
'You Viewpoint'
Main parts of internal proposals
Attractive and Readable Format
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

19. Goal and audience
Garbled Sentences
Figures of Speech
Things to think through when planning a website
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

20. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Rules for writing instructions
Sentence Length
Procedures
Sentence Type

21. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Recursive
Key draft questions
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Idioms

22. 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
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Connotation
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

23. Conciseness
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Attractive and Readable Format
Procedures

24. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Tone
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Idioms
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

25. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Type
Business Writing Style
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

26. What is a Memorandum?
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Active Voice

27. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Euphemismss
Cliches
Main parts of internal proposals
Denotaion

28. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
similar
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Selecting the proper medium
Information needed for short report

29. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Cliches
Biased Language
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

30. 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
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Key draft questions

31. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
Figures of Speech
Affectation
Selecting the proper medium

32. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Main parts of internal proposals
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Ethics in Business Writing

33. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Active Voice
Examples of medium s of business communication
Telegraphic Style
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

34. 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
Idioms
Selecting the proper medium
Wordiness
Guidelines for successful group writing

35. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Coherent writing
Euphemismss
Short report
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

36. 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
Mechanical Devices
Rules for writing instructions
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

37. Formality Considerations
Active Voice
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

38. What are Pros of Email?
Examples of medium s of business communication
Outlining
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Direct Statements

39. 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
Recursive
Abstract words
Active Voice

40. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Guidelines for successful group writing
One-third
Figures of Speech

41. What is critical to a message's success?
Repetition
Affectation
Attractive and Readable Format
Examples of medium s of business communication

42. What is Indirect Order?
Denotaion
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
similar

43. 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
Figures of Speech
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Garbled Sentences

44. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Attractive and Readable Format
Intensifiers
Mechanical Devices

45. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Selecting the proper medium
Intensifiers

46. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Conciseness
Short report
Get Feedback From Others!
Purpose - Format - Composition

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

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48. 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
Key draft questions
'You Viewpoint'
Buzz Words
Four keys to effective writing

49. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Repetition
Affectation

50. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Emphasis
Four keys to effective writing
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness