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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. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Things to think through when planning a website
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Sentence Variety
Direct Statements

2. Repeating keywords and key phrases
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Repetition
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

3. What are Individual Contexts
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics of job-related writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal

4. How do you know what to include in your message?
Climatic Order
Rules for writing instructions
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Goal of a letter of application

5. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Cliches
Main parts of instructions
Examples of medium s of business communication
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

6. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Outlining
Selecting the proper medium
Recursive
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

7. How do you Plan the message?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Direct Statements
Idioms
Outlining

8. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Active Voice
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Short report
Long Dashes

9. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Long Dashes
Procedures
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Ethics in Business Writing

10. 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
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Connotation
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Purpose - Format - Composition

11. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Direct Statements
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Connotation

12. 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
Concrete Words
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

13. 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
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

14. 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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15. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Telegraphic Style
Rules for writing instructions
Selecting the proper medium
Outlining

16. What is critical to a message's success?
Attractive and Readable Format
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Denotaion
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

17. What are three levels of Editing?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Wordiness

18. Formal
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Wordiness
Emphasis

19. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Characteristics of job-related writing
Idioms
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Position

20. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Things to think through when planning a website
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Emphasis

21. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Figures of Speech
Long Dashes
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

22. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Biased Language
Coherent writing
Figures of Speech

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
Examples of medium s of business communication
Cliches
Short report
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

24. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Cliches

25. What is important in the Revising stage?
Repetition
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Get Feedback From Others!

26. 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
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Ethics in Business Writing
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

27. 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
Garbled Sentences
Guidelines for successful group writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Wordiness

28. How to end an email
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Concrete Words
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Instructions

29. Clairty
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Things to think through when planning a website
Climatic Order
Examples of medium s of business communication

30. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Subordination
Sentence Variety
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

31. Etiquette
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

32. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Short report
Main parts of a set of instructions
Goal of a letter of application
Climatic Order

33. 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
Telegraphic Style
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics of job-related writing
Buzz Words

34. Tell and show how to do something
Instructions
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Sentence Length

35. 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
Euphemismss
Idioms
Ethics in Business Writing
Cliches

36. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Garbled Sentences
Intensifiers
Biased Language
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

37. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Sentence Variety
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

38. Formality Considerations
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Concrete Words

39. 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
Telegraphic Style
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Guidelines for successful group writing
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

40. General considerations with Email Messages
Conciseness
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
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

41. Goal and audience
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Biased Language
Things to think through when planning a website
Tone

42. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Characteristics of job-related writing
One-third
Things to think through when planning a website

43. Am I giving the reader too much or too little info? - does this point belong here? - is this point relevant? - am I repeating or contradicting myself? - have I ended appropriately?
Key draft questions
Telegraphic Style
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

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

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45. What are Pros of Email?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Affectation
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Wordiness

46. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Mechanical Devices
Characteristics of job-related writing
Abstract words
Active Voice

47. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Direct Statements
Examples of medium s of business communication
Climatic Order
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

48. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Goal of a letter of application

49. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Coherent writing
Sentence Variety
Concrete Words

50. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Key draft questions
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Strategy and Humanness