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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. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Ethics in Business Writing
Mechanical Devices
Concrete Words

2. How do you Plan the message?
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Denotaion
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

3. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
similar
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Long Dashes
Things to think through when planning a website

4. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Connotation
Procedures
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Active Voice

5. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Garbled Sentences
Short report
Selecting the proper medium
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

6. Clairty
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
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Main parts of a set of instructions
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

7. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
One-third
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

8. What should you know about a Letter?
Climatic Order
Subordination
Purpose - Format - Composition
Information needed for short report

9. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Four keys to effective writing
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Conciseness
Characteristics of job-related writing

10. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Get Feedback From Others!
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Key draft questions

11. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
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
Telegraphic Style
Climatic Order

12. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Outlining
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

13. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Sentence Type
Telegraphic Style
'You Viewpoint'
Emphasis

14. Formal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Get Feedback From Others!
Position
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

15. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Long Dashes
Characteristics of job-related writing

16. 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
Tone
Ethics in Business Writing
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Wordiness

17. How to end an email
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

18. Use Initialisms
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Garbled Sentences
Sentence Variety

19. What are three levels of Editing?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Garbled Sentences
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

20. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
Outlining
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Main parts of instructions

21. 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
Garbled Sentences
Figures of Speech
Ethics in Business Writing

22. Correctness
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

23. What are Cons of Email?

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24. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Things to think through when planning a website
Subordination
Mechanical Devices

25. What are Pros of Email?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Figures of Speech
Climatic Order
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

26. Using short and long sentences strategically
Short report
Main parts of internal proposals
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Sentence Length

27. Etiquette
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Denotaion
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

28. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
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
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

29. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Things to think through when planning a website
Buzz Words
Connotation

30. What is Direct Order?
Four keys to effective writing
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Sentence Length

31. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Strategy and Humanness
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Position

32. 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
Connotation
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

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
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Buzz Words
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

34. How do you present information in message?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
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

35. Repeating keywords and key phrases
similar
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Repetition
Coherent writing

36. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Goal of a letter of application
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Emphasis
Ethics in Business Writing

37. How do you begin the message?

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38. Stages can also be summarized as...
Emphasis
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

39. When should email NOT be used?
Sentence Variety
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
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Main parts of instructions

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

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41. 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
Connotation
Abstract words
Outlining
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

42. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Get Feedback From Others!
Repetition
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

43. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Position
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Affectation
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

44. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Biased Language
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Euphemismss
Concrete Words

45. What are Individual Contexts
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Emphasis
Attractive and Readable Format
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

46. What is important in the Revising stage?
Emphasis
Get Feedback From Others!
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Examples of medium s of business communication

47. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Biased Language
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Telegraphic Style
Ethics in Business Writing

48. How do you know what to include in your message?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Organizational - Professional - Personal

49. 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.
Strategy and Humanness
Outlining
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

50. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Telegraphic Style
Sentence Variety
Buzz Words