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Test your basic knowledge |
The Business Writing Process
Start Test
Study First
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 is the best advice for Drafting?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Wordiness
2. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Rules for writing instructions
Intensifiers
Coherent writing
3. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Recursive
Sentence Type
Long Dashes
Conciseness
4. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Get Feedback From Others!
Sentence Variety
5. Formality Considerations
Attractive and Readable Format
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Outlining
6. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Examples of medium s of business communication
7. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Procedures
Main parts of instructions
Cliches
8. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Information needed for short report
Climatic Order
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
9. How is formatting important?
Position
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Direct Statements
10. Casual
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
11. How to end an email
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
One-third
Conciseness
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
12. 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.
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Long Dashes
Sentence Length
Garbled Sentences
13. 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
Sentence Variety
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Sentence Type
Buzz Words
14. 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)
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Concrete Words
Four keys to effective writing
Connotation
15. 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
Conciseness
Connotation
Examples of medium s of business communication
Business Writing Style
16. How do you Plan the message?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
17. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Tone
Wordiness
Climatic Order
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
18. What is important in the Revising stage?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Get Feedback From Others!
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
19. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Connotation
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
20. Informal
One-third
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Sentence Length
21. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Repetition
Key draft questions
Coherent writing
22. 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
Main parts of a set of instructions
Ethics in Business Writing
Long Dashes
23. What is Direct Order?
Tone
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
24. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Subordination
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Goal of a letter of application
Intensifiers
25. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Climatic Order
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Main parts of instructions
Strategy and Humanness
26. 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
Main parts of internal proposals
Information the reader will want - put it first.
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Rules for writing instructions
27. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Selecting the proper medium
28. 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.
Outlining
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Euphemismss
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
29. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Ethics in Business Writing
Denotaion
Position
30. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Recursive
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Abstract words
31. E.g. 'most important'
Purpose - Format - Composition
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Direct Statements
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
32. What is a Memorandum?
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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Connotation
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
33. 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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34. How do you present information in message?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Purpose - Format - Composition
35. 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
Mechanical Devices
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
36. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Long Dashes
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Connotation
37. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Cliches
Procedures
Connotation
38. What is critical to a message's success?
Denotaion
Attractive and Readable Format
Examples of medium s of business communication
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
39. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Concrete Words
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Coherent writing
Rules for writing instructions
40. What should you know about a Letter?
Direct Statements
Intensifiers
Purpose - Format - Composition
Organizational - Professional - Personal
41. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Coherent writing
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Figures of Speech
Garbled Sentences
42. 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
Subordination
Business Writing Style
Garbled Sentences
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
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
Procedures
Selecting the proper medium
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
44. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Main parts of internal proposals
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Procedures
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
45. 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?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Key draft questions
Climatic Order
Telegraphic Style
46. What are three levels of Editing?
Attractive and Readable Format
Short report
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Coherent writing
47. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Characteristics of job-related writing
Coherent writing
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
48. What are Individual Contexts
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Main parts of a set of instructions
Attractive and Readable Format
Key draft questions
49. General considerations with Email Messages
Recursive
Things to think through when planning a website
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
50. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Active Voice
similar
Goal of a letter of application
One-third