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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?
Key draft questions
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Telegraphic Style

2. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Abstract words
Affectation
Concrete Words
Subordination

3. How is formatting important?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

4. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Short report
Conciseness
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

5. What are Cons of Email?

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6. How do you know what to include in your message?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Figures of Speech
Euphemismss
Repetition

7. 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.
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Rules for writing instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Outlining

8. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Recursive
Goal of a letter of application
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

9. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Connotation
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Affectation
Long Dashes

10. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Idioms
Tone
Repetition
Concrete Words

11. What is critical to a message's success?
Procedures
Denotaion
Recursive
Attractive and Readable Format

12. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Emphasis
Procedures
Get Feedback From Others!

13. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Position
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

14. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Idioms
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Climatic Order
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

15. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Business Writing Style
similar
Characteristics of job-related writing
One-third

16. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Attractive and Readable Format
Organizational - Professional - Personal
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Procedures

17. How to end an email
Concrete Words
Characteristics of job-related writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

18. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Main parts of instructions
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Selecting the proper medium
Strategy and Humanness

19. General considerations with Email Messages
Emphasis
Guidelines for successful group writing
Get Feedback From Others!
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

20. Correctness
Ethics in Business Writing
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Coherent writing
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

21. Formality Considerations
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Coherent writing
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Casual - Informal - or Formal

22. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Active Voice
Instructions
Strategy and Humanness

23. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Examples of medium s of business communication
Instructions
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

24. Stages can also be summarized as...
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Main parts of a set of instructions
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

25. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Garbled Sentences
Repetition
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

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
Rules for writing instructions
Long Dashes
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Denotaion

27. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Wordiness
Long Dashes
Active Voice
similar

28. What is a Memorandum?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Sentence Type
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Euphemismss

29. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Long Dashes
Sentence Variety
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Tone

30. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Ethics in Business Writing
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
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

31. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Outlining
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

32. Use Initialisms
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Concrete Words
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Climatic Order

33. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Sentence Variety
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Garbled Sentences

34. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Selecting the proper medium
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Tone
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

35. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Active Voice
One-third
Procedures
Denotaion

36. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Biased Language
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

37. 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
Subordination
Denotaion
Coherent writing
Wordiness

38. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Business Writing Style
Direct Statements
Key draft questions
Conciseness

39. How do you begin the message?

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40. What are Individual Contexts
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

41. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Instructions
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Position
Subordination

42. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Idioms
Subordination
Concrete Words
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

43. 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
Business Writing Style
Buzz Words
Three P's for success in writing a memo
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

44. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Procedures
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

45. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Things to think through when planning a website
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Main parts of a set of instructions
Three P's for success in writing a memo

46. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
'You Viewpoint'
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

47. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Figures of Speech
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Casual - Informal - or Formal

48. 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
Coherent writing
Buzz Words
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

49. How do you Plan the message?
Procedures
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Biased Language
Position

50. Tell and show how to do something
Instructions
Direct Statements
Main parts of instructions
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed