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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. 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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
'You Viewpoint'
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

2. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Mechanical Devices
Recursive
Position
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

3. Stages can also be summarized as...
Recursive
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Four keys to effective writing
Selecting the proper medium

4. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Main parts of instructions
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Euphemismss
Telegraphic Style

5. What are Individual Contexts
Examples of medium s of business communication
Cliches
Abstract words
Organizational - Professional - Personal

6. How do you present information in long messages?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Telegraphic Style
Repetition
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

7. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Emphasis
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Sentence Type
Position

8. Etiquette
Sentence Type
Intensifiers
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

9. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Four keys to effective writing
Goal of a letter of application
Ethics in Business Writing

10. General considerations with Email Messages
Outlining
Buzz Words
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

11. What is a Memorandum?
Key draft questions
Figures of Speech
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

12. Steps to Successful Writing
Concrete Words
Intensifiers
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Examples of medium s of business communication

13. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Selecting the proper medium
Abstract words
Figures of Speech
Main parts of internal proposals

14. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
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
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

15. How do you begin the message?

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16. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Get Feedback From Others!
Goal of a letter of application
Affectation
Coherent writing

17. When to use Instant Messaging?
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.
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Garbled Sentences

18. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Sentence Variety
Biased Language
Sentence Type

19. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Sentence Type
Main parts of a set of instructions
One-third
Affectation

20. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Tone
One-third
Cliches

21. 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
Direct Statements
Main parts of internal proposals
Business Writing Style
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

22. Casual
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Buzz Words
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

23. Clairty
Figures of Speech
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
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

24. Tell and show how to do something
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Garbled Sentences
Wordiness
Instructions

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

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26. 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
Outlining
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Long Dashes

27. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Main parts of internal proposals
similar
One-third
Organizational - Professional - Personal

28. 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
Subordination
Garbled Sentences
Buzz Words
'You Viewpoint'

29. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
'You Viewpoint'
similar
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Characteristics of job-related writing

30. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

31. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Denotaion
similar
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

32. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Abstract words
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Rules for writing instructions
Euphemismss

33. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Outlining
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

34. 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.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Garbled Sentences
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

35. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Four keys to effective writing
Strategy and Humanness

36. Goal and audience
Conciseness
Things to think through when planning a website
Main parts of internal proposals
Direct Statements

37. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Main parts of internal proposals
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Main parts of instructions

38. 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?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Affectation
Purpose - Format - Composition
Key draft questions

39. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Coherent writing
Guidelines for successful group writing
Long Dashes

40. What should you know about a Letter?
Purpose - Format - Composition
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

41. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Short report
similar
Figures of Speech
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

42. 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.
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Outlining
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

43. E.g. 'most important'
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Direct Statements
Idioms
Main parts of a set of instructions

44. 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
Affectation
Idioms
Wordiness
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

45. 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
Goal of a letter of application
Guidelines for successful group writing
Ethics in Business Writing
Emphasis

46. Use Initialisms
Active Voice
Climatic Order
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Outlining

47. 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
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Concrete Words
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Connotation

48. How do you present information in message?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Subordination
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Denotaion

49. 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
Business Writing Style
Climatic Order
Rules for writing instructions
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

50. 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
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Main parts of a set of instructions
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision