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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. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Biased Language
Denotaion
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Information needed for short report
2. How do you Plan the message?
Position
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
3. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Buzz Words
Main parts of a set of instructions
Rules for writing instructions
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
4. Goal and audience
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Things to think through when planning a website
Sentence Length
Denotaion
5. What is format of most Memos?
Conciseness
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
6. Stages can also be summarized as...
Wordiness
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Biased Language
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
7. 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
Main parts of instructions
Key draft questions
Buzz Words
Wordiness
8. How to end an email
Main parts of instructions
Sentence Type
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Position
9. How do you present information in message?
Short report
Garbled Sentences
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
10. How do you begin the message?
11. 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
One-third
Guidelines for successful group writing
Three P's for success in writing a memo
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
12. How do you present information in long messages?
Sentence Variety
'You Viewpoint'
Main parts of instructions
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
13. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Sentence Type
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
14. What are three levels of Editing?
Outlining
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Emphasis
15. What are Cons of Email?
16. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Intensifiers
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Purpose - Format - Composition
17. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Rules for writing instructions
18. What are Pros of Email?
Goal of a letter of application
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Climatic Order
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
19. General considerations with Email Messages
Intensifiers
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Selecting the proper medium
Purpose - Format - Composition
20. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Four keys to effective writing
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
21. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Main parts of internal proposals
Position
Connotation
22. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Position
Sentence Length
Tone
Idioms
23. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Active Voice
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Characteristics of job-related writing
24. Steps to Successful Writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
25. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Wordiness
Procedures
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Denotaion
26. Formality Considerations
Guidelines for successful group writing
Active Voice
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Ethics in Business Writing
27. What is Direct Order?
Attractive and Readable Format
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
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Outlining
28. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Tone
similar
Attractive and Readable Format
29. Conciseness
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Four keys to effective writing
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Idioms
30. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Information needed for short report
Denotaion
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
31. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Abstract words
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
32. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Figures of Speech
Main parts of a set of instructions
Strategy and Humanness
33. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Rules for writing instructions
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Conciseness
34. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Main parts of a set of instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Sentence Variety
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
35. How is formatting important?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Four keys to effective writing
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
36. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Mechanical Devices
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Position
37. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Rules for writing instructions
Characteristics of job-related writing
Business Writing Style
Purpose - Format - Composition
38. What should you know about a Letter?
Direct Statements
Purpose - Format - Composition
Denotaion
Information the reader will want - put it first.
39. 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
Figures of Speech
Emphasis
Garbled Sentences
Cliches
40. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Main parts of internal proposals
Characteristics of job-related writing
Key draft questions
Ethics in Business Writing
41. Plan what you are going to say - polish what you wrote before you sent it - proofread everything
42. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Conciseness
Outlining
Repetition
One-third
43. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Instructions
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Examples of medium s of business communication
Cliches
44. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Conciseness
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
Denotaion
45. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Strategy and Humanness
Concrete Words
46. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Sentence Type
Subordination
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
47. What is Indirect Order?
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
48. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Repetition
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Ethics in Business Writing
Abstract words
49. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Telegraphic Style
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.
Euphemismss
50. 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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility