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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. Formality Considerations
Main parts of instructions
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Procedures

2. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Emphasis
Instructions

3. Goal and audience
Procedures
Buzz Words
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Things to think through when planning a website

4. What are three levels of Revision?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

5. Using short and long sentences strategically
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Sentence Length

6. 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
Purpose - Format - Composition
Active Voice
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Guidelines for successful group writing

7. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Concrete Words
Attractive and Readable Format
Tone
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

8. What is critical to a message's success?
Recursive
Attractive and Readable Format
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

9. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Figures of Speech

10. 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.
Examples of medium s of business communication
Direct Statements
Ethics in Business Writing
Outlining

11. Correctness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Sentence Length
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

12. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Purpose - Format - Composition
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

13. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Four keys to effective writing
Procedures
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

14. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Long Dashes
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Idioms

15. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Intensifiers
Affectation
Euphemismss
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

16. What are Individual Contexts
Recursive
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Repetition
Abstract words

17. What are three levels of Editing?
Connotation
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Sentence Variety

18. 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?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Affectation
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Key draft questions

19. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Idioms
Repetition
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Coherent writing

20. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Active Voice
Euphemismss
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

21. Conciseness
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Mechanical Devices

22. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Ethics in Business Writing
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Intensifiers

23. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Main parts of internal proposals
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Tone
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

24. How do you Plan the message?
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Active Voice
Repetition
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

25. 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
Short report
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Buzz Words
Concrete Words

26. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Mechanical Devices
Sentence Variety

27. What are Pros of Email?
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Long Dashes
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

28. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Short report
Characteristics of job-related writing
Characteristics of job-related writing

29. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Affectation
Wordiness
similar
Direct Statements

30. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Wordiness
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

31. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Key draft questions
Wordiness
Selecting the proper medium
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

32. 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
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

33. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Affectation
Garbled Sentences
Euphemismss

34. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Intensifiers
Goal of a letter of application
Sentence Length

35. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Main parts of instructions
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Euphemismss

36. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Conciseness
Buzz Words
Sentence Length

37. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Intensifiers

38. E.g. 'most important'
Garbled Sentences
Recursive
Direct Statements
Examples of medium s of business communication

39. When to use Instant Messaging?
Characteristics of job-related writing
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

40. What is format of most Memos?
Garbled Sentences
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Sentence Type
Attractive and Readable Format

41. 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
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Buzz Words
Cliches
Coherent writing

42. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Direct Statements
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Sentence Type
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

43. What is Indirect Order?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Key draft questions
Abstract words
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

44. Use Initialisms
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Things to think through when planning a website
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

45. How do you begin the message?

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46. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Concrete Words
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

47. What are Cons of Email?

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48. How do you present information in long messages?
Sentence Length
Selecting the proper medium
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

49. Formal
Rules for writing instructions
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
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

50. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Denotaion
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Sentence Length