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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 a Memorandum?
Idioms
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Coherent writing
2. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Procedures
Abstract words
Key draft questions
3. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
One-third
Biased Language
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
4. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Wordiness
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
5. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
'You Viewpoint'
Mechanical Devices
6. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Sentence Variety
Affectation
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Instructions
7. 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?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Coherent writing
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Key draft questions
8. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
'You Viewpoint'
Figures of Speech
Tone
9. 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
Goal of a letter of application
Climatic Order
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
10. General considerations with Email Messages
Four keys to effective writing
Position
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
11. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
12. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Key draft questions
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Active Voice
13. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Goal of a letter of application
Direct Statements
Sentence Type
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
14. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Conciseness
Wordiness
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
15. What is important in the Revising stage?
similar
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Things to think through when planning a website
Get Feedback From Others!
16. What is critical to a message's success?
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Mechanical Devices
Attractive and Readable Format
17. What are Individual Contexts
Selecting the proper medium
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
18. 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
Strategy and Humanness
Get Feedback From Others!
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Buzz Words
19. How do you Plan the message?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Euphemismss
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
20. 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)
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Emphasis
Four keys to effective writing
Position
21. 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
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Sentence Type
Main parts of internal proposals
Rules for writing instructions
22. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Examples of medium s of business communication
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
23. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Goal of a letter of application
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Direct Statements
24. Casual
Coherent writing
Things to think through when planning a website
Tone
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
25. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Short report
Long Dashes
Active Voice
26. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Repetition
Strategy and Humanness
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
27. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Business Writing Style
Examples of medium s of business communication
Buzz Words
Euphemismss
28. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Abstract words
One-third
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
29. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Wordiness
Selecting the proper medium
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
30. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Recursive
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Intensifiers
31. What are Pros of Email?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Euphemismss
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Selecting the proper medium
32. What should you know about a Letter?
Information needed for short report
Purpose - Format - Composition
Characteristics of job-related writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
33. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Sentence Length
Main parts of internal proposals
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Characteristics of job-related writing
34. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Euphemismss
Position
35. Formality Considerations
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Repetition
Four keys to effective writing
Casual - Informal - or Formal
36. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Denotaion
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
37. 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
Position
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Long Dashes
38. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Direct Statements
Attractive and Readable Format
Idioms
Business Writing Style
39. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
Sentence Type
Cliches
Mechanical Devices
40. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Recursive
Guidelines for successful group writing
41. What is format of most Memos?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Cliches
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
42. How is formatting important?
Concrete Words
Goal of a letter of application
Abstract words
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
43. Conciseness
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Biased Language
44. 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
Examples of medium s of business communication
Position
Abstract words
45. 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
Cliches
One-third
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Goal of a letter of application
46. 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
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Attractive and Readable Format
Business Writing Style
Idioms
47. Goal and audience
Things to think through when planning a website
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Idioms
Get Feedback From Others!
48. Using short and long sentences strategically
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Coherent writing
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Sentence Length
49. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Ethics in Business Writing
Telegraphic Style
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Main parts of instructions
50. 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
Wordiness
Business Writing Style
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Denotaion