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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 three levels of Editing?
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

2. How to end an email
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Instructions
Things to think through when planning a website

3. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Main parts of internal proposals
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Cliches

4. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Euphemismss
Guidelines for successful group writing
Recursive
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

5. Formality Considerations
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Short report
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Guidelines for successful group writing

6. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Repetition
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Main parts of instructions
Instructions

7. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Mechanical Devices
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

8. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Conciseness
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Long Dashes
Position

9. When to use Instant Messaging?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Repetition
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Outlining

10. Using short and long sentences strategically
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
'You Viewpoint'
Sentence Length

11. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Idioms
Procedures
Climatic Order

12. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Affectation
Climatic Order
Goal of a letter of application

13. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Active Voice
Main parts of internal proposals
Abstract words

14. Correctness
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Climatic Order
Things to think through when planning a website
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

15. What are Pros of Email?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Tone

16. What should you know about a Letter?
Purpose - Format - Composition
Sentence Length
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

17. How do you present information in message?
Biased Language
Abstract words
Strategy and Humanness
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

18. Stages can also be summarized as...
Attractive and Readable Format
Four keys to effective writing
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Repetition

19. 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
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Key draft questions
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

20. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Repetition
Tone
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

21. Casual
Buzz Words
Main parts of a set of instructions
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

22. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Sentence Type
Idioms
Main parts of instructions

23. 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
Things to think through when planning a website
Strategy and Humanness
Ethics in Business Writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

24. Etiquette
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Business Writing Style
Active Voice
Wordiness

25. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
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

26. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Main parts of internal proposals
Long Dashes
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Casual - Informal - or Formal

27. How do you Plan the message?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Subordination
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

28. 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
Information needed for short report
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Three P's for success in writing a memo

29. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Ethics in Business Writing
Long Dashes
Idioms

30. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Subordination
Attractive and Readable Format
Three P's for success in writing a memo

31. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
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
Conciseness

32. How is formatting important?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

33. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Telegraphic Style
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Conciseness

34. Clairty
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Goal of a letter of application
Main parts of internal proposals
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

35. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Buzz Words
Position
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Coherent writing

36. 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
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Buzz Words
Information needed for short report
Subordination

37. What is Direct Order?
similar
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Intensifiers

38. 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
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Buzz Words
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Wordiness

39. Places the reader's interest and perspective foremost. It is based on the principle that most readers are naturally more concerned about their own needs than they are about those of a writer or a writer's organization - often means using the words y

40. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Figures of Speech
Selecting the proper medium
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Purpose - Format - Composition

41. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Business Writing Style
Main parts of instructions
Emphasis
Short report

42. What are Cons of Email?

43. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
similar
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Rules for writing instructions
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

44. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
similar
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Procedures
Concrete Words

45. What is important in the Revising stage?
Key draft questions
Get Feedback From Others!
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

46. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Position
Sentence Length
Affectation

47. Tell and show how to do something
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Instructions
Things to think through when planning a website
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

48. Conciseness
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Guidelines for successful group writing
Characteristics of job-related writing

49. What are Individual Contexts
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Instructions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Sentence Length

50. 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
Figures of Speech
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Guidelines for successful group writing
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order