Test your basic knowledge |

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. 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
Business Writing Style
Outlining
Things to think through when planning a website
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

2. Clairty
Mechanical Devices
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

3. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Sentence Type
Idioms
Things to think through when planning a website

4. 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
Cliches
Buzz Words
Purpose - Format - Composition

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

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

6. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Short report
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Biased Language
Things to think through when planning a website

7. 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;
Goal of a letter of application
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

8. 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
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Intensifiers
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

9. What are Pros of Email?
Conciseness
Instructions
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Subordination

10. What is format of most Memos?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Denotaion
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Organizational - Professional - Personal

11. How do you know what to include in your message?
Sentence Type
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Guidelines for successful group writing

12. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

13. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Recursive
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

14. What is important in the Revising stage?
Tone
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Concrete Words
Get Feedback From Others!

15. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Characteristics of job-related writing
Procedures
Active Voice

16. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Conciseness
Biased Language
Main parts of internal proposals
Recursive

17. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Four keys to effective writing
Recursive
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

18. Conciseness
Garbled Sentences
Sentence Type
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

19. How do you present information in long messages?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Abstract words
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

20. Correctness
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Main parts of a set of instructions
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

21. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Emphasis
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Selecting the proper medium
Direct Statements

22. 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.
Sentence Type
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Outlining
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

23. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Concrete Words
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

24. Use Initialisms
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Things to think through when planning a website
Instructions
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

25. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Main parts of internal proposals
Rules for writing instructions
Subordination
Repetition

26. Formality Considerations
Cliches
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Subordination

27. How do you present information in message?
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Attractive and Readable Format
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

28. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Wordiness
Ethics in Business Writing
Intensifiers

29. 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
Goal of a letter of application
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Cliches
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

30. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Idioms
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Active Voice
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

31. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Repetition
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Subordination

32. Using short and long sentences strategically
Subordination
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Sentence Length
Main parts of internal proposals

33. General considerations with Email Messages
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Figures of Speech
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Abstract words

34. 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;
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Goal of a letter of application
One-third

35. 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

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

36. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Climatic Order
Sentence Variety
'You Viewpoint'

37. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Examples of medium s of business communication
Euphemismss
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

38. What is Indirect Order?
Telegraphic Style
Figures of Speech
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Guidelines for successful group writing

39. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Short report
Main parts of instructions

40. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Things to think through when planning a website
Climatic Order
Sentence Variety

41. 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
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Emphasis
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Main parts of internal proposals

42. Etiquette
'You Viewpoint'
Connotation
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Subordination

43. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Subordination
Information needed for short report
Characteristics of job-related writing
Repetition

44. Tell and show how to do something
Instructions
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Business Writing Style
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

45. 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.
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
'You Viewpoint'
Garbled Sentences
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

46. 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
Sentence Variety
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Climatic Order
Connotation

47. Formal
Repetition
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Key draft questions
Idioms

48. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Direct Statements
Main parts of internal proposals
Abstract words

49. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Sentence Variety
Conciseness
Coherent writing
Wordiness

50. What is a Memorandum?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility