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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. How do you Plan the message?
Business Writing Style
Get Feedback From Others!
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;

2. What is format of most Memos?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Date - To - From - Subject Headings

3. Correctness
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

4. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Strategy and Humanness
Abstract words
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

5. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Telegraphic Style
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Selecting the proper medium
Main parts of instructions

6. What is Indirect Order?
Characteristics of job-related writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Short report
Goal of a letter of application

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

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8. What are Pros of Email?
Instructions
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Coherent writing

9. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
One-third
Conciseness
Purpose - Format - Composition

10. What is critical to a message's success?
Attractive and Readable Format
Ethics in Business Writing
Idioms
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

11. 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

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12. 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
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Information needed for short report
Rules for writing instructions
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed

13. What is Direct Order?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Intensifiers
Strategy and Humanness

14. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Main parts of a set of instructions
Active Voice
Intensifiers

15. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Main parts of a set of instructions
Connotation
Cliches

16. 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
Biased Language
Guidelines for successful group writing
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Subordination

17. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Position
Characteristics of job-related writing
Outlining
Main parts of instructions

18. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
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
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Short report
Information the reader will want - put it first.

19. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Affectation
Key draft questions
Rules for writing instructions
Information needed for short report

20. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
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
Sentence Variety
Characteristics of job-related writing
Conciseness

21. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Selecting the proper medium
similar
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Purpose - Format - Composition

22. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Characteristics of job-related writing
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Examples of medium s of business communication
Long Dashes

23. 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
Casual - Informal - or Formal
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
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Wordiness

24. How do you know what to include in your message?
Climatic Order
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Recursive
Things to think through when planning a website

25. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Affectation
Business Writing Style
Main parts of internal proposals

26. What is a Memorandum?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Ethics in Business Writing
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Denotaion

27. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Connotation

28. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Attractive and Readable Format
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Mechanical Devices
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

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
Cliches
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Strategy and Humanness
Direct Statements

30. General considerations with Email Messages
Guidelines for successful group writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

31. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Information needed for short report
Idioms
Instructions
Connotation

32. What is important in the Revising stage?
Idioms
Tone
Get Feedback From Others!
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness

33. How do you begin the message?

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34. When to use Instant Messaging?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Procedures
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

35. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Sentence Variety
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Goal of a letter of application
Things to think through when planning a website

36. Steps to Successful Writing
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Rules for writing instructions
Abstract words

37. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Coherent writing
Climatic Order

38. Stages can also be summarized as...
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Direct Statements
Short report
Recursive

39. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
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
Sentence Length
Selecting the proper medium
Emphasis

40. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Cliches
Biased Language
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Direct Statements

41. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Euphemismss
Strategy and Humanness
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

42. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Sentence Type
Direct Statements
Connotation

43. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Characteristics of job-related writing
Concrete Words
Emphasis
Figures of Speech

44. What are Individual Contexts
Recursive
Key draft questions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Instructions

45. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Euphemismss
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Outlining

46. Etiquette
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Intensifiers
Four keys to effective writing
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

47. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Telegraphic Style
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

48. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Things to think through when planning a website
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Purpose - Format - Composition
Denotaion

49. How to end an email
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Main parts of internal proposals

50. E.g. 'most important'
Euphemismss
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Information needed for short report
Direct Statements