Test your basic knowledge |

The Business Writing Process

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. 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






2. What is Indirect Order?






3. General considerations with Email Messages






4. 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






5. Casual






6. How do you begin the message?


7. What should you know about a Letter?






8. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.






9. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications






10. Stages can also be summarized as...






11. 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






12. What is Direct Order?






13. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences






14. Formality Considerations






15. 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






16. How do you present information in long messages?






17. What is the best advice for Drafting?






18. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.






19. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?






20. Clairty






21. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites






22. How do you present information in message?






23. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.






24. 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


25. When to use Instant Messaging?






26. 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






27. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses






28. What are three levels of Editing?






29. 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






30. Are these stages recursive or linear?






31. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.






32. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?






33. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion






34. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...






35. What are Individual Contexts






36. What techniques can be used for gathering information?






37. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary






38. 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.






39. Correctness






40. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.






41. 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






42. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb






43. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.






44. What is format of most Memos?






45. Conciseness






46. How do you know what to include in your message?






47. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --






48. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important






49. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?






50. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance