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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. 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.
Euphemismss
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Garbled Sentences
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
2. What is format of most Memos?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Repetition
3. 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
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Emphasis
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
4. Repeating keywords and key phrases
One-third
Repetition
Cliches
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
5. What are Pros of Email?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Selecting the proper medium
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
6. 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.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Outlining
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
7. Conciseness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Euphemismss
Procedures
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
8. What are Individual Contexts
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Cliches
Organizational - Professional - Personal
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
9. What are three levels of Revision?
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Active Voice
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
10. Goal and audience
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Things to think through when planning a website
Procedures
Tone
11. 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
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Cliches
Business Writing Style
Examples of medium s of business communication
12. 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)
Repetition
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Four keys to effective writing
Direct Statements
13. 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
'You Viewpoint'
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Short report
Cliches
14. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Affectation
Main parts of a set of instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Instructions
15. 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
Information needed for short report
Connotation
Active Voice
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
16. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Climatic Order
Emphasis
Subordination
17. Informal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
similar
Coherent writing
18. What is Indirect Order?
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Coherent writing
19. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Position
Selecting the proper medium
Cliches
Sentence Type
20. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Key draft questions
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
21. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Main parts of internal proposals
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Coherent writing
Selecting the proper medium
22. 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?
Key draft questions
Guidelines for successful group writing
Concrete Words
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
23. How is formatting important?
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Mechanical Devices
Main parts of a set of instructions
24. Steps to Successful Writing
Biased Language
Connotation
Emphasis
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
25. Clairty
Concrete Words
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Recursive
Goal of a letter of application
26. What is Direct Order?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Subordination
Things to think through when planning a website
Telegraphic Style
27. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Main parts of instructions
Key draft questions
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Information needed for short report
28. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Sentence Length
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Denotaion
Biased Language
29. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Active Voice
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
30. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Sentence Variety
Attractive and Readable Format
Repetition
31. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Sentence Type
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
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Examples of medium s of business communication
32. 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
33. How to end an email
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Tone
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Concrete Words
34. 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
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Ethics in Business Writing
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Buzz Words
35. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Sentence Type
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Main parts of internal proposals
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
36. 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
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
37. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Examples of medium s of business communication
Recursive
Garbled Sentences
Purpose - Format - Composition
38. Formality Considerations
Affectation
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Key draft questions
39. Using words like 'most - much - very' with caution - wthout overdoing it.
Get Feedback From Others!
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Intensifiers
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
40. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
similar
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
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
41. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Concrete Words
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Rules for writing instructions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
42. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Mechanical Devices
Tone
Connotation
43. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
One-third
Figures of Speech
Long Dashes
44. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
One-third
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
45. 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
Recursive
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Garbled Sentences
46. An organized presentation of relevant data on any topic that a company or agency tracks in its day-to-day operations
Sentence Length
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Guidelines for successful group writing
Short report
47. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Telegraphic Style
Conciseness
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Information the reader will want - put it first.
48. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Strategy and Humanness
Recursive
Abstract words
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
49. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Denotaion
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Telegraphic Style
50. How do you Plan the message?
Emphasis
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Garbled Sentences
Denotaion