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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. 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
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Procedures
Emphasis
Repetition

2. How do you begin the message?

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3. Casual
Selecting the proper medium
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Affectation
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

4. What is a Memorandum?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Coherent writing
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Information needed for short report

5. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Get Feedback From Others!
Position
Tone

6. What are three levels of Revision?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Rules for writing instructions
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

7. How to end an email
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

8. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Cliches
Wordiness
Repetition

9. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Figures of Speech
Things to think through when planning a website
Concrete Words

10. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Subordination
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Euphemismss
Outlining

11. Tell and show how to do something
Rules for writing instructions
Business Writing Style
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Instructions

12. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Idioms
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Recursive

13. When to use Instant Messaging?
Cliches
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Goal of a letter of application
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

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

15. How do you know what to include in your message?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Tone
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

16. A group of words that has a special meaning apart from its literal meaning. Someone who 'runs for office'
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Idioms
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Long Dashes

17. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Euphemismss
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Long Dashes

18. 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?
Purpose - Format - Composition
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Key draft questions
Casual - Informal - or Formal

19. Correctness
Mechanical Devices
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Ethics in Business Writing

20. When should email NOT be used?
Characteristics of job-related writing
Mechanical Devices
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

21. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Strategy and Humanness
Four keys to effective writing
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
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

22. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Goal of a letter of application
Examples of medium s of business communication
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Abstract words

23. Goal and audience
Affectation
Things to think through when planning a website
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Repetition

24. Audience's preferences - personal work style - how widely info needs to be distributed etc.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Main parts of internal proposals
Selecting the proper medium

25. What is Indirect Order?
Sentence Variety
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Things to think through when planning a website

26. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Characteristics of job-related writing
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Four keys to effective writing

27. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Sentence Length
Purpose - Format - Composition
Telegraphic Style
Attractive and Readable Format

28. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Repetition
Main parts of internal proposals
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Sentence Length

29. 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
similar
Things to think through when planning a website
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

30. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Buzz Words
Main parts of a set of instructions
Emphasis
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

31. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Idioms
Outlining

32. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Recursive
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Four keys to effective writing
Procedures

33. 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
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Characteristics of job-related writing
Cliches
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

34. 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.
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Outlining
Subordination

35. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Idioms
Affectation

36. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Tone
Connotation
Repetition

37. General considerations with Email Messages
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Cliches

38. 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.
Garbled Sentences
Ethics in Business Writing
Denotaion
Euphemismss

39. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Repetition
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Selecting the proper medium
Sentence Variety

40. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Guidelines for successful group writing
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Business Writing Style
Position

41. E.g. 'most important'
Direct Statements
Mechanical Devices
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
One-third

42. What are Individual Contexts
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Key draft questions
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Cliches

43. Clairty
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Tone
Information needed for short report
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

44. What should you know about a Letter?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics of job-related writing
Purpose - Format - Composition
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

45. Formality Considerations
Emphasis
Purpose - Format - Composition
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Position

46. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

47. 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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48. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Main parts of instructions
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Denotaion
Selecting the proper medium

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

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50. Stages can also be summarized as...
Abstract words
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.