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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. Tell and show how to do something
Connotation
Biased Language
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Instructions

2. The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject and his or her readers. May range depending on purpose etc.
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Conciseness
Tone
Cliches

3. 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.
Active Voice
Purpose - Format - Composition
Outlining
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

4. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Instructions
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

5. Formality Considerations
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Get Feedback From Others!

6. 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
Intensifiers
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Procedures
Attractive and Readable Format

7. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Denotaion
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Get Feedback From Others!
Climatic Order

8. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Figures of Speech
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

9. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Biased Language
Sentence Length
Procedures

10. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Long Dashes
Concrete Words
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Goal of a letter of application

11. When to use Instant Messaging?
Short report
Information needed for short report
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.

12. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Buzz Words
Conciseness
Emphasis
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

13. Conciseness
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Sentence Type
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

14. What should you know about a Letter?
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Purpose - Format - Composition
Main parts of instructions
Active Voice

15. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Denotaion
Procedures
Guidelines for successful group writing
Short report

16. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Abstract words
Recursive
Long Dashes

17. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Things to think through when planning a website
Information needed for short report
Telegraphic Style

18. 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

19. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Long Dashes
Coherent writing
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

20. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Buzz Words
Emphasis
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

21. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Rules for writing instructions
Cliches
Main parts of a set of instructions
Recursive

22. What are three levels of Editing?
Emphasis
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Mechanical Devices
Three P's for success in writing a memo

23. What is a Memorandum?
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Euphemismss

24. 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
Short report
Connotation
Biased Language
Subordination

25. What are Pros of Email?
'You Viewpoint'
Tone
Concrete Words
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record

26. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Euphemismss
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Concrete Words
Sentence Type

27. Etiquette
Key draft questions
Main parts of instructions
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

28. 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
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Purpose - Format - Composition
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message

29. What is format of most Memos?
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Examples of medium s of business communication
Concrete Words
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

30. 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.
Concrete Words
Garbled Sentences
Connotation
Intensifiers

31. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Outlining
Active Voice
Key draft questions
Recursive

32. Correctness
Ethics in Business Writing
Four keys to effective writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

33. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Long Dashes
Goal of a letter of application

34. Informal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Euphemismss
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

35. What is Direct Order?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Repetition
Cliches
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

36. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Active Voice
Coherent writing
Procedures
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

37. How do you begin the message?

38. How do you know what to include in your message?
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Sentence Variety
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Short report

39. What are three levels of Revision?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Affectation
Repetition
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

40. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Selecting the proper medium
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

41. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Telegraphic Style
Purpose - Format - Composition
Get Feedback From Others!
Euphemismss

42. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Biased Language
Telegraphic Style

43. Use Initialisms
Connotation
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Rules for writing instructions

44. When should email NOT be used?
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
Information needed for short report
Sentence Variety
Get Feedback From Others!

45. What are Individual Contexts
Main parts of internal proposals
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Organizational - Professional - Personal

46. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Telegraphic Style
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

47. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Conciseness
Coherent writing
Four keys to effective writing
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way

48. What is Indirect Order?
'You Viewpoint'
Long Dashes
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

49. General considerations with Email Messages
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Main parts of internal proposals
Tone

50. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Characteristics of job-related writing
Denotaion
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports