Test your basic knowledge |

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. 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
Buzz Words
Ethics in Business Writing
Short report
One-third

2. What are Pros of Email?
Ethics in Business Writing
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Goal of a letter of application
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

3. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Outlining
Connotation
Get Feedback From Others!
Euphemismss

4. How is formatting important?
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Main parts of a set of instructions

5. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Main parts of instructions
Coherent writing
Repetition
Characteristics of job-related writing

6. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status

7. What is a Memorandum?
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Position
Figures of Speech
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

8. When to use Instant Messaging?
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Purpose - Format - Composition
Repetition
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

9. Casual
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Intensifiers
Key draft questions

10. What is critical to a message's success?
Attractive and Readable Format
Wordiness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Three P's for success in writing a memo

11. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
'You Viewpoint'
Biased Language
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams

12. 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.
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Direct Statements
Outlining
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

13. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Mechanical Devices
Garbled Sentences
Position
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

14. 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
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Emphasis
Business Writing Style

15. How do you begin the message?

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

16. Sentences can vary in sentence length - word order - loose and periodic sentences
Garbled Sentences
Conciseness
Sentence Variety
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

17. How do you present information in message?
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

18. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Climatic Order
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Characteristics of job-related writing

19. What are three levels of Revision?
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Characteristics of job-related writing

20. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
One-third
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Tone

21. What is format of most Memos?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Cliches

22. What are Cons of Email?

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

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

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/html/basicversity.com/show_quiz.php on line 183

24. How to end an email
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Attractive and Readable Format
Goal of a letter of application

25. Conciseness
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting

26. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Characteristics of job-related writing
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Climatic Order

27. Formal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Tone
Active Voice
Figures of Speech

28. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Procedures
Main parts of instructions
'You Viewpoint'
Active Voice

29. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Short report
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself

30. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
similar
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Figures of Speech

31. When should email NOT be used?
Get Feedback From Others!
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
Tone

32. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Connotation
Denotaion
Figures of Speech

33. Tell and show how to do something
Concrete Words
Instructions
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Get Feedback From Others!

34. 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
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Outlining
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Connotation

35. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
Get Feedback From Others!
Denotaion
Euphemismss
'You Viewpoint'

36. Steps to Successful Writing
Business Writing Style
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Rules for writing instructions

37. How do you present information in long messages?
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Examples of medium s of business communication
Guidelines for successful group writing
Business Writing Style

38. 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
Buzz Words
Main parts of a set of instructions
Strategy and Humanness
Goal of a letter of application

39. 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
Emphasis
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Concrete Words
Guidelines for successful group writing

40. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Get Feedback From Others!
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Business Writing Style

41. Purpose - problem - plan/solution - conclusion
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Main parts of internal proposals
Things to think through when planning a website
Affectation

42. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Three P's for success in writing a memo
Main parts of instructions
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Long Dashes

43. 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
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Characteristics of job-related writing
Rules for writing instructions

44. Informal
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
similar
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;

45. 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?
Abstract words
Key draft questions
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Procedures

46. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Mechanical Devices
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

47. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Information needed for short report
Main parts of a set of instructions
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Mechanical Devices

48. What is important in the Revising stage?
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Get Feedback From Others!

49. E.g. 'most important'
Position
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Direct Statements
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

50. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Euphemismss
Main parts of instructions
Strategy and Humanness
Examples of medium s of business communication