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. What are three levels of Editing?
Connotation
Short report
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Four keys to effective writing

2. 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
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Conciseness

3. 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
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
similar
Ethics in Business Writing
Main parts of internal proposals

4. Clairty
Intensifiers
Euphemismss
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Sentence Length

5. 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
Guidelines for successful group writing
Idioms
Business Writing Style
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING

6. Iitalics - bold type - underlining etc.
Mechanical Devices
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

7. What is Indirect Order?
One-third
Figures of Speech
Characteristics of job-related writing
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience

8. Use to call attention to a particular word or statement --
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Abstract words
Long Dashes
Repetition

9. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Coherent writing
Goal of a letter of application
Repetition
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume

10. How is formatting important?
Main parts of internal proposals
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Wordiness

11. An inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could be distasteful - offensive - or too blunt.
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages
Euphemismss
Key draft questions
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

12. When to use Instant Messaging?
Denotaion
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

13. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Position
Four keys to effective writing
Main parts of instructions
Coherent writing

14. Introduction; list of equipment and materials; steps for your instructions; warnings - cautions - and notes; conclusion
Main parts of a set of instructions
Buzz Words
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Telegraphic Style

15. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Four keys to effective writing
Coherent writing
Position
Examples of medium s of business communication

16. Formal
Denotaion
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Subordination
Main parts of instructions

17. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Main parts of internal proposals
Biased Language
Guidelines for successful group writing
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

18. How do you present information in long messages?
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications
Information the reader will want - put it first.

19. Etiquette
Characteristics of job-related writing
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Examples of medium s of business communication
Instructions

20. Condenses writing by omitting articles - pronouns - conjunctions - and transitions - e.g. ' Per 5/21 email 12 copies of instruction needed asap'
Telegraphic Style
Goal of a letter of application
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

21. What are Individual Contexts
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Four keys to effective writing
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Connotation

22. What is format of most Memos?
Information the reader will want - put it first.
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

23. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Intensifiers
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Key draft questions

24. How do you Plan the message?
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Buzz Words
Sentence Length
Main parts of instructions

25. How much time should a student spend in each writing stage?
similar
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
One-third
Examples of medium s of business communication

26. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Garbled Sentences
Mechanical Devices
Information needed for short report
Instructions

27. Formality Considerations
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Sentence Variety
Cliches

28. Provide practical info - give facts - not impressions - provide visuals to clarify - give accurate measurements - stating responsibility precisely - persuading and offering recommendations
Telegraphic Style
Rules for writing instructions
Denotaion
Characteristics of job-related writing

29. Steps to Successful Writing
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Garbled Sentences
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

30. Where you put the idea - The first & last words of a sentence - paragraph - doc - stand out in readers' minds.
Position
Recursive
Main parts of internal proposals
Get Feedback From Others!

31. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Characteristics of job-related writing
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

32. What techniques can be used for gathering information?
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Concrete Words
Goal of a letter of application
Garbled Sentences

33. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Figures of Speech
Organizational - Professional - Personal
Four keys to effective writing

34. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Concrete Words
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.

35. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Intensifiers
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Climatic Order
Outlining

36. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Recursive
Conciseness
Selecting the proper medium
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

37. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Sentence Length
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise

38. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Guidelines for successful group writing
Figures of Speech
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.

39. 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
Emphasis
Attractive and Readable Format
Characteristics of job-related writing
Connotation

40. General considerations with Email Messages
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Rules for writing instructions
Long Dashes
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

41. Letters - memos - email - instant messages - telephone calls - Faxes - Face-to-face meetings - video conferences - web sites
Subordination
Strategy and Humanness
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Examples of medium s of business communication

42. What should you know about a Letter?
Things to think through when planning a website
Characteristics of job-related writing
'You Viewpoint'
Purpose - Format - Composition

43. 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
Outlining
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Cliches
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

44. Tell and show how to do something
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Instructions
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Euphemismss

45. Are these stages recursive or linear?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Business Writing Style
Recursive
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

46. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Sentence Length
Idioms
similar
Instructions

47. Used to show - by the structure of a sentence - the appropriate relationship between ideas of unequal importance.
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Characteristics of job-related writing
Characteristics of job-related writing
Subordination

48. To set you apart from the others; show that you have customized your resume for that company/job opening
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision
Mechanical Devices
Goal of a letter of application
Short report

49. They dentify things that can be perceived by the 5 senses - such as diploma - manager - or keyboard
Examples of medium s of business communication
Sentence Length
Subordination
Concrete Words

50. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Put it Last - using the opening to prepare the audience
Abstract words
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order