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. Using short and long sentences strategically
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Sentence Length
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Coherent writing

2. Clairty
Purpose - Format - Composition
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Cliches
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

3. 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
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Main parts of internal proposals
Rules for writing instructions

4. Formal
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
Affectation
Repetition
Figures of Speech

5. What should you know about a Letter?
Long Dashes
Characteristics of job-related writing
Purpose - Format - Composition
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

6. 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
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
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Cliches

7. 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?
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Key draft questions
Goal of a letter of application
Your audience is the best guide for What and How

8. Provide practical information - give facts not impressions - provide visuals to clarify and condense information - give accurate measurements - state responsibilities precisely - persuade and offer recommendations -
Connotation
Abstract words
Sentence Variety
Characteristics of job-related writing

9. Goal and audience
Define the Problem - Consider the Audience and their Individual Contexts - Consider your own Contexts - Best Way to Achieve message;
Idioms
Sentence Length
Things to think through when planning a website

10. What is Direct Order?
Garbled Sentences
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Revision of content - Organization - Formatting
Information the reader will want - put it first.

11. Means that extraneous words - phrases - clauses - and sentences have been removed from writing without sacrificing clarity or appropriate detail.
Not Confidential - Doesn't Communicate Emotions - Tone of Voice - or Unspoken Communications - Can be Ignored or Delayed
Recipient's Name and Introduce Yourself
Intensifiers
Conciseness

12. Introduction - list of materials - actual steps - warnings - cautions - and notes - conclusion when necessary
Sentence Length
Main parts of instructions
Long Dashes
Goal of a letter of application

13. General ideas - qualities - conditions - acts or relationships-intangible things that cannot be detected by the five senses
Abstract words
Wordiness
Sentence Type
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs

14. Steps to Successful Writing
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Things to think through when planning a website
Preparation - Research - Organization - Writing - Revision

15. What is current emphasis on for a Letter?
Repetition
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Outlining
Strategy and Humanness

16. The relationships among ideas are clear to readers. A logical sequence of related ideas and clear transitions between these ideas.
Denotaion
Keep Distance between Writer and Reader - Avoid Personal References/Contractions - Longer Sentences - for people of Higher Status
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Coherent writing

17. 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
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility
Guidelines for successful group writing
Ethics in Business Writing
Connotation

18. Use Initialisms
Short report
Sentence Type
Cautiously i.e. BTW: by the way
Intensifiers

19. Tell and show how to do something
Strategy and Humanness
Instructions
Main parts of internal proposals
Internal Letters. Sometimes classified as Reports

20. 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 of job-related writing
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages
Ethics in Business Writing
Intensifiers

21. 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.
Main parts of internal proposals
Outlining
Connotation
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

22. What are the activities in the planning stage?
Affectation
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Subordination
Coherent writing

23. Conciseness
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Information needed for short report
Strategy and Humanness
Cut out nonessentials - Minimize references to Previous Communications

24. Honesty - attractive - carefully organized - concise accurate - current information - relevance
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Characteristics do employers like to see in a resume
Active Voice
Subordination

25. How do you know what to include in your message?
Three P's for success in writing a memo
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better
Your audience is the best guide for What and How
Guidelines for effective business e-mail messages

26. 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
Purpose - Format - Composition
Cliches
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
Revision - Editing - Proofreading

27. How do you begin the message?

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

28. What is the best advice for Drafting?
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress
Four keys to effective writing
Visualize Readers - Keep their interests in mind - List Pertinent Facts - Brainstorming - Diagrams
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose

29. What is the general Purpose of a Letter?
Gathering and Collecting Information - Analyzing and Organizing Information - Choosing the Form - Channel - and Format of the Message
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Eliminates phone tag - saves time - facilitates fast decisions - cheap - provides written record
Sentence Type

30. An imaginative expression that often compares two things that are basically not alike but have at least one thing in common.
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
Coherent writing
Connotation
Figures of Speech

31. How do you present information in long messages?
Goal of a letter of application
Use Direct Pattern if positive - Use Indirect Pattern if neutral or negative; State Objective - ALWAYS Consider Audience and Purpose
Main parts of internal proposals
Figures of Speech

32. How is formatting important?
Denotaion
One-third
It is integral in how your audience will receive and accept the information.
Goal of a letter of application

33. Varying sentences by using a compound sentence - a complex sentence - or a simple sentence
Short report
Sentence Type
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Figures of Speech

34. To emphasize the performer of an action: make the performer the subject of the verb
Long Dashes
Active Voice
Cliches
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

35. Concern policies and regulations found in employee handbooks and other internal corporate communications
Procedures
Stress Brevity - uses abbreviations - Convey ideas completely - minimal need for response - Telephone message - but in writing.
Denotaion
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order

36. Purpose - findings - conclusion - and recommendations
Casual - Informal - or Formal
Date - To - From - Subject Headings
Information needed for short report
Goal of a letter of application

37. 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
Characteristics of job-related writing
Climatic Order
similar

38. What are three levels of Editing?
Affectation
Examples of medium s of business communication
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Write Correctly so others will not think you are stupid or lack credibility

39. Repeating keywords and key phrases
Outlining
Most Important Information First - and then Descending Order
Repetition
Long Dashes

40. Words and expressions that offend because they make inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender - ethnicity - physical or mental disability - age or sexual orientation.
Mechanical Devices
Characteristics of job-related writing
Biased Language
Slang; Colloquialisms - Contractions - Short Sentences - for close friends only

41. Techniques for writing memos and emails are...
Goal of a letter of application
similar
Represent writer and topic formally to recipient. Correspondence with People Outside the your organization.
Main parts of internal proposals

42. The ____________ of a word are its literal meanings - as defined in a dictionary.
NO offensive or abusive emails should be sent - and no upper case - as that is considered SCREAMING
Denotaion
Figures of Speech
Get Feedback From Others!

43. Stages can also be summarized as...
Business Writing Style
Connotation
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
What do you want to say - Say It - Say it Better

44. What types of research is done in gathering information?
Coherent writing
Strategy and Humanness
Repetition
Past Correspondence - Employees - Records - Warranties - Product Descriptions - Survey - Interviews

45. Why Avoid Perfectionism in Drafting?
Helps include all important information; Makes you more willing to revise
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
Garbled Sentences
Casual - Informal - or Formal

46. What is important in the Revising stage?
Get Feedback From Others!
Proper Conversation - Personal Pronouns/Contractions - Sentences are Short - Organized - Well Structured;
Abstract words
Your Name - Closing Statement such as Thanks - Regards in more formal messages

47. What are Individual Contexts
Goal of a letter of application
Characteristics of job-related writing
Active Voice
Organizational - Professional - Personal

48. The use of language that is more formal - technical - or showy than necessary to communicate information to the reader.
Revision - Editing - Proofreading
Subordination
Affectation
Buzz Words

49. Listing the ideas or facts within a sentence in sequence from least to most important
Climatic Order
Buzz Words
Conciseness - Clarity - Etiquette - Correctness
Be Flexible - Avoid Perfectionism - Keep Going - Keep making progress

50. 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
Attractive and Readable Format
Strive for Concreteness - Vigor - Precision - Short sentences and paragraphs
Business Writing Style
Rules for writing instructions