Chapter 03 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages

1. The second phase of the 3-x-3 writing process begins with _______.
a. analyzing the audience
b. composing the message
c. researching the topic
d. organizing the message

2. Before composing a business document, you should gather information that will answer which of these questions?
a. Will I have enough time to complete thorough research?
b. What is the receiver to do?
c. What information will be the easiest to locate?
d. How will I use this information?

3. Which of the following would require a formal research method?

a. Routine e-mail messages
b. Business letters
c. Long reports and proposals
d. Oral presentations

4. All of the following are informal research methods except _______.

a. interviewing the target audience
b. conducting a scientific experiment
c. looking in company files
d. brainstorming for ideas

5. When brainstorming to generate ideas, you should _______.

a. critique each idea as it is suggested
b. record ideas without judging them
c. always work alone for greater efficiency
d. allow no more than five ideas to be discussed

6. Which of the following is a formal research method?

a. Talking with your boss
b. Investigating primary sources
c. Brainstorming
d. Looking in company files

7. Which of the following research sources will provide you with firsthand information?
a. Internet websites and articles
b. Reference books
c. Electronic databases
d. Interviews
8. As interns in human resource management, Brad and his team are administering a professionally developed employee
questionnaire to collect information on workplace violence. This type of research produces data that is considered
_______.
a. firsthand information
b. informal documentation
c. supplementary, secondary information
d. scientific experimentation

9. Quality Building Materials Inc. has developed a new whole-house weather blanket and needs to determine the price
point at which builders would switch to this new product. The best research method for this is a(n) _______.
a. manual search of other companies' price lists
b. interview with a local builder
c. Internet search of insulation values for weather blankets
d. scientific experiment that presents price choices with controlled variables

10. Ahna is sending a persuasive memo to her staff asking them to participate in the new wellness program. Which of the
following sources of information would be most appropriate to help Ahna shape an effective persuasive message for her
staff?
a. Tightly controlled scientific experimentation
b. Library research
c. Questionnaires and surveys of employees
d. Research in company files

11. According to communication experts, what is the greatest failing of business writers?
a. Poor spelling
b. Unclear sentence structure
c. Ambiguous wording
d. Poor organization

12. The direct strategy would be most appropriate when _______.

a. delivering bad news
b. presenting ideas requiring persuasion
c. expecting the audience to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral
d. revealing sensitive news

13. A scratch list for a message is _______.

a. a list of topics that should not be covered
b. a complex, hierarchical arrangement of your ideas
c. a list of the general topics you wish to include
d. an inventory of illustrations or visuals you plan to include

14. Which of the following is an advantage of the direct strategy?

a. Minimizes a negative reaction
b. Respects the feelings of the reader
Page 2
 c. Saves the reader's time
d. Encourages a fair hearing

15. Which of the following business messages would use the indirect strategy?
a. An e-mail message to staff introducing a new employee
b. An oral presentation detailing the specifics of a new company wellness initiative
c. A letter to a coworker congratulating them on a recent promotion
d. A letter to a customer denying their request for credit

16. Which of the following message openings is the most direct opening for an e-mail message announcing a new
telecommuting plan?
a. A number of employees have asked about telecommuting options.
b. Many businesses have been implementing telecommuting programs, and we have studied their programs
extensively.
c. Rising gas prices have led many companies to allow telecommuting, and we think this might be a good idea
for our company.
d. Our new telecommuting program will begin on August 1.

17. Which of the following is an advantage of the indirect strategy?

a. Saves the reader's time
b. Respects the feelings of the audience
c. Reduces frustration
d. Sets a proper frame of mind

18. When you expect a reader of your message to be uninterested, unwilling, displeased, or hostile, you should _______.
a. put the bad news first
b. begin with the main idea
c. explain all background information first
d. send the message via e-mail, text message, or IM

19. The indirect strategy is most appropriate for what kind of messages?
a. Bad-news messages
b. Sensitive messages
c. Persuasive messages
d. The indirect strategy is appropriate for all the answer choices.

20. Which of the following kinds of business messages typically use the indirect strategy?
a. Nonsensitive memos
b. Routine requests
c. Informational reports
d. Sensitive messages

21. What kind of sentence contains only one independent clause?

Page 3
 a. Simple sentence
b. Compound sentence
c. Complex sentence
d. Compound-complex sentence

22. What kind of sentence contains two independent clauses?

a. Simple sentence
b. Compound sentence
c. Complex sentence
d. Compound-complex sentence

23. What kind of sentence contains an independent clause and a dependent clause?
a. Simple sentence
b. Compound sentence
c. Complex sentence
d. Compound-complex sentence

24. Which of the following is a complex sentence?

a. Visit our website to learn more about our newest product line.
b. The conference will be held on Monday, but few managers will be able to attend.
c. Employers are now using social media sites to screen applicants; therefore, job seekers are advised to clean
up their digital presence.
d. Because of rising insurance premiums, many companies are offering employee-wellness incentives.

25. Which of the following is a simple sentence?

a. If health insurance costs continue to rise, employee copays may increase.
b. Having healthy employees decreases the cost of monthly premiums; therefore, we will be implementing a
wellness program.
c. HMO and PPO insurance plans offer additional cost savings.
d. Because we will be reducing employee health insurance benefits, some employees may be unhappy; however,
we must make sure that they understand the reason for the change.

26. What is a sentence fragment?

a. Two independent clauses connected without punctuation or a conjunction
b. Two independent clauses connected by a comma without a conjunction
c. A broken-off part of a sentence
d. The part of a sentence containing the verb

27. What is a comma splice?

a. Two independent clauses run together without punctuation or a conjunction
b. Two independent clauses joined by a comma without a conjunction
c. A broken-off part of a sentence
d. Two dependent clauses

Page 4
28. What is a run-on sentence?
a. Two independent clauses run together without punctuation or a conjunction
b. Two independent clauses joined by a comma without a conjunction
c. A broken-off part of a sentence
d. An independent clause containing two dependent clauses

29. Technology has changed the working environments of employees, that is why employees are telecommuting more than
ever is an example of a _______.
a. complete sentence
b. fragment
c. fused or run-on sentence
d. comma splice

30. What is the recommended maximum number of words for a sentence?

a. 10
b. 20
c. 25
d. 30

31. Placing an idea in italic or bold font is an example of achieving emphasis through _______.
a. style
b. structure
c. mechanics
d. syntax

32. Which of the following sentences emphasizes an idea through style?

a. Consider adding a statement of qualifications section on your résumé; but, most important, include specific
and relevant previous employment information.
b. Add a statement of qualifications section on your résumé, but also include specific and relevant previous
employment information.
c. A résumé should include a statement of qualifications section and specific and relevant previous employment
information.
d. You should include a statement of qualifications section and specific and relevant previous employment
information on your résumé.

33. Which of the following sentences is most effective in de-emphasizing the bad news?
a. Although cash refunds are not offered, you can exchange resalable merchandise.
b. Although you can exchange returned merchandise, cash refunds are not available.
c. Because we only exchange merchandise, it is impossible for you to receive a cash refund.
d. Because of our exchange policy, you may not receive a cash refund.

34. Although most business writing should be in the active voice, passive voice is useful to _______.
a. stress the performer of the action

Page 5
 b. be more concise
c. make the message more direct
d. de-emphasize negative news

35. Which of the following uses only active voice in a complete sentence?
a. The company's rigid return policy was criticized by a few unhappy customers.
b. Because a few unhappy customers criticized the company's rigid return policy.
c. Managers were told about the unhappy customers who criticized the company's rigid return policy.
d. A few unhappy customers criticized the company's rigid return policy.

36. When should passive voice be used in business writing?

a. When you want to de-emphasize the action or the recipient of the action
b. When you want to emphasize the bad news
c. When you want to conceal the doer of the action
d. Never

37. The use of similar structures to express similar ideas is known as ________ construction.
a. parallel
b. grammatical
c. mechanical
d. dependent

38. Which of the following uses parallel structure?

a. Our new paralegal must be smart, efficient, and have flexibility.
b. The accident shattered her pelvis, dislocated her foot, and her spinal column was broken in three places.
c. Big business demands superior forecasting, reporting, and analyzing.
d. A good financial planner must be certified, competent, and must possess ethical standards.

39. A(n) ________ modifier occurs when the word or phrase it describes is not close in the sentence enough to be clear.
a. parallel
b. misplaced
c. distant
d. run-on

40. To avoid dangling modifiers, you can ask which of the following questions after writing an introductory phrase?
a. Why?
b. Who or What?
c. When?
d. How many?

41. The sentence that expresses a paragraph's main idea is called the _______.
a. blueprint

Page 6
 b. preview
c. supporting content
d. topic sentence

42. How many main ideas should be developed in a paragraph?

a. Two
b. Three to five
c. One
d. As many as needed to convey effective meaning

43. In effective business writing, where in a paragraph does a topic sentence usually appear?
a. At the beginning, to let readers know what to expect
b. Midway through, to keep readers focused
c. At the end, to summarize what has been discussed
d. Topic sentences are unnecessary in business writing.

44. A topic sentence _______.

a. provides specific details, explanations, and evidence that support the main idea of a paragraph
b. links sentences within a paragraph
c. is unnecessary in a paragraph
d. states the main idea of the paragraph

45. The primary purpose of a paragraph’s supporting sentences is to _______.

a. state the main idea of the paragraph
b. repeat the topic sentence
c. introduce the main idea of the previous paragraph
d. illustrate and strengthen the topic sentence by providing specific details, explanations, and evidence

46. Paragraphs lack coherence when _______.

a. all sentences are written in the active voice
b. each sentence includes dependent and independent clauses
c. ideas are organized randomly and illogically
d. all sentences are compound sentences

47. To build paragraph coherence, a writer should _______.

a. sustain a key idea by repeating the same expression or a similar one
b. avoid using transitional expressions
c. use nouns instead of pronouns
d. exclusively use active voice

48. Which of the following transitions would help to clarify an idea?

a. Next
b. As a result
Page 7
 c. For example
d. Instead

49. Transitional expressions such as next, first, and finally are useful to show _______.
a. cause and effect
b. illustration
c. comparison and contrast
d. time association

50. Which of the following is true about paragraph length?

a. Shorter paragraphs are generally considered more readable.
b. Longer paragraphs make the writer appear more knowledgeable.
c. Paragraph breaks should be avoided because they may cause the reader to lose interest.
d. Paragraphs should contain multiple main ideas to save space.

51. The prevalence of digital communication has de-emphasized writing skills in the workplace.
a. True
b. False

52. Research is key to helping a writer shape a business message.

a. True
b. False

53. One question writers should attempt to answer before drafting a message is What will happen if the receiver doesn't
complete the requested action?
a. True
b. False

54. Amrit is researching the financial impact of a job-sharing benefit for employees. Talking with his boss about the
possible effects of offering this benefit to employees is an effective method of formal research.
a. True
b. False

55. Conducting scientific experiments is a method to gather formal research.

a. True
b. False

56. Most routine business messages require formal research.

a. True
b. False

57. Looking in company files for information is considered formal research.

a. True
Page 8
 b. False

58. Brainstorming is an ineffective research technique.

a. True
b. False

59. Many communication experts regard poor organization as the greatest failing of business writers.
a. True
b. False

60. A scratch list is a detailed, hierarchical plan for organizing ideas and information.
a. True
b. False

61. When you expect the reader to be pleased, mildly interested, or neutral, use the indirect pattern of organization.
a. True
b. False

62. When you develop a major component on an outline into subpoints, you must have at least two subpoints.
a. True
b. False

63. Another name for the direct strategy is frontloading.

a. True
b. False

64. One advantage of the direct strategy is that it saves the reader time.
a. True
b. False

65. The indirect strategy works well with three kinds of messages: (a) bad news, (b) ideas that require persuasion, and (c)
sensitive news.
a. True
b. False

66. One advantage of the indirect strategy is that it respects the feelings of the audience.
a. True
b. False

67. The most compelling and effective messages contain one repeated sentence pattern rather than a variety of sentences.
a. True
b. False

Page 9
68. The new software system will be installed on Monday; therefore, our intranet will be unavailable to employees is an
example of a complex sentence.
a. True
b. False

69. Words such as although, if, because, and since often introduce dependent clauses.
a. True
b. False

70. When introductory dependent clauses precede independent clauses, they are always followed by a comma.
a. True
b. False

71. A compound-complex sentence contains two complete but related thoughts.

a. True
b. False

72. Employers want employees who can write messages appropriately they also want employees who can speak effectively
with others is an example of a well-written sentence.
a. True
b. False

73. A run-on sentence results when a writer joins two independent clauses with a comma.
a. True
b. False

74. Business writers should strive for a balance of shorter and longer sentences within paragraphs to avoid monotony.
a. True
b. False

75. Although mechanical means are occasionally appropriate to create emphasis, more often a writer achieves emphasis
stylistically.
a. True
b. False

76. Careful writers avoid labeling main ideas because they know that readers prefer to identify main ideas for themselves.
a. True
b. False

77. The following sentence effectively uses a stylistic device to de-emphasize the bad news: Although we don't have any
available positions at this time, we were pleased to receive your application and will keep it on file for six months.
a. True

Page 10
 b. False

78. In the active voice, the subject is acted upon. In the passive voice, the subject is the doer of the action.
a. True
b. False

79. Passive voice should never be used in business writing.

a. True
b. False

80. The following sentence demonstrates parallel structure: Maggie was organized, punctual, and she was always positive.
a. True
b. False

81. Modifiers must be close to the words they describe or limit.

a. True
b. False

82. The following sentence contains a dangling or misplaced modifier: Working all night, the brief was filed with the court
on time.
a. True
b. False

83. A paragraph is unified when it develops at least three ideas.

a. True
b. False

84. The topic sentence should relate the main idea of a paragraph.
a. True
b. False

85. Business writers generally place the topic sentence near the end of a paragraph to serve as a summary.
a. True
b. False

86. All support sentences in a paragraph must relate to the topic sentence.
a. True
b. False

87. Instead would be an effective transition to show contradiction.

a. True
b. False

Page 11
88. Good writers should avoid repetition of words or key ideas because it shows lack of creativity.
a. True
b. False

89. Writers can use words and phrases such as on the other hand, as opposed to, and conversely to show contrast in
business messages.
a. True
b. False

90. Business writers should strive for paragraphs with eight or fewer printed lines.
a. True
b. False

91. Interviewing the target audience is what type of research method?

a. Formal
b. Informal
c. Ad hoc
d. Secondary

92. What type of research is generally recommended for long reports and proposals?
a. Formal
b. Informal
c. Primary
d. Observational

93. The organizational writing technique that involves placing the main idea first and following it with details, an
explanation, or evidence is called _______.
a. indirect strategy
b. outlining
c. drafting
d. frontloading

94. Which strategy should be used for messages that contain bad news or ideas that require persuasion?
a. Direct
b. Indirect
c. Frontloading
d. Outlining

95. What type of sentence contains two independent clauses and one dependent clause?
a. Compound
b. Complex
c. Compound-Complex
d. Simple
Page 12
96. Joining two independent clauses with a comma results in a _______.
a. run-on sentence
b. comma splice
c. fragment
d. dangling modifier

97. Which of the following is an example of the passive voice?

a. The new organizational chart was presented by our recently hired CEO.
b. Camdyn wrote the annual report.
c. The committee interviewed three candidates.
d. Management encouraged the employees to work from home.

98. What type of error results when the word or phrase a modifier describes is missing from its sentence?
a. Dangling modifier
b. Run-on sentence
c. Comma splice
d. Misplaced modifier

99. What is the effect when a paragraph employs techniques such as strategic repetition and transitional expressions?
a. Strong coherence
b. Frontloading
c. Direct strategy
d. Indirect strategy

100. Which of the following are examples of transitional expressions that show time association?
a. “As a result” and “therefore”
b. “But” and “however”
c. “Before” and “meanwhile”
d. “As opposed to” and “on the other hand”

Page 13