chapter 6

Which of the following statements best describes the use of letters, e-mails, and memos in business today?

• a. Businesses use memos to deliver positive messages internally and externally, but they use a formal business letter to deliver negative messages.
• b. E-mail delivers most internal communication, hard-copy memos deliver most external communication, and letters communicate only legal issues.
• c. Despite the popularity of e-mail, in certain situations letters remain the preferred channel of communication for delivering messages outside an organization.
• d. Businesses today use e-mail, memos, and letters interchangeably for all audiences, purposes, and messages.

Although e-mail is incredibly successful for both internal and external communication, you should still use letters when

• a. you need immediate feedback.
• b. the message must reach your reader very quickly.
• c. formality and sensitivity are essential.
• d. you have too little time to proofread.

In which of the following situations should you send a letter instead of an e-mail message?

• a. You are planning a sales team meeting.
• b. You are asking leading members of the community to contribute to a fundraising event to improve local parks.
• c. You are inviting employees to the annual sales seminar.
• d. You are reminding employees of Friday's divisional meetings.

Businesses choose letters to conduct transactions for which of these reasons?

• a. Letters convey a sense of urgency and indicate the need to complete transactions promptly.
• b. Letters represent the business's awareness of current trends and show customers its ability to communicate via up-to-date channels.
• c. Letters are the No. 1 channel of communication in business today, and businesses use letters to conduct most external transactions.
• d. Letters provide confidentiality, formality, and sensitivity to transactions that may also require a permanent record.

In the popular block letter format, which of the following guidelines apply?

• a. Use ragged, unjustified right margins.
• b. Use fully justified margins on all sides and center the body of the letter on the page.
• c. Start the sender's address, the dateline, and the complimentary close at the midpoint; align all other letter parts at the left margin.
• d. Double-space all content to improve readability.

Why is the format of a business letter important?

• a. Incorrect letter formats will invalidate legal agreements.
• b. Businesses use only one letter format: full block.
• c. The appearance of a business letter carries a silent message about the sender beyond the printed words.
• d. Even e-mails follow business letter format.

Which parts of your letters are readers likely to find most interesting and read first?

• a. Address
• b. Opening and closing
• c. Middle paragraphs of justification and explanation
• d. Salutation

One of the best ways to open a direct request that is likely to be granted is a(an)

• a. enthusiastic greeting and explanation of who the writer is.
• b. justification of the request to be made.
• c. question or polite command.
• d. thorough explanation of the needs and parameters of the request.

Which of the following is an effective opening for a routine information request letter?

• a. Please answer the following questions about your Web hosting services.
• b. My name is Jill Aubrey, and I am the office manager for Cape Consulting Inc.
• c. I recently read an article about your firm in the Cape Cod Times.
• d. Cape Consulting Inc. is the premier communication-consulting firm in the Cape and islands area.

Marcus has five questions to ask his reader in a routine information request letter. What is the best way to present these questions?

• a. As a separate enclosure
• b. In a bulleted or numbered list in the body of his letter
• c. In paragraph form in the body of his letter
• d. In a follow-up e-mail