Business Letters and Workplace Messages

Business letters are typically sent _______.

• a. to relay bad news

• b. within an organization

• c. outside an organization

• d. only by high-level executives

Most workplace messages should be organized _______.

• a. indirectly

• b. chronologically

• c. directly

• d. topically

Which of the following messages is considered a routine business message?

• a. An e-mail message to a coworker that confirms the time for an upcoming meeting

• b. A letter to a customer denying a request for credit

• c. A memo proposing the purchase of a new printer

• d. A cover letter applying for a job

A popular format of business letters, called _______ style, aligns all parts on the left of the page.

• a. justified

• b. formal

• c. informal

• d. block

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

• a. Businesses use memos to deliver positive messages internally and externally, but they use formal business letters 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 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.

Which statement about the format of a business letter is accurate?

• a. Legal agreements are invalid if they do not demonstrate the correct letter format.

• b. Business letters are required to use the block formatting style.

• c. The appearance of a business letter can send nonverbal messages about a sender to a receiver.

• d. Legal agreements are only valid if they are printed on company letterhead.

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.

Frontloading a message refers to _______.

• a. including an attachment

• b. proofreading only the beginning of a letter

• c. including a salutation or greeting

• d. placing the main idea of the message first