Business Writing Quiz

Which of the following represents a courteous approach to writing business messages?

• Use words that sound demanding or authoritative.

• Turn demands into rhetorical questions.

• Express legitimate emotions of anger and frustration.

• Emphasize writer benefits.

Which of the following would help to create a conversational but professional tone in a business message?

• Headings for skim value

• Technical terms to establish the writer's industry knowledge

• Familiar words and personal pronouns

• Frequent abbreviations such as IMHO and BTW

Which of the following demonstrates non-gender-biased business writing?

• The company’s executives and their wives will attend the Reno conference.

• All salesmen must meet monthly sales quotas.

• The female attorney graduated from Yale.

• The office personnel will assist you with your forms.

Which of the following demonstrates effective business writing?

• An Asian CEO was the keynote speaker.

• An African-American man was the next customer.

• A record number of Japanese investors are purchasing real estate in the United States.

• Mr. Hernandez, a Mexican, is my boss.

Business writers who use words such as interrogate, remuneration, and terminate are using language many readers would consider _______.

• slang

• conversational

• jargon

• unfamiliar

Which one of the following suggestions about using jargon in a business writing should you follow?

• Jargon should never be used in business writing.

• Jargon can always be used in a business writing because it is generally understood by both insiders and outsiders within a field.

• Effective business communicators know to include some jargon within any message to demonstrate their intelligence and command of the English language.

• Jargon should be used only when the audience will understand it.

Which of the following is most acceptable for business writing?

• Please think about the new insurance option.

• Caltrek experienced a change in profits during the last fiscal year.

• Retailers can expect to pay higher amounts for their goods and services.

• Sheila will examine the job proposal carefully.

The final task in the third phase of the writing process is evaluating your message to decide whether it accomplishes your goal.

• True

• False

In order to be an effective writer, you must follow the three phases of the writing process in sequence, moving from Phase 1 to Phase 2 to Phase 3 in order.

• True

• False

You should plan to spend equal amounts of time on each phase of the writing process.

• True

• False