Question 1

Which of the following statements is the most specific way for a company to convey that it needs to reduce its current workforce by half?
A) The company will have to lay off a few employees.
B) The company will have to terminate a small percentage of its employees.
C) The company will have to terminate the majority of its employees.
D) The company will have to lay off about half of its employees.
E) The company will have to terminate 50 percent of its employees.

Accepted Answer

"The company will have to terminate 50 percent of its employees" is the most specific choice,because it states exactly what percentage of employees will be terminated.

Question 2

Hugo includes the following sentence in his memo: "The increase in profits is greater than any I have seen during my career." What is the flaw in this sentence?
A) It uses obscure words.
B) It contains redundancy.
C) It uses passive voice.
D) It is not specific.
E) It uses a figure of speech.

Accepted Answer

The sentence lacks specificity as it does not provide any details or numbers to back up the claim of increased profits. It is vague and can be misleading.

Question 3

In the context of writing a business message, the goal of completeness specifically means that
A) your message avoids all miscalculation, misinformation, and typographical errors.
B) your message provides all the information necessary to meet the intended purpose.
C) your language is efficient, saying as much as you can in as few words as possible.
D) your layout has a lot of long paragraphs and few white spaces.
E) your word count is as low as possible without redundancies or empty phrases.

Accepted Answer

Completeness in a business message means providing all the necessary information to meet the intended purpose. It is important to ensure that the recipient is not left with any questions, doubts, or uncertainties about the message or what action they need to take next.

Question 4

Which of the following is most likely to negatively influence readers' perceptions of your credibility?
A) long paragraphs
B) inaccurate statements
C) generous white space
D) passive voice
E) parallel language

Accepted Answer

Inaccurate statements can immediately discredit your credibility with readers. It is important to ensure that all information presented is factual and supported by reliable sources.

Question 5

In order to ensure the completeness of a business message, one should
A) be specific.
B) avoid empty phrases.
C) avoid redundancies.
D) control paragraph length.
E) use action verbs.

Accepted Answer

Being specific ensures that all necessary details are included, making the message complete and clear.

Question 6

Which of the following guidelines should be followed to ensure that you are creating a complete business message?
A) Use longer, more unusual words to "sound smart" and increase the credibility of your message.
B) Avoid parallel language as it can distract the readers from the main message you want to deliver.
C) Include all the information you need by eliminating as much white space as possible.
D) Plan, write, and review your message strategically to provide all relevant information, but nothing irrelevant.
E) Use the active voice to avoid blaming others or sounding too bossy.

Accepted Answer

Planning, writing and reviewing your message strategically to provide all relevant information, but nothing irrelevant is the best guideline to ensure that you are creating a complete business message.

Question 7

Neta believes it is a good idea to write business messages using generalities that will appeal to a broad readership. How is this practice likely to affect Neta's readers?
A) They may doubt her competence.
B) They will read the message carefully.
C) They will find the information they need.
D) They will be assured that she is not hiding facts.
E) They will focus on the primary message.

Accepted Answer

Using generalities can make the message seem vague and lacking in substance, which may lead readers to doubt the writer's competence.

Question 8

One way to solve the problem of overly lengthy paragraphs is to
A) include more figures of speech.
B) focus on one idea or topic in each paragraph.
C) use passive voice instead of active.
D) start more sentences with "There is."
E) replace verbs with prepositional phrases.

Accepted Answer

Focusing on one idea or topic in each paragraph can help break up lengthy paragraphs and make the text more readable and understandable. Including more figures of speech, using passive voice, starting more sentences with "There is," or replacing verbs with prepositional phrases would not necessarily solve the problem of overly lengthy paragraphs.

Question 9

Typically, the maximum length for a paragraph in a business message is
A) 75 words.
B) 100 words.
C) 150 words.
D) 200 words.
E) 300 words.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Typically, the maximum length for a paragraph...

Question 10

When business messages contain long paragraphs, readers are most likely to think the writer is
A) disorganized.
B) intelligent.
C) accurate.
D) respectful.
E) professional.

Accepted Answer

Long paragraphs can be overwhelming and difficult to read, making the message appear disorganized. It is better to break up the content into smaller, concise paragraphs to enhance readability and clarity. Therefore, readers are most likely to think the writer is disorganized if the message contains long paragraphs.

Question 11

Julio has a long paragraph that describes the two main causes of employee absenteeism and gives a suggestion to address each cause. Ideally, how many paragraphs does Julio need to cover this material?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
E) five

Accepted Answer

Long paragraphs can signal disorganization and even disrespect for the reader's time.One primary cause of overly lengthy paragraphs is placing more than one main idea or topic in the paragraph.Ideally,Julio should have a separate paragraph for each of the two causes and each of the two suggestions.Therefore,his one long paragraph should be broken into four.

Question 12

In the context of business messages, conciseness implies
A) removing relevant information.
B) omitting needless words.
C) omitting parallel structure.
D) removing white space.
E) removing paragraph breaks.

Accepted Answer

Conciseness in business messages means using only necessary and relevant information and avoiding unnecessary details and wordiness. Omitting needless words helps in making the message clear and easy to understand, which is crucial in business communication. Removing relevant information, omitting parallel structure, removing white space, and removing paragraph breaks can all hinder the message's clarity and effectiveness, so they do not promote conciseness in business messages.

Question 13

Which of the following is a basic requirement for creating a complete business message?
A) being accurate
B) being concise
C) avoiding redundancy
D) avoiding buzzwords
E) using parallel language

Accepted Answer

Being accurate is a basic requirement for creating a complete business message as it ensures that the message is conveying correct and relevant information to the recipient. Conciseness, avoiding redundancy, avoiding buzzwords, and using parallel language are important aspects of effective business messaging but are not the only basic requirements.

Question 14

Julian's boss has returned a memo with the note that Julian needs to improve its accuracy. Which of the following should he try to eliminate?
A) prepositional phrases
B) parallel language
C) miscalculations
D) passive voice
E) redundancies

Accepted Answer

Miscalculations can directly affect the accuracy of the memo, so eliminating them would be the most effective way to improve accuracy. While eliminating redundancies and avoiding passive voice may also help improve clarity and precision, they may not necessarily address issues of factual accuracy. Eliminating prepositional phrases and using parallel language can help improve clarity and flow, but they are not as directly related to accuracy as miscalculations.

Question 15

Which of the following is most likely to positively influence your readers' perceptions of your credibility?
A) being wordy
B) being specific
C) using buzzwords
D) starting sentences with "There are"
E) using prepositional phrases

Accepted Answer

Being specific provides concrete information and shows that the writer has a strong knowledge of the subject, which can improve the readers' perception of their credibility. The other options (being wordy, using buzzwords, starting sentences with "There are," and using prepositional phrases) do not necessarily enhance credibility.

Question 16

The management at Lavender garment manufacturing company conducted a survey with the intention of standardizing their employees' productivity to increase company profits. Based on their findings, they set their standards and circulated the following instructions, "Every employee should manufacture as many shirts as possible." However, this failed to clearly deliver the intended message of standardization. Which of the following would correct the problem?
A) Every employee should maximize the workflow of his or her station.
B) As many shirts as possible should be made by each employee.
C) All workers and employees should manufacture as many shirts or garments as possible.
D) Every employee should manufacture a minimum of three shirts an hour.
E) Needless to say, every employee should manufacture as many shirts as possible every day.

Accepted Answer

Setting a specific target, like manufacturing a minimum of three shirts an hour, provides a clear and measurable standard for productivity.

Question 17

In the context of creating a complete business message, which of the following is true?
A) Providing too much information can distract the readers and weigh a business document down.
B) Using action verbs focuses on the goal of coordinating action in the workplace and livens up your writing.
C) Using longer, more unusual words to "sound smart" can increase the credibility of your message.
D) Using the passive voice allows for faster processing by the readers, because most people naturally think in that structure.
E) Relying on parallel language can distract the readers from the main message you want to deliver.

Accepted Answer

One challenge while writing a business message is deciding which information is relevant for your message.After all,providing too much information can distract your readers and weigh your document down.On the other hand,not providing enough information can leave your reader wondering how to respond.

Question 18

Akram recently learned that his manager believes he was trying to hide the truth about his department's expenses in his last report. How can Akram revise his report to avoid giving that impression?
A) Shorten his paragraphs.
B) Avoid using buzzwords.
C) Use specific numbers and facts.
D) Avoid using unfamiliar words.
E) Decrease his use of white space.

Accepted Answer

Using specific numbers and facts can make the report more transparent and clear, and show that Akram is not trying to hide anything. Shortening paragraphs or decreasing white space may improve readability, but they do not necessarily address the issue of transparency. Avoiding buzzwords and unfamiliar words may be helpful, but the use of specific numbers and facts is more important in this context.

Question 19

Which of the following is most likely to help you write concisely?
A) using longer sentences
B) avoiding redundancy
C) using more prepositional phrases
D) avoiding the active voice
E) using buzzwords

Accepted Answer

Avoiding redundancy means eliminating unnecessary repetition and wordiness, which results in more concise writing.

Question 20

Typically, accurate information is
A) concise.
B) exact.
C) wordy.
D) redundant.
E) general.

Accepted Answer

Accurate information is precise and specific, meaning it is exact.

Quiz 6: Improving Readability With Style and Design

Which of the following statements is the most specific way for a company to convey that it needs to reduce its current workforce by half?

Hugo includes the following sentence in his memo: "The increase in profits is greater than any I have seen during my career." What is the flaw in this sentence?

In the context of writing a business message, the goal of completeness specifically means that

Which of the following is most likely to negatively influence readers' perceptions of your credibility?

In order to ensure the completeness of a business message, one should

Which of the following guidelines should be followed to ensure that you are creating a complete business message?

Neta believes it is a good idea to write business messages using generalities that will appeal to a broad readership. How is this practice likely to affect Neta's readers?

One way to solve the problem of overly lengthy paragraphs is to

Typically, the maximum length for a paragraph in a business message is

When business messages contain long paragraphs, readers are most likely to think the writer is

Julio has a long paragraph that describes the two main causes of employee absenteeism and gives a suggestion to address each cause. Ideally, how many paragraphs does Julio need to cover this material?

In the context of business messages, conciseness implies

Which of the following is a basic requirement for creating a complete business message?

Julian's boss has returned a memo with the note that Julian needs to improve its accuracy. Which of the following should he try to eliminate?

Which of the following is most likely to positively influence your readers' perceptions of your credibility?

In the context of creating a complete business message, which of the following is true?

Akram recently learned that his manager believes he was trying to hide the truth about his department's expenses in his last report. How can Akram revise his report to avoid giving that impression?

Which of the following is most likely to help you write concisely?

Typically, accurate information is