Deck 15: Choosing the Right Word

Question 1

Accurate words mean what you want to say.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The context of a situation can affect how your audience interprets your words.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

To reduce the chances of using the wrong word, stick to words that are part of standard edited English.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Discourse communities are unconcerned about whether or not you use the right words.

Question 5

When two people use the same word to mean different things, trespassing occurs.

Question 6

Prioritize is a more formal word than rank.

Question 7

It's okay to use a long word if the discourse community prefers it; otherwise, use the shorter equivalent.

Question 8

Choosing to use positive terms for ideas with negative connotations presents ethical considerations for the writer.

Question 9

The same words can have different meanings according to culture.

Question 10

There are three kinds of jargon.

Question 11

Some dictionaries are descriptive, meaning they suggest how words are actually used.

Question 12

We learn meanings by context, by being alert and by being observant.

Question 13

Using the wrong word for a situation may demonstrate that you are not part of the audience's discourse community.

Question 14

When given the choice between "use"and "utilize,"put the latter in your message because doing do shows that you are a more literate writer and reader.

Question 15

To better understand the connotations of a word, you must understand what it means to your audience.

Question 16

Chances are that if your audience is American, there will be little confusion due to the denotation of the words that you choose.

Question 17

Denotation is more important than connotation.

Question 18

Connotation is more important than denotation.

Question 19

Accurate denotations make it easier to solve problems, such as two different parties understanding the terms in a message.

Question 20

The same words can be used to convey both positive and negative meanings.

Question 21

Avoid short, common words, because they sound unfriendly.

Question 22

It is never OK to use technical jargon.

Question 23

Businessese is acceptable in correspondence but never use business jargon.

Question 24

Accede means "to yield,"while exceed means "to go beyond or surpass."

Question 25

Alot means (informally) "many."

Question 26

Compliment means "to praise,"while complement means "to complete or something that completes."

Question 27

Do means to act or make while due means something that is scheduled or caused by.

Question 28

Discreet means separate while discreet means tactful.

Question 29

Use between when you have two or more choices.

Question 30

Fewer is used for objects that can be counted individually while less is used for objects that can be measured but not counted individually.

Question 31

Elicit means "to draw out,"while illicit means "unlawful."

Question 32

It's means "it is,"while its means "belonging to it."

Question 33

Stationery means "not moving,"while stationary means "paper."

Question 34

Which of the following words has the MOST positive connotation?

A) Obstinate.
B) Unyielding.
C) Firm.
D) Stubborn.
E) Intractable.

Question 35

You write in an e-mail message sent on Tuesday that you will have your project completed by next Friday. At the end of that week, your boss asks you why the project is not finished. What MOST likely happened?

A) Your boss is anxious to get the project completed and is trying to hurry you along.
B) Bypassing occurred; your boss took "next Friday" to mean later that week when you meant the Friday after.
C) The boss was simply mistaken and should have read the data stamp on your e-mail.
D) You may have inadvertently put the wrong date in your e-mail.
E) None of the above.

Question 36

Which of the following words usually does NOT carry a positive connotation?

A) Curious.
B) Careful.
C) Firm.
D) Decisive.
E) All of the above are positive.

Question 37

"The leader must incite unity among the members of the team."This sentence contains

A) Sexist language.
B) An error in denotation.
C) An error in connotation.
D) Unnecessarily formal language.
E) None of the above.

Question 38

Which of the following are exceptions to the rule that "shorter is better"?

A) Use a long word if it is the only word that expresses your meaning exactly.
B) Use a long word or phrase if it is more familiar than a short word.
C) Use a long word if its denotation is more appropriate.
D) Use a long word if the discourse community prefers it.
E) All of the above are exceptions.

Question 39

In your most recent performance appraisal, your supervisor writes that you "try hard and show a great deal of enthusiasm."This statement

A) Is a compliment because it obviously shows that you are a productive worker.
B) Suggests that you are open to learning additional skills and do so with a positive attitude.
C) Could be read as either positive or negative.
D) Is definitely negative because try can imply that while you make the effort you don't frequently succeed.
E) None of the above.

Question 40

You notice that in your organization, taller people tend to get promoted much faster than shorter people. After doing research going back several decades, you discover the tendency seems to have been with the organization since it started. Thinking critically, you might BEST determine

A) Taller people simply have better skills than shorter people.
B) Taller people are more aggressive than shorter people and therefore climb through the ranks faster.
C) Taller people are more attractive than shorter people, and the organization wants attractive people in positions where the public will see them.
D) The organizational culture is biased toward promoting taller people.
E) All of the above.

Question 41

You have received a document that uses a word with several different denotations. Which of the following is MOST necessary to determine which meaning is correct?

A) An unabridged dictionary and thesaurus.
B) The subject matter of the sentence.
C) The context in which the word appears.
D) A knowledge of the writer's native language.
E) An educated guess.

Question 42

Which of the following jargon terms is MOST likely to be acceptable in a letter or memo?

A) "Pursuant to your request."
B) "At your earliest convenience."
C) "Trusting this is satisfactory."
D) "FIFO."
E) "Most humbly your servant."

Question 43

"This student deviates from the norm in a number of ways."What, if anything, is wrong with the word "deviates"in this sentence?

A) "Deviate" has a negative connotation; a "deviate" is usually someone who has been a criminal, or who, in some way, rebelled against society.
B) The phrase "deviates from the norm" is too wordy.
C) "To deviate" means A to become, @ and therefore the word by definition has no place in this sentence.
D) The word "deviate" will not be found in most dictionaries.
E) The word is acceptable as it is.

Question 44

Is it desirable to use "enumerate"instead of "list"?

A) Yes, because long words are more professional than short words.
B) Yes, as long as the reader knows what "enumerate" means.
C) No, because "enumerate" and "list" have different meanings and cannot be interchanged.
D) No, because short, simple words are better than long ones.
E) None of the above.

Question 45

In which of the following is technical jargon MOST acceptable?

A) A thank you letter.
B) A proposal.
C) A job application letter.
D) A memo to a colleague in another unit of your organization.
E) Technical jargon is unacceptable in any of the above.

Question 46

Explain the differences among accurate, appropriate, and familiar words.

Question 47

Explain what bypassing is and how it can cause problems for writers.

Question 48

Explain the differences between positive and negative words, and give five examples of each.

Question 49

Explain how using the right word can help you demonstrate you are part of the discourse community.

Question 50

________ ________ are easy to read and understand.

Question 51

________ ________ convey the attitudes you want and fit well with the other words of your document.

Question 52

Terms that have a technical meaning but are used in a more general sense are called ________ ________.