Question 1

To create a more natural writing style and improve the ease of reading,a writer should use

Accepted Answer

Using parallel language means that you apply a consistent grammatical pattern across a sentence or paragraph.Parallelism is most important when you use series or lists,as it makes them easier to read.

Question 2

The use of familiar words in business messages is most likely to

Accepted Answer

Whenever possible,one should choose short,conversational,and familiar words in business messages so that they are easier for readers to interpret.Using longer,less common words to "sound smart" rarely pays off.They slow processing and distract from your message.They may even inadvertently send the signal that you are out of touch,quirky,or arrogant.

Question 3

Which statement about buzzwords is true?

Accepted Answer

To keep your writing natural and engaging,make sure you do not distract your readers with overused or out-of-place words or phrases.Buzzwords,which are workplace terms that become trite because of overuse,can stir negative feelings among some readers.

Question 4

Which statement about ease of navigation is true?

Accepted Answer

Your readers will form an immediate impression about your document based on how much white space (areas without text)it has.Documents with too much text and not enough white space look daunting or cluttered.On the other hand,documents with too much white space may look insufficient.

Question 5

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of figures of speech,such as idioms and metaphors,in business writing?

Accepted Answer

Figures of speech,such as idioms and metaphors,are generally out of place or inappropriate in business writing.Since they are nonliteral,they lack the precise meanings needed in business.

Question 6

It becomes easier for your readers to process the information you present when you

Accepted Answer

The more closely you match your writing style to the way your readers think and talk,the easier it is for them to process the information you present.

Question 7

Consider the following statement: "Employee managers can use our motivational tools to motivate their employees to increase productivity." The best way to make this statement concise is to

Accepted Answer

Removing the redundant words from a message is a way of making a business message concise.The above statement can be rewritten,"Managers can use our tools to motivate their employees to increase productivity."

Question 8

Consider the following sentence: "CEO Mike Maloney regrets to announce that PharmCo will be downsizing at the end of September." Which of the following actions would improve the ease of reading?

Accepted Answer

To keep your writing natural and engaging,make sure you don't distract your readers with overused or out-of-place words or phrases.Buzzwords,which are workplace terms that become trite because of overuse,can stir negative feelings among some readers.Using the buzzword "downsizing" as a term for layoffs is likely to annoy employees.

Question 9

Consider the statement: "In order to build a sustainable organization,it is important to hire employees with sustainable qualities." One way to make this statement more concise is to

Accepted Answer

Eliminating extra words allows you to get your ideas across as efficiently as possible.You will often find that you can reduce word count by 30 to 40 percent simply by converting many of your prepositional phrases into single-word verbs.The above statement can be rewritten as,"Hiring employees with sustainable qualities helps you build a sustainable organization."

Question 10

People reading a business message are most likely to be confused by a sentence that

Accepted Answer

When the subject or doer is missing from a sentence,readers may become confused.

Question 11

To improve ease of reading when using headings in business documents,

Accepted Answer

As you develop your headings,make sure they concisely and accurately convey the contents of a section.

Question 12

Consider the statement: "As most of you know,Mega Manufacturing had its most profitable year ever last year." One way to make this statement more concise is to

Accepted Answer

Many phrases fill space without adding meaning.Many of these phrases are common in conversations but are not needed in written messages.The above statement can be written,"Mega Manufacturing had its most profitable year ever last year."

Question 13

Glen is writing a memo to suggest that his company hire someone to act on its behalf in a foreign market.If he wants to improve the ease of reading of his message,which term should he use to describe that person?

Accepted Answer

To keep your writing natural and engaging,remember that people generally process simple,short,familiar words more quickly than long,complex or unfamiliar ones.

Question 14

Which statement about active voice and passive voice is true?

Accepted Answer

People tend to think in a doer-action-object pattern,so using this pattern in your writing enhances comprehension.Active voice uses that pattern.

Question 15

What impact does beginning sentences with "it is" or "there are" have on a business message?

Accepted Answer

Readers naturally want to know precisely who or what the subject of a sentence is,particularly in business writing,where specificity is so important.Most sentences that begin with "it is" or "there are" fail to provide a specific subject and generally contain more words than necessary.

Question 16

As a rule of thumb,for routine messages,the sentence length should be no more than

Accepted Answer

As a rule of thumb,for routine messages,you should aim for average sentence length of 15 or fewer words.

Question 17

Using the active voice while writing business messages

Accepted Answer

Using active voice in writing includes many benefits.The doer-action-object approach allows for faster processing because most people's natural thinking occurs in this way.It also emphasizes the business orientation of action.Perhaps most important,it specifies the doer.Since business activities depend on accountability and coordination,knowing the identity of the doer of an action is usually important.Furthermore,writing in the active voice usually results in fewer words.

Question 18

People are most likely to process information quickly when writers use

Accepted Answer

People can generally process information more quickly when writers use action verbs.

Question 19

For most written business communications,the first consideration should be to

Accepted Answer

Visual appeal is not the first consideration for most written business communications.Rather,the goal is to get your message across in an easy-to-read manner.

Question 20

Which of the following is most likely to improve the ease of navigation in information-rich and complex messages?

Accepted Answer

In information-rich and complex messages,headings can help your readers identify key ideas and navigate the document to areas of interest.

Quiz 6: Improving Readability With Style and Design