Final Examination925 North Spurgeon Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701Text: Author(s):Publisher:.calcoast.edu”>www.calcoast.eduPhone: 714-547-9625 Fax: 714-547-5777Business Communications TodayEleventh Edition, 2012ISBN-13: 978-0-13-253955-5Courtland Bovee and John V. ThillPearson Prentice Hall12/14BAM 312Business CommunicationsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without writtenpermission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotationin review.Copyright © 2014 by California Coast University5Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business CommunicationsMultiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)1. The term corporate culture refers to ___________.a. the number of organizational levels within a corporationb. a company’s sponsorship of events such as concerts and playsc. the extent to which corporations dominate a particular cultured. the mixture of values, traditions and habits that give a company its atmosphere and personality2. In most organizations, the rumor mill tends to be particularly active when ____________.a. the formal communication network is not providing the information employees wantb. employees are wasting company timec. employees are satisfied with their jobsd. formal communication channels are working efficiently3. In the first step of the communication process, the sender ____________.a. decides what to sayb. chooses a communication mediumc. has an idead. chooses a communication channel4. Whereas Business Communication 1.0 tends to emphasize ____________, Business Communication 2.0 focuses more on ____________.a. control; influenceb. permission; intrusionc. collaboration; isolationd. discussion; lecture5. All of the following are examples of unethical communication except ____________.a. plagiarismb. using jargonc. distorting visualsd. selective misquoting6Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications6. Which of the following is an example of an ethical lapse?a. Sharing confidential information with a new employer about your previous (competing) employer’s major clientsb. telling your supervisor that another employee is stealing office suppliesc. providing incorrect data in a report even though you did not know it was incorrect at the timed. putting unsigned suggestions in the company suggestion box7. To help establish clear guidelines for ethical behavior, many companies provide employees a written ____________.a. code of ethicsb. ethics auditc. ethical lapsed. ethical dilemma8. Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?a. increase performance levelsb. increase diversity of viewsc. increase information and knowledged. increase groupthink among members9. Groupthink refers to ____________.a. the basic rules that underlie a group’s behavior and guide the group to make its decisions that operate primarily in large groups but can also be seen in small groupsb. the four-step decision-making process in groupsc. the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions, even when those objections are legitimate and to favor majority opiniond. software programs that help groups make decisions10. A hidden agenda refers to ____________.a. an approach to group dynamics that helps facilitate group functioningb. individuals harboring motives that are concealed from the rest of the groupc. an agenda that members must look for before they can attend a meetingd. a meeting agenda that is not revealed to others outside the meeting group11. ___________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.a. Robert’s Rulesb. Group normsc. Rules of parliamentary procedured. Group maintenance roles7Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications12. When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to ___________.a. begin by letting all members “do their own thing” and then seeing what they all produceb. let all members use their own preferred softwarec. make the team as large as possible so that every possible area of expertise will be coveredd. avoid writing as a group13. The first step in the basic listening process is ____________ the message.a. physically receivingb. encodingc. interpretingd. evaluating14. Touch ____________.a. is governed by cultural customs that establish who can touch whom and whenb. is the least important form of nonverbal communicationc. should be completely avoided in all business situationsd. is the great equalizer, putting people of different status on the same footing15. When it comes to online etiquette, ____________.a. spelling, punctuation and capitalization are not importantb. do not assume that people are available to discuss work matters around the clockc. you can rest assured that there’s almost nothing you can do that will offend your audienced. avoiding “flames” is really all that matters16. Xenophobia is the fear of ____________.a. working in unfamiliar environmentsb. crisesc. changed. strangers and foreigners17. When it comes to decision-making customs, North American executives ____________.a. arrive at decisions through consensus, after an elaborate and time-consuming processb. tend to focus on the results of the decisions they facec. spend a lot of time on each little point to display their good faithd. prefer to make their deals slowly, after much discussion8Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications18. Women executives who travel abroad _____________.a. may not be taken seriously as businesspeople, depending on the cultureb. should always assume that they will not be taken seriously as businesspeoplec. can count on being treated with respect, regardless of the countries they visitd. should insist on meeting only with other female executives19. Asking a colleague “How was your weekend?” is _____________.a. accepted in the U.S., but considered intrusive in some culturesb. an effective greeting in any culturec. grounds for a lawsuitd. never acceptable in a business environment20. When writing letters to businesspeople in other countries, you should _____________.a. make generous use of transitional words and phrasesb. keep your sentences and paragraphs longc. be vague and general in your wordingd. use an informal, friendly tone21. Which of the following sentences contains an idiomatic expression?a. Making our monthly sales quota will be a piece of cake.b. Our monthly sales quota is unrealistic.c. We don’t expect to meet our monthly sales quota.d. The sales quota is very reasonable.22. When speaking in English to people who use English as a second language, the best approach is to ____________.a. repeat your sentences often, a little louder each timeb. use plenty of adjectives such as fantastic and fabulousc. speak slowly and clearlyd. forget about feedback; just make sure you get your message across23. If you translate a message from English into another language, it is a good idea to _____________.a. use several translatorsb. translate it word for wordc. have it back-translatedd. Do all of the above.9Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications24. Which of the following is not a general category common to business communication?a. to persuadeb. to negotiatec. to informd. to collaborate25. The best reason to defer or cancel a message is if ____________.a. someone else wants to deliver itb. your news is badc. the time is wrongd. your audience is highly receptive26. In general, for internal communication, the higher up your message goes, the _____________.a. more details people want to seeb. more likely you are to run into ethical problemsc. less likely you are to run into ethical problemsd. fewer details people want to see27. Messages should contain supporting detail and background information when _____________.a. you and your audience do not share the same general backgroundb. you expect a favorable responsec. you and your audience share the same general backgroundd. All of the above are the case.28. Forecasting your audience’s reaction to your message is _____________.a. impossible; there’s no way to know what it will beb. helpful only for internal communicationc. helpful only for external communicationd. vital because potential audience reaction affects message organization29. A knowledge-management system _____________.a. helps companies limit the amount of information employees store on the networkb. is a centralized database of experiences and insights of employees throughout an organizationc. is a tool for creating a bibliography when writing long reportsd. enables organizations to test employees periodically to ensure they are doing adequate research10Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications30. When meeting your audience’s informational needs, you should emphasize ideas _____________.a. that will have the least impact on the audienceb. that are uncontroversialc. that don’t need supporting evidenced. of greatest interest to the audience31. Which media would be best for keeping in touch with a sales team whose members live in several different states?a. electronic mediab. oral mediac. presentationsd. written media32. In part, media richness refers to ____________.a. the cost of sending a message through a particular mediumb. the difficulties involved with using a particular mediumc. the popularity of a specific mediumd. a medium’s ability to facilitate feedback33. Organizing messages effectively helps readers by _____________.a. saving them timeb. helping them understand the messagec. helping them accept the messaged. All of the above.34. It is best to limit your use of the word “you” in business messages if ______________.a. you are filling your audience’s informational needsb. it will make your message sound overly authoritative or accusingc. you know your audience welld. your organization prefers an informal, personal style35. In part because of limited opportunities for feedback, written and most forms of electronic communication require ____________ than oral communication.a. less careb. more tactc. more informalityd. fewer nouns11Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications36. Select the sentence with the most positive emphasis:a. We failed to complete the process audit on time.b. We haven’t completed the process audit.c. We hope to complete the process audit by Friday.d. Because of Joan’s inaccurate figures on the Haymen project, we are not finished with the process audit.37. A euphemism is a word or phrase that is _____________.a. highly technicalb. possibly offensivec. a milder term for one with negative connotationsd. general or abstract in meaning38. Using the term “crippled” in business communication is an example of _____________.a. emphasizing the positiveb. disability biasc. the “you” attituded. None of the above.39. To establish credibility with your audience, you should _____________.a. impress them with a long list of your accomplishmentsb. show that you are confident and that you believe in yourself and in your messagec. use hedge words (“maybe,” “perhaps”) to demonstrate your knowledge that no issue is fully cut and dryd. be modest and deferential40. “Although our servers are stable, the telephone system is a serious concern” is a ___________ sentence.a. simpleb. complexc. compoundd. compound-complex41. “Insurance premiums have increased and cost-of-living raises have not kept up” is a ____________ sentence.a. compound-complexb. complexc. simpled. compound12Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications42. Which of the following is a compound sentence?a. Interest rates are low and now is an excellent time to buy a home.b. With interest rates low, now is an excellent time to buy a home.c. Because interest rates are low now is an excellent time to buy a home.d. Low interest rates make this an excellent time to buy a home.43. When evaluating the work of others, you should ____________.a. make sure you understand the writer’s intent before you begin suggesting or making changesb. avoid talking with the writer about the document since other readers may not have that opportunityc. talk with the writer about his or her intent only after you suggest changes since this is a good way to test the effectiveness of the documentd. compare the other person’s writing style with your own, and if yours is better, rewrite the document in your own style44. Skilled business writers ____________.a. use long sentences to emphasize important informationb. vary the length of their sentencesc. keep their sentences to an average length of 40 words or fewerd. Do all of the above.45. What is wrong with the following sentence?“To waste time and missing deadlines are bad habits.”a. It contains a split infinitive.b. Similar ideas are not parallel.c. It contains a dangling modifier.d. Nothing; it is grammatically correct as written.46. Which of the following sentences contains a camouflaged verb?a. She is a marketing manager but also serves as ad manager.b. Some do; others don’t.c. He slowly, deliberately added the numbers.d. The recommendation of the committee is to proceed as planned.47. “The above-mentioned book” is an example of a(n) ____________.a. redundancyb. strung-out sentencec. awkward referenced. indefinite pronoun starter13Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications48. “Visible to the eye” is an example of ____________.a. a clichéb. redundancyc. obsolete languaged. the passive voice49. Starting a sentence with “It is” or “There are” is ____________.a. usually a sign that the sentence could be shorter and more activeb. a sign that you are using active voicec. a sign that you are using passive voiced. perfectly acceptable and you need not try to rewrite the sentence50. Using white space in a document ____________.a. makes your document look unappealingb. provides contrastc. is considered “cheating”d. is only an option when you can’t use color51. If you’re sending extremely large files, you should ____________.a. use overnight delivery to send a hard copy rather than sending them electronicallyb. consider using a file compression utility, as long as your recipients have the ability to expand the filec. send them through the mail to avoid excessive costsd. always send them as MS Word attachments52. Which of the following statements is true?a. The use of social networks is declining.b. Social networking capabilities have led to a fundamental change in business communication.c. Despite their popularity for personal use, social networking technologies are not very useful in business.d. Social networking technology is so complex that only high-tech companies take advantage of it.53. One of your sales representatives has begun using social networks to aggressively promote a new product line. The best response would likely be to ____________.a. encourage him to continueb. do nothingc. discourage him from using blatant “salespeak” since it is likely to alienate the audienced. enact a policy forbidding employees from using social networks on company time14Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications54. Email hygiene refers to ____________.a. refraining from using foul language in emailb. a nationwide movement to do away with information overloadc. the absence of slang and informal language in email messagesd. all the efforts companies make to keep email clean and safe55. One important element of basic email etiquette is to ____________.a. respect the chain of commandb. use bullets and listsc. capture your readers’ attentiond. include headings on all emails56. Email messages ____________.a. should be written with the assumption that they will be stored foreverb. generally require less care than other messages since email is temporary and easily deletedc. should always be less formal in business than messages in other mediad. None of the above.57. Which of the following is the best example of an effective email subject line?a. Read This!b. Employee Parkingc. Status Reportd. Website redesign is on schedule58. Because many email programs display the first few words or lines of incoming messages, you should ____________.a. leave several blank lines at the beginning of each messageb. be vague in your first sentence to entice the reader to open the messagec. treat the first sentence of the message as an extension of your subject lined. use phrases such as “MUST READ” in your first sentence59. Many businesses now use blogs to ____________.a. replace email in many casesb. keep project teams up to datec. inform employees and customers about new products and how to use themd. Do all of the above.15Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications60. One of the greatest drawbacks to using podcasts in business is ____________.a. the difficulty of scanning back and forth to find specific parts of the messageb. the high cost of distributing themc. people find online video and audio to be intimidatingd. they require costly, specialized equipment you’ll need to purchase regardless of the production quality you want61. When making a routine request, you should begin with a(n) ____________.a. clear statement of the main idea or requestb. indication of the importance of your requestc. statement of who you ared. question62. Routine, positive messages should do all of the following except ____________.a. leave your reader with a good impressionb. communicate the information or positive newsc. provide all required detailsd. use an indirect approach63. In a positive message, the main idea is presented ____________.a. in the last sentence of the letterb. in the first sentence of the middle paragraphc. at the end of the middle paragraphd. right at the beginning of the letter64. When responding to a customer complaint about one of your company’s services, you should ____________.a. soften the situation with excuses such as “Nobody’s perfect” or “Mistakes will happen.”b. use a standard form letter, with blanks left for filling in unique information in neat handwritingc. use a generous, grudging toned. avoid blaming anyone in your organization by name.65. When responding to a claim when your company is at fault, it is best to ____________.a. avoid sympathizing with the customer since it can lead to lawsuitsb. take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straightc. do all you can to discourage any need for follow-upd. be vague about when the claim may be resolved16Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications66. When writing a letter of recommendation, you should ____________.a. show it to the job candidate before sending it to the person who requested itb. overstate the candidate’s abilities if he or she is a good friend and really wants the jobc. make sure to include any negative stories you’ve heard about the candidated. provide facts and evidence to support your opinions67. When you deliver negative messages, you ____________.a. should not include reasons for the decision or informationb. should always begin with a bufferc. can expect your audience to be offendedd. should use language that conveys respect68. If you choose to apologize in a negative message, you should _____________.a. always demonstrate sincerity, but never accept blameb. imply that not all of the blame lies with you or your companyc. phrase the apology in a conditional manner (“If I have offended anyone …”)d. be sincere and make it a true apology69. In the close of a negative message, you should ____________.a. encourage the person to write or call to discuss the situation furtherb. ask for feedback on whether the decision is acceptable to the readerc. express concern over possibly losing the reader’s businessd. avoid uncertainty70. Which of the following is the most effective close for a letter rejecting a job applicant?a. I wish you the best in your job search. I am confident you will find a match for your skills and interests.b. We hope that despite this rejection you will continue to frequent our establishments.c. Again, we are very sorry that we cannot offer you a position at this time.d. If you have any questions about our decision, don’t hesitate to call.71. To avoid being accused of defamation, you should ____________.a. avoid any kind of behavior that could be considered abusiveb. refuse to communicate with unhappy clientsc. frequently refer to company policyd. make it clear to disgruntled customers that you refuse to be intimidated17Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications72. Personality, lifestyle, and attitudes are assessed through ____________.a. demographic surveysb. examinations of census datac. psychographic studiesd. inkblot tests73. If a supervisor tells a worker who consistently arrives late, “I know you don’t want to have your pay docked,” the supervisor is addressing the worker’s need for ____________.a. status and esteemb. acceptancec. self-actualizationd. safety and security74. An effective ending for a persuasive message would be which of the following?a. Wouldn’t you like to save some money?b. Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.c. Simply take the enclosed coupon to any of our service centers by June 15 for your free oil and filter change.d. Please respond as soon as possible because this offer is not likely to last very long.75. Using the AIDA approach with social media ____________.a. requires a more rigid approachb. does not work at allc. requires a different, more interactive approachd. requires the same steps as the AIDA approach with conventional media76. An ethical persuasive argument ____________.a. focuses on being both truthful and nondeceptiveb. is a contradiction in termsc. includes any evidence the sender can come up with, whether or not it’s relevantd. focuses on how the audience’s actions will benefit the sender77. Primary research refers to ____________.a. the evidence that stands out in your reportb. research that is fairly easy to conductc. new research done specifically for your current projectd. the research you conduct first18Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications78. Unlike Internet search engines, online databases ____________.a. are rarely up to dateb. do not require a subscriptionc. often provide access to various parts of the hidden Internetd. can be accessed only from a library79. You would not need to cite a source if you have ____________.a. provided general knowledge about your topicb. used a table from the 1985 Farmer’s Almanacc. used a direct quotation of under 250 words from a book titled Modern Economicsd. described, in your own words, a plan for organizing production lines, which appeared in a professional journal80. Which of the following is a closed-ended question?a. Would you rate the proposed expansion plan as likely to succeed or unlikely to succeed?b. What corporate goals does the expansion help achieve?c. What do you see as the primary benefit of the proposed expansion plan for your family?d. How will the expansion affect day-to-day operations?81. To find out your company’s average monthly utility bill over the last year, you would need to calculate the ___________ of the last twelve bills.a. highestb. medianc. meand. mode82. CAD stands for ____________.a. computer-aided designb. complete audiovisual displayc. computer adaptable displayd. charts automatically designed83. The ideal balance between the visual and the verbal depends on _____________.a. the length of the report/presentationb. the nature of your audiencec. internal company guidelinesd. the amount of money available for underwriting the costs of graphics19Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications84. In business reports, it is best to place each visual _____________.a. within, beside, or immediately after the paragraph it illustratesb. together with other visuals in an appendix at the end of the reportc. together with other visuals at the end of each chapterd. just before the paragraph referring to it85. A contractor submitting a weekly report on work done to date would be providing the client with a ____________ report.a. periodic operatingb. compliancec. progressd. justification86. Because of its natural feel and versatility, the ____________ approach is generally the most persuasive way to develop an analytical report for skeptical readers.a. directb. hypotheticalc. yardstickd. 2 + 2 = 487. A contractor receives a request from the owner of a company to bid on a large-scale construction project. The contractor will prepare a(n) ____________ proposal.a. unsolicitedb. request forc. solicitedd. blind88. The introduction of a solicited proposal ____________.a. is expected to be much longer than that of an unsolicited proposalb. should refer specifically to the RFP that initiated itc. should downplay the magnitude of the problem you’re addressingd. need not be as detailed as that of an unsolicited proposal89. In a proposal to install an air conditioning system, statements such as “Our company has over 25 years of experience installing heating, plumbing, and air conditioning systems” should appear in what section?a. Introductionb. Closec. Appendixd. Body20Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications90. Smooth transitions between sections and links to other documents and sources of information are important ___________.a. whether your report appears in print or onlineb. in any report longer than 2 pagesc. in online reports but not usually necessary in written onesd. in print reports but not in those published online91. When drafting content for online reports, it is helpful to use the inverted pyramid style of organization in which you ____________.a. make readers believe you are headed in one direction and reveal your true intentions at the endb. cover the most important information first and then gradually reveal more detailc. walk readers through arguments you don’t support and then explain whyd. cover the least important information first and work your way to the main idea92. Suppose you work for the Angstrom Corporation. What would be the most concise and compelling title for a formal report on your company’s proposed acquisition of Freedman Fasteners?a. “To Acquire or Not to Acquire”b. “A Study of the Feasibility of Angstrom Corporation Inc. Acquiring the Concern Currently Operating as Freedman Fasteners”c. “Why Angstrom Should Focus on Its Core Issues and Abandon Its Ancillary Efforts”d. “The Pros and Cons of Acquiring Freedman”93. The authors of an informational report have referred to a multitude of data on the spending habits of 18- to 25-year-old Americans. They want to provide readers with access to this information but realize it’s too lengthy to include as a footnote and only some readers will find it relevant. Where should they place it?a. Nowhere; it should simply be left out.b. in the body of the reportc. in the introductiond. in an appendix94. You’re sending an unsolicited proposal to a local restaurant in an effort to become their primary food vendor. The letter of transmittal to accompany the proposal should follow the format for ____________ messages.a. routineb. bad-newsc. good-newsd. persuasive21Final ExaminationBAM 312 Business Communications95. When proofreading formal reports and proposals, you should ____________.a. not worry about typos, only contentb. simply rely on your software’s spelling and grammar checkers to find any errorsc. go back and use the most impressive words you can find to describe key conceptsd. proof your visuals thoroughly96. When organizing a speech, use the indirect approach if your purpose is to ____________ and the audience is ____________.a. entertain, resistantb. persuade, resistantc. motivate, receptived. inform, receptive97. Formal speeches differ from informal ones in that ____________.a. when delivering a formal speech, you should speak more rapidlyb. formal speeches are often delivered from a stage or platformc. formal speeches are always much longerd. formal speeches always include obscure, unfamiliar vocabulary98. In the introduction to your presentation, it is important to ____________.a. establish credibilityb. ask for audience inputc. discuss the three or four main points on your outlined. boast about your qualifications99. As a speaker, how you go about establishing credibility depends in part on ____________.a. what time of day you deliver your remarksb. the size of your audiencec. whether or not you are a well-known expert in the subjectd. how you are dressed100. At the close of a business presentation, _____________.a. audiences resent being reminded of the presentation’s main ideasb. you should avoid making it obvious that you’re about to finishc. audience attention tends to reach its lowest pointd. be clear about what you want the audience to do next