BCOM 3360 Exam 2 | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions)

BCOM 3360 Exam 2 | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions) Before writing a business message, you decide to narrow your focus by writing everything that comes to mind on the topic for a set period of time. This scenario demonstrates which of the following? A. Free writing B. The journalistic approach C. Outlining D. The writing process E. Mind mapping Alan has been given a writing assignment that is extremely vague, and he has no idea how to get started. Alan might want to use which of the following techniques? A. The journalistic approach B. The storyteller's tour C. Mind mapping D. Free writing E. A question-and-answer chain Jessica is composing a message, and she is first attempting to organize the information by asking a series of questions relating to the who, what, when, where, why, and how aspects of the information. This technique is known as ______________. A. the storyteller's tour B. brainstorming C. mind mapping D. the journalistic approach E. a question-and-answer chain Which of the following is an advantage of oral, in-person communication? A. Allows for time-shifted consumption. B. Allows for increased accessibility and openness in an organization through broader sharing. C. Ability to convey complex ideas and relationships quickly. D. Ability to easily resolve misunderstandings and negotiate meanings. E. Ability to always offer a permanent, verifiable record. In order to convey a business message, you decide to use a form of media that can convey complex ideas quickly and is less intimidating than long blocks of text. This illustrates which of the following types of media? A. Electronic B. Written C. Visual D. Oral E. Spoken Which of the following is an advantage of written digital media? A. Messages will not involve security risks. B. Messages cannot enable audience interaction. C. Messages cannot be multimedia. D. Messages cannot reach dispersed geographical audiences. E. Messages get delivered quickly. Which of the following is an advantage of written media? A. It allows you to plan and control your message. B. It offers unlimited opportunities for timely feedback. C. It does not offer a permanent, verifiable record. D. It cannot be used to avoid immediate interactions. E. It cannot be used to reach geographically disbursed audiences. Which of the following is an advantage of visual media? A. It can require more time to create than an equivalent amount of text. B. It can convey complex ideas and relationships quickly. C. It can require artistic skills to design. D. It requires some technical skills to create. E. It is more difficult to transmit and store than simple textual messages. Media is grouped into which one of the following categories? A. Creative B. Subtextual C. Verbatim D. Visual E. Contextual A graphic method used to generate and organize ideas is known as ________. A. mind mapping B. a question-and-answer chain C. brainstorming D. the storyteller's tour E. the journalistic approach Talking through a communication challenge before trying to write it BEST illustrates ________. A. brainstorming B. the journalistic approach C. the storyteller's tour D. a question-and-answer chain E. mind mapping Most routine business messages will follow the __________. A. media approach B. journalistic approach C. writing approach D. indirect approach E. direct approach Checking that a message answers who, what, when, where, why, and how is known as which of the following? A. Planning B. Journalistic approach C. Outlining D. Free writing E. Group writing When your assignment or objective is too vague, you should use __________, such as free writing, or even sketching, to determine what the audience needs to know. A. flowchart techniques B. database research C. primary research D. discovery techniques E. secondary research The form a message takes is the __________ and the system used to deliver the message is the __________. A. medium; channel B. channel; content C. medium; content D. channel; medium E. content; channel Traditionally, ________ are used for brief, external business correspondences. A. informal reports B. letters C. executive summaries D. memos E. formal reports A message's overall subject is known as which of the following? A. Medium B. Outline C. Topic D. Data analysis E. Assignment The tool known as __________ is used to generate as many ideas as possible without taking time to criticize or organize. A. a question and answer chain B. mind mapping C. the journalistic approach D. brainstorming E. a storytelling tour A term or phrase so common that it has lost some of its power to communicate is known as which of the following? A. Adjective B. Cliché C. Buzzword D. Adverb E. Noun Which of the following sentences should Paul write to avoid using a cliché? A. "Our staff can read the writing on the wall." B. "This project will be very expensive." C. "This project will cost an arm and a leg". D. "Let's run this idea up the flagpole." E. "Our workers are fighting an uphill battle." Jonathan is a marriage counselor. His clients describe their problems and he helps them focus on their issues, not on their emotions. Which of the following is he demonstrating? A. Awareness B. Communication C. Honesty D. Credentials E. Objectivity Which of the following BEST describes the difference between style and tone? A. Style involves word choice; tone involves the impression your message makes. B. Style involves the impression your message makes; tone involves word choice. C. Style is a templating script you might use on a website; tone is a templating script you might use in a word processing document. D. Style is the content of the message you create; tone is the word processing software you use to create your message. E. Style is the word processing software you use to create your message; tone is the content of the message you create. Which of the following BEST describes the use of conversational language? A. Conversational language is appropriately casual but not overly casual, so it is just right for business communication. B. Conversational language is too casual and acronym-laden for appropriate business communication. C. Conversational language should only be used with middle-class clients for appropriate business communication. D. Conversational language should never be used for business communication. E. Conversational language is too formal and wordy for appropriate business communication. Which of the following is TRUE regarding style? A. Style is the content of the message you create. B. Style is a templating script you might use on a website. C. Style involves the impression your message makes. D. Style is the word processing software you use to create your message. E. Style involves word choice. Rewording sentences to use no pronoun at all rather than referring to all individuals as "he" is a way to avoid which of the following? A. Age bias B. Ethnic bias C. Disability bias D. Racial bias E. Gender bias Which of the following BEST describes the difference between a cliché and a buzzword? A. A cliché is a term or phrase so commonly used that it has lost its power to communicate effectively; a buzzword is a new term that is associated with a current industry. B. A cliché is part of the specialized jargon of an industry; a buzzword is a word that expresses the implications of a term. C. A cliché is a word that expresses the literal meaning of a term; a buzzword is part of the specialized jargon of an industry. D. A cliché is a word that expresses the implications of a term; a buzzword is a part of the specialized jargon of an industry. E. A cliché is a new term that is associated with a current industry; a buzzword is a term or phrase so commonly used that it has lost its power to communicate effectively. Which of the following BEST describes the use of stuffy language? A. Stuffy language should always be used for all business communication. B. Stuffy language should only be used with wealthy clients for appropriate business communication. C. Stuffy language is too casual and acronym-laden for appropriate business communication. D. Stuffy language is appropriately casual but not overly casual, so it is just right for business communication. E. Stuffy language is too formal and wordy for appropriate business communication. Which of the following is an example of an abstract word? A. Software B. Beauty C. Chair D. Database E. Website Which of the following is the meaning of the term buzzword? A. A word that expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic. B. A part of the specialized jargon of an industry. C. A term or phrase so commonly used that it has lost its power to communicate effectively. D. A word that expresses the implications of a term. E. A popular term that is often associated with current technology, business, or culture. Using language to imply someone is too immature or too frail to perform his or her duties is an example of which of the following? A. Ethnic bias B. Racial bias C. Disability bias D. Age bias E. Gender bias Which of the following is advised when selecting words for business communication? A. Use lots of jargon to impress your audience. B. Choose strong, precise words. C. Use as many buzzwords as possible. D. Choose unfamiliar words to impress your audience. E. Use clichéés. Which of the following sentences is written in active voice? A. Difficulties were encountered in receiving your product. B. The product was delivered to the wrong address. C. Shipping problems were encountered. D. You sent the product to the wrong address. E. Inadvertent errors were experienced in shipping. Which of the following is a general guideline for writing business messages? A. Be careful with intimacy. B. Use lots of humor in formal messages to make your audience comfortable. C. Use texting phrases. D. Brag about your accomplishments to instill confidence. E. Use pompous language to impress your audience. Which of the following is an example of bias-free language? A. Mary Jones has just joined our trust department. B. Shing-Tung Yau excels naturally in mathematics. C. Disabled workers face many barriers on the job. D. The typical executive spends four hours of his day in meetings. E. Tracy is an epileptic, but she has no trouble performing her job. Which of the following avoids words or phrases that unfairly categorize people in terms of gender, race, age, disability, or other characteristics? A. Gender-biased language B. Bias-free language C. Age-biased language D. Racially-biased language E. Ethnically-oriented language