Full Test Bank Ch.5 Planning, Composing, And Revising

1.

Good writers are more likely to write regularly and use rules flexibly. 
 
True    False

2.

The revision process in business writing can involve both changes in single words or changes in large sections of a document. 
 
True    False

3.

Pre-writing is a mandatory activity followed by all workplace writers to get ready to write the "real" document. 
 
True    False

4.

Shane has been struggling to write his second book, but is experiencing writer's block. According to Robert Boice's suggestions, Shane can overcome this block by not doing any kind of writing until he is completely ready. 
 
True    False

5.

Brainstorming, clustering, and freewriting are techniques that help you get ideas before you begin to write. 
 
True    False

6.

Karen is a writer for a magazine. Whenever she is unable to come up with an idea for an article, she writes without stopping for ten minutes or so, even if the writing is irrelevant to what she needs. She repeats this process at least three times. In this scenario, Karen is relying on the process of clustering to generate ideas. 
 
True    False

7.

Writers' preliminary work of talking to internal and external audiences increases the number of revisions needed before documents are approved. 
 
True    False

8.

Good business and administrative writing is a more formal style of writing and is very different from conversation. 
 
True    False

9.

Abbreviations are inappropriate in business-related e-mail messages even if they are part of the group's culture. 
 
True    False

10.

When writing about things that you have done, said, or seen, "I" should be avoided because it may seem egocentric. Instead, phrases like "this writer" should be used. 
 
True    False

11.

"And," "but," and "because" are examples of prepositions. 
 
True    False

12.

Stella is writing a business report on the progress of her project. When she finishes writing, she reads her report out loud to a colleague sitting about three feet away. This is a good way for Stella to improve her style. 
 
True    False

13.

Denotation is a word's literal or dictionary meaning. 
 
True    False

14.

In order to make writing easier to read, it is good to use familiar words or words that are a part of almost everyone's vocabulary. 
 
True    False

15.

Though technical jargon should be used as much as possible in business writing, a job application letter is one of the few occasions when technical jargon is undesirable. 
 
True    False

16.

In order to change from passive voice to active voice, you must make the agent the new subject. 
 
True    False

17.

In order to make a piece of writing more sophisticated and easier to read, it is best to make long sentences stand by themselves instead of combining them. 
 
True    False

18.

As you revise, it is more important to read a document from start to finish if you've composed it in several sittings. 
 
True    False

19.

Errors, such as sentence fragments and run-on sentences, disturb most educated readers, and these errors should be best avoided. 
 
True    False

20.

Spell checkers eliminate the hassle of proofreading a document manually. 
 
True    False

21.

Keanu Kekoa, a graduate student, needs to write a report titled "Causes of Land Degradation in Elavia." He is currently researching the issue of degradation, choosing examples of highly degraded farmland areas, and analyzing governmental regulations on farming laws. In which of the following activities in the composing process is Keanu most likely engaged? 
 

22.

Esmeralda has been asked by her project manager to prepare a report on the environment conservation campaign that she has been working on. Esmeralda is currently composing titles for the different sections of her report and is making brief notes about the significant achievements in her campaign. In which of the following activities in the composing process is Esmeralda primarily engaged? 
 

23.

One of the marketing teams of Amor Inc., a clothing store, has prepared a report on the marketing strategies for its new line of winter clothing. The team is now in the process of mapping the report to the originally stated objectives. In addition, the team has shared the report with the other teams to obtain feedback. In which of the following activities is Amor Inc.'s marketing team primarily engaged? 
 

24.

Adele, a customer executive at a travel agency, is writing a report titled "Creative Strategies to Increase Client Base." She has gathered the information she needs and has compiled the information in her own words into a different format. She has also shared her report with a colleague and has asked him for suggestions. Now, Adele is ensuring that her report does not have any typographical or formatting errors. On which activity of the composing process is Adele currently focusing? 
 

25.

Which of the following correctly differentiates between editing and revising? 
 

26.

Which of the following is a useful guideline to follow in order to manage time efficiently when writing a document? 
 

27.

Hannah, a training coordinator, meets with all the trainers in her organization to generate ideas about how to make their training sessions more interactive. She asks the trainers to begin by sharing all their ideas, without thinking about whether the ideas are relevant. She writes these ideas down on a white board. She says that once they have generated as many ideas as they can, she will zero in on the most useful ones. This scenario best illustrates the process of: 
 

28.

Michelle is writing a report on the strategies she recommends for marketing her company's new line of clothing. In order to generate ideas, Michelle spends ten minutes jotting down all the points she can think of and then stops and picks up points that may work. She continues this process two more times, at the end of which she manages to collect five good ideas to market the new line. Which of the following techniques did Michelle most likely use to generate her ideas? 
 

29.

Ming, a communications manager at an environmental organization, recently used a certain technique to develop ideas for a campaign. She jotted down the topic name at the center of a sheet of paper and drew a circle around it. She then wrote down all the ideas that came to her mind and circled them too. When this was done, she used colors to highlight and separate groups of related ideas. Which of the following techniques did Ming most likely use to generate her ideas? 
 

30.

Which of the following is a characteristic of good business writing style? 
 

31.

Which of the following is true of traditional term paper style writing? 
 

32.

Which of the following correctly differentiates between good business writing style and traditional term paper writing style? 
 

33.

Which of the following guidelines should you follow while choosing a level of formality for a business document? 
 

34.

Which of the following best describes the Plain Writing Act? 
 

35.

_____ refer to words that indicate relationships, and the examples for these include words such as "with," "in," and "under." 
 

36.

Which of the following best describes the connotation of a word? 
 

37.

"Pound" means a unit of weight. This meaning represents the _____ of the word. 
 

38.

When writing business documents, it is appropriate to use a long word instead of a short word when the long word: 
 

39.

Which of the following examples best illustrates a sentence from which business jargon has been removed? 
 

40.

As you write and revise, which of the following can you do to make your writing easier to read at the sentence level? 
 

41.

A sentence reads "We must review the feedback that is enclosed within this e-mail and act on the suggestions that the customer has offered us." Which of the following correctly rephrases this sentence to make it less wordy and to reduce the business jargon in contains? 
 

42.

Which of the following is true of passive voice in a sentence? 
 

43.

Which of the following sentences is in passive voice? 
 

44.

In which of the following situations should passive voice be used? 
 

45.

Which of the following sentences is in active voice? 
 

46.

Which of the following is a good way to condense sentences while reviewing them? 
 

47.

Which of the following best illustrates a simple sentence? 
 

48.

Which of the following is an example of a compound sentence? 
 

49.

Which of the following sentences about global warming does NOT use parallel structure? 
 

50.

Which of the following examples is parallel in structure? 
 

51.

A written paragraph is said to have unity when: 
 

52.

Which of the following sentences uses a transition word? 
 

53.

_____ refers to checking if a document is free from typographical errors. 
 

54.

Which of the following is of particular significance during the editing stage of a document? 
 

55.

The process of _____ refers to making changes in content, organization, and tone that will better satisfy the writer's purposes and the audience. 
 

56.

Which of the following questions asked by a writer when revising a document reflects an interest in organization and layout? 
 

57.

Which of the following questions asked by a writer during the revision process indicates a focus on the style and tone of the message? 
 

58.

Jenny is revising her term paper before submitting it to her professor for grading. She is currently asking herself whether the message uses you-attitude and positive emphasis. She is also focusing on whether her message builds goodwill. On which of the following aspects of her paper is Jenny primarily focusing? 
 

59.

Albert has just completed a report for his journalism class. While revising it, he realizes that the report contains several instances of sexist language. Albert immediately replaces all instances of sexist language with non-sexist language. He does this because the use of sexist language diminishes the _____. 
 

60.

Which of the following guidelines should be followed while editing a document? 
 

61.

When you edit a document, you typically need to check for: 
 

62.

The process of drafting, getting feedback, revising, and getting more feedback is known as _____. 
 

63.

Which of the following best defines boilerplate? 
 

64.

Which of the following is an advantage of using boilerplate while writing business documents? 
 

65.

Which of the following is true of readability formulas? 
 

66.

How do writers with good writing skills differ from those with poor writing skills in composing documents? 
 

67.

What activities does the planning process in writing involve? 
 

68.

Raj Gupta works for a high-end clothing boutique and needs to submit a report to his supervisor on the strategies they can implement to market a new line of eco-friendly clothing. What standard guidelines should he follow that will help him manage his time better while preparing the report? 
 

69.

What are the key points to keep in mind while choosing a level of formality for a business document? 
 

70.

"Never have a sentence with more than 20 words, or a paragraph with more than 8 lines." Explain why this statement is considered a half-truth in business writing. 
 

71.

Describe the two main kinds of jargon and explain how they should be used in business writing. 
 

72.

Define active voice and passive voice and explain how they differ. 
 

73.

What are simple, compound, and complex sentences? Explain each type with the help of an example. 
 

74.

What is a topic sentence? How does it strengthen a piece of writing? 
 

75.

What should you look for when you are revising a document you have written?