Chapter 01
Succeeding in Business Communication
True / False Questions
1. Unlike his boss, Mitchel, who is an entry-level engineer, does not require skills in reasoning,
mathematics, and communication.
True False
2. Oral communication is always for internal audiences in an organization and written
communication is strictly created for external audiences.
True False
3. "The cost of hardware to store e-mail is much higher than the cost to administer and maintain
archives."
True False
4. How quickly a document can be read is determined by the difficulty of the subject matter and
by the document's organization and writing style.
True False
5. Poor writing may need to be rewritten and frequently brought to other people for help.
True False
6. The best way to keep an audience involved in a presentation is to make them guess what the
presenter wants to convey.
True False
7. "When writing a document, you should place the main point in the middle of a long first
paragraph in order to keep the reader from skipping information."
True False
,8. Dejuan has to send a newsletter to all the employees. While addressing the employees in the
newsletter, he should treat them as people, not as numbers.
True False
9. Conventions in business communication help people recognize, produce, and interpret
different kinds of communications.
True False
10. It is mandatory to follow the same standard conventions in all organizations across the world.
True False
11. E-mails are a more formal mode of communication than presentations.
True False
12. Oral channels are better for group decision making, and allow misunderstandings to be
cleared up more quickly.
True False
13. How detailed a message should be depends upon the kind of message, the purposes of the
message, the audiences for the message, and the corporate culture.
True False
14. In order to solve a problem, it is essential to develop several solutions and measure them
against the audience and purposes.
True False
15. While communicating with a client, Karen, a sales executive, should consider all
characteristics of the client including those which may seem irrelevant.
True False
16. When a message includes an argument for a decision, reasons and audience benefits are
always financial in nature.
True False
17. Aldo, a manager, is writing an e-mail to his subordinates informing them about the new office
rules. While writing the e-mail, he should identify many benefits in the new rules, and ensure
that the benefits are adapted to the needs of his subordinates.
True False
,18. Fredrick is creating a brochure. To make the brochure more appealing, he should use
paragraphs with more than eight lines.
True False
19. Rodrigo has to design an invitation to a corporate event. While designing the invitation, he
should not put himself in the reader's situation, because that might distract attention from the
purpose of the message.
True False
20. When receiving feedback on a message, it is important not only to know if a message
succeeded or failed, but also to know the reasons it succeeded or failed.
True False
Multiple Choice Questions
21. Which of the following is an example of verbal communication?
A. Logos
B. Gestures
C. Eye contact
D. Pictures
E. Tweets
22. Loretta, a professor, recently gave a presentation on over-consumerism and its impacts. The
presentation was a huge success, mainly because she used a lot of nonverbal
communication which drew the audience's attention and made the presentation interesting.
Which of the following is a form of nonverbal communication that Loretta must have used in
her presentation?
A. Anecdotes
B. Narrations
C. Quotations
D. Graphics
E. Jokes
, 23. _____ are a type of nonverbal communication.
A. Pictures
B. Presentations
C. E-mails
D. Memos
E. Informal meetings
24. An example of an interpersonal nonverbal signal of authority is a company executive:
A. sitting at the head of a conference table at a board meeting.
B. greeting the executives of another company with weak handshakes.
C. writing a progress report on a campaign activity.
D. sending out an e-mail announcing a new policy.
E. presenting a report on a project recently completed.
25. Which of the following statements is true of communication skills at entry-level jobs?
A. Communication skills are not important, since new employees do not communicate with
others.
B. Communication skills are ranked relatively low among the qualities which employers look
for.
C. Communication skills are required for understanding instructions and for asking questions.
D. Communication skills are not necessary if a person has good reasoning and technical
skills.
E. Communication skills are not required, because people at entry-level jobs do not have
writing responsibilities.
26. _____ skills consistently rank first among the qualities that employers look for in college
graduates.
A. Technical
B. Communication
C. Mathematical
D. Abstract reasoning
E. Mechanical
Succeeding in Business Communication
True / False Questions
1. Unlike his boss, Mitchel, who is an entry-level engineer, does not require skills in reasoning,
mathematics, and communication.
True False
2. Oral communication is always for internal audiences in an organization and written
communication is strictly created for external audiences.
True False
3. "The cost of hardware to store e-mail is much higher than the cost to administer and maintain
archives."
True False
4. How quickly a document can be read is determined by the difficulty of the subject matter and
by the document's organization and writing style.
True False
5. Poor writing may need to be rewritten and frequently brought to other people for help.
True False
6. The best way to keep an audience involved in a presentation is to make them guess what the
presenter wants to convey.
True False
7. "When writing a document, you should place the main point in the middle of a long first
paragraph in order to keep the reader from skipping information."
True False
,8. Dejuan has to send a newsletter to all the employees. While addressing the employees in the
newsletter, he should treat them as people, not as numbers.
True False
9. Conventions in business communication help people recognize, produce, and interpret
different kinds of communications.
True False
10. It is mandatory to follow the same standard conventions in all organizations across the world.
True False
11. E-mails are a more formal mode of communication than presentations.
True False
12. Oral channels are better for group decision making, and allow misunderstandings to be
cleared up more quickly.
True False
13. How detailed a message should be depends upon the kind of message, the purposes of the
message, the audiences for the message, and the corporate culture.
True False
14. In order to solve a problem, it is essential to develop several solutions and measure them
against the audience and purposes.
True False
15. While communicating with a client, Karen, a sales executive, should consider all
characteristics of the client including those which may seem irrelevant.
True False
16. When a message includes an argument for a decision, reasons and audience benefits are
always financial in nature.
True False
17. Aldo, a manager, is writing an e-mail to his subordinates informing them about the new office
rules. While writing the e-mail, he should identify many benefits in the new rules, and ensure
that the benefits are adapted to the needs of his subordinates.
True False
,18. Fredrick is creating a brochure. To make the brochure more appealing, he should use
paragraphs with more than eight lines.
True False
19. Rodrigo has to design an invitation to a corporate event. While designing the invitation, he
should not put himself in the reader's situation, because that might distract attention from the
purpose of the message.
True False
20. When receiving feedback on a message, it is important not only to know if a message
succeeded or failed, but also to know the reasons it succeeded or failed.
True False
Multiple Choice Questions
21. Which of the following is an example of verbal communication?
A. Logos
B. Gestures
C. Eye contact
D. Pictures
E. Tweets
22. Loretta, a professor, recently gave a presentation on over-consumerism and its impacts. The
presentation was a huge success, mainly because she used a lot of nonverbal
communication which drew the audience's attention and made the presentation interesting.
Which of the following is a form of nonverbal communication that Loretta must have used in
her presentation?
A. Anecdotes
B. Narrations
C. Quotations
D. Graphics
E. Jokes
, 23. _____ are a type of nonverbal communication.
A. Pictures
B. Presentations
C. E-mails
D. Memos
E. Informal meetings
24. An example of an interpersonal nonverbal signal of authority is a company executive:
A. sitting at the head of a conference table at a board meeting.
B. greeting the executives of another company with weak handshakes.
C. writing a progress report on a campaign activity.
D. sending out an e-mail announcing a new policy.
E. presenting a report on a project recently completed.
25. Which of the following statements is true of communication skills at entry-level jobs?
A. Communication skills are not important, since new employees do not communicate with
others.
B. Communication skills are ranked relatively low among the qualities which employers look
for.
C. Communication skills are required for understanding instructions and for asking questions.
D. Communication skills are not necessary if a person has good reasoning and technical
skills.
E. Communication skills are not required, because people at entry-level jobs do not have
writing responsibilities.
26. _____ skills consistently rank first among the qualities that employers look for in college
graduates.
A. Technical
B. Communication
C. Mathematical
D. Abstract reasoning
E. Mechanical
