1. In closing a request for a recommendation, you should include
a. an expression of appreciation.
b. an indication that you�ve enclosed a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
c. the full name and address of the person to whom the letter should be
sent.
d. all of the above.
2. When writing a claim letter, the best way to begin is by
a. complimenting the company for past service.
b. providing a detailed description of the faulty merchandise.
c. providing a straightforward statement of the problem.
d. threatening legal action if you do not receive a favorable
adjustment.
3. When making a claim or requesting an adjustment, your closing should usually
a. clearly state how angry and disappointed you are.
b. explain the specific details of the problem.
c. request a specific action or express your desire to find a solution.
d. do all of the above.
4. Routine, positive messages should do all of the following except
a. leave your reader with a good impression.
b. use an indirect approach.
c. provide all required details.
d. communicate the information or good news.
5. In a positive message, the main idea is presented
a. in the first sentence of the middle paragraph.
b. at the end of the middle paragraph.
c. right at the beginning of the letter.
d. in the last sentence of the letter.
6. The longest part of a positive message is typically the
a. introduction.
b. body.
c. close.
d. None�all parts are usually the same length.
7. �If the figures are in by the end of the month we will hopefully be able to begin
planning for the upcoming year�s budget, but if they are not then the plan
ning process will most definitely have to wait until later� is an example of
a. a comma splice.
b. an overly long sentence.
c. an indefinite pronoun starter.
d. an awkward pointer.
8. Which of the following is an example of a hedging sentence?
a. The report seems to be incomplete.
b. The deadline is next Tuesday.
c. The financial statement needs to have two sections.
d. None of the above is hedging.
9. What is wrong with the following sentence? �To waste time and missing dead
lines are bad habits.�
a. Similar ideas are not parallel.
b. It contains a dangling modifier.
c. It contains a split infinitive.
d. Nothing�it is grammatically correct as written.
10. What is wrong with the following sentence? �Driving to the office, a police
officer stopped me for speeding.�
a. It lacks parallelism.
b. It contains a dangling modifier.
c. It contains an awkward pointer.
d. Nothing�it is grammatically correct as written.
11. �Government task force report recommendations� is an example of
a. redundancy.
b. a dangling modifier.
c. a dependent clause.
d. a long noun sequence.
12. Which of the following sentences contains a camouflaged verb?
a. Some do; others don�t.
b. She is a marketing manager but also serves as ad manager.
c. It is John�s recommendation that she be hired.
d. He slowly, deliberately added the numbers.
13. Roughly ___ percent of U.S. employers have terminated employees for
misuse of company e-mail systems.
a. 1
b. 10
c. 25
d. 80
14. E-mail hygiene refers to
a. the absence of slang and informal language in e-mail messages.
b. a nationwide movement to do away with information overload.
c. all the efforts companies make to keep e-mail clean and safe.
d. none of the above
15. E-mails should include all of the following except:
a. information about attachments
b. inside address
c. e-mail addresses of sender and receiver
d. contact information
16. When it comes to monitoring incoming and outgoing e-mail,
a. most companies do not make the effort.
b. only about 10 percent of U.S. employers do it.
c. most employers view it as an invasion of employee privacy.
d. about 50 percent of U.S. employers regularly do so.
17. When it comes to legal issues,
a. e-mails mean nothing�only printed documents can be used in court.
b. e-mail and other electronic documents have the same weight as printed
ones.
c. your e-mail messages are off limits�using them in court would violate
your privacy.
d. none of the above are correct.
18. According to a recent study, workers exposed to a constant barrage of
e-mail, IM, and phone calls
a. increased their productivity by 20 percent.
b. were 50 percent more likely than their peers to be promoted.
c. experienced an average 10-point drop in their functioning IQ.
d. experienced none of the above
19. One important element of basic e-mail etiquette is to
a. be careful about using the �cc� function.
b. use bullets and lists.
c. include headings on all e-mails.
d. capture your readers� attention.
20. A good opening for a negative message would be
a. I�m sorry to say I have some bad news.
b. This letter is in reply to your application.
c. Your r�sum� clearly shows why you are interested in becoming a
management trainee with our company.
d. We have no openings at this time.
21. In a negative message, the reasons for the decision
a. are so obvious that you don�t need to mention them.
b. come directly after the buffer and follow naturally from it.
c. should be glossed over quickly.
d. should be long and roundabout to cushion the negative aspects.
22. In the reasons section of a negative message, you should
a. present enough detail for the audience to understand your reasons.
b. explain what your decision is before you explain why you have reached it.
c. apologize for the negative decision.
d. do all of the above.
23. A way to be tactful when giving your reasons for bad news is to
a. explain why the decision is good for you and your company.
b. highlight, if possible, how your negative decision benefits your readers.
c. explain that the decision is based on company policy.
d. apologize for having to be the bearer of bad news.
24. Using the indirect approach, the bad news comes
a. immediately after the buffer.
b. immediately before the reasons.
c. immediately after the reasons.
d. at the very end.
25. A good way to make bad news less painful is to
a. maximize the space devoted to it.
b. say, �I trust our decision is satisfactory.�
c. avoid stating it and hope that the reader understands what you mean.
d. de-emphasize it by embedding it in the middle of a sentence or paragraph
