BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS…Question 1 of 40 Conducting research to develop your proposal __________. A.
BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS…Question 1 of 40
Conducting research to develop your proposal __________.
A. should not be considered during your analysis of content needs
B. is never necessary in order to propose realistic costs
C. must wait until the composing stage of the ACE process
D. could be necessary to learn more about competitors submitting competitive proposals
Question 2 of 40
Anne is trying to get a sense of the overall structure of her slide presentation. She sketches headlines and ideas for the body of the slides on some Post-It notes, rearranging them as necessary. Anne is creating a(n. __________ for her presentation.
A. storyboard
B. template
C. slide master
D. animation
Question 3 of 40
Which of the following would be the best to include in an executive summary?
A. Our program stimulates young minds while strengthening their bodies.
B. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic.
C. Many people don’t realize just how important physical fitness is.
D. Current guidelines say that children should get at least 60 minutes of exercise each day.
Question 4 of 40
Which of the following statements is true about a cover message?
A. It takes the form of a cover letter for an internal proposal.
B. It does not need to provide an overview of the content.
C. It provides the reader with an overview of the content.
D. It allows readers to find the information that interests them.
Question 5 of 40
You work in a small office of fewer than 20 employees that has no dedicated IT staff. As the resident technical expert you are called on to deal with computer issues and technology-related decisions. Lately this has been taking up more and more of your time and you feel that it is no longer an efficient arrangement. You want to suggest to your boss that your company should consider contracting with an IT company to oversee these needs. As you begin to write your proposal you think about its purpose. In this case, which of the following best articulates the need your proposal is addressing?
A. the company’s need to effectively handle technology-related issues
B. your need to shorten your working hours
C. the company’s need to get employees trained for handling technical issues
D. your boss’s need to ensure that you are able to get your work done early
Question 6 of 40
Providing which of the following in your proposal will help build your credibility with the audience? ?
A. descriptions of similar projects you have completed
B. a list of the deliverables you are agreeing to provide
C. an explanation of when and how the work will be completed
D. a delineation of your costs
Question 7 of 40
2.5 Points
The term __________ refers to the supplemental information provided in a proposal. It often includes examples of past projects, client testimonials, and technical specifications.
A. overview
B. references
C. executive summary
D. appendices
Question 8 of 40
By considering the __________, you can identify the level of persuasion necessary as well as the appropriate form for a proposal.
A. medium
B. need
C. context
D. content
Question 9 of 40
Amanda wants to make a demonstration during her presentation which involves sharing some content with her audience that is not available in electronic form. In this situation, which of the following would be the most appropriate medium to use?
A. podcasts
B. videos
C. props
D. flipcharts
Question 10 of 40
Dave is working on a succinct description of a database proposal, which encapsulates the opportunities for cost savings and increased functionality that the new system presents, as well as its other key ideas. He is struggling to create content that, while remaining brief, will enable his audience to understand the proposal’s main ideas without having to read the whole document. Dave is working on the proposal’s __________.
A. introduction
B. executive summary
C. body
D. references
Question 11 of 40
You work at a small local bookstore that is losing business to big chain stores as well as to online booksellers. In order to improve your business, you plan to propose a new story hour for children to your boss. What is the purpose of your proposal?
A. conduct a social gathering for small children
B. highlight the importance of reading to the whole community
C. teach children some effective reading techniques
D. bring more potential customers into the store
Question 12 of 40
Which of the following statements would be the best to use in a proposal?
A. Our equipment does the job in half the time it takes for our competitor’s equipment.
B. Our equipment did the job in half the time it took for our competitor’s equipment.
C. Our equipment had done the job in half the time it had taken for our competitor’s equipment.
D. Our equipment has done the job in half the time it has taken for our competitor’s equipment.
Question 13 of 40
Understanding the need your proposal meets and how to meet that need is involved in the first step of preparing a proposal: defining its __________.
A. content
B. context
C. purpose
D. format
Question 14 of 40
__________ come from the film industry and are used to help you see the big picture of a presentation before you get too involved with creating individual slides. ?
A. animations
B. storyboards
C. slide decks
D. message headlines
Question 15 of 40
In the context of a proposal, which of the following terms refers to the items you are agreeing to provide to the audience?
A. references
B. appendices
C. advantages
D. deliverables
Question 16 of 40
Whiteboards are recommended when you want to __________.
A. encourage the audience to collaborate and create content
B. encourage the audience to listen and look carefully
C. communicate complex material that people need to look at carefully
D. present lengthy content that cannot easily be seen in slide form
Question 17 of 40
Which of the following tasks would require a proposal?
A. persuade your manager to approve your leave
B. persuade a retailer to repair damage not covered under your warranty
C. persuade your boss to approve a project
D. persuade a retailer to provide you a discount
Question 18 of 40
Brendan’s boss asks him to respond to a request for proposal (RFP.. Right away Brendan knows that __________. ?
A. the proposal is noncompetitive
B. his audience will not be considering any offers except his
C. the indirect approach is preferred since he will need to prepare his audience for his idea
D. the important criteria for the proposal will be provided to him
Question 19 of 40
Which of the following tools is most likely to be used during a presentation if the content to be presented is lengthy and cannot easily be seen in slide form?
A. podcasts
B. handouts
C. whiteboards
D. flipcharts
Question 20 of 40
The best way to address feasibility is to __________.
A. present realistic implementation plans
B. highlight your qualifications
C. demonstrate your expertise
D. provide customer testimonials
Question 21 of 40
In formal reports and in report decks, additional information is included in a(n. __________.
A. glossary
B. reference list
C. executive summary
D. appendix
Question 22 of 40
Anya’s report is 60 pages long. She is including an executive summary that is twelve pages long. This is __________.
A. too long; for a report of this size an executive summary should only be about six pages
B. too long; an executive summary should always be a maximum of five pages
C. too short; an executive summary should always be a minimum of 20 pages
D. the proper length for an executive summary in a report of this size
Question 23 of 40
PowerPoint report decks __________. ?
A. are designed to be read as well as presented
B. cannot be printed out for participants at a meeting
C. require the presence of a presenter
D. contain slides that are less detailed than those in traditional presentations
Question 24 of 40
John, a sales executive, has written a trip report about his recent trip to Germany where he met with some current and potential clients. Which of the following does NOT describe a communication purpose of this trip report?
A. planning resources for the potential new business
B. reviewing and evaluating follow-up plans for trip activities
C. serving as a checklist with which to measure progress on new business opportunities
D. analyzing whether new business plans can be implemented as proposed
Question 25 of 40
Which of the following sections of a formal report contains detailed discussion that is always organized with headings?
A. the executive summary of the report
B. the body of the report
C. the glossary of the report
D. the bibliography of the report
Question 26 of 40
When creating the title page for a report, one should include all of the following EXCEPT __________.
A. the title of the report
B. the purpose of the report
C. the author of the report
D. the submission date of the report
Question 27 of 40
__________ are written reports of meetings.
A. Executive summaries
B. Minutes
C. Feasibility reports
D. Appendices
Question 28 of 40
If you were preparing a report for readers who are not native English speakers, which of the following would be best to include?
A. Signage installation is regulated, so we must obtain a permit.
B. We will need to get a permit before we can put up a sign.
C. Local regulations forbid the installation of signage without prior approval.
D. In order to mount our signs as planned, we will need to get authorization in advance.
Question 29 of 40
__________ arrange data in columns and rows, allowing you to read down or across to see different relationships.
A. Tables
B. Histograms
C. Line graphs
D. Bar charts
Question 30 of 40
A paired bar chart is also known as a __________.
A. line chart
B. stacked column chart
C. histogram
D. tornado chart
Question 31 of 40
A new employee is given the responsibility of keeping the minutes for her work team’s meetings. What advice will you give her?
A. Devote most of the space in your minutes to summarize the discussion at the meeting.
B. Minutes should not be action-oriented because their main purpose is to record the flow of the discussion.
C. Record specific decisions resulting from the meeting.
D. A table is an ineffective format for recording meeting minutes.
Question 32 of 40
The core principles of Edward Tufte, a noted information designer, advocate all of the following EXCEPT __________.
A. eliminating all distractions that do not help the audience understand the data
B. eliminating anything in graphs that exists only for decoration
C. eliminating or minimizing all unnecessary gridlines in tables
D. eliminating data markers that identify specific data points in line graphs
Question 33 of 40
Which of the following terms is a synonym for a reference list?
A. executive summary
B. glossary
C. bibliography
D. table of contents
Question 34 of 40
Bryan hasn’t created a report deck before, but thinks it would be an effective medium for his report. His science-based analytical report will need to include a number of diagrams and photographs, and he is expected to present it at a meeting. Which of the following is true?
A. This is a poor choice, since as a novice he will find report decks difficult to work with.
B. This is a poor choice, since it will be more costly and time-consuming than drafting two separate documents, one for the written report and one for the presentation.
C. This is a good choice, since it will allow him to easily integrate diagrams and photographs into his report.
D. This is a good choice, since most of his audience will see a presentation in this medium for the first time and will be impressed by his technical knowledge.
Question 35 of 40
To make the table of contents easy to read, many writers connect the headings to the page numbers using __________.
A. footers
B. headers
C. dot leaders
D. trackers
Question 36 of 40
Which of the following is recommended for effectively designing a slide deck?
A. Use background graphics for the slides.
B. Size your title box to accommodate only one-line headlines.
C. Leave space for “road signs” on the upper-left or upper-right corners of your slides.
D. Do not include a copyright marking in the slides.
Question 37 of 40
Which of the following elements of a report contains information that would interrupt the flow of the report but that readers may find useful?
A. executive summary
B. table of contents
C. glossary
D. appendix
Question 38 of 40
If you were preparing a report for readers who are not native English speakers, which of the following would be best to include?
A. We won’t be able to cut any corners on the permit process, as the local authorities are real sticklers for detail.
B. We’ve got to make sure we’ve got all our ducks in a row permit-wise, so the local authorities don’t give us a hard time.
C. We will need to follow the permit process carefully, as the local authorities are very detail-oriented.
D. If we don’t watch our step on the permit process, we could be in for a rude awakening when it is denied.
Question 39 of 40
You are preparing a formal report. You want to include some raw data and large tables in your report that you think readers will find useful; however, if you include this information in the body of the report then it will interrupt the flow of the document. In such a situation, you should include this information in the __________ of the report.
A. executive summary
B. appendix
C. introduction
D. glossary
Question 40 of 40
The introduction to a report __________.
A. typically includes the headings and the corresponding page numbers
B. should be written with the assumption that the reader has already read the executive summary
C. typically explains the problem or issue that motivated the report
D. should avoid mentioning the conclusions of the report