1) Tara Houser e-mails a colleague Dan Brothers to suggest that he be the lead writer in preparing a comprehensive business plan for the company. The task will be rather time-consuming. Tara tells Dan that "the president will certainly be impressed with whoever heads up this project", which is persuasive because 

A. Dan will gain key leadership experience that will work in his favor when he applies for his promotion. 
B. the president will be able to use the document to communicate expansion plans to stockholders. 
C. Dan can help out his colleague so she does not have to take on this additional responsibility herself. 
D. the company will be able to secure additional financing once it has a business plan. 

2) Susan Rojas is applying for a position in the marketing department of a local corporation. Although Greg Ellis is the director of this department, she has been instructed to send her resume and other documents to Jeff Cohen, manager of the human resources department. Jeff screens all applications before sending those of qualified candidates on to appropriate department heads. Jeff is:

A. a watchdog 
B. a gatekeeper 
C. an auxiliary audience 
D. the primary audience 

3) Which of the following would NOT be related to a discourse community in a factory?

A. Supervisors have an open-door policy that encourages workers to stop in and chat. 
B. Certain topics should not be brought up in the presence of upper management. 
C. Additional funding has been allocated for the research and development of more energy-efficient manufacturing. 
D. Extensive evidence and documentation is required to convince a manager to deviate from a company routine. 

4) Trevor Collins works in the collections department, and he is very successful at writing professional, effective letters to customers whose accounts are overdue. The human resources department asks to use copies of some of his letters in a training course for new employees to show good practices for written documents. These trainees are:

A. a watchdog audience 
B. gatekeepers 
C. a secondary audience 
D. the primary audience 

5) You are a technical writer in a large company who is working on a training manual to help new users learn the company's computer system. Employees will use your manual in training seminars taught by your company's trainers. The manual will also serve as an on-the-job reference later. Both of the system analysts who designed the computer system and the trainers will comment on your draft. The trainers would be classified as what kind of audience for your manual? 

A. Primary 
B. Secondary 
C. Gatekeeper 
D. Watchdog 

6) If a document will be a detailed guide or if it contains instructions, you must do all of the following EXCEPT

A. group steps into five to seven sub-processes if there are many individual steps. 
B. present all the details in lengthy paragraphs so that the readers get all the information they need. 
C. number steps or provide check-off boxes so that readers can easily see which steps they have completed. 
D. check to be sure that all steps are in chronological order. 

7) A written business request is answered positively and promptly on the first try. This is an example of a high level of:

A. clarity 
B. effectiveness 
C. image 
D. goodwill 

8) Strong writing skills help you do all of the following EXCEPT

A. communicate your points clearly. 
B. save time. 
C. make your communication efforts effective. 
D. provoke disagreement. 

9) For which of the following business messages would it be appropriate to approach the subject indirectly by leading up to the main point rather than presenting it first?

A. You are complying with an information request sent to you by the county business license department. 
B. You are letting your staff know that there will be significant downsizing in your department in the upcoming year. 
C. You are asking a subordinate to complete an entry that he had overlooked on his expense report. 
D. You are e-mailing a copy of a sales report to a colleague who had asked for it. 

10) Which of the following is an ethically sound practice when communicating a business message?

A. Designing documents to encourage readers to miss key points 
B. Including input from all parties interested in the development of the message 
C. Withholding information to reduce the likelihood of conflict 
D. Manipulating the audience to achieve the desired outcome 

11) Which one of the following is NOT an internal audience of an organization? 

A. Peers 
B. Subordinates 
C. Superiors 
D. Stockholders 

12) Which of the following groups would be considered an internal audience for a company? 

A. State and local agencies that conduct annual health and safety inspections at the company 
B. Managers in the company's Human Resources Department 
C. Stockholders who have invested in the company 
D. Three large customers that represent 85% of the company's annual sales