Spring 05 Test One

Spring 05 Test One (1-5)

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. To help their employees improve their ability to work in teams, many employers hire communication coaches to teach

a.	interpersonal skills.
b.	negotiation skills.
c.	collaboration techniques.
d.	All of the above.

____ 2. Select the best definition of communication.

a.	Communication is the transmission of information from one individual or group to another.
b.	Communication is the transmission of meaning from one individual or group to another.
c.	Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another.
d.	Communication is the transmission of ideas from one individual or group to another.

____ 3. The first step in the communication process is

a.	information transmission.
b.	message transmission.
c.	idea formation.
d.	message encoding.

____ 4. While Armineh is speaking to her friend on her cell phone, static interferes with the call. This interruption in the transmission of the message is called

a.	bypassing.
b.	vibration.
c.	noise.
d.	frame of reference.

____ 5. Translating a message from its symbol form into meaning involves

a.	decoding.
b.	channeling.
c.	encoding.
d.	giving feedback.

____ 6. Problems with the clarity of a message can be discovered through

a.	noise.
b.	semantic obstacles.
c.	bypassing.
d.	feedback.

____ 7. Amber says that she will complete the report "soon." Amber plans to submit the report in three days; her boss expects to see the report the next morning. This misunderstanding results from

a.	bypassing.
b.	differing frames of reference.
c.	evaluative feedback.
d.	using the incorrect communication channel.

____ 8. Differences in frame of reference are especially significant when

a.	working on improving one's listening skills.
b.	communicating with persons from a different culture.
c.	overcoming physical barriers to communication.
d.	confronted with conflicting emotions.

____ 9. Managers of a large American company were sent to Finland to supervise operations. Not realizing that employees in Finland prefer written communication to face-to-face interaction, the Americans could not understand why many of their personally delivered instructions were not implemented. A significant barrier to communication in this instance could be attributed to

a.	bypassing.
b.	lack of listening skills.
c.	failure to recognize different frames of reference.
d.	emotional interference caused when senders or receivers are distracted by internal feelings.

____ 10. Some states have passed __________ English laws that require businesses to write policies, warranties, and contracts in language comprehensible to average readers.

a.	Plain
b.	Embellished
c.	Bureaucratic
d.	Oxymoron

____ 11. Which of the following statements about teams is least accurate?

a.	Because of their size, teams may have difficulty acting rapidly when solving a problem.
b.	Team members are likely to experience an increase in personal satisfaction and job morale when teams are successful.
c.	Decisions made by teams are usually better received than those made by individuals.
d.	Decisions made by teams are generally more accurate and effective than decisions made by individuals.

____ 12. The phase of team development most likely to bring out conflict is the __________ stage.

a.	forming
b.	storming
c.	norming
d.	performing

____ 13. In the __________ phase of team development, tension subsides, roles clarify and information begins to flow between members.

a.	forming
b.	storming
c.	norming
d.	performing

____ 14. Select the most accurate statement.

a.	Efficient teams should try to work through the first stages of team development as quickly as possible.
b.	During the norming stage, formal leadership is usually unnecessary since most team members willingly take on leadership functions.
c.	Effective team leaders should define the roles and responsibilities of their group members.
d.	The team leader is expected to dictate the group's direction when conflict arises.

____ 15. During a meeting with her team members, Ayda says, "Amy, what do you think about the suggested change in procedures?" Ayda is performing which of the following group roles?

a.	relationship
b.	task
c.	affective
d.	dysfunctional

____ 16. Which of the following situations may cause a team to fall victim to groupthink?

a.	Joe is a weak team leader.
b.	Amy's team is composed of individuals from several different countries.
c.	Wendy's team has set specific procedures for evaluating information before making a decision.
d.	Team leader Ray is pushing his group to make a quick decision.

____ 17. Prior to tackling a writing project, a team should

a.	decide whether the team will be governed by consensus, by majority rule, or by some other method.
b.	establish the specific purpose for the document or presentation.
c.	consider what appeals might help the document accomplish its purpose.
d.	decide on the final format of the document or presentation.

____ 18. One of the best ways to gather information for a team report is by

a.	evaluating.
b.	brainstorming.
c.	norming.
d.	classifying.

____ 19. The real expense of a meeting is the

a.	time spent arranging it.
b.	cost of the paperwork that is generated.
c.	cost of the refreshments that are served.
d.	lost productivity of all the people attending.

____ 20. Which of the following is the best way for Lorraine to deal with a dysfunctional group member during a meeting?

a.	Maintain direct eye contact with the disruptive individual.
b.	Avoid praising the dysfunctional group member.
c.	Let the disruptive individual perform a specific task such as serving as group recorder.
d.	None of the above.

____ 21. Select the most accurate statement.

a.	Listening skills are an important part of customer service.
b.	Skills such as listening, writing, and speaking often determine career success.
c.	Workers are most satisfied when they feel that management listens to their concerns.
d.	All of the above.

____ 22. Business executives spend the greatest share of their communication time

a.	reading.
b.	listening.
c.	speaking.
d.	writing.

____ 23. Experts say that we listen at an efficiency rate of

a.	25 percent.
b.	75 percent.
c.	50 percent.
d.	10 percent.

____ 24. You work in a noisy office where conversations, printing, and air-conditioning noises mingle. Yet you manage to hear the beep of the fax machine two desks away, indicating that a fax message is about to be transmitted. In what stage of the listening process are you?

a.	Action
b.	Evaluation
c.	Interpretation
d.	Perception

____ 25. After Mr. Benson's presentation, John asks for additional details about the soon-to-be-implemented advertising campaign. John is involved in which stage of the listening process?

a.	retention
b.	action
c.	involvement
d.	evaluation

____ 26. Alyssa is attending an important meeting in her boss's place. Which of the following steps should she use to help her remember important points from the meeting?

a.	Alyssa should review the information that she has heard.
b.	Alyssa should try to relate that information to something else.
c.	Alyssa should first decide what she wants to remember.
d.	All of the above.

____ 27. To increase retention of a message, a listener should

a.	keep a positive attitude toward the message and the speaker.
b.	paraphrase the key ideas in the message.
c.	be tolerant of the speaker's ideas.
d.	be patient with the speaker.

____ 28. Select the most accurate statement.

a.	The length and form of eye contact are learned reactions.
b.	Prolonged eye contact suggests fear or stress.
c.	Eye contact should always be very brief.
d.	Nonverbal cues, including eye contact, have identical meanings in most cultures.

____ 29. Which of the following shows Ned's desire for open communication best?

a.	He arranges the office so that workers have their own completely partitioned spaces.
b.	He arranges chairs for a meeting in a semi-circle.
c.	He arranges workers' desks in straight rows opposite his desk.
d.	He spends most of the day in his own glass-walled office.

____ 30. Americans are usually not comfortable when communicating with individuals at a distance of __________ unless the people are intimate friends and family.

a.	4 to 12 feet.
b.	0 to 1 1/2 feet.
c.	1 1/2 to 4 feet.
d.	12 feet and over.

____ 31. The globalization of markets is largely a result of

a.	passage of favorable trade agreements such as the GATT and NAFTA.
b.	development of new transportation and information technologies.
c.	the increasing number of middle-class consumers.
d.	All of the above

____ 32. Increasingly, companies depend on __________ to sell products, provide technical support, offer customer service, and link directly to suppliers.

a.	the Web
b.	GATT
c.	television
d.	facsimile

____ 33. Select the most accurate statement.

a.	Cultures almost never change.
b.	Advancements in technology and communication can cause culture to change.
c.	Attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs change more quickly in closed societies than in open societies.
d.	Only outward actions and symbols define a culture.

____ 34. Receiving a business card from a visitor, a businessperson stuffs it in his pocket with hardly a glance. The visitor might be particularly offended if he is from which country?

a.	the United States
b.	Japan
c.	Canada
d.	Germany

____ 35. Improving one's tolerance of other cultures requires

a.	practicing yoga.
b.	practicing empathy.
c.	saving face.
d.	relying on stereotypes.

____ 36. In conversation with a Chinese businessperson who speaks English fairly well, Jeffrey discovers that much of what he has just said was not understood by the Chinese. In continuing the conversation, Jeffrey should

a.	speak more slowly and loudly.
b.	discontinue the conversation until an interpreter can be found.
c.	repeat the conversation but use more facial expressions and gestures to communicate more clearly.
d.	accept blame for the misunderstanding and use simpler language.

____ 37. When writing letters to businesspeople in other cultures,

a.	spell out all numbers.
b.	use short sentences and short paragraphs.
c.	add humor to your messages.
d.	use two-word verbs such as bring back rather than return.

____ 38. Select the most accurate statement.

a.	Begin most foreign correspondence with a humorous statement or joke.
b.	Use the direct pattern for all foreign correspondence.
c.	Use our standard directness and informality when writing to someone from another country, even if letters in the receiver's country are generally formal and use a flowery tone.
d.	Strive to accommodate your reader in organization, tone, and style.

____ 39. Dean is entering the workforce. By 2006 he can expect the workplace to

a.	be almost 50 percent female.
b.	be predominantly Anglo-oriented.
c.	be predominantly male.
d.	have few workers over the age of 45.

____ 40. Which of the following statements most accurately describes diversity in the workplace?

a.	When companies begin developing teams, employees automatically work well together showing less divisiveness, discontent, and clashes.
b.	Companies that look upon diversity as an opportunity are more likely to achieve conformity in employee behavior.
c.	Homogeneous teams work better together and contribute the most creative solutions to problems.
d.	Developing a diverse staff that can work together cooperatively is one of the biggest challenges facing business organizations today.

____ 41. Business writing should do all but which of the following?

a.	Solve problems and convey information.
b.	Concentrate on looking at a problem from the writer's perspective.
c.	Present ideas clearly and concisely.
d.	Provide accurate information to be used in making decisions.

____ 42. Cindy works for an insurance company and is responding to a message about a client's claim. Which of the following describes Cindy's actions in the second phase of the writing process?

a.	Cindy checks the format of the letter.
b.	Cindy runs the spelling and grammar checker to look for errors in the message.
c.	Cindy determines the best organizational pattern for her message to the client.
d.	Cindy determines exactly what information she should include in the letter to a client.

____ 43. Expert writers tend to spend most of their time on which phase of the 3-x-3 writing process?

a.	revising, proofreading, and evaluating
b.	researching, organizing, and composing
c.	analyzing, anticipating, and adapting
d.	visualizing the audience

____ 44. A company's annual report describes the company's efforts to improve the environment. The primary purpose of this report is to __________; the secondary purpose is to __________.

a.	inform; promote goodwill
b.	persuade; inform
c.	inform; persuade
d.	promote goodwill; persuade

____ 45. The empathy index of a business message

a.	is appropriate if the number of I's and we's outnumber the you's and your's.
b.	is appropriate if the number of you's and your's outnumber the I's and we's.
c.	cannot be determined simply by counting the number of first- and second-person pronouns.
d.	is determined by the number of emotional words included.

____ 46. Which of the following is the best choice of wording?

a.	Yuki Hiromo, who is Japanese, applied for the job.
b.	Old people receive a discount on Saturdays.
c.	Joe, who is afflicted with cerebral palsy, requires special accommodations.
d.	Customers over 65 may enjoy special rates on Alaskan tours.

____ 47. Which of the following is the best statement to use in business writing?

a.	In your letter you claim that your order was damaged in shipment.
b.	An employee in our shipping department failed to package your order properly.
c.	If you had followed the instructions listed in the manual, your VCR would still be working properly.
d.	We'll process your order by June 19.

____ 48. Which of the following is the best choice of wording?

a.	We plan to institute a new program that will augment employee training.
b.	Please return the form to our Human Resources Department by Friday.
c.	We compensate all new employees commensurate with their experience and qualifications.
d.	He was reticent to vocalize his opinions to the other committee members.

____ 49. Which of the following is the least effective wording?

a.	Andrew flew to the conference.
b.	Phyllis went to the meeting.
c.	Bill voted against the policy.
d.	John e-mailed his client.

____ 50. Employment recommendations should contain

a.	only positive statements about the employee.
b.	negative statements about the employee only when they can be substantiated.
c.	both personal and job-related information about the employee.
d.	All of the above.