Type the number below. Which of the following topics are you most interested in learning about?

(This question is not scored.) 1. Five Qualities of Effective Words 2. Rules of Correct Word Usage 3. Guidelines for Nondiscriminatory Language 4. Building Effective Sentences 5. Common Sentence Faults 6. Paragraph Design
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Which of the following is a true statement? Action verbs give life to sentences. Passive voice is preferable to active voice. Sentence starters like "There is..." are dull and meaningless.

A ,C

Which of the following sentences are fresh? Martha submitted the report to the manager. The report was submitted to the manager. Washington's birthday is a paid holiday. There will be a paid holiday on Washington's birthday. I want a raise. First and foremost, I want a raise.

Which sentences offer the more effective word choice in terms of the five qualities of effective words?

It has been decided by the managers to raise prices 10%. The managers decided to raise prices 10%. Joe investigated the possibilities of a new site. Joe looked into potential possibilities of a new site.

What does it mean to "write with clarity"? Picking precise words Avoiding vague terms Selecting the simplest words possible Choosing fourth grade level words

Which of the following sentences uses vague or fuzzy words? I want to improve my writing style. As per your request, we will activate your account sometime in April. Mr. West's sales letters are very wordy.

Which of the following phrases are vague? A lot of work Good insurance Beautiful car Seven red apples

In which of these sentences are the abstract terms defined with adequate clarity and concreteness? Bill is a responsible salesperson: he knows his products thoroughly and listens to his customers with courtesy.

George is an energetic manager: he is successful and motivated. Nancy is a motivated student: she studies chemistry and calculus six hours every night.

What does it mean to write concisely? Avoid unnecessary words Use punctuation sparingly Avoid needless repetition of ideas

Would it generally be acceptable to write a formal report to the president of your corporation using such words as "hassle" and "go for broke"?

Which of the following sentences employ correct word usage? Laura was excepted into the MBA program. Laura was accepted into the MBA program. Failing the final exam will negatively effect your grade. Failing the final exam will negatively affect your grade. Nancy and Stu split the work between them. Nancy and Stu split the work among them.

Which of the following terms correctly completes each sentence? Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each. We are anxiously

awaiting news about the plant fire. The customer complained that the car broke down continually . disinterested voters make good citizens.

That's right. "Eager" indicates looking forward to something. "Continuously" refers to action that takes place without interruption. "Uninterested" indicates no opinion at all.

Which of the following terms correctly completes each sentence? Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each. The company administers drug tests to detect use of illicit drugs. His report contained fewer pages than I expected. Our boss implied that we would not be paid unless we attended all seven workshops. I don't want to lose this account by missing the deadline.

That's right. "Illicit" indicates not permitted or unlawful. "Fewer" refers to items that can be counted. "Imply" means to suggest or hint. "Lose" is a verb and means to misplace or be without.

Which of the following sentences uses words correctly? The firm lost its reputation for excellence. The firm lost it's reputation for excellence. They're about to visit the customer site. Their about to visit the customer site. I know someone who's interested in bidding on the project. I know someone whose interested in bidding on the project.

Which of the following terms correctly completes each sentence? Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each. A warning letter to the customer normally precedes discontinuation of services. It's likely to be a wonderful, sunny day tomorrow. The Angel Corporation designed a special logo for their stationery .

Which of the following terms correctly completes each sentence? Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each. The principal of the loan is half a million dollars. your car must be insured for $20,000.

. Which of the following are simple ways to eliminate sexist language from business communications?
Changing singular references to plural references Avoiding use of terms that refer exclusively and inappropriately to men Using both masculine and feminine references in the same sentence Using a feminine reference throughout the document Does this sentence use discriminatory language?

Scott Lewis, 57, is the mail clerk.

Which guideline is violated in the sentence below?

Emilio Sanchez, the Mexican-born CEO, has led the company to record profits.
Disability bias Racial bias Age bias

Which word is most preferable for completing the sentence?

Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each. You must modify your training program to accommodate the needs of disabled employees.

Which of the following sentences is more concise and direct? We must solve this problem immediately. It is a problem we must solve immediately. There has been a rash of component failures in the static relays. A rash of component failures has occurred in the static relays.

Which of the following sentences use action verbs? Be prepared to meet the challenge of the next century. Prepare to meet the challenge of the next century. Records management is a concern for corporations. Records management concerns corporations. We must be able to sell what we believe in. We must sell what we believe in.

Match each sentence to the appropriate description. Click the buttons to assign each item a corresponding number. The cause of these failures cannot be explained. We cannot explain the cause of these failures. The company has devoted significant effort to my professional development. Significant effort has been devoted to my professional development by the company. The team investigated more than a million pieces of equipment. 1 Active Voice

2 Passive Voice

More than a million pieces of equipment were investigated by the team.

That's right. Active voice puts the doer at the beginning of the sentence.

You should avoid sentence starters such as "there is" and "it is."

Which of the following are appropriate ways to achieve sentence variety within a document? Create a mix of short and long sentence lengths. Switch between first and second person point of reference. Create sentences with different constructions. Use different tones throughout the document.

Match each sentence to the appropriate construction.

Click the buttons to assign each item a corresponding number.

When the battery in Carol's car died, she took the bus to work. In all probability, the cigar factory will go bankrupt next month. Normally, we use the first-in first-out method of rotating inventory. 2 Introductory prepositional phrase 1 Introductory modifier

3 Introductory clause

Which of the following are run-on sentences? After you have read the attached analysis, I would like to discuss this situation with you. This equipment breakdown was costly to us our contract makes no provisions for it. Similar problems have plagued us in the past I think we should consider a different company. Thank you for returning my call, as I mentioned then, I am exploring every job opportunity. I am eager to meet with you on April 6 when we can discuss my qualifications. My experience is varied it covers all aspects of industrial design.

Which of the following techniques can you use to correct run-on sentences? Separating the sentences with a period or a semi-colon Adding a prepositional phrase to the beginning of the sentence Separating the clauses with a comma and a conjunction (such as "and," "but") Making one of the clauses dependent to the other (using words such as "when," "although," "because")

Which of the following sentences contain a misplaced modifier? Only five feet high, Jane's desk chair was too low for her. We sent the layout to the agency that had four-color illustrations. Jerry Jones, the director, took a plane to Boston. While they were dancing in the streets, the cars almost hit the people.

After carefully considering the alternatives, a decision will be made. The salesperson in the cosmetics department won the employee of the month award.

Which of the following sentences contain parallel structures? R&C Plumbing provides immediate, complete, and economical service. If you have any questions, criticism, or would like to make suggestions, please contact Mark Hopewell. We contacted these suppliers: GE, Westinghouse, and Brown-Boveri.

Which of the following is a true statement?

1. The topic sentence introduces the main idea of the paragraph. 2. The topic sentence must be the first sentence in the paragraph.
1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

What is the maximum number of ideas that should be developed in a single paragraph? 1 2 3 4

Which of the following is a true statement?

1. Never break up a unified paragraph, even if it's extremely long.

2. Paragraphs must be a minimum of two sentences in length.

1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

You should keep business paragraphs within a maximum of how many typewritten lines? 5 10 20

Which of the following is a true statement about this paragraph?

Recreation has become a serious business today. As more and more Americans join the battle of the bulge and worry about their longevity, more and more health spas, fitness salons, and gyms spring up. Sporting goods stores that supply recreation apparel are also booming. 1. The repetition of "recreation" and "more and more" makes this paragraph coherent. 2. The use of "also" in the last sentence connects this sentence to the rest of the paragraph.
1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Which is the correct transitional word or phrase to make the following sentences coherent? Click the underlined fields to select your answer for each.

I am very pleased with the results of working at home.

moreover , the arrangement has been convenient and I enjoy keeping up with my accounting work.

What does it mean to write concisely? Avoid unnecessary words Use punctuation sparingly Avoid needless repetition of ideas

Which of the following is a true statement?

1. A lawyer who wants to impress a client should use many legal terms. 2. Contractions are acceptable in memos to co-workers.
1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

All companies permit the use of first person references ("I") in business communications.

Which of the following are true statements?

1. The more complex the topic, the shorter the sentences should be. 2. The simpler the topic, the more complex or longer sentences can be.
1 Only

2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Does this sentence use discriminatory language?

No one expected Ken Fujiya, age 81, to enter, much less finish the New York marathon.

How many sentences in business prose should follow a subject-verb-object order? Three-fourths One-fourth One-half

Which item in this list is not parallel with the rest? What is your name? Which services are you familiar with? What is your address? Schedule an appointment.

What is the best way to arrange supporting details in a paragraph? Save the most important point for last Put the most important point first Arrange the points as you think of them

You can achieve coherence in a paragraph by maintaining a consistent tone and point of view.