Question 1
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 2
Jane is preparing a proposal for an audience that has invited her to do so. This means that __________.
A. it is an unsolicited proposal
B. Jane will need to explain her experience and qualifications
C. the direct organizational approach would be appropriate
D. Jane's audience is not aware that a problem or opportunity exists
Question 3
"The proposed developer employed only certified programmers. Over the past five years they have redesigned more than 50 databases for local businesses. They will add innovative new functionalities to our system, while increasing the efficiency of our current system's capabilities." Which of the following options best improves the section of Dave's text excerpted above?
A. replacing "employed" in the first sentence with "used to employ"
B. replacing "employed" in the first sentence with "employs"
C. replacing "have redesigned" in the second sentence with "will redesign"
D. replacing "will add" in the third sentence with "can add"
Question 4
Which of the following media is most appropriate if you want to encourage your audience to collaborate, interact, and create content?
A. slides
B. podcasts
C. flipcharts
D. video conferences
Question 5
Which of the following is considered part of analyzing your setting?
A. What do the key players care about?
B. What are the needs and interests of the audience?
C. How far do I need to move the audience before they act?
D. Will I be using my own computer to present slides?
Question 6
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 7
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 8
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 9
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 10
If a proposal is a few pages long, then which of the following components is most likely to help the reader see the structure of the document at a glance?
A. references
B. headings
C. appendices
D. footnotes
Question 11
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 12
You are sending a proposal in response to an RFP from a local elementary school that is seeking a provider for an after-school enrichment program promoting physical fitness. Including which of the following in your summary would best demonstrate that you listen to your clients, understand what they are trying to accomplish, and have an appropriate solution?
A. Our instructors are top-notch and have much experience putting high school students on the road to better nutrition and physical fitness.
B. Our program focuses primarily on creative expression, which also has some physical fitness benefits.
C. The key to our program's success is getting kids to exercise early in the day, which keeps them energized and focused for the rest of their day's work.
D. Our program is designed for grades K-4 and has greatly improved fitness at the many schools where it is offered at the end of the day.
Question 13
__________ 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 14
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 15
You run a branch of a very technologically savvy real estate agency in a large city. The company employs a powerful database to enable realtors to pinpoint the properties that most accurately meet their clients' specifications. Realtors currently consult the database with clients in the office to create a list of desirable properties to view. You think it would be even more effective and lead to quicker transactions if realtors could access the database outside of the office with their clients. After some research you find that the purchase of iPads for the realtors would make this possible. Writing a proposal to request this from the company owners would be an example of a(n. __________.
A. solicited sales proposal
B. competitive proposal
C. internal proposal
D. external proposal
Question 16
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 17
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 18
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 19
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 20
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 21
If you want to represent the percentage of respondents in a survey who preferred your product to products from four of your competitors, the best graph to use would be a __________.
A. pie chart
B. line chart
C. histogram
D. scatter plot
Question 22
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 23
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 24
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 25
The introduction to Anya's report __________.
A. should include page numbers along with the headings
B. should be omitted since her report includes an executive summary
C. should be written as if the reader did not read the executive summary at all
D. should include a list of figures and tables along with their page numbers
Question 26
Connor's supervisor asks him to analyze whether their plan to start web-based retailing can be implemented as proposed. His supervisor is asking Connor for a(n. __________.
A. feasibility report
B. progress report
C. compliance report
D. investigation report
Question 27
Which of the following reports is designed to inform others quickly about the work you have done and to provide documentation for future use?
A. feasibility report
B. progress report
C. evaluation report
D. formal report
Question 28
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 29
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 30
A paired bar chart is also known as a __________.
A. line chart
B. stacked column chart
C. histogram
D. tornado chart
Question 31
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 32
Evan is preparing a memo report recommending that his company should contract with a particular event planner for an upcoming corporate function. He includes all the pertinent information regarding costs, services provided, and why this choice would better serve the company's needs. He also has some additional documentation which he'd like to add, including descriptions of prior events this agency has planned, photographs of venues, menus, etc. Evan should include this information __________.
A. in the body of the report
B. as attachments to the report
C. in the executive summary
D. as part of the reference list
Question 33
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 34
You are just back from Amsterdam where you had gone to attend a business conference. Your manager asks you to send him a report which documents your activities and indicates what you accomplished or learned during the conference. Your manager wants you to prepare a __________.
A. progress report
B. feasibility report
C. trip report
D. recommendation report
Question 35
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 36
Which of the following terms is a synonym for a reference list?
A. executive summary
B. glossary
C. bibliography
D. table of contents
Question 37
__________ 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 38
While drawing a graph, you plot the independent variable on the x-axis and the dependent variable on the y-axis. Then you add a trend line and start plotting the variables. Which of the following types of graphs are you creating?
A. paired bar chart
B. scatter plot
C. histogram
D. pie chart
Question 39
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 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.
