Chapter 1—Business Communication Foundations
TRUE/FALSE
1. Effective external communication has a greater impact on an organization’s success than
effective internal communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
2. The sender and receiver have equal responsibility for achieving the goals of business
communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 4, 12
3. The most important goal of business communication is that the receiver understands the
message as the sender intends.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
4. Citing receiver benefits in a message not only fosters a favorable relationship between the
sender and the receiver but also demonstrates use of the you-viewpoint.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
5. LMN Clothing sent a letter to its credit card customers to give them advance notice of an
upcoming sale. Harry Pasco received the letter, read it, and gave it to his neighbor; however,
Harry did not shop at LMN during the sale. Harry’s action means that LMN has achieved the
goal of favorable response.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
, 6. To establish a favorable relationship, the message sender and receiver should relate to each
other positively, personally, and professionally.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
7. Employees help to establish and maintain organizational goodwill by communicating
positively about the company’s products, services, and personnel.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p.7
8. An individual’s status within an organization has no affect on the communication process.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
9. Serial communication may follow a horizontal path as well as a vertical path.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 8
10. Efforts to suppress an organization’s open, honest, complete grapevine communication can
lead to low employee morale.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
11. Jackie Parcel works for Hamilton State Bank in Joplin, Missouri. When Jackie communicates
with Rick Spliker, a representative of the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis, she is engaging
in internal communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
,12. The components of the communication process model are sender, receiver, you-viewpoint,
and communication barriers.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 10
13. Office politics may be positive or negative.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 10-11
14. As part of the communication process, the sender must encourage feedback and the
receiver must provide feedback.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
15. The two main types of communication are written and verbal.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
16. A sender can initiate a message with written words, spoken words, or gestures.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
17. Analyzing a receiver’s knowledge will assist a writer in deciding whether to use the direct
or indirect plan when organizing a message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 14
18. Using the you-viewpoint means eliminating writer-centered words from a message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 15
, 19. When speakers use connotative words, they risk having the receiver infer a meaning
different from what was intended.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 17-18
20. A sender's credibility is based solely on the content of his or her message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 17-18
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Unlike journalistic or creative writing, business writing is:
a. brief.
b. structured.
c. topical.
d. transactional.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
2. It was nearly 2 a.m. when Jaynell Washington arrived at her hotel; she was tired and
hungry. When she asked the desk clerk how to get to the hotel coffee shop, she was told it
was closed. Disappointed, she went to her room. About 15 minutes later, the desk clerk
arrived at Jaynell’s room with a plate of cheese and fresh fruit. The clerk refused the tip
Jaynell offered, and no food charge was added to her bill. By doing more than was expected,
the desk clerk helped achieve the business communication goal of:
a. receiver understanding.
b. receiver response.
c. favorable relationship.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Effective external communication has a greater impact on an organization’s success than
effective internal communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
2. The sender and receiver have equal responsibility for achieving the goals of business
communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: pp. 4, 12
3. The most important goal of business communication is that the receiver understands the
message as the sender intends.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 4
4. Citing receiver benefits in a message not only fosters a favorable relationship between the
sender and the receiver but also demonstrates use of the you-viewpoint.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
5. LMN Clothing sent a letter to its credit card customers to give them advance notice of an
upcoming sale. Harry Pasco received the letter, read it, and gave it to his neighbor; however,
Harry did not shop at LMN during the sale. Harry’s action means that LMN has achieved the
goal of favorable response.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
, 6. To establish a favorable relationship, the message sender and receiver should relate to each
other positively, personally, and professionally.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 5
7. Employees help to establish and maintain organizational goodwill by communicating
positively about the company’s products, services, and personnel.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p.7
8. An individual’s status within an organization has no affect on the communication process.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 7
9. Serial communication may follow a horizontal path as well as a vertical path.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 8
10. Efforts to suppress an organization’s open, honest, complete grapevine communication can
lead to low employee morale.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
11. Jackie Parcel works for Hamilton State Bank in Joplin, Missouri. When Jackie communicates
with Rick Spliker, a representative of the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis, she is engaging
in internal communication.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 9
,12. The components of the communication process model are sender, receiver, you-viewpoint,
and communication barriers.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 10
13. Office politics may be positive or negative.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 10-11
14. As part of the communication process, the sender must encourage feedback and the
receiver must provide feedback.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
15. The two main types of communication are written and verbal.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
16. A sender can initiate a message with written words, spoken words, or gestures.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 12
17. Analyzing a receiver’s knowledge will assist a writer in deciding whether to use the direct
or indirect plan when organizing a message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 14
18. Using the you-viewpoint means eliminating writer-centered words from a message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 15
, 19. When speakers use connotative words, they risk having the receiver infer a meaning
different from what was intended.
ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: p. 17-18
20. A sender's credibility is based solely on the content of his or her message.
ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: p. 17-18
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Unlike journalistic or creative writing, business writing is:
a. brief.
b. structured.
c. topical.
d. transactional.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: p. 3
2. It was nearly 2 a.m. when Jaynell Washington arrived at her hotel; she was tired and
hungry. When she asked the desk clerk how to get to the hotel coffee shop, she was told it
was closed. Disappointed, she went to her room. About 15 minutes later, the desk clerk
arrived at Jaynell’s room with a plate of cheese and fresh fruit. The clerk refused the tip
Jaynell offered, and no food charge was added to her bill. By doing more than was expected,
the desk clerk helped achieve the business communication goal of:
a. receiver understanding.
b. receiver response.
c. favorable relationship.
