MCQs

1. Communication starts with:

a) Message
b) Sender
c) Channel
d) Feedback

2. Reading refers to which element of the communication process? 

a) Encoding
b) Decoding
c) Message
d) Channel

3. Which of the following indicates the correct sequence of the elements of

communication in the communication process? 
a) Sender, Receiver, Channel, Message, Feedback
b) Receiver, Feedback, Sender. Message, Channel
c) Sender, Channel, Message, feedback, Receiver
d) Sender, Message, Channel, Receiver, Feedback

4. The informal network that is known as the "grapevine"

a) is used by savvy managers to spread and receive informal messages.
b) rarely contains accurate information.
c) deals exclusively with personal matters.
d) carries information along the organization's formal chain of chain of command.

5. What step in the communication process allows you to evaluate your message’s
effectiveness?
a) Selection of the communication medium.
b) Decoding of the message by the receiver.
c) Encoding of the message by the sender.
d) Feedback sent by the receiver to the sender.

6. Where can we apply seven C’s?

a) To Non verbal communication
b) To Oral communication
c) To Written communication
d) To written and oral communication

7. ____ is not one of the 7 C’s of communication:

a) conciseness
b) correctness
c) clarity
d) character
8. In the formal network of an organization, the flow of information can be
___________.
a) Upward or downward
b) Upward, downward, or lateral
c) Downward only
d) Upward only

9. Superiors channeling information to subordiantes is an example of ________.

a) upward communication
b) downward communication
c) diagonal communication
d) horizontal communication

10. Flow of information, requests, reports, proposals, feedback, suggestion box, exit
interviews, grievance committees relate to
a) upward communication
b) downward communication
c) diagonal communication
d) horizontal communication

11. Communication between two or more persons who are subordinates working under
the same person or on the same level
a) upward communication
b) downward communication
c) diagonal communication
d) horizontal communication

12. Communication flowing between people belonging to different levels of hierarchy

and having no direct reporting relationship
a) upward communication
b) downward communication
c) diagonal communication
d) horizontal communication

13. In this network chain, one person passes information to a selected few confidentially.
Some of them keep the information to themselves and others pass it to other selected
few whom they trust.
a) Probability Chain
b) Gossip Chain
c) Single-strand Chain
d) Cluster Chain

14. Which of the following does not comes under the category of grapevine?
a) Single strand chain
b) Supply chain
c) Cluster chain
d) Gossip chain
15. Use of specific words so that the message does not sound vague or abstract is
a) Conciseness
b) Concreteness
c) Clarity
d) None of these

16. The medium through which the message is passed from the sender to the received is
known as____________
a. Decoding
b. Channel
c. Encoding
d. Feedback

17. What can be considered as the heart of a report?

a) The introduction of a report
b) A variety of components
c) Introduction, body, and a close
d) Only the body of the report

18. -----------are routine reports prepared at regular time interval-daily, weekly, monthly
quarterly or annually.
a) Periodic reports
b) Formal reports
c) Progress reports
d) Conference reports

19. Letter reports are of ----------- types:

a) four
b) two
c) three
d) five

20. Communication is ……….

a) Continuous
b) Complicated
c) Contextual
d) All of the above

21. Communication is affected by ……….. context.

a) Psychological
b) Environmental
c) Cultural
d) All of the above
22. The first and most important reason for communicating is …….
a) To build relationship with other people
b) To deliver a message
c) To understand the opponent ideas
d) To create shared understanding

23. Effective communication is that in which

a) Sender sends a complete message
b) Receiver understands the message of sender
c) Communication is order
d) Communication is writing

24. ……… is an active process; whereas ………… is a passive process

a) Listening; hearing
b) Hearing; listening
c) Reading; writing
d) Writing; reading

25. Gathering the facts without trying to understand the content, while listening is
a) Strategy of effective oral communication
b) Barrier to effective oral communication
c) Strategy of effective listening skills
d) Barrier to effective listening skills

26. Many conversations fail because one or both of us ignore ……

a) Context
b) Relationship
c) Structure
d) Behavior

27. ------------------------ include investigation of an issue or problem or

a) Formal report
b) Analytical Reports
c) Scientific Reports
d) Informational Reports

28. There are ___ basic parts of a formal report.

a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6

29. Which of the following is NOT an external business written communication?

a) Complaint letter
b) Curriculum Vitae
c) Memo
d) Enquiries letter

30. Which of these are records of a meeting?

a) Plans
b) Minutes
c) Agenda
d) Presentations

31. What do the letters ‘ENC’ or ‘ENCs’ at the end of the business letter mean?
a) Encircle
b) Encore
c) Enclosure
d) Encase

32. Which of these is most likely to be included in the Appendix of a report?

a) Findings
b) Terms of reference
c) Name of the author of the report
d) Bibliography

33. Reports present conclusion based on

a) Intuition
b) Investigation
c) Belief
d) Impression

34. Writing a letter with “you-attitude” means writing:

a) from the point of view of other persons not concerned
b) from the point of view of the reader
c) from the point of view of the writer
d) using the word “you” repeatedly

35. When planning bad-news messages, you should consider the following questions
except
a) Should it be sent in writing?
b) Do your readers prefer to receive the negative news up front, without delay?
c) Would they accept the news more readily if you explained your reasons first?
d) All the above questions should be considered when planning bad-news messages

36. The following are types of informational reports except

a) implementing policies and procedures
b) supporting a recommendation
c) complying with government regulations
d) monitoring and controlling operations

37. The following are examples of analytical reports except

a) obtaining new business of funding
b) those for justifying a project or course of action
c) those for solving problems
d) All the above are examples of analytical reports

38. The first step in planning a report is to

a) define the problem
b) outline the issues for investigation
c) limit the scope of the study
d) prepare a work plan

39. Which of the following does not describe a report?

a) Orderly
b) Subjective
c) Helps decision making
d) Helps in problem solving

40. The best way to apply for a job is to submit a résumé that is:
a) self-recommending
b) full of personal information
c) specifically written for that particular job
d) suitable for any job

41. All of the following are criteria for effective business writing EXCEPT:
a) The message is clear
b) The message is accurate
c) The message is what the reader wants to hear
d) The message builds goodwill

42. Listening and hearing refer to:

a) different things
b) a specific act versus a general act
c) the same thing
d) mental and physical acts, respectively

43. Modern business letters are usually written in:

a) semi-block style
b) full-block style
c) simplified style
d) indented style
44. A letter or report to a customer from an employer belongs to which kind of
communication?
a) official communication
b) officer communication
c) administrator communication
d) manager communication

45. While communicating, when you are aware not only of the perspective of others but
also their feelings, you are applying which principle of communication:
a) Courtesy
b) Concreteness
c) Completeness
d) Conciseness

46. ____________ are usually short messages with natural, casual use of language.
a) Formal reports
b) Short reports
c) Progress report
d) Informal reports

47. What are the basic divisions of a formal report other than prefatory and
supplementary parts?
a) Written parts
b) Text parts
c) Oral parts
d) Added parts

48. In a request letter, which tone should be opted?

a) Courteous
b) Demanding
c) Apologetic
d) Nervous

49. When your message contains all the facts, the reader or the listener needs, it is called:
a) Complete
b) Considerate
c) Courteous
d) Clear

50. Minutes, which tell more of the story of what happened and who said what at a
meeting are:
a) Resolution minutes
b) Narrative minutes
 c) Informal minutes
d) Formal minutes

Case 1
Part A
Your boss has been telling of late that he would welcome suggestions about how to improve
the organization. You take him at his words and end up meeting him to discuss some of your
ideas with him. As you begin to outline the changes you propose, he fixes you with a stare
and folds his arm across his chest; as you go on, the frown on his face gathers intensity.
When you finish, he gets up abruptly and says, with barely suppressed menace in his voice,
‘Thank you very much. Your ideas are priceless.’

Part B
Your friend has started a new organization. He is encountering some labour problems. You
are a personnel management specialist and have several years of experience in the personnel
department of large organization. Your friend calls you over to his office one day to discuss
his problems. He finds your ideas innovative and thinks you are just right for his kind of set
up. As you get up leave, your friend clasps your hand warmly, beams at you and says, ‘Thank
you very much. Your ideas are priceless.’

1. Verbally the two messages are exactly the same. Do you think the two speakers were
communicating the same message? What is it that makes the two messages so
different?
2. Explain the above situations by relating it to medium of communication.

Case 2
At a press conference, Tomal Mukherjee, the press secretary for a large IT company is taking
questions about the company’s downsizing. Barkha Dutt, a reporter shouts her question, “Mr.
Mukherjee, is there any chance the company would lay off the additional employees within
the next year? ‘As I said earlier’, Mr. Mukherjee replied, ‘we have been studying our
operations closely nationwide in an effort to be sure that we are doing all that we can do to
keep layoffs to the minimum. At this point, we expect the next quarter, to turn sales around as
some of our subsidiary divisions have got up and are running. That is the last question, folks.
Thank you for your time.’
Scribbling furiously, Barkha ran to the phone to call in her story before her deadline.
Barkha’s story began, ‘Keypad Systems plan no more layoffs, in the coming year, according
to spokesperson, Mr. Tomal Mukherjee.’
Later, the same day, Barkha’s editor was furious to see a front-page story in a rival paper
where the reported had presented the story quite differently. The rival story began, ‘Are more
layoffs in store at Keypad System? At a press conference today, company spokesperson, Mr.
Tomal Mukherjee skirted the question, leaving hundreds of employees and subcontractors
hanging in the balance’.
1. Why might the two stories have been different?
2. Did Tomal Mukherjee answer Barkha’s question?
3. Whose information was correct, Barkha’s or other reporter’s?

Case 3
Ken worked in a research department for a year as a researcher and he was laid off as the
entire department was closed due to recession. He decided to meet the CEO for a possible
outplacement as the organization had several other departments to accommodate him.
However the secretary of the CEO, Diana did not permit Ken to meet by saying that CEO
was busy. Ken returned without meeting the CEO. He got better employment opportunity
elsewhere and joined.

Ken, being a researcher, wrote an article for an international journal while working in the
research department. It was published after 9 months and received complimentary copies
from the publisher. Therefore, Ken wanted to share the successful publication with his former
CEO and went to meet him to gift the book as a complimentary copy. Below was the
conversation Ken had with the secretary of the CEO.

Ken: I would appreciate if you could arrange an appointment with CEO. I want….. (Secretary
interrupted)

Secretary: Why did you come? We had already handed over your resume to Jim for
outplacement. You may go now. 

Ken: I did not come for employment opportunity. Don’t assume that people would come here
for employment only. I have come to gift a complimentary copy where my article featured in
international journal. The CEO would be glad to share the success.

Secretary: No, No, the CEO sees everything and knows everything as every article
publication is known to him.

Ken: It is not departmental journal. It is a prestigious journal globally and I want to inform
him and gift the book.

Secretary: “You will not get appointment. The CEO is busy” said firmly. 

Ken: I anticipated that CEO would be busy and I have already written the details of my name
over the complimentary copy. 

Secretary: Okay, leave it and go. (She said impolitely and started looking here and there)

Ken handed over the complimentary copy to Secretary. 

Ken: Fine, please hand over to CEO. I am leaving the place. However, I will send an email to
CEO about my coming physically to gift the book. (Secretary probably worried as the Ken
had already mentally prepared to send the email and keep the CEO informed. If Secretary had
any intention to skip handing over the complimentary copy, CEO will know as Ken would
send mail.)

Ken handed over the complimentary copy to Secretary and departed the office. He sent an
email to his ex-CEO about his coming and he could not meet as the latter was busy with his
schedules. 

After 5 hours, the Secretary telephoned Ken and said firmly, “CEO told to return the book to
you. You come and take the book back.”

Ken replied, “It is the complimentary copy meant for the CEO only”. Secretary insisted to
take back the book immediately. Ken told Secretary to courier and he was about to give his
address. Secretary interrupted Ken’s conversation and replied, “No we don’t send you
through courier. You have to come and take.” Ken responded politely, “Right now, I am far
away from that place. When I come to that area I would take back the book.” 

The very next day, Ken received email from his ex-CEO congratulating Ken for the
publication and thanked for coming all the way to gift the book. Ken felt excited that his ex-
CEO was pleased with publication. 
i.) What were the communication challenges in the above case study? 
ii.) Was the Secretary right in avoiding the Ken who came all the way from long distance
to gift the complimentary copy, and also further insisting to come and take the
complimentary copy back physically instead of couriering?
iii.)Was Secretary a good listener? Did Secretary empathize with Ken?

Short Questions
1. Business Communication via Social Network
2. Define report? Explain the steps in writing a report.
3. What is meant by a blog? What factors can add to write a good blog post?
4. What is Skype? Explain its benefits and limitations.
5. Define Communication. Explain its nature and importance.
6. Explain the meaning, merits and limitations of formal communication channel.
7. Advantages and disadvantages of Grapevine communication network.
8. ‘Actions speak louder than words’. Explain with respect to medium of
communication.

Differentiate between the following:

1. Reports and Minutes
2. Formal and Informal Reports
3. Minutes of Resolution and Narration
4. Verbal and non-verbal communication
5. Downward and upward communication
6. Formal and informal communication channels
7. Horizontal and diagonal communication
8. Downward and diagonal communication
Long Questions
1. Write a sales letter informing the customer regarding the monsoon sale that is being
offered by your store.
2. You are the advertising manager of the North Zone of a company manufacturing food
products. Director of the marketing department asks you to prepare a report on how
the company should use advertising to support a new product launched in the existing
product line.
3. Write a job application along with a resume for the post of a sales executive in a bank.
4. Explain the structure of a report. Explain the features of a good report. 
5. What do you mean by grapevine communication? Explain the various grapevine
communication chains.
6. Why is it important to understand communication in day to day business operations?
Explain 7 C's of communication.