Professional Communications Exam

If your manager asks you to place a call for him or her, what's the best course of action?

a. Ask your manager beforehand what to do if the person being called is unavailable.

b. Send an email to the recipient before calling to determine whether he or she is available.

c. If the recipient answers, ask if this is a good time for him or her to speak to your manager.

d. Leave a voicemail message for the recipient if he or she is unavailable.

One of the strategies Cecile uses to give her full attention to a caller is to:

a. ask the caller if something he or she said is really important.

b. politely request the caller to call back and leave a message on voicemail so she can listen when she's less distracted.

c. write down key facts for future reference.

d. draw a sketch of her image of the caller.

One of the advantages of communicating through email rather than through letters and telephone calls is:

a. flexibility in terms of sending and receiving messages.

b. proper punctuation isn't necessary.

c. grammatical errors aren't major concerns.

d. not having to worry about courtesy or politeness.

Your boss is extremely busy in a meeting and has asked to not be disturbed. What should you say or ask of callers?

a. May I ask who's calling please?

b. Mrs. Johnson is in conference. May I help you?

c. Who's this?

d. Mrs. Johnson is out of the office.

Which of the following is a typical purpose of a memo?

a. to confront or accuse people

b. to communicate several types of messages in a single format

c. to reach many people when they can't be reached in person

d. to deliver bad news

Unlike the inside address, the recipient's address on the envelope of a business number should usually:

a. include the phone number of the recipient.

b. list the ZIP code on a separate line, below the city and state

c. be typed on a call capital letters

d. include punctuation after abbreviations

Administrative Assistants often answer the phone lines of their supervisors or managers. Over time, some callers' voices become familiar and easy to identify or a familiat number appears on a Called ID screen. Other times, the voice and the caller's voice and the caller's number are unfamiliar. What is the correct response to such calls?

a. That person isn't available right now, may I assist you?

b. May I inquire as to why you're calling?

c. May I ask who's calling please?

d. Who's this?

The subject or attention line is usually placed:

a. immediately after the salutation

b. one line after the inside address and two lines before salutation

c. two lines after the inside address and two lines before the salutation

d. one line above the salutation

What should you do is you don't know the name of the recipient and the company organization refuses to disclose it?

a. Address the letter to the individual's title within the company.

b. Substitute the name of a person in the organization known to you, and request that they forward the letter to the appropriate individual.

c. Leave the recipient field blank.

d. Address the letter to the entire company or organization.

If it's 10AM Eastern Standard Time in NYC, what time is it in LA?

a. 9am

b. 12pm

c. 7am

d. 1pm

To have the most impact when using email. you should structure your messages so that:

a.the main issues are bulleted and highlighted in red.

b. each point is addressed in a separate message.

c. the most important information comes first.

d. each main point is placed on a seperate screen.

Some call waiting functions allow a caller to be _____ your line while you're on the phone with another caller, and your extension will ring as soon as you hang up with the first caller.

a. disconnected from

b. transferred to

c. camped on

d. forwarded to

The dateline of a letter should correspond to the day the letter is:

a. dictated

b. mailed.

c. received.

d. transcribed.

If an attention line is required on a business letter envelope. the United States Postal Service recommends placing it:

a. one line below the recipients name

b. below the state, city, and zip code line

c. above the recipients name

d. in the bottom-left corner of the envelope

When taking messages for another person, a good rule to follow is to:

a. write down the number that appears on a Caller ID screen rather than the number the caller gives.

b. politely inform the caller that the person for whom the message is being taken probably won't return the call for a few days.

c. suggest that someone else at the company might be better suited to assist the caller

d. ask the caller if you've spelled his or her name correctly

Which of the following is an example of a good listening skill?

a. listening to what the caller is saying as well as to what the person sitting next to you is saying.

b. replying to the caller was "you" rather than his or her name

c. not taking notes.

d. using verbal reinforcers throughout the conversation such as "yes" and "i understand"

What is typically the purpose of the beginning of the body of the letter?

a. It presents questions that need to be answered.

b. It provides a brief statement of the subject or purpose of the letter.

c. It immediately presents a way for the reader to respond quickly and easily.

d. It answers questions posed by the reader in an earlier communication.

When recording a personalized voicemail greeting on your office phone, your greeting should:

a. be professional in content and tone

b. include only the company name and your extension number

c. sound personal and cheerful

d. offer as little information as possible

What should you do if you know you'll need to leave the telephone for more than 3 seconds to find information for a caller?

a. inform the caller that it's going to take a while and place the receiver or headset on your desk.

b. offer to call the person back in a few minutes

c. politely inform the caller that it's going to take a few minutes to find the information and put him or her on hold

d. politely ask the caller to wait and put him or her on hold

The part of an email that describes what it's about is the:

a. address

b. carbon copy information

c. subject line

d. message