All India Management Association (AIMA) 2009 M.B.A Marketing Management Managerial Effectiveness - I 2008 - Question Paper
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Question Paper
Managerial Effectiveness - I (MB1A3): October 2008
Answer all 100 questions.
Each question carries one mark.
1. One can become a better listener by controlling distractions, becoming actively involved, identifying important
facts, and
(a) Separating facts from opinions
(b) Interrupting with quick replies or your own opinions
(c) Asking hostile questions
(d) Capitalizing on lag time by thinking of tasks that you have to complete
(e) Discussing with the team members.
2. Research has shown that groups arrive at decisions in a predictable pattern. In which of the following stages of
group problem-solving, the members of the group reconcile their differences and the outcome of the group efforts
and the groups social structure become apparent?
(a) Orientation
(b) Conflict
(c) Emergence
(d) Reinforcement
(e) Arbitration.
3. Changing environments change the ingredients for success. What was once accepted as recipe for success is no
more accepted today. Todays successful companies
(a) Use teams and collaborative work groups to arrive at quick decisions
(b) Limit decisions to a few managers at the of a formal hierarchy
(c) Realize that the traditional management structure still works best
(d) Make all important decisions by going through a painstaking, careful, time consuming process
(e) Avoid tough decisions or simply procrastinate.
4. Responding to criticism without resorting to either fight or flight takes a lot of skill. Following are the
guidelines to responding to criticism positively except
(a) Recognize the value of constructive criticism
(b) Give the power and decisions making authority to the other person who is criticizing
(c) Engage in perspective taking or role reversal
(d) Acknowledge criticism that focuses on your behavior
(e) Communicate clearly how you feel and think about the criticism and receiving criticism.
5. Which of the following is the correct sequence to get a favorable response to a request for credit?
I. Present and explain the credit terms.
II. Indicate the foundation upon which the credit extension is based.
III. Mention that credit terms have been arranged; or if order is placed, mention about the shipment of goods,
thus implying that credit has been extended.
IV. Include a confident look toward future business.
V. Include some resale or sales-promotional material.
(a) (I), (III), (II), (V) and (IV)
(b) (II), (IV), (III), (V) and (I)
(c) (III), (II), (I), (V) and (IV)
(d) (III), (IV), (I), (II), and (V)
(e) (IV), (II), (V), (III), and (I).
6. The most general statement of the speech is called core statement and the least general statements are called
(a) Main points
(b) Sub points
(c) Trivial points
(d) Extra points
(e) Ordinary points.
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7. How do you deal with your own views and individual style when you communicate with outsiders on behalf of
your company?
(a) You should subordinate your own views and individual style to the interests and style of your company
(b) You should express your own views and individual style
(c) You should ask the company to modify and match its views and style with your own
(d) You should forget your own views and style
(e) You should speak as little as possible.
8. Which of the following is not the main goal while responding to a request that involves a potential sale?
(a) Responding to the immediate request
(b) Conveying a good impression of yourself
(c) Conveying a good impression of the firm
(d) Encouraging the sale
(e) Composing a personal reply.
9. Listening, like much of human behavior, tends to follow consistent patterns. Most of us develop certain bad
listening habits that eventually create a pattern. Which of the following is not a common bad listening habit?
(a) Faking attention
(b) Listening only for facts
(c) Avoiding distraction
(d) Avoiding difficult and uninteresting material
(e) Focusing on delivery.
10. Non-verbal communication differs from verbal communication because it
(a) Is less reliable
(b) Is composed of words and grammar
(c) Has few rules and often occurs unconsciously
(d) Conveys less meaning than words
(e) Contains no emotional gestures.
11. There are many types of communication barriers. For the purpose of analysis, they are placed into various
categories. Which of the following is not a problem caused by the sender?
(a) Lack of sufficient information the sender has about the subject
(b) Confusion in comprehending a message
(c) Confusion about the order of presentation
(d) Lack of familiarity with the audience
(e)
Lack of experience in speaking and writing.
12. Arguments cannot be negotiated, only proposals can. This demands that emotions be kept under control. Negotiating
is a delicate process and a lot of thinking must go into it, both before it actually gets underway and while it is going
on. Which of the following actions do not facilitate a win-win approach?
(a) Determining the needs of both parties
(b) Developing a list of possible solutions
(c) Choosing the most appropriate solution
(d) Forcing the other party to accept your views
(e) Keeping emotions under control.
13. A skillful manager will attempt to say no in such a way that the reader supports the decision and is willing to
maintain and continue a positive relationship with the company. What kind of a closing should a bad-news
message use?
(a) A cordial closing
(b) An apologetic closing
(c) An indifferent closing
(d) A negative closing that matches with the bad-news content of the message
(e) A critical closing.
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14. Recently, you have received a claim from one of your customers. After careful consideration, you felt that the
claim is genuine, hence, decided to honor it. Subsequently, you have decided to write a reply letter to that
customer. Since, it is a positive message, you have to present the main idea
(a) In the first sentence of the middle paragraph
(b) At the end of the middle paragraph
(c) Right at the beginning of the letter
(d) In the last sentence of the letter
(e) In the penultimate sentence of the letter.
15. Groups, follow many methods to take decisions. In which of the following techniques, members are encouraged to
generate as many ideas as they can about a ic and no idea is rejected at the initial stage and finally, the group
returns to all the ideas and adopts those that seem most feasible or most useful?
(a) Brainstorming
(b) Reflective thinking
(c) Consensus
(d) Nominal group technique
(e) Checklist technique.
16. An effective job search begins with careful career planning, a process that includes self-analysis, career analysis,
and
(a) Job analysis
(b) Future analysis
(c) Profit analysis
(d) Remuneration analysis
(e) Family analysis.
17. Listening is the most frequent, perhaps the most important type of on-the-job communication. But, there are many
barriers to the effective listening. Which of the following is not an attitudinal barrier to listening?
(a) Prejudices
(b) Preoccupation with other matters
(c) Unclear, nonspecific message
(d) A casual attitude
(e) Egocentrism.
18. Unspoken part of the communication closely follows the spoken part of the communication. When we are
speaking, our eyes also communicate a lot. While speaking to somebody, some times we maintain eye contact;
sometimes we wont be able to maintain eye contact. Maintaining eye contact is generally perceived as an
indication of
(a) Honesty
(b) Ruthlessness
(c) Sadness
(d) Happiness
(e) Aggression.
19. There are various forms of communication. They are either suggestive and persuasive or directive or authoritative
in nature. Which of the following purposes of communication is not persuasive and suggestive in nature?
(a) Coordination of tasks
(b) Sharing of information
(c) Problem solving
(d) Information about procedures
(e)
Conflict resolution.
20. Which of the following interviews becomes necessary when there are disruptive problems that need to be
curtailed?
(a) Employment interview
(b) Counseling interview
(c) Performance appraisal interview
(d) Disciplinary interview
(e) Persuasive interview.
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21. As in some persuasive letters, the primary purpose of a collection letter is to get action - in this case, payment. A
secondary goal is to maintain a customers goodwill. The following sentence Keep your part of the agreement.
Send your check today, is used in which of the following stages of collection series?
(a) Reminder
(b) Appeal
(c) Repeal
(d) Inquiry
(e) Urgency.
22. Which of the following is not true regarding favorable response to an order letter?
(a) Orders can be acknowledged by shipping the order, no acknowledgement letter is required in such case
(b) A letter of acknowledgement is required if the orders cannot be filled quickly
(c) When sending individualized letters of acknowledgement is not possible, companies typically send a copy
of the sales order
(d) Routine acknowledgements require individualized letters
(e) Most companies which develop the habit of saying yes to all orders, their letters become too artificial.
23. The minutes of the previous meeting is sometimes circulated along with the agenda. If the minutes is not sent
along with the agenda, it is read out by which of the following, when the meeting starts?
(a) Manager
(b) Director
(c) Chairperson
(d) Secretary
(e) Chief executive officer.
24. You have identified the position for which you would like to apply. You have prepared an effective resume. The
next step is to write a letter of application. Which of the following is not a quality of well-written application
letter?
(a) The letter should contain sentences depicting latest information about developments in the company
(b) The letter should be limited to one page
(c) The letter should be addressed to the person, not to the title
(d) The letter should not use you attitude
(e) The letter should emphasize on the job requirement.
25. Disagreements and subsequent conflicts arise because individuals see, hear and interpret things differently.
Success of the organization depends on how these conflicts can be used for the benefit of the organization. In this
process, sometimes to resolve the conflict you need to satisfy both the parties to the greatest degree. Then your
approach must be
(a) Avoiding
(b) Competing
(c) Accommodating
(d) Collaborating
(e) Compromising.
26. Non-verbal communication is defined as the communication, which is not conveyed using words but by our facial
expressions, body movements, tone of the voice etc. The study of the non-verbal symbols is divided into three
main areas: paralanguage, proxemics, and kinesics. What does kinesics mean?
(a) A study of the tone of voice, the loudness, rate of speech, etc.,
(b) A study of how people use the physical space around them
(c) A study of body moments and facial expressions
(d) A study of how particular words have an impact on the receivers
(e) A study of symbols used in different languages.
27. Sara is deciding whether to prepare a memo to announce a new procedure or to hold a staff meeting to discuss how
the new procedure should be implemented. Sara is involved in which segment of the communication process?
(a) Message encoding
(b) Message transmission
(c) Idea formation
(d) Message decoding
(e) Message reception.
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28. The communication between the interviewer and the respondent should be guided by certain ethical guidelines.
Which of the following is/are not the guideline(s) to the respondent response?
I. Dont be dishonest.
II. Dont waste the interviewers time.
III. Dont be controlling or overbearing.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (II) above
(e) Both (II) and (III) above.
29. In which of the following situations are requests considered routine?
(a) When a request is made at least once every day during a company's regular operating hours
(b) When a request has something to do with schedules
(c) When a request involves doing what is part of the normal course of business
(d) When a request is made at least once a month
(e) When a request is made by lower level people in the organization.
30. When you write effective request letters using the direct approach, you should
(a) Not apologize for being overbearing
(b) Focus on the actions you want readers to take in response to your request
(c) Have more than one purpose in writing the document
(d) Place some of your goals in the middle of your document so the reader will assume the goal mentioned in
your first paragraph is the most important one
(e) Be self centered and not see the perspective from the point of view of readers.
31. To predict possible audience responses to what you will say demands that you ask the crucial question: To what
extent are the members of the audience likely to be similar? Which of the following questions will least help the
reader to discover the areas of similarity among the members of audience?
(a) The age of your audience
(b) The occupation of your audience
(c) Intelligence and education level of your audience
(d) Predicting what a member of audience is thinking at the particular moment
(e) The influence of geographical experiences.
32. While presenting information about work experience in resume, Sam can also show how his experience
I. Will be useful in the job for which he is applying.
II. Has helped him to develop his skills and made him a responsible, hard-working employee.
III. Has given him an opportunity to work with others.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (III) above
(e) All (I), (II) and (III) above.
33. A finance executive has prepared a new plan to cut the expenses and reduce wastage in the company. When he
approached the manager to explain the plan, the manager, even before listening to the first sentence, said
Cutting the cost and reducing the expenses is a stupid idea. To build a positive relationship, according to the
psychologist Jack Gibb, the manager should
I. Tell the finance executive clearly that he has already went through two reports on the same subject before
and that he is not interested to listen to any other report since he considers the idea totally irrelevant.
II. Pretend to hear him with close mind.
III. Hear out what others have to say with an open mind.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (II) above
(e) Both (II) and (III) above.
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34. The study of paralanguage focuses on how you say what you say. Which of the following is not a component of
paralanguage?
(a) Verbal ability
(b) Volume of voice
(c) Rate of speech
(d) Voice pitch
(e) Pattern of the voice.
35. The final wrap-up of a long report generally has separate sections called summary, conclusions, and
recommendations. Which of the following is not true regarding summary, conclusions and recommendations in
a report?
(a) Summary includes the key findings of the report, paraphrased from the body and stated in the order in
which they appear in the body
(b) Conclusion is the writers analysis of what the findings mean
(c) Recommendations are opinions based on reason and logic, about the course of action that should be taken
(d) If the report is organized deductively, the summary, conclusions, and recommendations are presented
before the body and are only reviewed briefly at the end
(e) If the report is organized inductively, the summary, conclusions, and recommendations are presented
before the body and are covered in brief.
36. An interview is a goal-oriented, interpersonal communication between an interviewer and a respondent.
Conducting a successful interview requires three important skills: questioning, listening, and
(a) Mentoring
(b) Criticizing
(c) Summarizing
(d) Predicting
(e) Eliminating.
37. All business messages are essentially persuasive messages. After all, writers convey messages with the aim of
persuading readers to their point of view. In which of the following situations can the persuasive message be seen
as negative?
(a) When ancient techniques are used for persuading a contemporary audience
(b) When message fails to persuade the target audience
(c) When it involves dishonest and unethical practices
(d) When target audience is resistant to the message
(e) When the presenter of the message looks arrogant.
38. Whatever type of letter one is writing, it is always advisable to plan the letter with fundamentals of letter writing in
mind such as knowledge of the subject, audience, and purpose. A good beginning for an order letter would be
(a) Please send the following items
(b) Hi! My name is Rajdeep, and I'd like to place an order
(c) Enclosed is a check for Rs. 4000
(d) Do you offer discounts for quantity purchases?
(e) Will you be able to process my order on time?
39. The key to effective communication is determining your audiences needs and responding to them. Which of the
following will not help you to satisfy your audiences needs?
(a) Get their attention and arouse their interest
(b) Organize the material conveniently
(c) Always show how your information or solution will help you
(d) Enable them to follow the organization
(e)
Speak clearly and let them know when you are shifting from one point to another.
40. A memo is a written message designed to provide a quick, convenient way for personnel to communicate with
each other. Which of the following is not a type of memo?
(a) Request memo
(b) Order memo
(c) Confirmation memo
(d) Periodic report memo
(e) Ideas and suggestion memo.
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41. All business communicators face the problem of compressing complicated, closely related ideas into a linear
message that proceeds sequentially from point to point. If your reply contains both good news and bad news,
handle the bad news by
(a) Covering it thoroughly to be convincing
(b) Putting it at the end of the message
(c) Placing it in a position of little emphasis
(d) Putting it at the beginning or end of the middle paragraph
(e) Putting it at the beginning of the message.
42. An illustration is the narration of a happening or incident which amplifies, proves, or clarifies the point under
consideration. In which of the following types of illustration, real life characters are usually mentioned?
(a) Parable
(b) Fable
(c) Anecdote
(d) Analogies
(e) Ancestral.
43. Once the schedule of meeting is decided, the convener issues the notice to the participants of the meeting. Which
of the following is not true regarding notice?
(a) It should be issued by the proper authority
(b) It observes a minimum period of notice
(c) It states where and when the meeting is to be held
(d) It is considered as substitute to agenda
(e) It is sent to all individuals entitled to receive it.
44. How do you deal with your finding of customer error when responding to a claim (complaint)?
(a) Dont reveal the customers error because that could displease the customer
(b) Let the customer understand his/her error in using the product or service without insulting the customer in
any way
(c) Point out the customers error very directly so that such error-prone customers do not do business with you
again
(d) Instead of explaining the customers error, let the company take responsibility for the error
(e) Hope that, the customer will realize his/her error sooner or later.
45. Sometimes people listen because they want some information from the speaker and sometimes they listen
because they enjoy what theyre hearing. When a person ss working, to determine whether the door bell is
ringing or not is an example of which of the following types of listening approach?
(a) Discriminative listening
(b) Comprehensive listening
(c) Critical listening
(d) Active listening
(e) Empathic listening.
46. There are many types of communication barriers. For the purpose of analysis, they can be placed into four
categories: problems caused by the sender, problems in message transmission, problems in reception, problem in
receiver comprehension and perception. Bad connections, poor acoustics, and illegible copy are all examples of
(a) Problems with feedback
(b) Physical distractions
(c) Problems with background differences
(d) Overload problems
(e) Psychological barriers.
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47. When choosing a specific channel or medium for conveying a message, it is important to be aware of the internal
communication network within which the message is conveyed. Information flows in four ways through the
internal communication network. Which of the following according to you is/are formal way(s) for channeling
information upward?
I. Filling up a feedback form.
II. Interviews with employees who are leaving the company.
III. Discussion with employees for resolving grievances.
IV. Management by wandering around.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Both (II) and (IV) above
(c) (I), (II) and (III) above
(d) (I), (III) and (IV) above
(e)
All (I), (II), (III) and (IV) above.
48. Criticism does not have to foster conflict. Sometimes you have to make a critical remark about somebody. As a
critic, which of the following is not correct for ensuring that your comments meet with the least resistance?
(a) Understand why you are making a critical remark
(b) Direct criticism at the person, not at his behavior
(c) Try to understand the other persons perspective
(d) Avoid critical overload
(e) Avoid sounding judgemental.
49. Jamie has just become Executive Director of the local Red Cross and she needs to contact corporations in the
community for their support and funding for the Blood Drive next month. In creating her message, she should use
a strategy that is
(a) Persuasive and direct, since this is for a good cause
(b) Persuasive and indirect, since this is for a good cause
(c) Persuasive and indirect, since the audience need to be convinced about the benefit for them
(d) Persuasive and direct, since the audience need to be convinced about the benefit for them
(e) Assertive and direct since you are confident about the response.
50. A speaker can follow specific organizational strategy to plan the pattern and organize the content of speech in a
persuasive manner. The motivated sequence is basically a variant of the problem-solution order. Which of the
following is not a step to be taken in motivated sequence?
(a) Attention
(b) Need
(c) Satisfaction
(d) Visualization
(e) Evaluation.
51. Ensuring participation by each member of the group in a meeting is a responsibility of the effective leader. In this
regard, which of the following are true?
I. The effective leader starts out by telling the others how a particular issue should be resolved.
II. The effective leader invites the other participants to express their opinions.
III. The effective leader uses positive body language to make others feel that he is receptive to their ideas.
IV. The effective leader makes it clear that nobody should come up with irrelevant or unsuitable ideas.
(a) Both (I) and (II) above
(b) Both (II) and (III) above
(c) Both (III) and (IV) above
(d) (I), (II) and (III) above
(e)
(II), (III) and (IV) above.
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52. To make yourself heard above the din of the marketplace you must not only have a clear idea of exactly what kind
of employment would suit you best, but also the ability to sell yourself effectively to the prospective employer.
Which of the following sections usually dominates a chronological resume?
(a) The education section
(b) The career summary section
(c) The work experience section
(d) The skills and accomplishments section
(e) The achievements section.
53. Which of the following is not correct regarding steps to become a better listener?
(a) Being motivated to listen is only a prerequisite to become a good listener
(b) Do not jump to conclusions if you want to be objective
(c) There should not be any ambiguity in your feedback
(d) Do not force yourself to listen to speeches and lectures that seem to hold no obvious interest value
(e)
Do not consider only the voice quality, inflection, body movement but also consider the emotional
content of the message.
54. Which of the following statements is most accurate regarding nonverbal cues?
(a) Most people can control their facial expressions; therefore, they can control the nonverbal facial messages
they send
(b) Gestures merely add nonverbal meaning to verbal messages rather than conveying the entire meaning by
themselves
(c) Most communicators consider the eyes to be the most accurate predictor of a speakers true feelings and
attitudes
(d) A speakers nonverbal cues rarely contradict his or her verbal messages
(e) Facial expressions and other non-verbal gestures are artificial and not spontaneous.
55. There are many ways of experiencing the world around us. How we experience the inputs from the environment
around us depends on many factors like, our previous experience, education, family background etc. If we have the
ability to experience the world around us from another persons perspective, the ability is termed as
(a) Credibility
(b) Empathy
(c) Cognitive dissonance
(d) Context
(e) Sympathy.
56. Which of the following approaches to negotiation is best, when the other party is determined to take advantage of
you or when your interests truly conflict with those of the other party and compromising is not a satisfactory
option?
(a) A win-win strategy
(b) A win-lose strategy
(c) A no lose-no win strategy
(d) A lose-lose strategy
(e) A hide-behind-the-rule strategy.
57. Every persuasive situation has its own unique demands. Therefore, the organization of one persuasive speech may
radically differ from that of another. You are asked to design a persuasive message. Which of the following is not
your objective?
(a) To have the reader act
(b) To overcome any objection which might prevent action
(c) To provide enough information so that the reader knows exactly what to do
(d) To have the reader request more information from the writer
(e) To convince the reader.
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58. How a person organizes his message depends on the type of message and objective of the message. Some
messages should be direct and some indirect. Which of the following business messages are the most
straightforward?
(a) Persuasive and goodwill messages
(b) Bad news messages and proposals
(c) Routine, good news and goodwill messages
(d) Angry and good news messages
(e) Proposals and consoling messages.
59. To set the stage for a successful meeting careful planning is crucial. Which of the following is not true regarding
concluding the meeting?
(a) A little before the scheduled closing time, the leader signals that time is almost up
(b) The leader takes a note of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done
(c) The leader circulates the minutes of the meeting to all the participants
(d) The leader informs the participants about what will happen next
(e)
If the decision is made and action promised, the leader tells the participants about when the action will be
taken.
60. Which of the following statements is false regarding your resume?
(a) It can create an opportunity in the job market
(b) It is your personal marketing tool to convince employers to interview you
(c) It is tangible evidence of your oral communication skills
(d) It relates your education, work experience, and personal accomplishments to the employers needs
(e) It will be an integral part of the employment-interviewing process.
61. We normally think much faster than we speak. If you are a listener you can use this gap to your advantage by
focusing on
I. What the speaker is saying.
II. Summarizing and reviewing the delivery of speaker.
III. Preparing an appropriate response to the message.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (II) above
(e) Both (II) and (III) above.
62. The way we stand and sit, i.e., position of the body may convey many unspoken things. Closed body position
conveys that you are being
(a) Open to new ideas
(b) Defensive
(c) Noncommittal
(d) Disrespectful
(e)
Friendly.
63. Informal communication increases when official channels are closed or when the organization faces periods of
change, excitement, or anxiety. Instead of trying to eliminate the grapevine, sophisticated companies minimize its
importance by making certain that the official word gets out. But, some executives are wary of informal
communication channels, possibly because they
(a) Fear the spread of misinformation
(b) Believe only formal channels are efficient carriers of information
(c) Object to casual conversations on company time
(d) Fear loss of their control over the flow of information
(e)
Dont know the advantages of informal communication.
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64. Whatever the type of interview, a good deal of planning is necessary to make the interview a successful one.
Which of the following is not a strategy for planning an interview?
(a) Clearly state the purpose of interview
(b) Get information about the other party
(c) Planning the structure of offer letter
(d) Planning the physical setting
(e) Considering the possible questions.
65. Collection letters are generally written inductively, but they are shorter. While writing a short appeal letter
restricted to one appeal, a collection writer increases the chances that the entire letter will be read. Which of the
following is not a type of appeal letter?
(a) Fair play
(b) Closure
(c) Strong appeal
(d) Pride
(e)
Fear.
66. Writers need organization of letter to ensure that their ideas are presented clearly and logically. After anticipating
the readers reaction the letter should be organized in a particular manner. In which of the following types of
letters deductive approach is not appropriate?
(a) Writing to persuade
(b) Claim letters
(c) Letters about credit
(d) Letters about orders
(e) Routine requests.
67. Which of the following meetings usually focus on arriving at a decision, changing existing procedures, adopting a
new system, etc.?
(a) Problem generating
(b) Problem-solving
(c) Informational
(d) Change-facilitating
(e) Change management.
68. You have identified the position for which you would like to apply. You have prepared an effective resume. The
next step is to write a letter of application. Which of the following cannot be included in the middle section of the
application letter?
(a) Your understanding of the job requirements
(b) Your understanding of the political climate in the country
(c) Your educational achievements that qualify you for the job
(d) Your work experience that helps qualify you for the position
(e) Your skills that help qualify for the position.
69. The quality of the personal relationships in an organization determines the communication culture of the firm.
When the people trust one another and believe that they are appreciated, the communication climate is a positive
one. Which of the following is not a way to promote positive relationships in organizations, as depicted by
psychologist Jack Gibb?
(a) Using of descriptive You language
(b) Focusing on solving problems, not controlling others
(c) Not trying to be deceptive
(d) Showing empathy
(e) Dont put an air of superiority.
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70. The elements of a report refer to those components that are usually included in a formal business report. Executive
summary is one of them. Which of the following statements is false regarding an executive summary?
(a) It can be descriptive or informative
(b) It is intended for readers who need a condensed version of the information contained in the report
(c) It need not provide a summary of conclusions and recommendations
(d) It is one of the most important elements in a formal report
(e) It condenses the report into a few pages.
71. In an organization, communication flows in upward direction, downward direction and in lateral direction. Which
of the following is not an objective of downward communication?
(a) Give job instructions
(b) Provide information about procedures and practice
(c) Motivate the workers
(d) Request for leave
(e) Give training.
72. Every interview follows prescribed time schedule. Normally, it starts with the introduction of the candidate and
after testing on the required areas, interview comes to an end. Which of the following is not a possible conclusion
to an interview session?
(a) The interviewer reveals that the interview is over and that the applicant would most likely be dropped from
the shortlist of candidates
(b) The interviewer changes position and indicates by a gesture that the interview has ended
(c) The interviewer sums up the discussion
(d) The interviewer asks if the applicant has any more questions
(e) The interviewer asks the candidate to leave the room.
73. In persuasive letters, the last paragraph motivates the reader to take action. Which of the following should not be
considered for improving the chances of persuading the reader to act?
(a) Mention the list of actions that reader may desire to take
(b) Refer to the reward for taking action
(c) Present action as being easy to take
(d) Provide a stimulus for quick action
(e) Ask confidently for action.
74. When making an effective routine request, you should begin with
(a) An indication of the importance of your request
(b) A statement introducing yourself
(c) A clear statement of the main idea or request
(d) A question
(e)
A detailed explanation of the circumstances leading to the request.
75. Regardless of your background, knowledge, or skill, each time you speak it is a different and unique experience.
Which of the following types of delivery is often referred to as the middle course?
(a) Impromptu
(b) Extemporaneous
(c) Manuscript
(d) Memorized
(e) Pedagogy.
76. When developing a message to refuse a job, one should
(a) Use the format for a claim letter
(b) Begin with a direct, unfriendly comment
(c) Explain the refusal in negative words
(d) Use an indirect approach with positive words
(e) Write in a straightforward manner.
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77. Praise, when used skillfully, can go long way towards establishing an enduring culture of motivation in an
organization. Communication consultants Peter and Susan Glaser provide several tips to harness the power of
praise. Which of the following is not true regarding praising?
(a) When you praise you should also spell out what exactly do you appreciate
(b) You must be sincere when you praise
(c) You must praise only on outstanding performances and work done with perfection
(d) You must not praise constantly, as it sounds insincere
(e) You must praise at the right time because praise given as soon as an achievement is complete, is always
more effective.
78. Negotiating is a delicate process and a lot of thinking must go into it. One should consider certain principles of
negotiation before starting the process of negotiation. Which of the following are the principles of negotiation?
I. Aim for the best deal out of the negotiation.
II. Identify the other partys need and find what they can concede.
III. Focus on your own views and your own wants rather than focusing on total situation.
IV. Do not have flexible plans.
(a) Both (I) and (II) above
(b) Both (II) and (III) above
(c) Both (III) and (IV) above
(d) (I), (II) and (IV) above
(e)
All (I), (II), (III) and (IV) above.
79. In an organization there will be many functions performed by different people at different levels. There is a need
to have a structure which links various people and different tasks in the organization together. This structure is
referred as organization structure. A visual display of an organizations structure is called as a/an
(a) Organizational chart
(b) Organizational graph
(c) Organizational matrix
(d) Specialization
(e) Organizational division of labor.
80. Groups form to accomplish some objectives. While achieving objectives, naturally there will be conflicts among
the group members. If you were a leader, and want to solve the conflicts in groups, you need to
(a) Be flexible
(b) Hold off dealing with minor problems until the conflict becomes major
(c) Avoid all conflict in the first place
(d) Encourage participants to repress their emotions about the situation
(e) Allow participants to settle the scores in the open.
81. A report can be either informational or analytical. There are few steps which lay the foundation of any report.
Informational reports, which contain facts alone, may require very little in the way of
I. Introduction.
II. Body of report.
III. Conclusion and recommendations.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (III) above
(e) All (I), (II) and (III) above.
82. The elements of a report refer to those components that are usually included in a formal business report. Which
of the following is the name of the element that introduces the purpose and content of the report to the principal
reader?
(a) Title page and title fly
(b) Abstract
(c) Letter of transmittal
(d) Executive summary
(e) Glossary and list of symbols.
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83. Writers use punctuation to help readers extract meaning from a sentence. Which of the following is not a type of
punctuation?
(a) Apostrophe
(b) Period
(c) Quotation mark
(d) Conjunction
(e)
Dash.
84. A paragraph must be developed in a logical manner. For instance, in a paragraph describing a process,
chronological or time orders would be important. To achieve a logical progression of ideas and to provide
coherence, writers use
(a) Synthesizers
(b) Punctuations
(c) Logical connectors
(d) Parenthesis
(e) Exclamations.
85. Reports have been classified in numerous ways. The classification which refers to the direction the report travels is
known as
(a) Formal or informal reports
(b) Short or long reports
(c) Informational or analytical reports
(d) Vertical or lateral reports
(e) Internal or external reports.
86. An abstract is a brief technical summary, usually no more than 200 words. The two basic types of abstract are
generally called descriptive and informative abstracts. Which of the following are elements of the basic structure
of the informative abstract?
I. The identifying information.
II. The problem statement.
III. The important findings.
IV. The management summary.
(a) Both (I) and (II) above
(b) Both (II) and (IV) above
(c) (I), (II) and (III) above
(d) (II), (III) and (IV) above
(e)
All (I), (II), (III) and (IV) above.
87. Which of the following is not a standard part of a memo?
(a) Heading
(b) Salutation
(c) Body
(d) Authentication
(e) Page identification.
88. Which of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?
(a) Knowing that she was right; Cathy argued vigorously
(b) Knowing that she was rightCathy argued vigorously
(c) Knowing that she was right. Cathy argued vigorously
(d) Knowing that she was right, Cathy argued vigorously
(e) Knowing that she was right: Cathy argued vigorously.
89. Bar charts are one of the most commonly used visual aids in reports. Which of the following is not a type of bar
chart?
(a) Simple
(b) Multiple-range
(c) Gantt
(d) Stacked
(e) Pie.
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90. The elements of a report refer to those components that are usually included in a formal business report. In a
report, the executive summary is also sometimes called as
I. Executive overview.
II. Management overview.
III. Epitome.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (III) above
(e) All (I), (II) and (III) above.
91. Imagine you are an HR manager in a medium sized firm, which recently put out an advertisement for sales
representatives. The company needs three people. You get nearly 500 application letters. After all, it is the
appearance that makes the first impression. Which of the following is the most efficient format in letter writing?
(a) Indented form
(b) Block form
(c) Hanging block form
(d) Simplified block form
(e) Modified block.
92. Which of the following parts of speech is especially powerful and tells what is happening in a sentence?
(a) Adjectives
(b) Verbs
(c) Interjections
(d) Pronouns
(e) Adverbs.
93. If an administrative officer of a health centre wants to explain the processing and follow-up of a patient through
visual aids, which of the following will best solve his purpose?
(a) Pictogram
(b) Maps
(c) Flow chart
(d) Organizational chart
(e) Diagrams.
94. A report can be structured on the basis of the purpose. Reports can be informational or analytical. For
informational assignments informational outline can be suitable but for analytical assignment subsections may be
required. Analytical studies contain analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. Which of the following is/are the
structural methods of analytical assignments?
I. Hypothesis.
II. Spatial orientation.
III. Relative merit.
(a) Only (I) above
(b) Only (II) above
(c) Only (III) above
(d) Both (I) and (III) above
(e) All (I), (II) and (III) above.
95. Which of the following parts of a letter identifies the recipient fully?
(a) The salutation
(b) The signature block
(c) The inside address
(d) The letterhead
(e) The outside address.
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96. Which of the following is used to separate closely related independent clauses, and items in a series that already
contain commas?
(a) Hyphens
(b) Dashes
(c) Commas
(d) Semicolons
(e) Colons.
97. Modifiers are pronouns, adverbs, phrases and clauses which are placed near the word they modify. Which of the
following is not a type of modifiers?
(a) Misplaced
(b) Limiting
(c) Squinting
(d) Dangling
(e)
Platitude.
98. By conveying information objectively from one organizational area to another or from one institution to another,
reports assist in decision making and/or problem solving. One can be objective while writing a formal report by
(a) Omitting crucial information
(b) Eliminating personal opinions and retain only facts
(c) Referring to yourself as I and the readers as you
(d) Using adjectives
(e) Using lot of adverbs.
99. There are many parts in a standard letter like, heading and date, inside address salutation, body etc. In the format
of a business/formal letter, where does the date come?
(a) Precedes the body of the letter
(b) Double space below the salutation
(c) Six lines below the last line of the letterhead
(d) Succeeds the body of the letter
(e) Double space below the signature block.
100. Which of the following is also called as area charts?
(a) Line charts
(b) Bar charts
(c) Pie charts
(d) Flow charts
(e) Organizational charts.
END OF QUESTION PAPER
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Suggested Answers
Managerial Effectiveness - I (MB1A3): October 2008
ANSWER REASON
1. A You can become a better listener by controlling distractions, becoming actively
involved, identifying important facts, and separating facts from opinions.
2. C At the emergence stage, the members of group reconcile their differences and
the outcome of the groups efforts and the groups social structure become
apparent.
3. A Companies, to be successful, need to use teams and collaborative work groups
to arrive at quick decisions.
4. B Maintain your interpersonal power and authority to make your own decisions.
Criticism, when directed at one's "person," may weaken one's resolve. Focus
the other's criticism on your actions. Seek ownership of solutions.
5. C Favorable replies to requests for credit should use the outline in following
manner:
i. Mention that credit terms have been arranged; or if order is placed,
mention about the shipment of goods, thus implying that credit has been
extended
ii. Indicate the foundation upon which the credit extension is based
iii. Present and explain the credit terms
iv. Include some resale or sales-promotional material
v. Include a confident look toward future business
6. B The most general statement of the speech is called the core statement; the less
general statements are termed as main points; and the least general statements
are known as sub points.
7. A As the spokesperson of your company, you do need to express the company's
views and style, and subordinate your own. But there is no need to forget your
views and style.
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8. E While responding to a request that involves a potential sale, except the option
(e) all other options are aimed at responding to request that involves a potential
sale.
9. C Following are the four most common bad listening habits: faking attention,
listening only for facts, avoiding difficult and uninteresting material, focusing
on delivery.
10. C Nonverbal communication has few rules and often occurs unconsciously.
Nonverbal cues can account for as much as 93 percent of the emotional
meaning that is exchanged in any interaction.
11. B Confusion in comprehending a message is a problem in receivers
comprehension.
12. D Forcing the other parties to accept your view does not help to reach the win-win
solution.
13. A The bad news message should start with a neutral statement and end with a
cordial close to avoid the focus on the negative message.
14. C In a positive message, the main idea is presented right at the beginning of the
letter.
15. A Brain storming: In this technique members are encouraged to generate as many
ideas about a ic as they can. Every idea is recorded. No idea is rejected at
the initial stage. The group then returns to the ideas and adopts those that seem
most feasible or most useful.
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16. A An effective job search begins with careful career planning, a process that
includes self-analysis, career analysis, and job analysis.
17. C Unclear, non specific message is not an attitudinal barrier to effective listening.
18. A Maintaining eye contact indicates honesty.
19. D The suggestive and persuasive natures of communication are: coordination of
tasks, sharing of information, problem solving and conflict resolution.
Information about procedures is directive or authoritative in nature.
20. D Disciplinary interviews become necessary when there are disruptive problems
that must be curtailed.
21. B Such statements are made in the appeal stage. They appeal to the debtors sense
of fair play, cooperation and honesty.
22. D Non-routine acknowledgements require individualized letters.
23. D If the minutes is not sent along with the agenda, it is read out by the secretary.
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24. D Except option (d) all other options are the qualities of a well written application
letter.
25. D Collaborating focused on satisfying both parties to the greatest degree. Both
parties work together to resolve conflicts in a way that meets the concerns of
both.
26. C Human beings convey a lot through body movements and facial expressions.
Kinesics is the study of this kind of communication.
27. B Sara is involved in transmission of message.
28. C The following are the respondent responses:
I. Dont be dishonest.
II. Dont waste the interviewers time.
Dont be controlling or overbearing is guidelines for the interviewer response.
29. C A request is considered routine when it involves doing what is part of the
normal course of business. The frequency at which the request occurs is
irrelevant.
30. B Focus on the actions you want readers to take in response to your request.
31. D Predicting what a member of audience is thinking at the particular moment will
hardly help a reader to understand the similarity among the members of the
sudience.
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32. E While presenting information about your work experience in resume, you can
also consider all the options.
33. C Listen with open mind: It is always a good idea to hear out what others have to
say with an open mind. A closed mind may imply to the other person that you
dont care about the ic and that your mind is made-up.
34. A Paralanguage is one of the components of nonverbal communication, focuses on
how you say what you say i.e., vocal part of your message. The option (a)
doesnt come under components of paralanguage but remaining options all
constitute the part of paralanguage.
35. E If the report is organized inductively, the summary, conclusions, and
recommendations are presented only at the end and are covered in detail. All
other statements are true.
36. C An interview is a goal-oriented, interpersonal communication between an
interviewer and a respondent. Conducting a successful interview requires three
important skills like questioning the respondent, listening to him attentively and
summarizing the whole interview when allotted time is over.
37. C Your persuasive message looks negative when it involves dishonest and
unethical practices.
38. A Of all the options given, Please send the following items is a good beginning
for an order letter.
39. C The following will help to satisfy your audiences needs as a listener:
Get their attention and arouse their interest
Organize the material conveniently
Always show how your information or solution will help THEM
Enable them to follow the organization
Speak clearly and let them know when you are shifting from one point to
another.
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40. B There are five types of memos request, confirmation, periodic report, idea and
suggestions, and informal study results memo. Order memo is a wrong option.
41. C If your reply contains both good news and bad news, handle the bad news by
placing it in a position of little emphasis.
42. C The illustration in which real life characters are usually mentioned is called
anecdote. Parable is a fictitious story from which a moral or religious lesson
may be drawn. In the fable, animal characters speak as if they were human
beings. By using analogies similarities are pointed out with regard to people,
ideas, experiences, projects, institutions, or data, and conclusions are drawn on
the basis of those similarities.
43. D A notice must be accompanied by an agenda.
44. B You need to help the customer understand his/her error so that such errors do
not happen repeatedly.
45. A Discriminative listening involves an attempt to distinguish one sound from all
the others. Ex. Sping work to determine whether the phone is ringing.
46. B Bad connections, poor acoustics, and illegible copy are all examples of physical
distractions.
47. C Filling up a feedback form, interviews with employees who are leaving the
company, and discussion with employees for resolving grievances are all
examples of formal methods for channeling information upward in an
organization.
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48. B Direct criticism at the persons behavior, not at the person. Your criticism
should be focused on something that the person did or didnt do, not on his
traits or characters in general.
49. C The strategy to be followed by Jamie to create the message is the persuasive
indirect message since audience needs to be convinced about the benefit to
them.
50. E The motivated sequence strategy consists of five steps: attention, need,
satisfaction, visualization, and action.
51. B Ensuring participation by each member of the group in a meeting is another
responsibility of the effective leader. The effective leader must ensure the
following things:
The effective leader should not starts out by telling the others how a
particular issue should be resolved.
The effective leader invites the other participants to express their opinions.
The effective leader uses positive body language to make others feel that
he is receptive to their ideas.
Irrelevant and unsuitable ideas will naturally come. The effective leader
may suggest that these ideas may be taken up at some other time when it
would be more appropriate.
52. C The "Work Experience" section usually dominates a chronological rsum that
to in a reverse order.
53. D Practice listening: Force yourself to listen to speeches and lectures that seem to
hold no obvious interest value. Doing this will help you overcome the
temptation to switch off when the messages seem dull or difficult.
54. C The statement most communicators consider the eyes to be the most accurate
predictor of a speaker's true feelings and attitudes is the most accurate
statement.
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55. B The ability to experience from the other persons perspective is called the
empathy.
56. B A win-lose approach or bargaining orientation is best approach when the
other party is determined to take advantage of you or when your interests truly
conflict with those of the other party, and compromising is not a satisfactory
option.
57. D The objective of the persuasive sales message is to have reader act in the
direction we want him to act, to provide information to help him to take
decision and to overcome any objection that might come but not to make reader
request for more information.
58. C Routine, goodnews, and goodwill messages are the most straightforward.
59. C The leader informs the participants regarding when the minutes of the meeting
will be circulated.
60. C Resume is useful for all the purposes but not demonstrate the oral
communication skills.
61. D If you are a listener you can use this gap to your advantage by focusing on
What the speaker is saying
Summarizing and reviewing the delivery of speaker.
62. B Closed body position indicates the defensive position.
25
63. D Some executives are wary of informal communication channels, possibly
because they fear a loss of their control over the flow of information.
64. C Planning the structure of offer letter is not among the six strategies for planning
an interview.
65. C The four types of appeal letters are: Fair play. Closure, pride and fear. Strong
appeal is urgency letter and is a wrong option.
66. A The deductive approach is best for all routine letters and favorable responses
letters. The inductive approach is essential when writing about the unpleasant or
when writing to persuade.
67. B Problem solving meetings usually focus on arriving at a decision.
68. B Option (b) will not show your suitability for the job. It should therefore not be
discussed in your application letter.
69. A According to Jack Gibb, Use of descriptive I language is the way to promote
positive relationships.
70. C One of the objectives of the executive summary is to provide summary of
conclusions and recommendations and hence, their mention is essential.
26
71. D Communication flows in the organization from superior to the subordinates
which is called as downward communication. There will be different objectives
for different types of communication. The objectives of the downward
communication are to (a) give job instructions, (b) provide information about
procedures and practice (c) provide motivation to the workers, (e) give training
but not (d) request for leave.
72. A The interviewer reveals that the interview is over and that the applicant would
most likely be dropped from the shortlist of candidates is not the possible
conclusion to the interview.
73. A For improving the chances of persuading or motivating the reader to act
following points should be considered:
Mention the specific action that you want, but not the action that reader
want
Refer to the reward for taking action
Present action as being easy to take
Provide a stimulus for quick action
Ask confidently for action.
74. C When making an effective routine request, its good to begin with a clear
statement of the main idea or request.
75. B The extemporaneous delivery is often referred as middle course.
76. D Since refusal is a bad news message it is suggested to use indirect approach
with positive words.
77. C Praise progress, not just perfection: Dont wait for a person to turn in an
outstanding piece of work before you praise him. Focus on the progress the
person makes in order to motivate him for trying hard.
27
78. A The four principles of negotiation are:
Aim High
Identify what other party wants, and what he is likely to concede
Focus on the total situation your views and the other partys
Remain flexible, keep searching for variables.
79. A A visual display of an organization's structure is called an organizational chart.
80. A A flexible approach helps in resolving conflicts in groups.
81. C Informational reports, which contain facts alone, may require very little in the
way of conclusion and recommendations.
82. C Among the elements of report, the letter of transmittal introduces the purpose
and content of the report to the principal reader, usually (but not always) the
person who requested the report. The letter is attached to the report or simply
placed on of it
Title page contains information regarding subject of the report and type of the
report
Abstract is brief technical summary, usually not more than 200 words of the
report
Executive summary is one page condensation of the report
Glossary is an alphabetical list of definitions. A list of symbols defines symbols
used in the report.
83. D Punctuation marks are: apostrophe, period, quotation mark, dash etc.
Conjunctions are linking words, phrases and clauses.
84. C To achieve a logical progression of ideas and provide coherence, writers use
logical connectors, or transition words. These words not only help the flow of
ideas, but also indicate the relationship between ideas words like then, next,
finally, etc. serve this purpose.
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85. D The reports which describe the direction of reports are classified as vertical or
lateral reports.
86. C The following are the elements of basic structure of the informative abstract:
I. The identifying information
II. The problem statement
III. The important findings.
87. B A salutation is not a standard part of memo. A memo has the standard parts like,
heading, body, authentication and page identification.
88. D Knowing that she was right, Cathy argued vigorously is correctly punctuated.
89. E Pie chart is a visual aid but not a bar chart.
90. E The executive summarysometimes called the epitome, the executive
overview, the management summary, or the management overview. It is a one
page condensation of the report.
91. D Simplified block format is considered to be the most efficient form of letter
writing.
92. B Verbs are especially powerful and tell what is happening in a sentence.
93. C Flowcharts are indispensable when illustrating processes, procedures, and
relationships. A health centre administrator can easily explain the processing of
patient through the flowchart.
94. D The following are the structural methods of analytical assignments:
I. Hypothesis
II. Relative merit.
Spatial orientation is related to informational assignments.
95. C The inside address identifies the recipient fully with name, position, and
address.
96. D Semicolons are usually used to separate closely independent clauses, and items
in a series that already contain commas.
29
97. E The types of modifiers are: misplaced, limiting, squinting and dangling.
Platitude is a direct statement of an idea that almost anyone would know
already.
98. B One can be objective while writing a formal report by eliminating personal
opinions and retain only facts.
99. C In the structure of the letter date is placed six lines below the last line of the
letterhead.
100. A Line charts are also called as area charts.
| Earning: Approval pending. |
