Visit https://testbankbell.

com to download the full version and

explore more testbank or solution manual

Test Bank for Business Communication Process &

Product Brief 6th Brief Edition by Guffey

_____ Click the link below to download _____

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-business-
communication-process-product-brief-6th-brief-edition-
by-guffey/

Explore and download more testbank at testbankbell

Here are some recommended products that might interest you.
You can download now and explore!

Test Bank for Business Communication Process & Product

3rd Edition Guffey Download

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-business-communication-
process-product-3rd-edition-guffey-download/

testbankbell.com

Test Bank for Business Communication, 7th Edition: Mary E.

Guffey

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-business-
communication-7th-edition-mary-e-guffey/

testbankbell.com

Test Bank for Essentials of Business Communication, 8th

Edition: Guffey

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-essentials-of-business-
communication-8th-edition-guffey/

testbankbell.com

Test Bank for CFIN, 6th Edition, Scott Besley, Eugene

Brigham

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-cfin-6th-edition-scott-
besley-eugene-brigham/

testbankbell.com
Probability and Statistics Degroot 3rd Edition Solutions
Manual

http://testbankbell.com/product/probability-and-statistics-
degroot-3rd-edition-solutions-manual/

testbankbell.com

Solution Manual for Fundamentals of Financial Management,

Concise Edition, 8th Edition, Eugene F. Brigham Dr. Joel
F. Houston
http://testbankbell.com/product/solution-manual-for-fundamentals-of-
financial-management-concise-edition-8th-edition-eugene-f-brigham-dr-
joel-f-houston/
testbankbell.com

Test Bank for Raus Respiratory Care Pharmacology, 9th

Edition Gardenhire

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-raus-respiratory-care-
pharmacology-9th-edition-gardenhire/

testbankbell.com

Solution Manual for Global Marketing, 9/E – Warren J.

Keegan & Mark C. Green

http://testbankbell.com/product/solution-manual-for-global-
marketing-9-e-warren-j-keegan-mark-c-green/

testbankbell.com

Test Bank for Business Essentials 12th Edition

http://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-business-
essentials-12th-edition/

testbankbell.com
Introduction to Criminology Why Do They Do It 2nd Edition
Schram Test Bank

http://testbankbell.com/product/introduction-to-criminology-why-do-
they-do-it-2nd-edition-schram-test-bank/

testbankbell.com
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

Test Bank for Business Communication Process &

Product Brief 6th Brief Edition by Guffey
Full download chapter at: https://testbankbell.com/product/test-bank-for-business-
communication-process-product-brief-6th-brief-edition-by-guffey/

1. Which of the following statements about the importance of communication skills in today’s workplace is correct?
a. They are not as important as they once were.
b. They are a necessity in today’s workplace.
c. They are only required for high-level positions.
d. They are not needed in today’s high-tech workplace.
ANSWER: b

2. Which of the following best describes the need for writing skills in the workplace?
a. Writing skills in today’s workplace are an advantage, but they are not a necessity.
b. Only the very top level of salaried employees needs good writing skills.
c. Having good writing skills can improve your chances for promotion and can result in higher earnings.
d. Good writing skills are no longer important in today’s digital world.
ANSWER: c

3. Which of the following best describes an effective communicator in the digital age?
a. Digital workplace writing can be much more casual than traditional business writing.
b. Don’t worry about your daily texts, Facebook postings, and tweets because they’re not “real” writing.
c. Because most business is conducted face-to-face, you don’t have to be a grammar expert.
d. Workers using social media and other online technology must guard their online image and reputation.
ANSWER: d

4. What is the 21st-century economy mainly based on?

a. information and knowledge
b. physical labour
c. a supply of raw materials
d. the stock market
ANSWER: a

5. What must knowledge and information workers do to succeed in today’s digital workplace?
a. Write a minimum number of tweets per day.
b. Communicate information to others.
c. Install software programs.
d. Subscribe to numerous social networking sites.
ANSWER: b

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

6. What does it mean to think creatively and critically?
a. agreeing with your supervisor at all times
b. going with your gut instinct
c. being able to make decisions quickly
d. having opinions that are backed by reason and evidence
ANSWER: d

7. Which of the following correctly describes a three-point plan to help you think critically and solve problems
competently?
a. explore the challenge, gather information, implement solutions
b. gather information, generate ideas, implement solutions
c. explore the challenge, pick the most promising ideas, implement solutions
d. explore the challenge, generate ideas, implement solutions
ANSWER: d

8. What should students entering today’s workplace expect to find?

a. a position that involves lifelong learning and constant training
b. employers to provide them with a clearly defined career path
c. an abundance of nine-to-five jobs
d. regular pay increases and job security
ANSWER: a

9. In today’s competitive job market, what qualifications should a successful job candidate possess?
a. at least a 2.0 grade point average
b. mediocre writing skills
c. website design capabilities
d. the ability to communicate effectively
ANSWER: d

10. Which of the following is a significant trend in today’s dynamic workplace?

a. union participation and regulation
b. more homogeneous workforces
c. around-the-clock availability
d. stricter dress codes
ANSWER: c

11. Which statement accurately describes social media?

a. Social media are still relatively new and untried communication channels for most businesses.
b. Most businesses today have discarded old media and instead use social media exclusively for communicating
and marketing.
c. Social media networks first attracted industries built on tradition and formality.
d. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer positive ways to promote a business and to reach and
react to customer concerns.
ANSWER: d
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 2
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

12. What type of technology makes it possible to centralize applications and data for access by employees no matter
where they are?
a. cloud computing technology
b. blogs, podcasts, and wikis
c. telephony
d. presence technology
ANSWER: a

13. Gerard’s company has opted to save office space by using boomerang-shaped workstations and cockpit-style work
surfaces. What is this style of office design called?
a. telephony
b. virtual office
c. open office
d. Web 2.0
ANSWER: c

14. Jack has colleagues located throughout the world, and he would like to conduct a real-time meeting with them to
discuss an important issue. Which of the following communication technologies should he choose?
a. teleconferencing or videoconferencing
b. e-mail
c. blogging or a wiki
d. text messaging
ANSWER: a

15. Kendra is responsible for updating her company’s Facebook page with information about products, promotions, and
special events. What communication medium is Kendra using?
a. presence technology
b. blogging
c. social media
d. Web conferencing
ANSWER: c

16. Which statement accurately describes the term around-the-clock availability?

a. It means that you will be paid for working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
b. It means workers may be expected to be available practically anytime without extra pay.
c. It is illegal under Canadian labour laws.
d. It refers only to websites, not people.
ANSWER: b

17. What is the most significant difficulty in doing business globally?

a. dealing with people who live in different time zones
b. dealing with people who speak another language
c. dealing with people who differ from you in customs, lifestyles, and religious beliefs

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 3

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

d. dealing with people who use different equipment and technology in conducting business
ANSWER: c

18. Given the increase of diversity in the workplace, which of the following should be a major priority for
businesspeople?
a. learning to design their own wiki
b. learning a second language to communicate with coworkers
c. co-operating and communicating successfully with diverse coworkers
d. reconsidering their values in order to relate to diverse global markets
ANSWER: c

19. For years businesses have been flattening their management hierarchies. What does this flattening mean?
a. Information must flow through more layers of management.
b. It takes longer to make decisions.
c. Various areas within an organization have little contact with one another.
d. Employees at all levels must be skilled communicators.
ANSWER: d

20. Which of the following statements best describes team-based management?

a. Companies use team-based management as a way to improve communication.
b. Because the concept is relatively new, very few companies have adopted team-based management yet.
c. People are willing to work in teams, so there is rarely any conflict or any need for communication coaches
when companies adopt team-based management.
d. Companies are not willing to train new employees to work effectively as part of a team.
ANSWER: a

21. How do employers benefit from establishing diverse work teams?

a. Having diverse work teams ensures that all coworkers will get along.
b. Diverse work teams are better able to predict and meet the needs of a diverse customer base.
c. Diverse work teams ensure that employment equity standards are being met.
d. Diverse work teams require very little employee support.
ANSWER: b

22. Amaya works in an office that has nonterritorial workspaces. This is new to her, and she would like to display good
open office etiquette. What should she do?
a. Speak in a soft voice and wear headphones to cut down on noise.
b. Try to get to the office first each morning to always get the best desk.
c. Engage in a lot of small talk to get to know coworkers better.
d. Exhibit territorial behaviour and avoid casual interactions with coworkers.
ANSWER: a

23. Which of the following statements best describes today’s new work environments?
a. Mobile technologies do not support flexible working arrangements that allow employees to work from home
or on the road.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 4

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

b. Few workers in companies are part of virtual teams.
c. Individual offices and cubicles are used to promote an open environment.
d. Working from home or on the road makes communication skills less important.
ANSWER: c

24. What statement best describes communication in today’s work environment?

a. Today’s organizations use e-mail, instant messaging (IM), texting; interacting with social media such as
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have not changed the nature of communication.
b. Web chats are still lagging as a preferred communication channel for online customer service.
c. Hard-copy memos and letters still outnumber other forms of communication.
d. Desktop computers are still the preferred devices in the workplace.
ANSWER: a

25. Which of the following best describes communication in today’s business organizations?
a. Many companies use intranets to communicate with customers, outside vendors, and governmental agencies.
b. Smartphones and tablet computers are prevalent in the workplace but do not have the capabilities to replace
laptops and personal computers.
c. Wireless access is increasingly blanketing entire office buildings, airports, hotels, restaurants, school and
college campuses, cities, and other public spaces.
d. The most common workplace use of tablet computers is blogging.
ANSWER: c

26. What is one definition of communication?

a. persuading someone to agree with you
b. transmitting information and meaning
c. promoting goodwill using language
d. impressing readers using language
ANSWER: b

27. What are the three basic functions of business communication?

a. to inform, entertain, and impress
b. to inform, persuade, and promote goodwill
c. to inform, persuade, and explain
d. to inform, instruct, and entertain
ANSWER: b

28. Which of the following best defines communication?

a. Communication is the transmission of information from one individual or group to another.
b. Communication is the transmission of data from one individual or group to another.
c. Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from a sender to a receiver.
d. Communication is the transmission of ideas from one individual or group to another.
ANSWER: c

29. In which of the following cases is communication successful?

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 5
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

a. when the fastest communication channel is used
b. when the sender pronounces all words perfectly
c. when positive feedback is given
d. when the receiver understands an idea as the sender intended it
ANSWER: d

30. When does the process of communication begin?

a. when a message is put into words
b. when the message is sent over a communication channel to the receiver
c. when the sender has an idea
d. when the receiver actually receives the message and decodes it
ANSWER: c

31. When employees at Coors translated its slogan “Turn It Loose” into Spanish, they didn’t realize it would translate to
“suffer from diarrhea.” To avoid similar problems, the sender of a message must do what?
a. select a proper communication channel
b. provide means to ensure reliable feedback
c. keep all messages in English
d. select appropriate words or symbols as part of the encoding process
ANSWER: d

32. Robert must send an e-mail message to a client in Turkey. He is carefully selecting his words to ensure that his
Turkish client, who speaks English as a second language, will understand them. In which part of the communication
process is Robert involved?
a. message encoding
b. idea formation
c. message transmission
d. message decoding
ANSWER: a

33. Zachary needs to deliver a sensitive message to a colleague and decides to deliver it face-to-face. What is Zachary in
the process of doing?
a. encoding the message
b. decoding the message
c. preparing for feedback
d. selecting the channel for the message
ANSWER: d

34. While reading an e-mail message from her boss, Linh is distracted by numerous typographical and spelling errors.
What is the term for these errors that detract from the message and make it difficult to read?
a. bypassing
b. noise
c. feedback
d. frame of reference

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 6

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

ANSWER: b

35. Suzanne has just received an e-mail message from a client and is reading it carefully to determine her client’s needs.
Which part of the communication process is Suzanne involved in?
a. encoding
b. channel selection
c. decoding
d. feedback
ANSWER: c

36. Which of the following is an example of an internal disruption in the decoding process?
a. Loud construction sounds outside prevent Imraan from hearing the message.
b. Meaghan finds her mind drifting during a lecture as she thinks about her upcoming trip to Florence.
c. Brandon finds it hard to pay attention during the interview because the interviewer’s phone keeps ringing.
d. Sylvia finds it difficult to read her colleague’s e-mail message because it’s filled with grammatical errors and
typos.
ANSWER: b

37. Jeanette is offended when she notices that only masculine pronouns are used in the company’s human resources
manual. What is this decoding problem a result of?
a. a closed communication climate
b. bypassing
c. an external disruption
d. a semantic obstacle
ANSWER: d

38. When Jin includes the sentence “Let me know whether I can answer any questions” at the end of his e-mail message,
what is he encouraging?
a. decoding
b. feedback
c. frame of reference
d. bypassing
ANSWER: b

39. What helps the sender know whether the message was received and understood?
a. feedback
b. noise
c. bypassing
d. decoding
ANSWER: a

40. As her supervisor explains the new procedure, Rachel nods her head. What is Rachel’s response an example of?
a. verbal feedback
b. noise

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 7

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

c. evaluation
d. nonverbal feedback
ANSWER: d

41. You are talking with the president of your company about a possible merger. Which of the following is the most useful
feedback you can provide during the conversation?
a. “I just don’t understand why you think we should go through with this merger.”
b. “If I understand you correctly, your recommendation is that we go through with the merger.”
c. “There’s no way this merger can possibly work.”
d. “Are you insane?”
ANSWER: b

42. Robert says that he will answer his client’s questions “as soon as possible.” Robert plans to answer the questions by
early next week; his client expects the answers by the end of the day. What does this misunderstanding result from?
a. bypassing
b. differing frames of reference
c. noise
d. using the incorrect communication channel
ANSWER: a

43. When are differences in frames of reference especially significant?

a. when working on improving one’s listening skills
b. when communicating with people from different cultures
c. when overcoming physical barriers to communication
d. when dealing with conflicting emotions
ANSWER: b

44. A Canadian sales team offended a group of Peruvian businesspeople by starting its sales presentation without first
engaging in informal conversation as expected in the Peruvian culture. The communication barrier in this instance could
be attributed to which of the following?
a. bypassing
b. poor listening skills
c. a failure to recognize different frames of reference
d. emotional interference caused when senders or receivers are distracted by internal feelings
ANSWER: c

45. Hannah posts her résumé on the websites of several companies. Unfortunately, it is poorly formatted and contains
several spelling and grammar errors. What kind of communication barrier might this cause?
a. bypassing
b. differing frames of reference
c. emotional distraction
d. physical distraction
ANSWER: d

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 8

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

46. Alex is having trouble concentrating on a report he is reading because his smartphone keeps ringing and his colleagues
keep sending him text messages. What kind of communication barrier is this?
a. differing frames of reference
b. distraction
c. lack of language skills
d. bypassing
ANSWER: b

47. Naoko has just moved to Canada from Japan and is taking a class to improve her English. What interpersonal
communication barrier is she trying to overcome?
a. differing frames of reference
b. digital interruptions
c. lack of language skills
d. bypassing
ANSWER: c

48. While conducting an orientation session for new employees, Clayton noticed looks of confusion on the faces of some
listeners. He then paused and asked his audience, “What questions do you have so far?” How was Clayton striving to
overcome communication barriers?
a. by questioning his assumptions, biases, and prejudices
b. by improving his language and listening skills
c. by creating an environment for useful feedback
d. by reducing physical distractions
ANSWER: c

49. Which of the following is an example of external organizational communication?

a. an employee performance appraisal
b. a sales letter sent to a prospective customer
c. a report recommending a change in company procedure
d. an e-mail message giving instructions for requesting a change in health benefits.
ANSWER: b

50. Which of the following is an example of an internal organizational communication?

a. a collection letter sent to a customer
b. a website advertising a company’s products
c. a meeting of all department managers
d. an annual report sent to company stockholders
ANSWER: c

51. Which of the following is the main advantage of face-to-face communication?

a. Face-to-face communication provides ample time for chitchat.
b. Face-to-face communication takes less time than communicating electronically.
c. Face-to-face communication minimizes misunderstanding.
d. Although face-to-face communication feels unnatural, it promotes friendships.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 9

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

ANSWER: c

52. Which of the following is an advantage of written communication?

a. It creates a permanent record.
b. It provides immediate feedback.
c. It is more personal than oral communication.
d. It is effective for delivering nonverbal cues.
ANSWER: a

53. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of oral communication?

a. It provides immediate feedback.
b. It promotes easy recall.
c. It can be adjusted to the audience.
d. It supplies nonverbal cues.
ANSWER: b

54. According to the text, why are more businesses shifting away from paper forms of communication, such as memos
and letters, to e-mail and text messaging?
a. The advances in information technology allow businesses to speed up the flow of communication.
b. Businesses like their employees to be available after work hours.
c. Memos and letters are no longer preferred because they leave a permanent record.
d. Customers expect businesses to communicate using the technologies they prefer.
ANSWER: a

55. Internal and external communication have a lot in common; however, internal communications are used for one key
purpose for which external communications are not typically used. What is this purpose?
a. to exchange ideas
b. to inform
c. to promote goodwill
d. to persuade
ANSWER: a

56. Which of the following statements best compares oral and written communication?
a. Written communication is preferred only when a permanent record is needed.
b. Written messages are generally less well considered than oral messages.
c. Oral communication such as a face-to-face meeting allows for immediate feedback.
d. Oral communication is recommended to present formal or complex ideas.
ANSWER: c

57. Which of the following is the most prevalent communication channel in the workplace today?
a. texting
b. e-mail
c. face-to-face meetings
d. Facebook
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 10
Visit https://testbankbell.com
now to explore a rich
collection of testbank,
solution manual and enjoy
exciting offers!
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

ANSWER: b

58. Which of the following is an example of an internal organizational communication?

a. a tweet sent to a customer about a private sale that will take place tomorrow
b. a Facebook page advertising a company’s products
c. a meeting of all department managers
d. an annual report sent to company stockholders
ANSWER: c

59. Which of the following is an example of external organizational communication?

a. an employee performance appraisal
b. a brochure sent to a prospective customer
c. a report recommending a change in company procedure
d. an e-mail message to employees about an upcoming training seminar
ANSWER: b

60. Media richness theory attempts to classify media in organizations according to what criterion?
a. how much the media cost to use
b. how technologically advanced the media are
c. how widely the media are used in the workplace
d. how clearly the media convey information to a recipient
ANSWER: d

61. Which of the following is considered a rich medium?

a. e-mail message
b. face-to-face conversation
c. flyer or poster
d. blog
ANSWER: b

62. Which of the following communication media requires the most clarifying information for the recipient?
a. face-to-face meetings and conversations
b. e-mail messages
c. flyers or posters
d. telephone calls
ANSWER: c

63. Daniel must handle a complex organizational issue. Which of the following media would be best for this purpose?
a. videoconference
b. e-mail message
c. telephone conversation
d. face-to-face meeting
ANSWER: d

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 11

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

64. How is social presence defined?
a. how extroverted a person is in a business meeting with either internal or external audiences
b. how well a company uses social media to communicate to customers and employees
c. the degree of salience between a sender and receiver using a communication medium
d. a person’s ability to get along with others whether dealing with customers or employees in an organization
ANSWER: c

65. Which of the following statements about social presence is accurate?

a. Media with high social presence conveys impersonal information.
b. Social presence is greater in asynchronous communication than in synchronous communication.
c. Social presence can mean how much awareness of the sender is conveyed along with the message.
d. Social presence is as great face-to-face as it is in mediated and written communication.
ANSWER: c

66. Mina wants to use the communication medium with the highest social presence. Which of the following should she
choose?
a. e-mail
b. blog posting
c. discussion forum post
d. live chat
ANSWER: d

67. What does a free exchange of information help organizations to do?

a. to respond rapidly to changing markets
b. to minimize employee morale
c. to limit public information
d. to reduce the exchange of ideas within organizations
ANSWER: a

68. Which of the following is an example of horizontal communication in an organization?

a. Six marketing reps meet to discuss ideas for targeting new customers.
b. An accounting clerk submits a progress report about a current project to her supervisor.
c. An employee suggests to her supervisor a way to improve customer service.
d. A supervisor sends an e-mail message to all division employees detailing the newest procedure for submitting
expense claims.
ANSWER: a

69. Which of the following is an example of upward communication in an organization?

a. Three administrative assistants meet to discuss possible software upgrades.
b. A department manager sends a text message to his employees about a new overtime policy.
c. A warehouse worker suggests to his boss a way to improve employee morale.
d. The CEO sends an e-mail message to all employees inviting them to a company picnic.
ANSWER: c

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 12

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

70. Which of the following is an example of downward communication in an organization?
a. A business professor submits a conference report to her dean.
b. Four accountants meet to discuss the quarterly financial reports.
c. Members of a task force submit a progress report to the CEO.
d. The CFO sends information about a new accounting regulation to employees in the accounting department.
ANSWER: d

71. How have today’s companies improved communication to compete more effectively?
a. Companies have made a concerted effort to eliminate the grapevine.
b. Companies have restructured and reengineered themselves into smaller operating units.
c. Companies have limited free-flowing communication to external audiences.
d. Companies increased the number of levels in the communication chain.
ANSWER: b

72. Mihaela has just moved to Canada from Turkey. In Turkey, she was a lab manager in a hierarchical organization
where employees quickly responded to direct orders. She now has a senior position in a Canadian lab that focuses on team
building. She has discovered that her fellow workers do not respond to her previous management style. What
organizational communication barrier must she overcome?
a. lack of communication skills
b. long lines of communication
c. differing frames of reference
d. ego involvement
ANSWER: c

73. Bert is CEO of an organization with many layers in the chain of command. He is looking for ways to reduce these
layers so that he can communicate more directly with the first-line employees. What organizational communication
barrier is he trying to overcome?
a. lack of trust between management and employees
b. long lines of communication
c. closed communication climate
d. ego involvement
ANSWER: b

74. Melinda was recently hired as manager of a small retail establishment. She immediately noticed that employees seem
afraid to speak with her. She wants her employees to feel comfortable coming to her about anything. What organizational
communication barrier is she trying to overcome?
a. lack of trust between management and employees
b. top-heavy organizational structure
c. turf wars
d. lack of communication skills
ANSWER: a

75. Which of the following is an example of an informal organizational communication channel?

a. A supervisor gives a performance appraisal to her subordinate.
b. An employee suggests to his supervisor a way to increase productivity in his department.
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 13
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

c. Research and development team members hold a virtual meeting to discuss ideas for future products.
d. An employee starts a blog to share her personal work experiences, opinions, and observations.
ANSWER: d

76. Which of the following statements best describes formal and informal communication channels?
a. All relevant organizational information should flow through formal communication channels.
b. A free exchange of information within organizations should be avoided because it can lead to chaos.
c. Managers should do everything possible to avoid grapevine communication within an organization.
d. Companies should monitor social media sites to see what customers and others are saying about the company.
ANSWER: d

77. Sandra owns a medium-sized financial services firm. She would like to make the best use of the grapevine for
communication. What is the most effective way for Sandra to do so?
a. Use the grapevine for delivering only good news.
b. Stay away from the grapevine and let employees use it privately.
c. Increase the amount of information delivered through formal channels.
d. Eliminate the grapevine entirely and allow formal communication only.
ANSWER: c

78. Covering up incidents, abusing sick days, lying to a supervisor, taking credit for a colleague’s ideas, and inflating
grades on a résumé are examples of which of the following?
a. breaking the law
b. common workplace practices
c. unethical actions
d. workplace distrust
ANSWER: c

79. Ethical business communicators strive to tell the truth and label opinions so that they are not confused with facts. They
are objective and communicate clearly. From an ethical perspective, what else should ethical business communicators do?
a. Ensure that communication flows upward, downward, and horizontally.
b. Give credit when using the ideas of others.
c. Encourage feedback.
d. Choose appropriate channels of communication.
ANSWER: b

80. When faced with an ethical dilemma, what is the first question you should ask?
a. What would my family, friends, and coworkers think?
b. Would I take this action if I were on the opposite side?
c. Is the action I am considering legal?
d. Would a trusted advisor agree with this action?
ANSWER: c

81. Because your department has not reached its sales quota, your boss has asked you to change figures to show that sales
were higher than they actually were. Which of the following questions is NOT important as you decide what to do?

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 14

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

a. Is the action you are considering legal?
b. Are there better alternatives?
c. Would family, friends, or coworkers approve?
d. What is the best channel of communication to use in responding to your boss?
ANSWER: d

82. Communication today generally flows one way—from companies to the public.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

83. In making hiring decisions, employers often rank communication skills among the most-requested competencies.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

84. Today’s new communication technologies have made writing skills less important than in the past.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

85. You are born with the abilities to read, listen, speak, and write effectively.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

86. The 21st-century economy depends mainly on information and knowledge.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

87. The “new economy” comprises Internet-based companies, m-commerce, and e-commerce.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

88. In today’s Information Age, nearly three out of four jobs will require thinking, brainpower, and decision making.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

89. Knowledge and information workers are paid for their ability to engage in physical labour and lift heavy objects.
a. True
b. False

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 15

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

ANSWER: False

90. Only workers at the highest levels of management are expected to think creatively and critically.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

91. With more organizations using short forms of communication like tweets and text messages, writing skills are not as
important today.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

92. Flattened management hierarchies allow companies to react more quickly to market changes.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

93. Diverse workforces are more likely to create the products that consumers demand.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

94. Cross-functional teams are usually made up of people with similar backgrounds, knowledge, and
training.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

95. You may expect to work long hours without extra compensation and be available 24/7/365.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

96. The rise of new communication technologies, trade barriers, advanced forms of transportation, and saturated local
markets have encouraged companies to move to emerging markets around the world.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

97. Frontline employees, as well as managers, participate in critical thinking and decision making.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 16

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

98. A sizable chunk of our future economy may rely on “free agents” who will be hired on a project basis.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

99. A “virtual office” is a workplace that is mobile and centralized.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

100. Bypassing helps you get through to the person you are calling in the most efficient manner.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

101. The first two steps in the communication process are 1) the sender has an idea, and 2) the sender encodes the
message.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

102. Computer, wireless network, phone, letter, and memo are all examples of channels.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

103. Communication in today’s workplace is shifting from one-sided and slow to interactive, instant, and less paper-based
communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

104. E-mail is rapidly becoming the preferred communication channel for online customer service.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

105. One advantage of oral communication over written communication is that oral communication can be more easily
adjusted to the audience.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

106. One disadvantage of written communication is that it the paper trail it leaves can be dangerous.
a. True
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 17
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

b. False
ANSWER: True

107. External communication includes sharing ideas and messages with superiors, coworkers, and subordinates.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

108. According to media richness theory, face-to-face conversations are the richest because they provide helpful cues and
allow for immediate feedback.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

109. Social presence is greater in asynchronous communication (e-mail, forum posts) than in synchronous communication
(live chat, IM).
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

110. The three primary business communication functions are to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

111. Information flows through formal communication channels in three directions: downward, upward, and spiral.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

112. Organizations with free-flowing, open communication tend to be more successful.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

113. Melinda, a company department manager, frequently communicates via text messages with other department
managers within the company. This is an example of an upward flow of communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

114. David, a payroll clerk, came up with an idea for processing payroll more efficiently and presented it to the Human
Resources Department manager. This is an example of an upward flow of communication.
a. True
b. False
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 18
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

ANSWER: True

115. A company’s CEO has developed a five-year strategic plan and will share it with all employees. This is an example
of downward communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

116. Jennifer’s poor listening skills cause her to miss much of what her colleagues say during meetings. The organization
communication barrier she is experiencing is a lack of communication skills.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

117. To improve information flow, many of today’s companies have decreased the number of operating units and
managers, thereby shortening lines of communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

118. Managers can use the grapevine productively by sharing bad news as well as good news.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

119. Being ethical makes good business sense.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

120. A(n) ____________________ or information worker engages in mind work and is paid for his or her education and
ability to learn.
ANSWER: knowledge

121. The three primary functions of business communication are to inform, to persuade, and to promote
____________________.
ANSWER: goodwill

122. ________________ communication includes exchanging ideas and messages with superiors, coworkers, and
subordinates.
ANSWER: Internal

123. ________________ communication includes exchanging ideas and messages with customers, suppliers, the
government, and the public.
ANSWER: External

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 19

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

124. Telephone calls, conversations, interviews, meetings, and conferences are all forms of ___________ communication.
ANSWER: oral

125. E-mail messages, memos, letters, and reports are all forms of ___________ communication.
ANSWER: written

126. _______________ richness theory attempts to classify media in organizations according to how much clarifying
information they are able to convey from a sender to a recipient.
ANSWER: Media

127. Media with high _____________ presence convey warmth and are personal.
ANSWER: social

128. Official information typically flows through formal channels in three directions: _________________, upward, and
horizontally.
ANSWER: downward

129. Policies, procedures, directives, job plans, and mission goals flow ____________________ from managers to
employees.
ANSWER: downward

130. Feedback from employees to management forms the ____________________ flow of communication in most
organizations.
ANSWER: upward

131. Workers at the same level coordinate tasks, share information, solve problems, and resolve conflicts through
____________________ communication.
ANSWER: horizontal

132. The ____________________ is an informal channel of communication that carries organizationally relevant gossip
and functions through social relationships.
ANSWER: grapevine

133. ____________________ refers to the conventional standards of right and wrong that prescribe what people should
do.
ANSWER: Ethics

134. ____________________ are verifiable and often are quantifiable; opinions are beliefs held with confidence but
without substantiation.
ANSWER: Facts

135. Ethical business communicators are ______________ when they recognize their own biases and strive to keep them
from distorting a message.
ANSWER: objective

136. __________ English policies ensure businesses write policies, warranties, and contracts in language comprehensible
to average readers.
ANSWER: Plain
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 20
Visit https://testbankbell.com
now to explore a rich
collection of testbank,
solution manual and enjoy
exciting offers!
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

137. ____________________ language is language that does not discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of
their sex, ethnicity, disability, race, sexual orientation, or age.
ANSWER: Inclusive

138. Explain why having strong writing skills is important in today’s digital world.
ANSWER: Student answers will vary and should touch on some or all of the following points.

Writing skills are especially important today. Technology enables us to transmit messages more rapidly, more
often, and more widely than ever before. Writing skills are also significant because many people work
together but are not physically together. They stay connected through spoken and written messages.
Writing skills, which were always a career advantage, are now a necessity. (1) In fact, business professionals
may not realize how much poor writing skills can impede their careers. They can be your ticket to work—or
your ticket out the door. Writing has been variously called a “career sifter,” a “threshold skill,” and “the price
of admission,” (2) indicating that effective writing skills can be a stepping stone to great job opportunities.

∙ Messmer, M. (2001, January). Enhancing your writing skills. Strategic Finance. See also Staples, B. (2005,
May 15). The fine art of getting it down on paper, fast. New York Times, p. WK13(L).
∙ College Board: The National Commission on Writing. (2004, September). Writing: A ticket to work… Or a
ticket out: A survey of business leaders, p. 3. Retrieved from
http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to-work.pdf; O’Rourke, IV, J. S.
(2013). Management communication: A case-analysis approach (5th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall, p. 9;
Canavor, N. (2012). Business writing in the digital age. Los Angeles: Sage, p. 3.

139. Describe five trends occurring in today’s dynamic workplace and discuss how communication skills are related to
those changes.
ANSWER: Students will select five of the following and answers will vary.
Social media and changing communication technologies: Interacting with others on social
media has become a daily necessity for many Canadians. Most larger organizations are
completely plugged in and have created a positive presence with the help of both traditional and
social media.
Online communities continue to draw huge numbers of people from all over the world.
Positive and negative comments can travel instantly at the speed of a few mouse clicks. Because
1) bad customer-service experiences can lead to lifelong grudges, tech-savvy companies are
embracing digital tools to connect with consumers, invite feedback, and improve their products
and services. (1)
A business communicator must develop a tool kit of new communication skills. You will want to
know how to select the best communication channel, how to use each channel safely and
effectively, and how to incorporate the latest technologies and search tools efficiently.
“Anytime, anywhere”: 24/7/365 availability offices: As you rise on the career
ladder, you may be expected to work long hours without extra compensation and be
2) available practically anytime and anywhere, should a crisis strike at work. In many
industries information workers are expected to remain tethered to their workplaces
with laptops, tablets, and smartphones around the clock and on weekends.
The global marketplace and competition: People in other countries may practise different
religions, follow different customs, live different lifestyles, and rely on different approaches in
3)
business. Successful communication in new markets requires developing new skills and attitudes.
These include cultural awareness, flexibility, and patience.

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 21

Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

Shrinking management layers: Today’s flatter organizations require that every employee be a
4) skilled communicator. Frontline employees, as well as managers, participate in critical thinking
and decision making. Nearly everyone is a writer and a communicator.
Collaborative environment and teaming: When companies form cross-functional teams,
5) individuals must work together and share information. These employees must develop strong
interpersonal, negotiation, and collaboration skills.
Growing workforce diversity: Business communicators must be able to interact
6) with many coworkers who differ from them in race, ethnicity, gender, age, and
many other ways.
Virtual and nonterritorial offices: Working in open offices, having flexible working arrangements,
telecommuting, and being a member of virtual teams all require the need for even stronger
7)
communication skills. Staying connected involves sending messages, most of which are written,
meaning that one’s writing skills are constantly on display.

∙ Roberts, I. (2011, March 30). Consumer boycotts: How bad brand experience can turn into lifelong grudges.
Retrieved from http://experiencematters.criticalmass.com

140. Explain media richness theory and give an example of a rich medium and a lean medium.
ANSWER: Student answers will vary.

Media richness theory attempts to classify media in organizations according to how much clarifying
information they are able to convey from a sender to a recipient. (1) The more helpful cues and immediate
feedback the medium provides, the richer it is. The richest media are face-to-face conversations and meetings.
The leanest media are newsletters, flyers, bulletins, and posters.

∙ Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1983, May). Information richness: A new approach to managerial behavior and
organization design [Technical report], p. 13. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-
bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA128980; Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information
requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 560. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com

141. Compare and contrast formal and informal channels of organizational communication.
ANSWER: Student answers will vary.

Information flows formally in organizations in three ways:

Downward flow: Information flowing downward generally moves from decision makers,
including the CEO and managers, through the chain of command to workers. This
1)
information includes job plans, policies, procedures, and feedback about employee
performance.
Upward flow: Information flowing upward provides feedback from nonmanagement
2) employees to management. This information includes such items as progress reports and
suggestions.
Horizontal flow: Lateral channels transmit information horizontally among workers at the
3) same level. These channels enable individuals to coordinate tasks, share information, solve
problems, and resolve conflicts.
Information also flows informally in organizations, most commonly through the grapevine, an informal
channel of communication that functions through social relationships and carries organizationally relevant
gossip. The grapevine can also be used by managers as an excellent source of information about employee
morale and problems.
Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 22
Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 1 — Business Communication in the Digital Age

Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 23

Other documents randomly have
different content
 CHAPTER XVIII
I BECOME A HAIRDRESSER’S ASSISTANT

To replace the dummy letter by the original and to pocket the former
did not take long, and as no step upon the stair announced the
Professor’s return I thought I might as well avail myself of the
opportunity of ascertaining anything that was to be learnt about his
other correspondents. With this end in view I put out my hand to take
down the packet again when a voice behind me said:—
“Wot a hinterest he do take in correspondence to be sure. Be
damned if he ain’t at ’em again!” And as I turned round I saw the
Professor in the act of closing the door, locking it, and putting the key
in his pocket.
“Now then, Mr. ’Enery Watson,” he said, with an ugly look upon his
face, “you and me ’as got to come to a hunderstanding. You comes
here very haffable like a-wanting to back a ’orse, with a hintroduction
from Mr. ’Enery Morrison, o’ Doncaster. Tall man, clean-shaved,
small heyes, wore a fawn coat and a billycock ’at, did he? Ah! I
knows ’im—Valker’s ’is name. ’Orses!”—this with scorn too withering
to be expressed by means of pen and ink—“You know hanythink
about ’orses! Why, yer sneakin’ goat, there ain’t a knacker in the
cats’-meat yard wot wouldn’t put ’is ’eels in yer face if ’e ’eard yer
talk about a gee-gee!”
He looked me up and down contemptuously for a moment, and
then with a sudden accession of fury, and with the sneer in his voice
changed to a snarl, said:—
“Yer come ’ere, do yer, a-spying and a-prying, and takes rooms
over the way to keep a watch upon me and my customers. And yer
want to get yer ’and on them letters there, so as to find some
hevidence to lay hinformation agin me, do yer? Think I didn’t know
yer was a-watchin’ me through the korfey palis winder? That’s wot I
went out for. I knew as yer’d be slippin’ over ’ere direckly my back
was turned. But I copped yer, yer slinkin’ toad! and yer ain’t got
nothink to lay hinformation on; and I’ll take care yer don’t!”
“My good man,” I replied quite coolly, “don’t distress yourself
unnecessarily. I know very well that you are carrying on illegal
transactions, and I could make things uncomfortable if I chose to
give the police a hint. But I’m not a detective, and I don’t concern
myself one way or the other with your doings, legal or illegal. What I
came here to find out is purely a private family affair, and has nothing
in the world to do with you or your betting business. A man I know
has disappeared, and his family are anxious to get news of him. I’ve
got an idea that he is in Stanby, and that he is having letters
addressed to your care under an assumed name. Now look here.
You’ve got it in your power to spoil my game, I admit; and I’ve got it
in my power to give the police a hint that might be inconvenient to
you. But why should you and I quarrel? Why shouldn’t we do a little
business together to our mutual benefit? I can pay for any help you
give, and if you’ll work with me I’ll guarantee that your name shan’t
be mentioned, and to keep my mouth shut about any little business
transactions of your own which you’re engaged in. Well, what is it to
be? Will you accept my offer or not? You get nothing by refusing, and
gain a good deal by accepting. You run this show to make money,
and not for pleasure, I take it; and I’m ready to put a good deal more
money in your pocket than you’d make in the general way, and not to
interfere with your usual business either. I shouldn’t have supposed it
wants much thinking about.”
“Wot d’ yer call a good deal more money?” he asked shortly, but
not without signs of coming to terms.
“Five, fifteen, or twenty pounds.”
“An’ who is it yer after? There’s some of my pals as I wouldn’t give
no one the bulge on, and there’s some as I don’t care a crab’s claw
abawt.”
“My man isn’t one of your pals, I’m pretty sure, though I can’t tell
you his name—anyhow, not for the present,” I answered. “But who
are the pals you won’t go back on?”
 “Is it George Ray?”
“No.”
“’Appy ’Arry?”
“No.”
“Alf Mason?”
“No.”
“Bob the Skinner?”
“No.”
“Fred Wright?”
“No.”
“Give us yer twenty pun’ then. I’m on. I don’t care the price of ’arf a
pint about none of the others.”
“Not so fast, my friend; you’ve got to earn the money before you
get it. And it’ll depend on yourself whether it’s ten, fifteen or twenty.
Now listen to me. What I want you to do is to make an excuse for me
to stay in your shop, so as to get a look at the people who come for
letters. You must pretend to engage me as your assistant, and fix me
up in a white apron, and so on. If any one asks questions you can
say I’m a young man who’s come into a little money and wants to
drop it in starting a hairdressing establishment, and I’ve come to you
to help me do it. You can tell them that you don’t let me cut any of
your regular customers, but that I make myself useful by stropping
the razors, lathering the ‘shaves,’ and practising hair-cutting on odd
customers and schoolboys. I could do that much, I think, without
betraying myself. The sooner we begin the better. Give me a white
apron, if you’ve got one to spare, and I’ll put it on straight off. Here’s
five pounds down to start with, and I’ll give you another five for every
week I’m here. Is it a bargain?”
“No, it ain’t. Ten pun’ down, and ten pun’ a week’s my figger, and
no less. I ain’t a-going to injure my business by taking hamitoors to
learn the business on my customers out of charity. Them’s my terms.
Yer can take ’em or leave ’em, as yer like.”
 In the end we compounded the matter for ten pounds down and
five pounds weekly, and having arrayed myself in a white apron and
a canvas coat, braided red, which the Professor tossed me from a
drawer, I assumed those badges of office—the shears, shaving-
brush and comb—and took my place behind the second operating
chair to await customers and developments.
 CHAPTER XIX
“ARE THERE ANY LETTERS FOR HENRY
JEANES, PLEASE?”

Were it not that they have no immediate connection with my story, I

should like to describe here some of the curious and amusing
experiences which befell me while I was acting as assistant to a
barber and betting agent. But in a narrative like the present it is
perhaps best that I should confine myself to the incidents and
adventures which have direct bearing upon my search for Captain
Shannon.
That the Professor would betray me to his clients I did not think at
all likely, as to do so would necessitate his admitting to them that he
had been bribed to allow a spy, if not a detective, to enter his service
under a disguise, and to have access to the correspondence of the
establishment. At the same time, I did not think it advisable—at all
events for the present—to take him into my confidence by telling him
who was the object of my search. Hence I had to pursue my
investigations in a more or less indirect manner, inquiring first about
one of the parties for whom letters came and then about another,
and so getting an opportunity to refer to Jeanes without appearing to
be more curious about him than about the others. In reply to my
casual question as to who Jeanes was, the Professor replied, with
apparent indifference, that the party in question was young and
good-looking, and that he did not suppose the correspondence
which was being carried on meant any more than a foolish love-
affair.
Several days went by, and the letter for Jeanes still remained
uncalled for, until one afternoon the Professor asked me, as he had
asked me on previous occasions, if I would keep an eye to the shop
while he ran over the way to get half-a-pint. I nodded assent, and,
promising that he would not be long, he disappeared down the stairs,
only to return immediately afterwards for his pipe, which was lying on
the mantel-shelf. As he passed the rack he took the letters down and
ran through them as if to see how many there were, and then giving
me a look, which I took to mean that it would be no use my
tampering with them in his absence, he again descended the stairs
in search of the desired refreshment.
He had been gone about a quarter of an hour when a man,
muffled up to the nose with a big “comforter,” and with a soft hat
pulled down so closely over his brows that little more of him was
visible than a pair of blue spectacles, opened the door and, without
coming in, stood coughing and panting like a consumptive on the
mat outside. As he did not show any disposition to enter, I inquired
what he wanted, but shaking his head, as if to indicate that he was
unable to answer, he continued hacking and coughing with stooped
head and bent shoulders for half a minute, and then in a hollow
voice, which seemed strangely familiar to me, asked if there was a
letter for Mr. Henry Jeanes.
As calmly as if his coming were a thing of the utmost indifference
to me I reached for the packet of letters in order to select that which
was addressed to Jeanes. To my dismay I found it gone, but
repressing the exclamation of surprise which rose to my lips I turned
to the waiting messenger and shook my head.
He mumbled something that sounded like “Thank you,” and then,
closing the door, toiled painfully downstairs. Scarcely had he
reached the first landing before I had made what is called in music-
hall parlance a “lightning change.”
Tearing off my canvas coat and white apron and tossing them in a
heap upon a chair, I shot into, rather than got into, my reefer jacket,
and snatching at my hat was down the stairs and out in the street
before my visitor was half-way to the first corner, which led to an
unfrequented side street. The instant he had turned it I was after him
like the wind, and, looking warily round, saw him making for a narrow
lane that ran at right angles to the direction in which he was going.
No sooner was he hidden by the corner than I was after him once
again, but not so hurriedly as to forget to stop and peer cautiously
round before exposing my own person to view. The sight which met
my eyes put me, I must confess, fairly out of countenance, for there,
just round the corner, with the crush hat pushed to the back of his
head, the muffler thrown open and the blue spectacles in the hand
which he pointed derisively at me, was none other than the
Professor, literally rolling about with uncontrollable laughter.
“Oh, my poor korf! it is so bad I ain’t able to speak!” he gasped
between his convulsions of merriment. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh, you
’a’porth o’ pigeon’s milk wot thought you could get up early enough
in the mornin’ to take a rise out of old Tom Lawrance! Ha, ha, ha, ha,
ha! Oh, you feedin’-bottle fool and mug as thought yer’d got the
bulge on Downy Tom! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Come and laugh at him,
sonnies, for the biggest fool and mammy’s-milk Juggins and Johnny
in all Stanby!”
 CHAPTER XX
HOW JAMES MULLEN AND MYSELF ALMOST
MET

The Professor was in such huge good humour at the success of his
ruse that when we returned together to the hair-cutting establishment
he was almost inclined to be genial, especially as I took the joke in
good part, and frankly admitted that I had never been so “let through”
before. So friendly was he, in fact that he readily agreed to my
proposal that I should go over the way and bring back a bottle of
something to ease his cough; and after I had pledged “Downy Tom,”
and expressed the intention of getting up a little earlier in the
morning the next time I meant trying to steal a march upon him, and
“Downy Tom” had pledged me in what—in delicate allusion to recent
events—he humorously termed pigeon’s milk, but which was in
reality the best Old Tom, we fell to discussing events almost
confidentially.
“So it is Jeanes as yer after—as I always suspected, though you
never harsked questions about him direct, but only as if by haccident
and among the others” he said, as he lit his pipe. “It ’ud have saved
a lot of trouble if yer’d told me so at fust.”
“What do you mean by ‘saved trouble’?” I asked.
“Why, if I’d ’ave knowed it was Jeanes for certain, I’d ’ave ’elped
yer—for a consideration, of course. I only took yer into the shop
because I meant to find out who yer was hafter. Jeanes ain’t nothink
to me; but there is some of my pals as I wouldn’t have no ’arm come
to, not for a pot o’ money. And I knew if I ’ad yer there I could find out
who it was yer wanted, and give ’im the tip if it was a pal. Why, I’ve
been a-playin’ with yer all this time—a-playing hoff first one name
and then another to see if it was your bloke. Then when I began to
suspect it was Jeanes, I planned the little game I played yer ter-day
—an’ didn’t yer tumble prettily! Ha, ha, ha, ha!” and off the Professor
went again into a paroxysm of laughter at my expense.
It suited my purpose to humour him, so I joined good-humouredly
in the laugh against myself; but as a matter of fact I had not been
quite such a “pigeon” as the Professor supposed. Up to a certain
point the scoring had been in my favour, and not in his, for I had
succeeded, not only in intercepting an important letter which had
been sent to his care, but also in returning that letter—after I had
made myself acquainted with its contents—to the place whence I
took it, so that it might reach the hand of the person to whom it was
addressed.
But I knew very well that, should the Professor’s suspicions be
once aroused—as must have been the case after he detected me in
the act of examining the letters—I should not only never again be
allowed to go within the reach of the rack where he kept them, but
should in all probability be refused admission to his shop. Hence I
had no choice but to adopt the somewhat daring course of openly
offering him a bribe to take me into his service. If he really were
Mullen’s confederate he would already have had cause to suspect
my motives, but if, on the other hand, Mullen and the Professor had
no other connection than that the former was having his letters
addressed to the latter’s shop, it was quite within the bounds of
possibility that the worthy Professor would, for a consideration, be
prepared to tell me all he knew about the customer in question. That
the object of the leading questions he had from time to time put to
me was to discover whom I was in search of, I had been well aware,
although I freely admit that I had been, as I have said, “let through” in
regard to the man who had called for Jeanes’s letter.
When the Professor had had his laugh out I asked him quietly if he
knew that the letter for Jeanes was gone.
“Do I know it’s gone, yer bally fool?” he said. “Why, of course I do.
Wasn’t it me came and called yer for it just now when I had such a
bad korf; and didn’t yer say there wasn’t any letter?”
“Yes, yes,” I said, looking rather foolish; “of course I know that you
came and asked for a letter, and that I told you there wasn’t one, but
I didn’t know that you knew that the letter was really gone.”
“Well, considerin’ as it was me took it when I came back to get my
pipe, I ought ter know,” he answered, and then, with a sudden
change of manner, “Look ’ere, Watson, or whatever yer name is, I
think us two can do a deal together. Yer want to get ’old of ’Enery
Jeanes, don’t yer?”
I nodded.
“Supposin’ I knew where ’e was to be found at this very minute,
wot ’ud yer give me for the hinformation?”
“Ten pounds,” I answered.
He snorted.
“Can’t be done under twenty, ready money. Give us yer twenty and
I’ll tell yer.”
“No,” I said. “Take me to where Jeanes is to be found, wherever it
is, and I’ll give you, not twenty, but fifty pounds, as soon as I’m sure
it is the right man. I swear it, so help me God! and I won’t go back on
my word.”
His eyes sparkled.
“Yer a gentleman, I b’lieve,” he said, “and I’ll trust yer. But yer must
keep my name out of it. Now listen. When I went down the stairs to
get that ’arf-pint I met Jeanes a-comin’ up for ’is letters. I guessed it
was ’im yer was after, and I wasn’t going to ’ave no harrests nor rows
in my shop. Besides, if yer wanted ’im bad, I guessed yer’d be willin’
to drop money on it and if there was any money to be dropped I
didn’t see why I shouldn’t be the one to pick it up.”
Here was news, indeed! If the Professor was to be believed—and,
notwithstanding my recent experience, I failed to see what motive he
could have for misleading me in this instance—the man I was in
search of had been in the town, and in that very house, scarcely
more than two hours ago! And I had been sitting there idly, when
every moment, every second, was precious!
 “Go on! go on!” I said excitedly. “Tell me the rest as fast as you
can. There’s not a moment to spare. I’ll see you don’t lose by it.”
He nodded and continued, but still in the same leisurely way.
“Well, I harsked Jeanes to wait while I fetched the letter. That’s wot
I came back to get my pipe for. Yer remember I took the letters down
and pretended to count ’em? Well, I sneaked it then and gave it ’im.
He gave me a sovereign, and said there wouldn’t be any more letters
comin’ for ’im, and ’e shouldn’t be calling at the shop no more. Then
’e harsked me wot time the next train left for London, and I told ’im in
a quarter of an hour, and ’e said that wouldn’t do, as ’e ’adn’t ’ad no
lunch and was starvin’ ’ungry. So I told ’im there wasn’t another for
two hours and a ’arf, and ’e said that would do capital, and where
was the best place to get dinner. I told ’im the Railway Hotel, and ’e
went there, ’cos I followed him to make sure. Then I whipped back
and played that little game on yer just to make sure it was Jeanes
yer wanted. And now I guess that fifty pounds is as good as mine.
Jeanes’ll be at the hotel now, or if ’e’s left there we can make sure of
’im at the station when ’e catches the London express. Wot d’ yer
want him for? Looks a ’armless, pleasant kind of bloke, and very
pleasant spoken.”
“What’s he like?” I said.
“Youngish, fair, and big eyes like a gal’s. Wore a blue serge suit
and a white straw ’at.”
“Clean shaven?” I asked.
“Yes, clean shaved; or any’ow, ’e’d no ’air on ’is face.”
“That’s the man,” I said. “Well, come along, we’ll be off to the hotel.
Do you know any one there, by-the-bye?”
“I knows the chief waiter. ’E often ’as five bob on a ’orse with me.”
“All right. Then you’d better go in first and see your friend the
waiter and find out where Jeanes is. If he heard anybody asking for
him by name in the hall he might think something was wrong and
make a bolt. Then you’d lose your fifty pounds—which would be a
pity.”
 The Professor assented, and we started for the Railway Hotel, he
walking in front as if without any connection with me, and I some
twenty paces behind. When the swing doors closed upon his bulky
figure I stopped, as we had arranged, and pretended to look into a
shop window until he should rejoin me.
I had been nervous and excited when we set out, but now that the
crisis had come, and I was so soon to stand face to face with Henry
Jeanes alias James Cross, alias James Mullen, alias Captain
Shannon, I was as cool and collected as ever I was in my life.
The next moment the Professor came hurrying out, with a face on
which dismay was plainly written.
“’E’s been there, right enough,” he said, all in a burst, and with a
horrible oath, his features working meanwhile with agitation, the
genuineness of which there was no mistaking. “But instead of ’aving
lunch, as ’e told me ’e should, the —— ’ad a glass of sherry and
caught the 12.15 express to London, and ’e’s more than got there by
now, rot ’im!”
 CHAPTER XXI
HOW I STRUCK JAMES MULLEN’S TRACK

Whether Jeanes, alias Mullen, had noticed any signs of curiosity in

regard to his movements on the Professor’s part, and had
intentionally misinformed that worthy; whether his suspicions had
been aroused by his discovering that he was being shadowed to the
hotel; or whether his change of plans was entirely accidental, I had
no means of knowing; but that my adversary in the game of chess I
was playing had again called “check” just when I had hoped to come
out with the triumphant “mate” was not to be denied. The only
additional information I succeeded in eliciting from the Professor was
that Jeanes had visited the shop some month or so ago and had
arranged that any letters sent there for him should be kept till he
came for them. He had left half-a-sovereign on account and had
called four times, receiving three letters, including that which had
been handed to him by the Professor.
As for that precious rascal, I need scarcely say that I placed no
reliance whatever upon what he said, and had seriously considered
whether the story of his giving Jeanes the letter on the stairs, and
then shadowing his customer to the hotel might not be an entire
fabrication. I did not for a moment believe that he knew who Jeanes
really was, for had he done so he would, I felt sure, have lost no time
in securing the reward by handing the fugitive over to the police. But
I quite recognised the possibility of his being in Jeanes’s pay, and
had seriously asked myself whether the statement that Jeanes would
not be having any more letters addressed to the shop, and would not
be visiting Stanby again, might not be a ruse to get me out of the
way. But that the Professor’s surprise and dismay when he found
Jeanes gone from the hotel were genuine, no one who had
witnessed them could have doubted, and as the circumstances
generally tended to confirm his story, I was forced to the conclusion
that he had, in this instance at all events, told the truth.
In that case I should be wasting time by remaining longer at
Stanby; so after arranging with the Professor that if Jeanes called
again, or if any other letters arrived for him, the word “News” should
at once be telegraphed to an address which I gave, I packed my bag
and caught the next train to town.
Mullen had called “check” at Stanby, it is true, but I was not without
another move, by means of which I hoped eventually to “mate” him,
and what that move was, the reader who remembers the contents of
the intercepted letters will readily surmise.
In one of those letters the person to whom it was addressed was
told that the steam yacht, by means of which he was to escape
would be lying just off the boat-builder’s yard where the little yacht
was laid up. Any one who did not know from whom the letter was, or
under what circumstances it had been written, would not be any the
wiser for this piece of information. But to one who knew, as I did, that
the writer was the wife of Mr. Stanley Burgoyne, it would not be a
difficult thing to ascertain the name of any small yacht of which that
gentleman was the owner, and the place where it was likely to be
laid up.
Whether Mullen intended to abandon or to carry out the plan he
had formed for making his escape by the help of his sister, I had no
means of knowing. If he suspected that his letters had been
intercepted, he was tolerably sure to abandon the arrangement, or at
all events to change the scene of operations. But if he was unaware
of the fact that I had taken up the thread which poor Green had
dropped, it was possible that he might assume his secret to be safe
now Green was satisfactorily disposed of, and might carry out his
original plan, in which event he would walk of his own accord into the
trap which I was preparing for him. In any case I should be doing
right in making inquiries about Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Burgoyne and
their yacht, and with this end in view I purchased a copy of the
current “Yachting Register.”
 Turning to the letter B in the list of owners, I found that Mr. Stanley
Scott Burgoyne’s club was the Royal London, and that he had two
boats, one a big steam yacht called the “Fiona,” and the other a little
five-tonner named the “Odd Trick.” It was no doubt in the former that
Mr. and Mrs. Burgoyne had gone to Norway and by means of which
Mullen was to fly the country, and it was probably to the latter that
Mrs. Burgoyne had referred in her letter.
No one can be led to talk “shop” more readily than your
enthusiastic yachtsman, and it did not require much diplomacy on
my part to ascertain, by means of a visit to the Royal London Club
House in Savile Row—in company with a member—that Mr.
Burgoyne’s little cruiser was laid up at Gravesend, in charge of a
man named Gunnell.
Him I accordingly visited, under the pretext of wanting to buy a
yacht, and after some conversation I remarked casually—
“By-the-bye, I think you have my friend Mr. Stanley Burgoyne’s
five-tonner, the ‘Odd Trick,’ laid up here, haven’t you?”
“I did have, sir,” was the reply, “but Mr. Burgoyne he telegraphed
that I was to let his brother-in-law, Mr. Cross, have the boat out. That
there’s the telegram wot you see slipped in behind the olm’nack.”
For the second time in the course of this curious enterprise the
information I was in need of seemed to come in search of me instead
of my having to go in search of it. I had felt when I started out to
pursue my inquiries about Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Burgoyne, by
interviewing the waterman Gunnell, that it was quite possible I might
learn something of importance, but I had not expected to strike the
trail red-hot, and so soon, for “Cross,” as the reader may perhaps
remember, was the name by which Mullen was known to his family.
“Mullen” had been used only in connection with the conspiracy.
Lest the man should see by my face how important was the
information he had let drop, I stooped as if to flick a splash of mud
from my trousers-leg before replying.
“Ah, yes,” I said at length, straightening myself and bending
forward indolently to look at the telegram, which I read aloud.
 “To Gunnell, Gravesend.—Get ‘Odd Trick’ ready and
afloat. Mr. Cross will come for her.—Burgoyne.
“Windsor Hotel, Scarborough.”

“Of course,” I went on, “I had quite forgotten Mr. Cross telling me,
when I saw him last, that he was going to ask his brother-in-law to
lend him the ‘Odd Trick,’ for a cruise. Whom has he got on board?”
“No one, sir. Mr. Cross was sailing her himself; said he was only
going as far as Sheerness, where he expected a friend to join him
who would help him to handle her.”
“He’s a good sailor, isn’t he?”
“No, sir, that’s just what he isn’t, and that’s why I wanted him to let
me go with him until his friend turned up. But, bless you, sir, he got
that huffy there wasn’t no holdin’ him. And him a very pleasant-
mannered gentleman in the usual way, and free with his money too.”
Our conversation was interrupted at this point by the entrance of
another waterman with the key of the shed where a boat that was for
sale was laid up. The craft in question was a pretty little cutter,
named the “Pastime,” and I of course made a great pretence of
inspecting her narrowly, and was careful to put the usual questions
about her draught, breadth of beam, findings, and the like, which
would be expected from any intending purchaser.
“Isn’t she rather like the ‘Odd Trick’?” I said casually, being
desirous of getting a description of that vessel without appearing to
be unduly inquisitive.
“Lor’ bless you no, sir!” answered the honest Gunnell. “She’s
about the same siz right enough, but the ‘Pastime’ is cutter-rigged
and the ‘Odd Trick’ ’s a yawl. Besides, the ‘Pastime’ is painted
chocolate, and the ‘Odd Trick’ is white, picked out gold.”
This was just the information I required, so after telling Gunnell
that I would let him know my decision when I had seen another boat
which was in the market, I slipped half-a-sovereign into his hand, as
“conscience money,” for taking up his time when I had no intention of
becoming a purchaser, and bade him “Good-day, and thank you.”
 The result of my inquiries, though by no means unsatisfactory,
had, I must confess, put me somewhat out of my reckoning. I had all
along been of opinion that Mullen’s hiding-place was on water, as the
reader is aware, but I had not supposed he would be so rash as to
trust himself on a vessel which, if his connection with the Burgoynes
should reach the ears of the police, would be almost the first object
of their inquiries. I could only account for his doing so by presuming
that he was convinced that the secret of his relationship to Mr. and
Mrs. Burgoyne—being known only to them and to him—could not by
any means come to light, and that, taking one thing with another, he
considered it safer to make use of Burgoyne’s boat than to run the
risk of purchasing or hiring what he wanted from a stranger. Or it
might be that as no fresh outrages had occurred for some time the
vigilance of the police had become somewhat relaxed, and that
Mullen—knowing it to be so, and that the hue and cry had subsided
—felt that his own precautions might be proportionately lessened.
Perhaps, too, the ease with which he had hitherto eluded pursuit
had tended to make him careless, over-confident, and inclined to
underrate the abilities of English detectives. But, whatever his
reason, the fact remained that if Gunnell’s story was to be believed—
and I saw no cause to doubt it—Mullen had contrived to get
possession of the “Odd Trick” by means of a telegram which, though
purporting to come from the owner of the boat, Mr. Burgoyne, had in
reality been despatched by Mullen himself.
That he was the sender of the telegram was evident from some
inquiries which I afterwards made at Scarborough. These inquiries I
need not here enter upon in detail, but I may mention that I was able
by a little diplomacy to get a photograph of the original draft (it is not
generally known that the first drafts of telegrams are retained for a
considerable time by the postal authorities) and so became
possessed of a piece of evidence which might one day prove
valuable—a specimen of what was in all probability Mullen’s own
handwriting.
But as a matter of fact I had good cause, quite apart from the
inquiries which I instituted at Scarborough, to feel satisfied that the
telegram had been sent by Mullen, or by his instigation, and not by
Burgoyne, as I knew by the date of the letter which Mrs. Burgoyne
had sent to Mullen—the letter which I had intercepted—that her
husband was in Bergen upon the very day on which the telegram
from Scarborough had been despatched.
My next business I decided must be to find the present
whereabouts of the “Odd Trick,” but before setting out to do so I had
a point of some importance to consider. Every one who has studied
criminology knows that each individual criminal has certain methods
which are repeated with very little variation in consecutive crimes.
The circumstances may so vary as to cause the features of the crime
to have a different aspect from the feature of any previous crime, but
the methods pursued are generally the same.
The criminal classes are almost invariably creatures of habit. The
fact that a certain method—be it adopted for the purpose of
committing a crime, concealing a crime, or of effecting the criminal’s
escape—has proved successful in the past is to them the strongest
possible reason for again adopting the same method. They
associate that method in their thoughts with what they call their luck,
and shrink from having to depart from it. Hence the detective-
psychologist should be quick to get what I may—with no sinister
meaning in regard to after events—be allowed to call the “hang” of
the criminal’s mind, and to discover the methods which, though
varying circumstances may necessitate their being worked out in
varying ways, are common to most of his crimes. The detective who
can do this has his antagonist at a disadvantage. He is like the
hunter who knows that the hare will double, or that this or that quarry
will try to set the hounds at fault and seek to destroy the scent by
taking to the water. And just as the hunter’s acquaintance with the
tricks of the quarry assists him to anticipate and to forestall the poor
beast’s efforts to escape, so the detective who has taken a criminal’s
measure, and discovered the methods upon which he works, can
often turn the very means which are intended to effect an escape
into means to effect a capture.
I need not point out to the observant reader that Mullen’s one
anxiety in all his movements was to cover up his traces. He could be
daring and even reckless at times, as witness this fact of his having
gone away in a boat, which, should his connection with Mrs.
Burgoyne leak out, would, as I have already said, be the very first
object of inquiry. It would seem, in fact, as if, so long as he had
satisfied himself that he had left no “spoor” behind, he preferred
adopting a bold course to a timid one, as for instance when he
openly proclaimed the murder of Green to be the handiwork of
Captain Shannon by leaving a declaration to that effect folded up in
a bottle which was attached to the body.
How he had accomplished that particular crime I did not know, but
I had the best of reasons for knowing that he had left no sign of
himself behind. Carefulness in covering up his traces was indeed the
key-word to his criminal code, and perhaps was the secret of the
success with which he had hitherto carried out his designs. Given
any fresh move on his part, and some cunning scheme for
obliterating the trail he had left behind—for cutting the connecting
cord between the past and the present—might be looked for as
surely and inevitably as night may be looked for after day.
I had—more by luck than by subtlety—traced Mullen to the
boatyard at Gravesend, but there I lost sight of him completely. He
had taken the “Odd Trick” away with him the same evening, I was
told, and had gone down the river, but what had become of him
afterwards there was not the slightest evidence to show. To go down
the river in search of him seemed the natural and only course, but I
was beginning by this time to get some insight into my adversary’s
methods, and felt that before asking myself, “Where has Mullen
gone?” I should seriously consider the question, “What method has
he adopted for covering up his traces?”
 CHAPTER XXII
THE ARTFULNESS OF JAMES MULLEN

“What method has Mullen adopted for covering up his traces?” I

asked myself, and as I did so a passage from the letter which had
been sent to him by Mrs. Burgoyne—the letter which I had
fortunately intercepted—flashed into my mind.
“I do not see any necessity,” she had written, “for doing as you say
in regard to sending the present crew back to England under the
pretence that we are not likely to be using the yacht for some time,
and then, after getting the ship’s appearance altered by repainting
and rechristening her the name you mention, engaging another crew
of Norwegians.”
If Mullen had considered it necessary to take such precautions in
regard to the steam yacht, he would beyond all question consider it
even more necessary to his safety that a similar course should be
adopted in regard to the boat which, until opportunity came for him to
leave the country, was to carry “Cæsar and his fortunes.” That boat
had been described to me by Gunnell as a five-ton yawl, painted
white, picked out with gold. She had by now, no doubt, been entirely
metamorphosed, and before I set out to continue my search for
Mullen it was of vital importance that I should know something of the
appearance of the boat for which I was to look. According to the
waterman Gunnell, Mullen had gone down the river when he left
Gravesend that evening, and indeed it was in the highest degree
unlikely that he had gone up the river towards London in a small
sailing vessel. Every mile traversed in that direction would render his
movements more cramped and more likely to come under
observation, whereas down the river meant the open sea, with
access to the entire sea-board of the country and, if necessary, of
the Continent.
Welcome to our website – the ideal destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. With a mission to inspire endlessly, we offer a
vast collection of books, ranging from classic literary works to
specialized publications, self-development books, and children's
literature. Each book is a new journey of discovery, expanding
knowledge and enriching the soul of the reade

Our website is not just a platform for buying books, but a bridge
connecting readers to the timeless values of culture and wisdom. With
an elegant, user-friendly interface and an intelligent search system,
we are committed to providing a quick and convenient shopping
experience. Additionally, our special promotions and home delivery
services ensure that you save time and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Let us accompany you on the journey of exploring knowledge and

personal growth!

testbankbell.com