Chapter 27 Quiz: Business Communication: Email, Reports, and Documents
Question 1: What is the "brief me" technique in AI-assisted report writing?
A) Asking AI to summarize a report into a shorter version B) Providing raw notes and asking AI to organize them into a structured document C) Having AI write a brief (1-2 page) version of a longer report D) Using AI to create a meeting agenda from a report
Answer
**B** — Providing raw notes and asking AI to organize them into a structured document. The "brief me" technique is particularly powerful because it allows you to capture information in whatever form is natural in the moment (rough bullet points, stream-of-consciousness notes, data fragments) and then have AI impose structure. The technique works because you're providing the substantive knowledge; AI is contributing the organizational architecture and professional language. The result is faster than writing from scratch and more accurate than having AI generate content it doesn't have the underlying knowledge for.Question 2: What is the "standalone test" for an executive summary?
A) The executive summary can be read in under 2 minutes B) A busy executive reading only the summary can state the main finding, key recommendation, and any decisions they need to make — without reading the full document C) The executive summary is formatted consistently with the rest of the document D) The summary is exactly one page in length
Answer
**B** — A busy executive reading only the summary can state the main finding, key recommendation, and any decisions they need to make — without reading the full document. The standalone test is the practical definition of what an executive summary is for. Many executive summaries fail this test because they're organized as a "map of the document" (here's what each section covers) rather than as a standalone argument (here's what you need to know and do). An executive who reads only the summary and acts on it correctly is the test of whether it works.Question 3: According to the chapter, when is AI writing assistance LEAST useful for email?
A) When drafting a follow-up to an unanswered request B) When writing an easy, routine email that doesn't require careful thought C) When the email involves sensitive personnel information D) When writing to someone you have a long-standing relationship with
Answer
**B** — When writing an easy, routine email that doesn't require careful thought. The chapter explicitly notes: "Easy emails don't need AI. The ones that keep you staring at a blank draft for 10 minutes are exactly where AI can help." AI adds the most value when the writing task involves difficulty — careful tone calibration, difficult news to deliver, complex situation to explain. For simple, routine emails, the overhead of prompting and reviewing AI output may exceed the time savings.Question 4: What is the primary privacy concern when pasting client information into an external AI tool?
A) The AI may share client information with competitors B) Pasting client data may violate confidentiality obligations even if the AI company protects the data C) The AI may forget the information and lose access to important client context D) External AI tools have lower quality outputs than enterprise AI tools
Answer
**B** — Pasting client data may violate confidentiality obligations even if the AI company protects the data. The legal and ethical issue is not just whether the AI company handles data responsibly — it's whether sharing the data in the first place violates your obligations to the client. Many professional services relationships involve explicit confidentiality agreements. Sharing client-specific information with a third party (even a well-intentioned AI tool) may constitute a breach of those obligations. The AI company's privacy practices are relevant but secondary to your own contractual duties.Question 5: What is the most significant difference between using Outlook Copilot and an external AI tool for email drafting?
A) Outlook Copilot can only write formal emails while external tools handle all tones B) Outlook Copilot has access to your inbox, calendar, and contacts enabling context-aware suggestions C) External AI tools produce higher quality output than Outlook Copilot D) Outlook Copilot can only help with replies, not original emails
Answer
**B** — Outlook Copilot has access to your inbox, calendar, and contacts enabling context-aware suggestions. The integrated email AI tools' key advantage is context. When you're drafting a reply to a client, Copilot can see the previous email history with that client, knows what meetings you have scheduled with them, and can make suggestions that reflect the actual relationship history. An external AI tool only knows what you paste into the prompt. This context access also creates the more significant privacy consideration — these tools have broader access to your professional communications.Question 6: Which of the following is the most common structural problem with AI-generated proposals?
A) AI-generated proposals are too short and lack sufficient detail B) AI-generated proposals lead with the vendor's credentials rather than the client's problem C) AI-generated proposals use inconsistent formatting D) AI-generated proposals don't include pricing information
Answer
**B** — AI-generated proposals lead with the vendor's credentials rather than the client's problem. This is a common failure because AI's default proposal structure reflects the "typical" proposal, which in many industries leads with the firm's background and experience. Effective proposals lead with a demonstration of understanding the client's problem — showing that you've listened and grasped what they're actually trying to solve — before presenting your credentials and solution. The chapter's proposal prompt explicitly addresses this: "Opens with the client's problem, not my credentials."Question 7: What is meant by the "robot-sounding" email problem?
A) Emails that contain too many bullet points and numbered lists B) Emails that are written entirely by AI without human editing C) AI-generated emails with overly formal language, diplomatic hedging, and impersonal tone D) Emails that reference AI tools in their text
Answer
**C** — AI-generated emails with overly formal language, diplomatic hedging, and impersonal tone. The "robot-sounding" problem is AI's tendency toward formal completeness and diplomatic balance. The telltale signs: openings like "I hope this email finds you well," hedging phrases like "it may be worth considering," and a tendency to say everything without committing to the most important thing. The fix is reading every draft aloud — sentences that you'd never naturally say in a conversation should be rewritten.Question 8: What is MNPI and why does it matter in the context of AI-assisted business writing?
A) A project management methodology that AI tools don't support well B) Material Non-Public Information — sensitive financial data subject to legal restrictions on disclosure C) A measurement standard for evaluating AI-generated text quality D) A privacy protocol that governs how AI companies store user data
Answer
**B** — Material Non-Public Information — sensitive financial data subject to legal restrictions on disclosure. MNPI (Material Non-Public Information) includes data about earnings, M&A activity, strategic plans, and other information that could affect stock prices — information that securities law restricts from being shared outside defined channels. Pasting MNPI into an AI tool potentially constitutes a disclosure violation, regardless of the AI company's privacy practices. This is particularly relevant for professionals in financial services, public companies, or anyone working on transactions.Question 9: What does the chapter recommend as the most important test before sending any AI-generated email?
A) Running it through a grammar checker to verify correctness B) Reading it aloud to identify sentences that don't sound natural coming from you C) Having a colleague review it for tone and accuracy D) Checking that it's shorter than the AI's default draft
Answer
**B** — Reading it aloud to identify sentences that don't sound natural coming from you. Reading aloud is the most reliable detector of AI-generated language that doesn't reflect your authentic voice. The sentences you'd stumble over reading to a colleague — phrasing that feels formal or unlike how you'd naturally communicate — are candidates for revision or removal. This is a faster and more accurate filter than grammar checking, and more consistently available than colleague review for every email you send.Question 10: In the context of meeting minutes, what does the chapter prioritize as the most important content to capture?
A) Verbatim transcript of key discussion points B) Attendance record and meeting duration C) Decisions made and action items with owners and due dates D) Complete summaries of all topics discussed
Answer
**C** — Decisions made and action items with owners and due dates. The chapter explicitly frames the minutes format as: (1) decisions made, (2) action items with owner + task + due date, (3) topics discussed (brief summary — not transcript), (4) next meeting. The prioritization reflects what meeting minutes are actually used for: tracking what was decided and what needs to happen. Verbatim transcripts and comprehensive discussion summaries are rarely consulted; decisions and action items are.Question 11: What is the purpose of providing "two variations" (direct and diplomatic) when asking AI to draft an email?
A) To give the recipient options for how they'd like to be addressed B) To allow comparison and selection of the best tone for the specific relationship C) To demonstrate AI's versatility to skeptical team members D) To ensure the email works for multiple recipients at once
Answer
**B** — To allow comparison and selection of the best tone for the specific relationship. The "two variations" prompt technique is a comparison tool. Different relationships require different registers: a direct approach that works with a long-established colleague may feel aggressive with a new external partner. By generating both a more direct and a more diplomatic version, you can quickly select the appropriate register without making a binary choice based on your first instinct. The comparison also helps calibrate — seeing both versions together makes the differences explicit and helps you make a more deliberate choice.Question 12: The "over-explaining" failure in AI-assisted business writing refers to:
A) AI adding footnotes and citations that aren't needed for business communication B) AI providing full context, acknowledging all perspectives, and covering edge cases when brevity would serve better C) AI explaining its reasoning for word choices in ways that clutter the document D) AI including too many examples and illustrations
Answer
**B** — AI providing full context, acknowledging all perspectives, and covering edge cases when brevity would serve better. AI's "safe" default is comprehensive and diplomatic — saying everything, hedging appropriately, covering contingencies. This is often the wrong register for direct business communication where the goal is to communicate one thing clearly and get a response. The fix is the question: "What is the minimum a busy reader needs to understand and act on this?" Everything beyond that minimum is typically a candidate for removal.Question 13: What is the key addition that makes a good proposal section on competitive positioning different from a weak one?
A) Including a detailed comparison table of features and pricing B) Specifically addressing what this client values most and why you win on those dimensions C) Mentioning competitors by name to show you've done your research D) Listing certifications and awards that demonstrate quality
Answer
**B** — Specifically addressing what this client values most and why you win on those dimensions. Generic competitive positioning ("we have deep expertise and a client-focused approach") communicates nothing differentiated. Effective competitive positioning identifies what this specific client cares most about and explains why your approach wins on those specific dimensions. This requires actually knowing the client's priorities — which is why the competitive positioning prompt includes "what the client cares most about" as a required input. AI can't generate meaningful competitive positioning without knowing what the client values.Question 14: According to the research in Section 27.10, how does AI writing assistance change the distribution of time in writing workflows?
A) Total writing time decreases proportionally — writers spend less time on all stages B) Time shifts from first-draft creation to editing and quality review C) Time increases because reviewing AI output takes longer than writing from scratch D) The time distribution doesn't change significantly — AI speeds up all stages equally
Answer
**B** — Time shifts from first-draft creation to editing and quality review. Research on AI-assisted writing shows that writers with AI assistance report their work becoming "editing-intensive" rather than "writing-intensive." The first draft takes less time; the review and refinement takes more relative proportion. This is a skill shift — the professional value moves from "can produce polished first drafts" to "can evaluate, correct, and improve AI-generated content." Writers who develop strong editing judgment extract more value from AI assistance than those who rely primarily on generation.Question 15: What is the primary failure in most email follow-ups that the chapter's follow-up template is designed to correct?
A) Follow-ups are usually sent too soon after the original message B) Follow-ups typically include passive-aggressive language that damages relationships C) Most follow-ups restate everything from the original email without clearly reiterating what's needed and by when D) Follow-ups usually start with "Just following up..." which signals low urgency