Logo

BBS Business Communication

bbssecond year
Chapter Wise NotesQuestion BanksSyllabusChapter Wise Questions

BBS Business Communication Chapter Wise Questions

Past TU exam questions for Business Communication, organised chapter by chapter with solutions.

Asked on 2080 Exam
1.
Rewrite the following sentences choosing the best alternative. 

a. Information flows from executives to low-level employees in .......... communication.

 i. upward flow

 ii. downward flow

 iii. horizontal flow

 iv. diagonal flow

 b. The engagement of employees in their jobs, their commitment to the organization is called...........

 i. employee management

 ii. interpersonal communication

 iii. event management

 iv. corporate communication

 c. .......... is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or collective interests.

 i. Bargaining
ii. Conflict
ii. Negotiation 
iv. Business appraisal
d. ........are the official written records of a meeting.

 i. Minutes
ii. Agendas
 iii. Memos
iv. Roll calls

 e. A............is usually a formal interaction or discussion among a group of people for specific purpose.
i. sitting
ii. setting
iii. gathering
iv. meeting
[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
2.

6. R. Scholes N. R. Comley and G.L. Ulmer in their essay 'Light My Lucky" describe an advertisement for Lucky Strike Light cigarettes and point out how important it is for the consumers to learn how to make a critical scrutiny of ads and text made for promotional purposes. Think of some other cigarette ad or any other ad and write a comment on it as in the essay. 

OR 

E.B. White, in "Once More to the Lake", reminisces about his boyhood summer holidays spent in Maine. Explain how the lake serves as the setting for both the author's past and present. Do you think the memories remain the same or they change over the years? Give some concrete examples from your personal experience.

[15]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

 a. Memo

b. Diversity

 c. Context

 d. Flipchart

e. Downward flow of communication

[5]
Asked on 2081 Exam
2.

Having been inspired by a workshop he had attended earlier on motivating the employees, the section head of public relations department at DZire Company decided to send inspirational quotes to his employees repeatedly throughout the day to keep them motivated. To maintain good customer relations, the employees were expected to promptly respond to customers' queries and address their complaints through emails, phones, and social media feeds. This could be very stressful, given that the number of complaints had exponentially increased due to Covid19 situation and the closure and restrictions imposed by the government. Rasika, having a great record in meeting deadlines, had also been greatly affected by this situation. Even she was not able to keep up with the increase in inquiries and complaints made by the customers. The inbox was constantly full; the phone kept ringing and social media notifications kept on popping up.

Answer the following questions:

a. Following his recent participation in a workshop on motivating employees, the custom head of the public relation department seemed earnest in his intention to motivate the employees. However, his decision to motivate the employees with a constant flow of motivational quotations backfired. Analyze minutely what went wrong regarding communication in this case.

b. Suppose you are the section head. How would you achieve your goal without disrupting the employees? Discuss your approach with proper strategies.

[2*9]
Asked on 2080 Exam
3.

Define the following business communication terminologies/phrases. 

a. Collaboration          b. Brainstorming       c. Merchandising    d. Memorandum     e. Netiquette

[5]
Asked on 2080 Exam
4.

Why is business communication important in today's competitive world? Discuss with examples.

[6]
Asked on 2079 Exam
5.

Define the following business communication terminologies/phrases. 
a. Upward flow of communication    b. Press release        c. Rapport         d. Active listening        e. Appraisal interview
 

[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
6.

How can you make your business communication effective? Explain with concrete examples.

[6]
Asked on 2079 Exam
7.

Read the given case and answer the following question. 

In episode two of the British science-fiction anthology series Black Mirror, entitled "Fifteen Million Merits", Bingham Madsen (played by Daniel Kaluuya) lives in an enclosed society. Citizens spend their days on stationary bikes, peddling furiously for merits -- a form ofcurrency used to buy food, goods, and entertainment. Bing lives a room made of screens. Periodically, these screens fill with advertisements for game shows, and contests, and porn. If Bing wants to stop an ad, he must pay a substantial fee of merits. (If he shouts (Note: likely typo for 'shuts') his eyes, the ad will simply pause until he opens them again.) At one point in the episode, Bing's account is drained and he is unable to escape a particularly upsetting ad.In our own society, advertisements are everywhere. Think, about how many ads you encounter in a single day (ex. While driving, listening to the radio, watching Hulu, listening to Spotify, opening your mail, checking your email, watching YouTube). It's nearly impossible to separate desiredcontent from undesirable content perhaps you're able to splurge on an ad-free subscription to Hulu, or upgrade to a premium account on spotify. If so, you occupy a privileged position. Not everyone can afford to 'opt out" so to speak. Nevertheless, even if you' research able to cut back on the amount of advertisements you're exposed to, a large number of ads still reach you.
Recently, after appreciating the sheer number of ads I'm forced to watch on a daily basis to consume my desiredcontent. I began to contemplate how these advertisements might be affecting my psyche. Many ads, I realized, prey primarily on our insecurities. Oh you don't have this? Well you need it! If you're going to be thin/well-liked successful/beautiful. A great many start by convincing you of your inadequacy -- of your ordinariness or general lacking -- before moving on to why their product will help cure you.

a. Advertising, according to the passage, is manipulation of human consciousness. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this claim? Explain your answer.
b. Pick up one advertisement of your choice and describe different tools and techniques used to manipulate the consciousness of the consumers.
[2*9=18 ]
Asked on 2078 Exam
8.

Define the following business communication terminologies/ phrases. 

a. cash flow
b. motivation
c. memorandum
d. flipchart
e. solicited proposal

[5]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

A. In order for the receiver of a message to respond in the manner desired by the sender, the receiver needs to _______________

a. remember the message

b. be able to respond to the message

c. have the motivation to respond to the message

 d. belong to the same cultural group 

B. Teams can achieve a higher level of performance than individuals alone because _______________.

a. they combine the intelligence and energy of multiple individuals

 b. motivation and creativity flourish in team settings

c. they involve more input and a greater diversity of views, which tends to result in better decisions

d. the members think that the power and responsibility ensure their success 

C. What does "Haptic" refer to?

a. Communication through touch

 b. Communication through words

c. Communication through letters

d. Communication through emails     

D. _____ may be defined as information that flows from subordinates to superiors.

a. Downward communication

b. Upward communication

c. Horizontal communication

 d. None of the above

E. Effective communication is essentially a _______________

a. two-way process

 b. one-way process

 c. both a one-way and a two-way process

d. three-way process

[5]
Asked on 2081 Exam
2.

What are the advantages of having excellent interpersonal communication skills?

[6]
Asked on 2079 Exam
3.
 Rewrite the following issues choosing the best alternatives. 

a. .......... is not related to collaborative communication technique
i. Offering constructive feedback
ii. Sharing responsibility
iii. Handling conflicts prudently (Note: listed as 'ii' in the original text)
iv. Avoiding open communication

 
b. .......... covers channels like email, telephone call, online chat, social media post, website, blog, webinar, video conferencing, radio/tv report etc.

i. Verbal communication
ii. Non-verbal communication
iii. Electronic communication
iv. Oral communication
c. ........... is the one you submit to others without their request for proposal..
i. A solicited proposal
ii. An unsolicited proposal
iii. An informal proposal (Note: listed as 'ii' in the original text)
iv. An internal proposal

 d. Why we prefer emailing is because .....
i. we can make lengthy communication
ii. we are already living in digital era
iii. it increases the quicker access and it reaches to a large number of readers at once
iv. it is safer

 e. ........ is a brief, non-technical statement of the plan at the beginning of a business plan.

i. An executive summary
ii. A miniplan
iii. A business plan
iv. A report
[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
4.

Think of an ethical dilemma in communication that you personally experienced recently or in the past. Explain how you were able to make your ethical choice. Did you reach any decision? Lack back Look back at it and write how you feel about your decision today.

[8]
Asked on 2078 Exam
5.
Rewrite the following issues choosing the best alternatives. 

a. ......... does not present opinion and recommendation.
i. Analytical report
ii. Informational report
ii. Informal report (Note: duplicated numbering in original text)
iv. Formal report
b. Teams can achieve a higher level of performance than individuals alone because .....
i. they combine the intelligence and energy of multiple individuals
ii. motivation and creativity flourish in team setting
iii. they involve more input and a greater diversity of views, which tends to result in better decisions
iv. the members think that the power and responsibility ensure their success
c. ........... refers to the process of meaning making by sending and receiving messages via pictures, charts, and graphics.
i. Verbal communication
ii. Visual communication
ii. Oral communication (Note: duplicated numbering in original text)
iv Informal communication
d. Intrapersonal communication refers to .......
i. taking to office staff
ii. talking to the public
iii. reflecting on one's experiences
iv. communicating with the family

 
e. In downward flow communication, information flows .....

 i. from executives to subordinates
ii. among executive officers
iii. from subordinates to executive officers
iv. among subordinates
[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
6.

What is a communication barrier? How does it affect the communication process? Explain with examples.

[6]
Asked on 2078 Exam
7.
Read the given case and answer the following question.

Workplace surveillance is not new, of course, but new technologies have made it possible for employers to monitor workers both in and out of the workplace and can harm workers in myriad ways. Some of the threats posed by increasingly sophisticated workplace surveillance are a direct result of the pervasive monitoring itself, but others are result of the exploitative and often illegal practices that such surveillance enables, from health and safety harms to discrimination.The dangers posed by workplace surveillance fall most heavily on the most vulnerable workers, exacerbating an array of economic inequalities and preventing these workers from challenging these increasingly invasive practices. But worker monitoring is also part of a cycle of restructured work arrangements through which firms de-skill work and misclassify employees, allowing them to pay workers less, sidestep worker protections, and undermine workers' bargaining ability.At its core, pervasive and unchecked workplace surveillance fundamentally shifts the dynamics of power in the workplace in favour of firms in ways that harm workers and drive inequitable growth. It enables illegal discrimination, hampers worker organizing, and leads to constant stress for workers who can be fired at any time. More broadly, worker surveillance distorts the nature of jobs and economic opportunity by hyper-enabling the de-skilling of jobs and destroying workers' autonomy.Companies surveil workers for many reasons, often citing security concerns, the need to streamline billing and project management, or the desire to increase worker productivity. Employers may also conduct surveillance simply for tits own sake. (Note: typo in original document) They do so to gain a sense of greater control, to reduce risks in their operations, and simply because new technologies for monitoring are pervasive and increasingly inexpensive to implement.In practice, this surveillance not only allows and intensifies exploitative workplace practices, but also undermines worker power and contributes to increasingly worse wages and working conditions.
Questions:

a. Workplace surveillance is very common in the modern workstations. Do you think it is ethical to surveil workers in the company? Explain your answer.
b. Assume that you are the Managing Director of a company. What strategy would you adopt to make sure all the staff in the office are working as per the spirit of the organization?

[2*9=18 ]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

Assume that you work for the human resource department of a large company, which is trying to cut down its paper use. Write an email to the employees encouraging them to submit their ideas for reducing paper use. Also assure them that they will be rewarded with cash prizes for their ideas.

[8]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

Write a letter to your internet service provider complaining about the poor quality of their services. Identify clearly, with specific examples, how the poor quality has affected you, and suggest the ways to improve it.

[8]
Asked on 2079 Exam
3.

You and your close colleague met yesterday and discussed a plan on opening a music video center for young people. You both agreed on certain points and are meeting again next week. Design an advertisement to publicize your new business.

[8]
Asked on 2078 Exam
4.

A major business house working in the area of advertising and publishing is looking for a 'Business Communicator.' Prepare your resume, and write a cover letter suitable for the job.

[8]
Asked on 2078 Exam
5.

Suppose you are a sales representative at Overseas Manpower Services, Nepal. Write a circular letter inviting people to take benefit of your services. Include details about some new offers

[8]

Asked on 2080 Exam
1.
Read the given case and answer the questions given at the end.

'More than half of car drivers are complying with 30mph speed limits for the first time, according to official figures, which suggest that speed cameras have altered drivers' behavior.The proportion of drivers who break the limit in built-up areas fell from 72 per cent in 1996 to 49 per cent last year.The improvement in compliance appears to have contributed to a sharp fall in pedestrian deaths, down by a third in the past decade, from 997 in 1996 to 671 in 2005.The Department for Transport monitored the speeds of different types of vehicles in free-flowing conditions on several types of roads.The measurements were taken well away from speed camera sites to ensure that the results were not distorted by drivers slowing down briefly. The proportion of drivers in a 30 mph area travelling fasterthan 35 mph, the lowest speed at which cameras are triggered, has halved from 37 per cent in 1996 to 19 per cent last year.However, the proportion travelling at more than 10mph above the 70mph limit on motorways has fallen only slightly over the same period, from 19 per cent to 17 per cent.''Paul Watters, the AA's head of roads policy, said that the big increase in speed camera fines, from 260,000 in 1996 to two million in 2004, had made drivers pay more attention to the limit. More than a million drivers have six or more penalty points on their licenses and are only one conviction away from an automatic six-month ban, according to a survey last week.Mr. Watters said that satellite navigation systems which inform drivers of the limit on the road they are on may also have played a part in improving compliance.''The RAC Foundation said that a greater police presence was needed on the roads to deter a hard core of car drivers and motorcyclists who obeyed the limit only when they spotted cameras. Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed anti-speed camera campaign, said that the fall in pedestrian deaths was partly the result of a 16 per cent decline in walking."It's not exceeding the speed limit that causes the crash – it's driving like a nutter," he said. "Just because people are driving more slowly on some types of road does not mean those roads are safer."'
(Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent The Times, 6 April 2007)
a. The passage discusses speed cameras and their impacts on drivers' behavior. Does the writer in the passage think that speed cameras help in reducing road accidents and killing of pedestrians?

 b. Road accidents and killing of the pedestrians are common in Nepalese contexts as well. In your opinion, what are the causes of road accidents? Can we minimize such accidents setting up speed cameras in the street? Discuss.
[2*9=18 ]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

Suppose you are giving an oral presentation on the topic "Digital Marketing." Prepare an outline for your presentation, including your claim, at least three broader categories and their sub categories to support your argument.

[8]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

Do you agree that visual and nonverbal communication is integral to oral communication? Discuss with relevant examples.

[8]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

Why does Phil's wife maneuver the non-verbal cues not to let her true feelings about her late husband show on her face as the company president appreciates Phil's workaholism in "The Company Man"? Drawing from the text as well as your own experience, also shed light on the importance of non-verbal cues in business dealings.

[10]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

What wrongs of 'old Nepal' does the poet want 'new Nepal' to amend in the poem "New Nepal"?

[5]
Asked on 2080 Exam
3.

Phineas T. Barnum in "Advertise Your Business" blends moral advice ("be honest") and business advice ("don't blab"). Discuss how the writer highlights the blend of these two aspects to flourish business.

[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
4.

In James Joyce's story "Eveline", Eveline, the protagonist, lacks courage to flee from her domineering father and seek her happiness. Do you think women in your society are also trapped by passivity, fear, and obligations like Eveline?

[10]
Asked on 2078 Exam
5.

How does George Bernard Shaw's play "Augustus Does His Bit" criticize the phenomena of war? Do you think war is inherently unjust and immoral or it is sometimes a necessary action? 

OR

 What insight does the story "The Use of Force" offer on the nature of will? Is it justifiable or unjustifiable for a doctor to use violence on the patient? Why or why not?

[10]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

On Easter Sunday, the narrator, a Republican soldier,..... a pontoon bridge on the Ebro Delta during the Spanish Civil War to explore the land beyond to determine the Fascist enemy's movements. On returning to the bridge, the narrator.... an old man, who is seventy-six years old. The old man has left his hometown of San Carlos, where he took care of a cat, two goats and four pairs of pigeons. He tells the narrator that he was the.... to leave the town. The narrator warns the man not to hang around but to hitch a ride on one of the trucks heading for Barcelona. The old man thanks him but it's not clear whether he intends to follow this suggestion. He keeps asking the narrator if the animals will be .... without him. He knows the cat will be able to survive on its own but he is worried about the others. The story ends with the narrator telling the readers that the Fascist army is advancing towards the Ebro river and the old man will not have long to get away. But the old man seems.... to move away

[5]
Asked on 2081 Exam
2.

Why do Mokobja and Ramadi kill the latter's daughters in Bessie Head's "Looking for a Rain God"?

[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
3.

How do you evaluate human sensibility towards the non-human in Lekhanath Poudyal's "The Parrot in the Cage"?

[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
4.

What is the basic problem exposed in W.H. Auden's poem "The Unknown Citizen"?

[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
5.

How does Matthew Arnold show the conflict between religion and science in the poem "Dover Beach"?

[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
6.

Summarize the main theme of "The Allegory of the Cave".

[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
7.

Describe how "Looking for a Rain God" by Bessie Head presents enduring power of ancient tribal rituals and their conflict with contemporary codes of behavior in African life. 

 OR

How does Gary Snyder, in "The Etiquette of Freedom", define 'social order'? Do you think 'social order' is found throughout nature as discussed by Snyder?

[10]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

Gary Snyder, in his essay "The Etiquettes of Freedom," observes that graceful conducts are missing in human behaviours these days. Which particular etiquettes, in your opinion, can a Front Desk Manager of a hotel learn from Snyder's essay? Explain.

[10]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

How does Gary Snyder in his essay "The Etiquette of Freedom" bring in the idea of 'deep ecology'? Explain.

[5]
Asked on 2079 Exam
3.

Alfred North Whitehead in "Religion and Science" discusses how science and religion are related. To what extent do you agree with his views?

[5]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

How does Jamaica Kincaid make a satire on the traditional gender roles in her story "Girl"?

[5]
Asked on 2078 Exam
2.

What does Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" tell us about gender roles in Antigua? (

[5]

Asked on 2080 Exam
1.

How does the poet bring about the similarities and differences between a fly and a human being in "The Fly"? Do you think it is worthwhile to live without thinking about the future? Discuss.

OR 

"Although the Human Lives are by themselves trainset and insignificant ,experiences are immortal ". Examine This Statement in the Light of "Once More to the lake ". 

[10]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

How does the lunatic persona of Devkota's poem "The Lunatic" differ from conventional lunatic? Explain why Devkota employs such lunatic personality as his speaker in the poem.

OR 

Discuss how W.H. Auden’s poem “The Unknown Citizen” comments on the modern bureaucratic society where individual freedom is snatched away by the state mechanism.

[10]
Asked on 2079 Exam
3.

What does Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man at the Bridge" suggest about the consequences of armed struggle? Do you think armed struggle always bring negative consequences in the society or it is sometimes necessary to bring about the change?

  OR 

Susan Sontag in her essay "Beauty " , seeks to discredit conventional attitude about beauty. What changes in attitude about beauty do you think Sontag wants to bring about in her readers?

[10]
Asked on 2079 Exam
4.

Laxmi Prasad Devkota, in his poem "The Lunatic," takes the persona of a lunatic and presents the contrast between the world of the lunatic and that of the sane person. What are some of the contrasts and how do these contrasts help bring out the irony of the poem?

OR

Virginia Woolf, in her essay "Professions for Women," describes two hazards she thinks all women who aspire to professional life must overcome: their tendency to sacrifice their own interests to those of others and their reluctance to challenge conservative male attitudes. Do you agree with Woolf's argument? How do you think men feel today about women entering what used to be primarily male professions? Does your observation or experience contradict what Woolf says about men's attitudes?

[15]

Asked on 2081 Exam
1.

Deriving ideas about beauty from Susan Sontag's essay "Beauty," write a critical commentary on the ideas of beauty as endorsed by the products and services, which seek to attract their consumers by presenting females as objects of male's sexual desire.

[15]
Asked on 2080 Exam
2.

In his essay "An Essay in Aesthetics," Roger Fry argues, "In dreams and when under the influence of drugs, the imaginative life passes out of our own control, and in such cases its experiences may be highly undesirable, but whenever it remains under our own control it must always be on the whole a desirable life." Do you agree with the writer's argument? Give reasons. 

OR

In her essay "Beauty," Susan Sontag seeks to discredit conventional attitude about beauty. Briefly discuss her argument and explain what change in attitude about beauty the writer wants to bring in her readers.

[15]