In Aug. 2006, Claims Magazine published the National ClaimsWriting Test, a series of 25 objective questions that aimed to giveclaim professionals a “snapshot” of a their writing skills whenwriting up reports. Part two of the test goes further, offeringeven more breadth and accuracy in helping to assess the talents ofnew hires, and showing which people should be on a fast tracktoward management. It also helps identify the specific needs offuture writing training.

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You are about to answer 25 questions about writing skills. Thesequestions range across a number of writing topics that were eithermissing from the earlier test or were mentioned in passing,including the formatting of inside addresses of letters,capitalization, organization, breaking up lengthy sentences,misused words, jargon, tone, use of apostrophes, serial commas,slash constructions, visual appeal of letters, and correctspelling.

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Please note that these questions are not aimed at measuringknowledge of the claim industry; they are meant to measure skillsin and sensitivity to business writing, using common problems foundin property/casualty claim correspondence as its milieu. Of course,writing is only one aspect of a claim professional's job. They mustalso be decisive, adaptable, and versatile problem solvers —coincidentally, a skill set shared by effective writers. Goodluck!

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Click “Next” for the test!

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The National Claims Writing Test, Part Two(TM)

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1. _______ Which of the following boldface words is being usedproperly?

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A) The customer is always right, irregardless of thecircumstances.

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B) In regards to your letter, we are making a new offer tosettle the claim.

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C) Hopefully, you will fly to Chicago tomorrow.

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D) We will effect a change in the students' spirits.

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2. ______Which of the following is correctly written?

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A) The September 15, 2006, meeting started on time.

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B) The September 15th, 2006, meeting started on time.

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C) The September 15, 2006 meeting started on time.

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D) The September 15, 2006; meeting started on time.

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3. ______Which of the following is preferable?

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A) him/her

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B) they're

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C) he/she

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D) s/he

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E) none of the above

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4. ______Which of the following is incorrect?

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A) It's a pleasant day.

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B) Gus's coat is torn.

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C) The 1990s were a lively time.

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D) The insured's did state that they were out of down during thefire.

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E) He used even numbers (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8 etc.).

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5. _____Which of the following is preferable?

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A) Sheila is in charge of underwriters; Bill is in charge ofclaim staff.

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B) Sheila is an underwriter, however, she didn't assess thisrisk.

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C) Sheila is in charge of managers — Bill is in charge of claimstaff.

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D) Sheila is in charge of underwriters. Bill is in charge ofclaim staff.

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E) Sheila is in charge of underwriters Bill is in charge ofclaim staff.

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6. ______Which of the following sentences is punctuatedproperly?

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A) It was a crisp, October day.

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B) We sat through a dull, repetitive trial.

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C) The outline was good but the final reservation-of-rightsletter was too long.

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D) It's time for action not words.

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7. ______Which of the following words is spelled correctly?

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A) noticable

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B) embarass

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C) supersede

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D) accidently

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E) accomodate

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8. ______Which of the following sentences is correct?

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A) He asked, “When will you be finished?”.

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B) He asked, When will you be finished?”

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C) He asked, “When will you be finished”?

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D) He asked 'When will you be finished?”

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E) He asked, “When will you be finished?”

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9. ______Which of the following is incorrect?

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A) He asked me to do the following: complete the form, sign it,and send it back to him.

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B) We went to Orlando, Fla.; New York, N.Y.; and Kansas City,Mo.

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C) We hired three new managers: John Tompkins, Claim Manager;Ryan Jones, VP of Claims; and Sue Dean, Claim Director.

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D) Dear Mr. Potemkin,

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E) Dear Mr. Potemkin:

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10. ______”We are in receipt of your second invoice in regardsto the claim.” Which of the following is helpful in editing theprevious sentence?

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A) “Regards” is not the right word; use “regard.”

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B) It's okay to use “I” if you are the one receiving theinformation.

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C) It's okay to use the more conversational “We've received…”instead of the stodgy “We are in receipt of … .”

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D) “We” is appropriate if you are referring to the company or toothers as well as yourself.

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E) All are helpful.

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11. ______Which of the following sentences is in the greatestneed of a serial comma before the word and?

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A) The book covers memos, letters, and reports.

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B) He went to Jacksonville, Salt Lake City, and the Bronx.

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C) My favorite TPAs are Smith Ltd., Wishney & Todd, andClaims, Inc.

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D) I need paper, a pen with black ink, and an eraser.

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12. ______Why should you avoid the phrase “Thank you inadvance”?

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A) It is presumptuous; the reader hasn't agreed to do it.

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B) It is a weak way to motivate a reader to do something that isa chore.

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C) The word “please” is enough for most simple requests.

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D) It is not as helpful as spelling out the reasons why it's inthe best interests of the reader to cooperate.

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E) All of the above are reasons not to use the phrase.

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13. ______Which of the following is punctuated correctly?

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A) He was, of course, happy to comply.

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B) It's time for action not words.

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C) December, 31 2005

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D) It was a crisp, reservation-of-rights letter.

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E) Out of the automobile, walked the President himself!

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14. _______Which of these words/phrases can aid in making asuccessful transition between thoughts?

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A) Therefore

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B) Finally

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C) In addition

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D) On the other hand

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E) All of the above

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15. ______Which of the following is incorrect?

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A) A vacuum cleaner produces 90 decibels — beyond thepermissible standard.

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B) Dear Mr. & Mrs. Weber:

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C) I think he said, “Jim told me 'No.'”

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D) Adjusters must strive to avoid bad-faith lawsuits.

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E) She finds nobody's work satisfactory.

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16. ______Which of the following is an incorrect, awkward, orempty phrase?

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A) Thank you for your attention.

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B) Please let us hear from you soonest possible.

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C) ASAP

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D) As per your request.

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E) All of the above.

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17. ______Which of the following is correct?

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A) Mississippi has four s's.

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B) Neither the adjuster nor the plaintiff was there.

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C) We went to the zoo, circus, and amusement park — a day wewon't soon forget.

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D) On the supervisor's desk was an order to increase all of theadjusters' salaries.

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E) All are correct.

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18. ______ Which of the following is preferable?

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A) Mr. Phil Cotton

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Vice President, Claims

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Acme Insurance Company

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10 Park Avenue

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New York, NY 10024

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B) Ms. Laurie Henry

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Claims Manager

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Division of Workers' Compensation

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CN 381

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Atlanta, GA. 30304

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C)Mr. Paul Potter

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Vice President and Human Resources

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Senior Manager

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Everest Industries

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60 Webb Street

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Corning, NY 12334

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D)Morning Insurance

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Attention: Lee Frame, VP

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Suite 101, 20 Young Street

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Salisbury, MD 34543

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19. ______Which of the following is true of businessletters?

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A) Use wide margins to add visual appeal.

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B) Use 12 pt. or at least 10 pt. type size.

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C) In lengthy informative letters, summarize early and tell yourreader where the rest of the letter is headed.

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D) Active language is more dynamic than passive language.

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E) All are true.

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20. ______Which of the following is not wordy, stodgy, passive,clich?, or vague?

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A) I trust you will understand our position.

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B) Please note that …

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C) Receipt is acknowledged of your letter …

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D) Please do not hesitate to call me.

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E) What type of physical activities do you engage in?

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21. ______Which of the following is considered a sexistterm?

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A) Gal

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B) Anchorman

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C) Freshman

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D) Workmen's Compensation

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E) All are considered sexist.

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22. ______Which of the following contains an incorrectlycapitalized word?

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A) London, Thanksgiving, Southern California

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B) Scotch Tape, Proof of Loss

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C) Impressionism, Fifth Avenue, Library of Congress

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D) Business Interruption claim, a nearby clinic, SocialSecurity

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E) All are correctly capitalized.

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23. ______Which of the following is the least correct slash (/)construction?

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A) A 40/60 split

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B) The total output was 10,000 claims/year.

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C) he/she

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D) Oral/written tests

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E) d/b/a

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24.______ Which of the following is correct?

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A) John, George and myself met to discuss the claim.

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B) After finding the missing log notes, the search was ended bythe adjuster.

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C) You projected a claim settlement rate of 80 percent, however,this figure may vary because of a number of factors.

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D) Each claim supervisor must fill out their personnel reviewsby Friday.

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E) An order form, as well as a postpaid envelope, isenclosed.

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25. ______Which of the following is not true?

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A) Write out all numbers below 15.

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B) When two or more numbers are presented in the same section ofwriting, write them as numerals.

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C) Place a hyphen between a number and a unit of measure whenthey modify a noun.

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D) Write decimals and fractions as numerals, not words.

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E) Never begin a sentence with a numeral.

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Gary Blake is director of The Communication Workshop in PortWashington, N.Y., which offers on-site claim writing seminarsthroughout North America. His book, The Elements of BusinessWriting, is used at more than 125 insurance companies. He may bereached at [email protected].