Which of the following is an example of a message topic?

A) "To get the board of directors to increase the research and development budget"
B) "Competitors spend more than our company does on research and development"
C) "Funding for research and development"
D) "The research and development budget is inadequate in our competitive marketplace"

C
Explanation: C) The topic of a message is simply the general subject of the message. For example, "To get the board of directors to increase the research and development budget" is taking a position or stating a purpose, so it is not a message topic. However, "funding for research and development" is a message topic because it simply states the subject that the message will address.