Which statement about vertical communication is correct?

• A. It flows from the agency head down through supervision levels.
• B. It flows only between departments.
• C. It is informal gossip among officers.
• D. It travels upward only.

Answer: (A)

Vertical communication is the formal flow of information along the chain of command, moving from top leadership down through supervisors to frontline staff. The statement describes this downward path accurately, which is the essence of vertical communication. While staff can also send information upward (feedback, reports) in many organizations, the defining feature here is the direction from higher levels to lower levels. The other descriptions mix in different concepts: sharing only between departments describes horizontal (lateral) communication, informal gossip is not a formal channel, and traveling upward only ignores the downward flow that vertical communication encompasses.