Technical Writing Final Exam

The most effective way to distinguish one level of heading from another is to use size variations.

- Use "Back to top" links on long pages. - Include a site map or index. - Use a table of contents at the top of long pages.

Chapter 10 offers seven guidelines for preparing a scannable résumé. One is to use a good-quality laser printer. What are two other guidelines listed in the chapter?

- Use a single-column format. -Use boldface, italics, and other text attributes to make headings and lists stand out.

Chapter 2 lists four guidelines governing the fair-use exemption that allows you to use copyrighted material without permission under certain conditions. One guideline is the nature and purpose of the copyrighted work. What are two of the other guidelines?

-the effect of the use on the potential market for the copyrighted work -the amount and substantiality of the portion of the work used

The following is an example of a(n)_____________ . Special Restricted Incoming Materials Storage Area

A. Noun String

Chapter 4 suggests that you consider, in addition to education, five other individual characteristics of readers. Which one of the following characteristics does the chapter suggest you consider?

A. the reader's professional experience

identifies five goals of document design. One goal is to make a good impression on readers. What is another goal mentioned in the chapter?

A. to help readers find the information they need

The introduction to a set of instructions should address six main questions, one of which is "Why should the reader carry out this task?" According to Chapter 14, what are other questions?

All of the above A. What items will the reader need? B. What safety measures or other concerns should the reader understand? C. Who should carry out this task?

Which of the following definitions of queuing is correct?

B. Queuing is a page-design technique in which visual patterns are created in such a way that they show levels of importance.

What is a turnover?

B. the second and subsequent lines of an item in a list

What is an advance organizer?

C. any text that indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the discussion that follows it

Which of the following is not a law we need to consider in writing?

Criminal Law

What is leading?

D. the white space between lines of text or between a line of text and a graphic

According to Chapter 2, saying that a recently fired employee was "offered an alternative career opportunity" would be an example of which of the following?

Euphemism

. According to Chapter 4, if you think your document will have a number of readers, you should consider writing a variety of documents addressed to different kinds of readers.

False

A job-application letter should expand on all the information contained in your résumé.

False

According to Chapter 13, the methods section of a recommendation report answers the question "What equipment did you use in conducting this investigation?"

False

According to Chapter 6, long titles should be avoided because they confuse and distract readers; therefore, you should strive to write short titles of no more than three or four words.

False

Chunking is the use of visual patterns to distinguish types of information so that readers can decide what they want to read.

False

Formative evaluations are intended to assess the quality of a completed project.

False

If necessary, you should combine two or more ideas into one paragraph to create a paragraph of 75 to 125 words—the ideal paragraph length.

False

In a passive-voice sentence, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb.

False

In considering your audience's education, you should focus primarily on the type of academic degree the person has earned.

False

In the recommendations section of a recommendation report, you should avoid recommending that the organization take no action, or no action at this time.

False

In the results section of a recommendation report, you should interpret or comment on the data you have compiled.

False

Secondary research is the process of creating technical information yourself, as opposed to collecting information that other people have discovered or created.

False

Text printed in all UPPERCASE LETTERS is easier to read than text set in a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters.

False

The conclusions section of a typical recommendation report provides a summary of the report.

False

The introduction to a recommendation report should never mention your recommendations; only the recommendations section should inform the reader of your recommendations.

False

The proposed program section of a proposal contains an itemization of the costs associated with the project you are proposing.

False

This sentence definition is correct: Parallel parking is where you park your car along the curb

False

Though many aspects of private life and community life differ from culture to culture, in most developed countries business is conducted more or less in the same way.

False

How many characteristics does an attractive resume have ?

Four

How many forms can an electronic resume take?

Four

Which of the following describes an effective code of conduct, according to Chapter 2?

It is enforceable.

Which two terms below are used to describe types of audiences in Chapter 4?

Primary and Secondary

1. Which of the following mistakes did McDonald's make when it printed takeout bags decorated with flags from around the world?

The bags showed a Saudi flag, which depicts holy scripture from the Koran. The Saudis were offended because these bags would be thrown out.

Chapter 2 states that ethicists such as Manuel G. Velasquez (2006) argue that whistle-blowing is justified if three conditions are satisfied. One condition is that there is strong evidence that the organization is doing something that is hurting or will hurt other parties. What is the other one conditions?

The employee has made a serious but unsuccessful attempt to resolve the problem through internal channels.

Chapter 5 advises researchers to look for information that is current. What is one of the following is not the characteristics of information that the chapter says you should look for?

The information is written by someone you have heard of

According to Chapter 6, there are two kinds of paragraphs: body paragraphs and ___________ paragraphs.

Transitional

A conventions section explains to readers how a manual uses typography to signify different kinds of information, such as using Courier typeface to represent text the reader is supposed to type.

True

A directive should include the reasoning behind the new policy or procedure so that you can persuade readers that the new policy or procedure is desirable or at least necessary.

True

A field report explains a problem, methods, results, and conclusions, but it deemphasizes the methods and can include recommendations.

True

A page grid is a design in which areas of white space and text in a document are arranged clearly and consistently.

True

A status report is usually organized according to task

True

According to Chapter 13, the results section of a recommendation report answers the question "What did you see?"

True

According to Chapter 4, a good way to learn about your readers' preferences is to read documents they have written.

True

According to Chapter 5, one disadvantage of a questionnaire is that you cannot be sure the respondents are representative.

True

According to Chapter 5, the question "What would be the effect on the balance of trade between the United States and China if China lowered the value of its currency by 10 percent?" is more likely to be a workplace research question than an academic research question.

True

Audience decides the style of our writing.

True

Being enforceable is one of the characteristics of an effective code of conduct

True

Government publications are not usually listed in the indexes and abstract journals.

True

If the information on your résumé comes to just over one page, you should either eliminate or condense some material to make it fit onto one page, or modify the layout so that it fills a substantial part of the second page.

True

If the report leads to only one recommendation, you should use traditional paragraphs to discuss your recommendation. If the report leads to more than one recommendation, you should consider using a numbered list.

True

In almost all cases, demonstrative pronouns should be followed by nouns.

True

Indirect costs are intangible expenses such as general secretarial and clerical expenses not devoted exclusively to any one project, as well as operating expenses such as utilities and maintenance.

True

It is important to revise, edit, and proofread instructions to ensure that readers can complete the task safely.

True

It's necessary to state the position you are interested in in the introduction paragraph.

True

New and important information should come at the beginning of a sentence, where readers will be sure to notice it.

True

Sans serif is for screen use.

True

Step-by-step instructions should be written in the imperative mood.

True

The deliverable is the final product of your research.

True

The task schedule is almost always drawn in one of three graphical formats: table, bar chart, or network diagram.

True

U.S. companies do not necessarily have the same ethical and legal obligations when they export as when they sell in the United States.

True

Under the concept of work made for hire, anything written on the job by an employee being paid by the organization is the property of the organization provided that the employee agrees after the document is written to surrender his or her copyright.

True

Utility is concerned with the positive and negative effects that an action has on others.

True

Which of the following need not to report honestly if the situation is not good for your project:

Weather is not good.

Print is a common medium for publishing information. Chapter 5 identifies three other publishing media. What are two of them?

Web sites

According to Chapter 11, the introduction to a proposal must answer seven questions, one of which is "What is the problem or opportunity?" What is another question the introduction must answer?

What are your sources of information?

Chapter 10 lists four elements of a job-application letter. One is the introductory paragraph. What are two other elements listed in the chapter?

education paragraph

Which of the following is not a back matter according to our chapter?

executive summary

Which two types of organizational patterns are most common for mechanism descriptions?

functional, and spacial

Which of the following is not a question to be answered in a field report?

logistical matters.

Chapter 14 lists three types of descriptions. One is the object description. What are the other two types?

mechanism & process

Chapter 14 lists four signal words commonly used to indicate the seriousness of comments (both safety comments and nonsafety comments). One is danger, which alerts the reader to an immediate and serious hazard that will likely be fatal. According to the chapter, what is another term that would indicate a serious comment?

none of the above

Chapter 14 lists three types of descriptions. One is the object description. What are the other two types?

process

A feasibility report is an argument that answers three kinds of questions. One kind is questions of possibility. What is one of the two kinds of questions?

question of perception

In the sample internal proposal contained in Chapter 11, what are the authors proposing to do?

request authorization to study the baseline requirements for adopting clickers at CMSU

Chapter 5 suggests that you do which one of the following after conducting an interview. What are they?

send a brief thank-you note to the respondent

What are the one major type of résumés discussed in the chapter?

skills resume

According to Chapter 14, an effective process description fully describes which of the following?

substeps

To be persuasive, proposal writers must demonstrate that they understand their readers' needs. According to Chapter 11, what is one quality must they demonstrate?

that they are professional and are committed to fulfilling their promises

Which of the following is not addressed in the introduction?

the budget

The standard of utility is concerned with which of the following?

the positive and negative effects that an action or a policy has, will have, or might have on others

What is the subject of the sample progress report contained in Chapter 12?

the progress made in a feasibility study about using "clicker" technology at a university

According to Chapter 12, which one of the following organizational patterns is frequently used in progress reports?

time pattern

What is the primary purpose of a directive?

to explain a policy or procedure you want your readers to follow

A periodical index contains lists of journal and magazine articles classified according to title, subject, and author.

true

What are two common ways of concluding a set of instructions?

with maintenance tips, d. with a troubleshooting guide

Chapter 6 suggests that the passive voice is generally more appropriate than the active voice in four circumstances. One circumstance is when the agent is clear from the context, as in "Students are required to take both writing courses," in which it is clear that the college sets the requirements. Which of the following are also listed in the chapter as circumstances in which the passive voice is generally more appropriate?

-when the agent is less important than the action -when the agent is unknown - when a reference to the agent is embarrassing, dangerous, or in some other way inappropriate

How many techniques can we use to evaluate the completed work?

4

What is the difference between a progress report and a status report?

A progress report communicates the current status of an ongoing project, whereas a status report is an update on the entire range of operations of a department or division of an organization.

Chapter 4 identifies seven categories of cultural variables "on the surface." One category is political. Which of these is NOT a cultural variable?

edifying

According to Chapter 10, what should you do after interviewing for a job?

Write a letter or e-mail of appreciation.

Chapter 10 describes four forms that an electronic résumé might take. What are two of the forms discussed in the chapter?

a Web-based résumé

According to Chapter 11, what is the typical kind of deliverables resulting from proposals?

a research report

A(n) letter is a letter in which you respond to a claim letter and tell the author how you plan to handle the situation described in the letter.

adjustment

Chapter 7 discusses four basic principles for designing effective documents. One is proximity. What is another of the following?

alignment

When it appears in a letter, memo, or e-mail, the notation c stands for:

copy

A table or spreadsheet used to systematically evaluate options according to specific criteria is called a ________.

decision matrix

According to Chapter 5, which one of the following is not a stage of conducting an experiment ?

duplicating the experiment