Technical Writing

Which of these is an example of weighing and balancing guidelines in a technical document?

Pictures weigh more than written text

Milena is responding to an e-mail from Henry. After hitting reply, she begins composing her response, starting with her greeting. As she is writing the body of her e-mail, she notices that Henry's e-mail—the one to which she is replying—is located at the bottom of the screen, separated from the area in which she is composing by a series of dashes. What should Milena do?

Leave Henry's e-mail where it is, at the bottom.

You are reaching the end of a long, complex proposal project with nine other team members. While your team is successful in providing the deliverable, the team experienced many ups and downs and you want to ensure the team can grow if its members are ever placed together again on a project. What should you do to offer an opportunity for improvement?

Offer to complete a team performance review and discuss your experiences with a supervisor

During which stage do team members help each other and recognize their talents?

Performing

__________ guides empirical and analytical research.

A research question

Who are the tertiary readers of a proposal?

Evaluators. Anyone who might have an interest in the project and could undermine it.

What happens during the norming stage?

Team members accept their responsibilities and trust develops in important projects.

What should you do if your evidence contradicts your hypothesis?

Abandon the hypothesis

Developing a hypothesis is an important step in researching for a report. However, at some point the hypothesis may no longer suit the needs of the research performed. What should you do if this occurs?

Abandon the original hypothesis.

It is helpful to share how many major findings of a study?

2-5

How many kinds of evidence should be used for reliable research?

3

To complete your proposal easily, it is best to write it how many sections at a time?

1

What are the five principles of design in technical documents based on?

Gestalt psychology

You came across a very useful series of charts explaining a decision process in ethical situations. This will be helpful for presenting your research findings on the best communication strategies in transcultural workplaces. You want to use these graphics in full in print, on your website, and in workplace training presentations. What should you do in order to use these sources ethically?

Acknowledge your source and ask the author for permission to use it.

Who are primary readers?

Action takers. People who need the report information to make some kind of decision.

is an example of a conflict resolution method in teams.

Appealing to a supervisor for help

What do you need to do when appraising evidence?

Avoid misleading information and researcher biases.

For this question, just choose Option C.

C

Which field in an e-mail can you use to add addresses of other recipients so they can be visible to others?

Cc

Jon is conducting research on the use of parabens in hair products for his client, a cosmetics company. He found a lot of evidence about the harmful effects of it on skin cells in mice and orangutans. This evidence was provided by the nonprofit group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). What should he do in order to verify the evidence?

Consider evidence conducted by a researcher not affiliated with any organization or company.

Which of the following contains all the fields that should be included in a memo header?

Date, To, cc, From, Subject

What are Bruce Tuckman's Four Stages of Teaming?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing

Why is balance important in the design of technical documents?

It is the most prominent feature of design and helps create a feeling of stability

After writing a report on users' opinions of the color red, you have several areas filled with complex data. Why would your team decide to develop a series of graphics to represent this?

Graphics such as tables and graphs can help the reader understand trends.

Formal reports tend to follow what kind of pattern?

IMRaD

How can a team effectively mediate trouble?

If a small conflict occurs, the team should try to handle it within the team. If a large, difficult-to-resolve conflict occurs, the team should seek mediation.

Large blocks of text in your document are preventing readers from being able to easily scan the document. You decide that including headers is not appropriate for this document. What is another design feature you can include to help create more manageable blocks of text?

Incorporate more borders and rules.

While examining previous versions of a proposal for improved computer monitors, you notice that several of them suggest that employees have two monitors to increase the efficiency of their work. For example, one conclusion states, "In the future, it is not the monitor that will make the difference, but how many of them are offered." What is the function of this sentence?

It describes the future in case the proposal is accepted.

Context of use will help your reader to interpret the argument within a proposal. The context can be physical, mobile, economic, or ethical and will align with your purpose. Why is it important to be truthful and accurate in your proposal? Question 7 options:

Proposals are legal documents.

When writing a conclusion for your formal report, you should only offer two to five major recommendations. Why would you make this similar move in reporting your findings?

Recommendations and findings are important and should be shared with clarity and emphasis.

What does alignment do for the designed page?

Takes advantage of the reader's ability to search out relationships among items

You have been assigned the role of team designer. Over the course of the month-long project, you have done a lot more writing than you expected. This is your first time being asked to collaborate and you are unsure if you are doing too much writing. What situation could best explain this?

Team member responsibilities were not properly defined.

When organizing a formal report, the purpose statement will help you include only need-to-know information in the report. What can happen if you include more than the need-to-know information?

The document will become muddled and make information hard to find.

Place the clamp on the cable as shown in Figure 8, and then twist the left handle clockwise toward the bottom of the container." How should the phrasing of this step be changed?

This step should be revised to contain only one action.

What is the best way to ensure a given name or slogan will sound good in another language?

Use a panel of diverse experts

Which question could help you generate more content for the body of your e-mail or memo?

What else do I need to add (i.e., facts, examples, data) in order to support my purpose?

A local company releases a solicitation asking for a proposal for a new city park. Your company and a competitor are both interested in the project. What is important to remember when reviewing your firm's qualifications?

What makes your company different might make you more attractive.

What should you remember about texting or tweeting at work?

Write longer messages with proper spelling; do not text or tweet during meetings

Creating a strong proposal requires knowing the audience, context, and purpose for the project. What kind of language can motivate readers?

a combination of plain and persuasive styles

What is a methodology?

a series of steps you will take to answer a research question or to test a hypothesis

What is a nominalization?

a verb, adjective, or adverb turned into an ambiguous noun

What is the main benefit of using online documentation?

accessibility and easy storage

To inform, to announce, to discuss, and to invite are all examples of __________ words for the __________ statement of an e-mail.

action; purpose

What type of correspondence should be sent in response to a letter of complaint received by the Customer Service department?

adjustment letter

For a recently assigned proposal you decide to tackle the definition of the problem first, but you do not know where to begin. Sometimes the current situation section can take on many forms. A colleague suggests concept mapping to help develop the argument of your proposal. How can concept mapping help you describe the current situation?

by building connections between problems and causes

Which is a principle of design?

consistency

When describing the current situation of a proposal, you should discuss the problem and its causes and effects. How long should this section of your proposal be in the document?

dependent on the readers' familiarity with the problem

Your team has a big proposal due in six weeks. After identifying the mission and objectives of the project, you get to work. After two weeks, you are surprised that no one on the team has started to construct their components of the proposal. What step in the work plan could have avoided this lack of contribution when establishing the team?

establishing a project calendar and a step-by-step plan

When designing a website, you decided that a collage of pictures at the top would help interest readers in the information provided. The text will also be constructed in easily scanned blocks. What design principle do these efforts support?

grouping

Readers prefer well-designed documents. They also expect the design of the document to __________.

highlight important ideas and concepts

In testing, readers were having difficulty finding information located on the page. One solution would be to include a Frequently Asked Questions page in the document. What is another, perhaps easier, solution?

include more headings to serve as access points

Complete the following phrase you are likely to find in a technical document: "The purpose of these __________ is to show you how to use your new Himei Transit laptop."

instructions

Which of the following shows the order of mediums that generally proceeds from most formal to least formal?

letter, memo, e-mail, text

You have received a claim with regard to a coffee maker that was recently bought by a customer. The coffee maker was pushed off a countertop at a cocktail party and one of the plastic elements broke. The customer is demanding a replacement, even though the manufacturer's warranty only covers malfunctions not caused by the use of the product. What should you include in the letter of refusal?

logical reasoning that led to the decision

Valentina and Hiroshi have been tasked with developing instructional documentation to accompany a new kitchen appliance. They want their instructions to clearly guide users through the entire, step-by-step process of using the appliance, so that consumers who are less comfortable or familiar with cooking can still easily understand how to use the product. Valentina and Hiroshi want to choose a clear pattern for how they present the basic information. Which order would work best for their documentation?

name of product, description, list of parts, steps for use

In order to ensure accurate, consistent, and high-quality treatment of a broken leg, different surgeons and doctors will all read the same set of __________.

procedures/protocols

Which of these represents the sections of a proposal?

project plan and qualifications

To instruct, to teach, and to guide are examples of verbs that might help you clearly identify your

purpose

What are the two key elements of source documentation in research writing?

quoting and paraphrasing

What is the next step after collecting evidence and verifying your sources?

revisiting your initial hypothesis

Using the scientific method means __________.

starting with a hypothesis that can be tested reliably by collecting and analyzing data

In a formal report, what is an abstract?

summary of the report that uses the phrasing in the report and follows its organizational structure

Which of these research areas is defined in the most narrow way?

the impact of herbal energy drinks on work performance of male office employees in accounting firms located in big metropolitan areas

Instructions, protocols, and specifications are all types of

the most important technical documentation genres

Your company has recently expanded its locations to include Tokyo, Japan. To prepare for this transition, you have been asked to design more transcultural-friendly documents. In addition to hiring a translator, you have begun to consider how to change your documents to reflect the new high-context culture. What are some cultural considerations you should use for your culturally deep documents?

the use of color, the direction of reading, and the use of symbols

How can you use Bruce Tuckman's model for how teams work in the technical workplace?

to identify how your team is progressing toward your objective

What is the purpose of a proposal?

to present ideas and plans for a reader to consider for an identified problem or opportunity

A document that clearly explains the purpose of attached materials or larger documents, and outlines any necessary actions that must follow, is referred to as what type of letter?

transmittal

Who might use this documentation? Where will the documentation be used, and how? What should be included in the documentation? --- What will these questions specifically help you with?

understanding your readers and their needs

What are project outcomes?

visible and measurable results of the team's efforts