Communications Exam #1
what percentage of an engineer's work time is in writing? (range)
20-40%
What is the time range or an elevator pitch
30-60 seconds
What is technical communication? _____ processes by which humans convey _________ about ____________ and _________ of technology
All meaning development use
Fill in the blank for a.
Audience
Fill in the blank for e
Communicate
What measures how an individual prefers to interact, or communicate, with others
DISC
What are the four communication styles? (In D.I.S.C. order)
Dominance Inspiring Supportive Cautious
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? typos, spelling, grammar
Micro
Fill in the blank for b.
Purpose
Fill in the blank for d.
Reflection
Fill in the blank for c.
Type of Communication
According to a survey, what percentage of automotive and aerospace engineers use Facebook to exchange information on technical issues? a. 70% b. 50% c. 30% d. 10%
a
According to one senior engineer, how much does it cost to produce a single page of an internal report? a. $200 b. $100 c. $50 d. $5
a
As a practicing engineer, why would you want to use Twitter? a. To communicate quickly with existing and potential customers. b. To see fast-breaking national and international news. c. To communicate with friends and family. d. To find local restaurants and other business establishments.
a
How much time do engineering students spend studying communication skills? a. 5% b. 15% c. 25% d. 50%
a
Using 2011 salary numbers in the example, how much is the engineer being paid to write? a. $24,000 b. $18,000 c. $12,000 d. $6,000
a
What does accountability as used in this chapter mean? a. The ability of engineers to do their work in such a way that it is safe from lawsuit. b. The ability of engineers to explain their work to a broad audience. c. The ability of engineers to explain their work to engineers in other specializations. d. The ability of engineers to do their work in a cost-effective manner.
a
What is an easy and effective way to use the Internet to promote your engineering career? a. Put your qualifications out there in LinkedIn (for example). b. Put your qualifications out there in Google (for example). c. Put your qualifications out there on YouTube (for example). d. Sign up with an Internet service provider, and build your own website.
a
What is the character limit on a tweet (Twitter message)? a. 240 b. 200 c. 140 d. 100
a
What's a good strategy for planning the timing for the key points of your oral presentation? a. Subtract time for introduction and conclusion, assign a percentage of importance to each point, and divide the remaining time accordingly. b. Divide your time equally by the total of the introduction, conclusion, and main points. c. Subtract time for introduction and conclusion, and divide the rest by the number of key points.
a
Which of the following are you if you send a Twitter message to a colleague? a. Encoder b. Decoder c. Channel d. Signal e. Noise
a
Which of the following best defines a "liker" in the Facebook context? a. A person or business that has endorsed your business or has subscribed to the page in order to receive the information you provide on Facebook. b. A competitor who has subscribed to the page or has endorsed your business in order to spy on the content of your Facebook page. c. An angry customer who has subscribed to the page in order and needs a customer service issue resolved quickly. d. All of the above.
a
Which of the following best defines the chronological approach to resume design? a. It divides your background into education, work experience, and possibly military. b. It divides your background into groups of related education, training, and experience.
a
Which of the following best explains how to use bulleted and numbered lists? a. Use bulleted lists for items in no required order; numbered lists for items in a required order. b. Use numbered lists for items in no required order; bulleted lists for items in a required order. c. Use bulleted lists for technical material; numbered lists for nontechnical material. d. Use bulleted lists for nontechnical material; numbered lists for technical material.
a
Which of the following is helpful to use in the structuring and design of hierarchical headings? a. Outlines b. Sentence diagrams c. The alphabet d. Chronology
a
Which of the following is the very first thing to do when you are planning an oral presentation? a. Analyze your audience b. Determine your purpose c. Develop visual aids
a
Which of the following lists what you should do in the introduction to an oral presentation? a. Topic, benefit, overview b. Background, benefit, overview c. Topic, review of main points d. Discussion of first main point
a
Which of the following makes the correct distinction between cover letters and application letters? a. The cover letter announces that a resume is attached and specifies the position being sought; the application letter discusses background and qualifications as relevant to the position being sought. b. The application letter announces that a resume is attached and specifies the position being sought; the cover letter discusses background and qualifications as relevant to the position being sought. c. The application letter is the first communication in the job-seeking process; the cover letter is the follow-up communication. d. The cover letter is the first communication in the job-seeking process; the application letter is the follow-up communication.
a
Which of the following paragraphs demonstrates the concept of the shifting topic string (old-to-new pattern)? a. When it was introduced in mid-1948, the public showed little interest in the electronics device called the transistor. The transistor, which had several applications in radio where a vacuum tube ordinarily was employed, was demonstrated at Bell Telephone Laboratories. b. To be sure, the transistor had plusses. Not only could the transistor amplify electric current like a vacuum tube, it also used little power, didn't need to warm up, and was compact—a thimble-sized cylinder with a couple of protruding wires.
a
Which of the following sentences contains a comma splice? a. The opposite is true of stronger types of stainless steel, they tend to be more susceptible to rust. b. The opposite is true of stronger types of stainless steel. They tend to be more susceptible to rust. c. The opposite is true of stronger types of stainless steel; they tend to be more susceptible to rust. d. The opposite is true of stronger types of stainless steel; unfortunately, they tend to be more susceptible to rust.
a
Which of the following sentences correctly punctuates a compound predicate? a. Plastic parts are not weldable and must be repaired by other methods. b. Plastic parts are not weldable, and must be repaired by other methods. c. Plastic parts are not weldable; and must be repaired by other methods.
a
Which of the following sentences correctly punctuates an introductory element? a. Although the CHIP House took about US$1 million to develop, producing a duplicate would cost around US$300,000. b. Although the CHIP House took about US$1 million to develop producing a duplicate would cost around US$300,000. c. Although the CHIP House took about US$1 million to develop; producing a duplicate would cost around US$300,000. d. Although, the CHIP House took about US$1 million to develop producing a duplicate would cost around US$300,000.
a
Which of the following sentences does not contain a camouflaged subject? a. The Greeks adapted the papyrus roll for books sometime before the fourth century B.C., the date of the earliest surviving fragments of Greek books. b. The adaptation of the papyrus roll for books by the Greeks occurred sometime before the fourth century B.C., the date of the earliest surviving fragments of Greek books.
a
Which of the following sentences does not contain a camouflaged verb? a. In 1972, Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould observed that the history of the book is marked by long periods of stability in format alternating with periods of radical change. b. In 1972, Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould made the observation that the history of the book is marked by long periods of stability in format alternating with periods of radical change.
a
Use this voice when it is the most natural and efficient way to express yourself and when there is no company policy against it
active
What two ways do letters and resumes communicate information?
appearance and content
If you explained the meaning of the term stochastic in a discussion of probability theory, which of the following tools for explaining the technical would you be using? a. Example b. Definition c. Application d. In other words
b
In a 2010 survey of engineers, what percentage claimed to use social media for work-related collaborations? a. 65% b. 55% c. 45% d. 5%
b
The chapter argues that details are important in resumes. Which of the following is the least detailed? a. Work was done to SAMSO-STD-77-7 military standard. b. Work was done to specified military standards. c. Redesigned Cy-6000 low-gate processors for QAM/QPSK/FSK-mode modems according to SAMSO-STD-77-7 military standard.
b
What are the main problems with PowerPoint-type visual aids in an oral presentation? a. Overly detailed, technical presentation of material; drab, uninteresting graphical design b. Overly detailed, technical presentation of material; overwhelming graphic design c. Over-simplification of the material presented; overwhelming graphic design d. Over-simplification of the material presented; drab, uninteresting graphical design
b
Which of the following are you if you read a Twitter message sent by a colleague? a. Encoder b. Decoder c. Channel d. Signal
b
Which of the following best defines the functional approach to resume design? a. It divides your background into education, work experience, and possibly military. b. It divides your background into groups of related education, training, and experience.
b
Which of the following defines verbal fillers? a. Examples that help illustrate key points b. Empty catchwords c. Silence to enable listeners to process your messaged. d. Digressions or jokes to increase interest or break the tension
b
Which of the following is not a strategy recommended in the textbook building your resume and application letter if you are early in your engineering career? a. Use bigger margins, larger font size, and lots of white space between sections as well as increased line height. b. Cite only legitimate engineering work you've done. c. Describe your college courses, projects, volunteer work, memberships. d. Describe your nonacademic, nonprofessional interests, hobbies; familiarity with other languages.
b
Which of the following is the chapter's recommendation about using a highlights section? a. Use it when you are early in your career. b. Use it when you are several years into your career. c. Avoid it because it can narrow your opportunities.
b
Which of the following paragraphs demonstrates the concept of the continuous topic string? a. A solar cell (or a "photovoltaic" cell) is a semiconductor device that converts photons from the sun (solar light) into electricity. To achieve this conversion, the device needs to fulfill only two functions. b. The surface of Mars is thought to be primarily composed of basalt, based upon the Martian meteorite collection and orbital observations. A portion of the Martian surface may be more silica-rich than typical basalt, perhaps similar to andesitic stones on Earth, though these observations may also be explained by silica glass.
b
Which of the following sentences contains a modifier problem? a. Once we had completed needed modifications and adjustments, the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications. b. Once having completed needed modifications and adjustments, the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications. c. Once we had completed needed modifications and adjustments to the equipment, it operated correctly and met all specifications. d. Once having completed needed modifications and adjustments, we found that the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications.
b
Which of the following sentences contains a parallelism problem but is correctly punctuated? a. After a lot of discussion, the team concluded that their alternatives were to call in a consultant, thus increasing the cost of the project, or to have three more engineers reassigned to the team. b. After a lot of discussion, the team concluded that their alternatives were to call in a consultant, thus increasing the cost of the project, or having three more engineers reassigned to the team. c. After a lot of discussion, the team concluded that their alternatives were to call in a consultant, which would increase the cost of the project, or to have three more engineers reassigned to the team. d. After a lot of discussion, the team concluded that their alternatives were to call in a consultant or have three more engineers reassigned to the team. Either way, the cost of the project would increase.
b
Which of the following sentences contains a subject-verb agreement error? a. These problems—CO2 accumulation in the earth's atmosphere, climatic changes caused by excessive CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere as well as the implications of these changes—are discussed in the detail in this report. b. Each of these problems—CO2 accumulation in the earth's atmosphere, climatic changes caused by excessive CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere as well as the implications of these changes—are discussed in the detail in this report. c. Each of these problems—CO2 accumulation in the earth's atmosphere, climatic changes caused by excessive CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere as well as the implications of these changes—is discussed in the detail in this report. d. In their report, the authors discuss each of these problems: CO2 accumulation in the earth's atmosphere, climatic changes caused by excessive CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere as well as the implications of these changes.
b
What do engineers often use as a means of collaboration and networking within their field
blog
1. How much time do practicing engineers spend writing? a. 5-10% b. 10-20% c. 20-40% d. 50-70%
c
If you explained how fuzzy logic was employed in the design of the high-speed train in Sendai, which of the following tools for explaining the technical would you be using? a. Example b. Definition c. Application d. In other words
c
What is the problem involving specialization as discussed in this chapter? a. Nonengineering audiences cannot understand the communications of engineers in specializations. b. Engineers in different specializations can easily understand each other's technical communications. c. Engineers in different specializations cannot understand each other's technical communications. d. Engineers in different specializations have a greater problem with accountability.
c
Which of the following best defines the Twitter hashtag and its use? a. The user name you choose for your Twitter account. (e.g., @great_engineer) b. A list of other engineers that you compile in order to communicate quickly with only those involved in one specific project. c. A method used to help other Twitter users find and join relevant conversations about one specific subject. d. A direct message that you send to a co-worker about meeting a project deadline that you want to remain private.
c
Which of the following best describes the use and value of Google+ Circles? a. Group your contacts into specific circles for easier and more specific communications online. (e.g., work, family, sports contacts) b. Customize what information you share with which groups (circles) of contacts and exclude others groups. c. Create circles of OEM experts on Google+ to allow for a quick resource for details about a specific engineering mechanism. d. All of the above.
c
Which of the following best explains what type of Facebook page would be best suited for an individual working as an engineer? a. An individual profile page (not a business page) that displays details about the college from which you received your engineering degree. b. A business page (not an individual page) that displays details about the company's area of engineering expertise. c. An individual profile page (not a business page) that shows links to your engineering-related projects, customer recommendations, your volunteer work. d. A business page that shows photos of you and your co-workers on the jobsite of a particularly interesting project.
c
Which of the following sentences correctly phrases and punctuates a nonrestrictive element? a. The transmitter on the Pioneer 10 space probe which left the solar system in 1983 radiates only 8 watts of power. Even so, its signal can still be heard on Earth. b. The transmitter on the Pioneer 10 space probe which left the solar system in 1983, radiates only 8 watts of power. Even so its signal can still be heard on Earth. c. The transmitter on the Pioneer 10 space probe, which left the solar system in 1983, radiates only 8 watts of power. Even so, its signal can still be heard on Earth. d. The transmitter on the Pioneer 10 space probe, which left the solar system in 1983 radiates, only 8 watts of power. Even so its signal can still be heard on Earth.
c
Which of the following sentences correctly phrases and punctuates a restrictive element? a. The two policemen, who responded to a telephone message that a UFO was under observation, verified that an extraordinary object was flying over the high school. b. The two policemen, who responded to a telephone message that a UFO was under observation verified that an extraordinary object was flying over the high school. c. The two policemen who responded to a telephone message that a UFO was under observation verified that an extraordinary object was flying over the high school. d. The two policemen who responded to a telephone message that a UFO was under observation, verified that an extraordinary object was flying over the high school.
c
Which of the following sentences does not contain a passive-voice construction? a. Your figures have been reanalyzed in order to determine the coefficient of error. The results will be announced when the situation is judged appropriate. b. Almost all home mortgage loans nowadays are made for twenty-five years. With the price of housing at such inflated levels, those loans cannot be paid off in any shorter period of time. c. After you push down on the arm of the hand-held stapler, the top-leaf spring raises the blade from the magazine, and the magazine and base move apart. d. For many years, federal regulations concerning the use of wire-tapping have been ignored. Only recently have tighter restrictions been imposed on the circumstances that warrant it.
c
Which of the following would you use WordPress for? a. Send out a tweet. b. Send e-mail to score higher in search engines. c. Create a blog to score higher in search engines. d. All of the above.
c
You should avoid long paragraphs in application letters. What does this chapter recommend as the maximum? a. 12 lines b. 10 lines c. 8 lines d. 6 lines
c
These types of subjects and verbs create confusion as the true subject—or actor—of the sentence is not expressed in the grammatical subject
camouflaged
In Figure 1-1, how many of the tasks in the engineer's typical day directly involve writing? a. 0 b. 3 c. 5 d. 7
d
Resumes should be designed to be quickly scannable. How fast should you expect your resume to be scanned by human eyes? a. 60 seconds b. 45 seconds c. 25 seconds d. 10 seconds
d
The chapter refers to "sweet-nothings" that appear in some resume highlights and objectives section. Which of the following is not an example of that? a. Hard-working, people-oriented professional b. Bright professional with a can-do attitude c. Upscale ambitious cutting-edge professional looking for a like-minded employer. d. Construction engineer seeking a position in HVAC design and energy calculation for residential and commercial structures.
d
Which of the following best defines a Facebook "fan page"? a. A Facebook page in which a list of concert dates and venue information has been compiled for a local band. b. A Facebook profile page for an individual who works an as engineer but chooses to post photos of his/her favorite football teams only. c. An engineering student that is a fan of all things related to engineering. d. An engineering business that creates a profile on Facebook to communicate the services and expertise it provides.
d
Which of the following contains a fragment? a. In a proposal, you must include a number of sections: for example, a discussion of your personnel and their qualifications, your expectations concerning the schedule of the project, and a cost breakdown. b. In a proposal, you must include a number of sections—for example, a discussion of your personnel and their qualifications, your expectations concerning the schedule of the project, and a cost breakdown. c. In a proposal, you must include a number of sections. For example, include a discussion of your personnel and their qualifications, your expectations concerning the schedule of the project, and a cost breakdown. d. In a proposal, you must include a number of sections. For example, a discussion of your personnel and their qualifications, your expectations concerning the schedule of the project, and a cost breakdown.
d
Which of the following is not an example of noise in a communication? a. Using commas in large numbers for a document intended for a culture that uses periods instead. b. Using Mb (megabits) when MB (megabytes) is meant. c. Leaving out the word "not." d. Using headings to indicate the topic of the sections they introduce.
d
Which of the following sentences correctly punctuates a compound sentence? a. Both individuals have recently reaffirmed the observation of the two white lights moving slowly across the sky there is little reason to question its validity. The case remains unexplained. b. Both individuals have recently reaffirmed the observation of the two white lights moving slowly across the sky, there is little reason to question its validity. The case remains unexplained. c. Both individuals have recently reaffirmed the observation of the two white lights moving slowly across the sky and there is little reason to question its validity. The case remains unexplained. d. Both individuals have recently reaffirmed the observation of the two white lights moving slowly across the sky, and there is little reason to question its validity. The case remains unexplained.
d
Which of the following sentences does not contain a noun stack? a. Position acquisition requirements are any combination of high school graduation and years of increasingly responsible secretarial experience. b. The Quality Circle participation roles and tasks and time/cost requirements of Quality Circle organizational implementation will be described. c. Proper integrated circuit packaging type identification and applications are crucial to electrical system design and repair. d. Awareness of the creative capacity of employees in all organizations is growing among corporation throughout the United States.
d
What kind of dash is typically used as a stand-in for a comma or parenthesis to separate out phrases
em
what kind of dash is used to connect values in a range or that are related
en
what does syntactic refer to?
grammar
Technical communication can be defined as conveying information about a technical subject, intended to deliver specific ___________ to a specific ________ for a specific ________
information audience purpose
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? documentation
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? font type, size, spacing
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? genre specifics
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? graphics
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? organization of information, heirarchy headings
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? packaging & legibility
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? paragraph length
macro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? specifics/details, clarity, accuracy
macro
In communication theory, what is the signal?
message
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? active/passive voice
micro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? ambiguity
micro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? opinion
micro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? parallelism
micro
Microstructural or Macrostructural noise? wordiness
micro
This is any unwanted signal that occurs in the communication process that prevents the signal from flowing clearly through the channel from the encoder to the decoder.
noise
This refers to items in a list using the same style of phrasing
parallelism
What voice do you use in the technical worlkd?
passive
This is used to initiate a conversation about your career interests, generally in a networking situation
pitch
In all communication you must know your ______ and your ________
purpose audience
What is the Decoder in terms of the communication theory?
reader, listener
What order do you list your education and experience in a resume?
reverse chronological
What type of font should be used for titles and headings
sans serif
What type of font should be used for body text?
serif
What is the Channel in terms of the communication theory?
speech, writing
what does semantic refer to?
word meaning
What is the Encoder in terms of the communication theory?
writer, speaker