Technical writing

The information on a Web site

must be presented so that each chunk of information can stand alone.

When shaping a message on workplace social media,

narrow it to a targeted audience.

External blogs

often include a sign-in feature to allow visitors to receive updates.

When creating a survey,

phrase questions precisely. keep it simple and brief.

A sentence using passive voice

places the recipient of the action in the subject slot.

In choosing the appropriate tone,

show confidence and directness by using the active voice. be consistent.

All of the following are common sources of wordiness except

strong verbs.

Social media directors should have

strong writing skills. an ability to determine complex audience needs in an online environment. digital technology capabilities.

Internal corporate blogs

support employee knowledge sharing.

A large, identifiable group of people is called a ____________________ population, while representatives of that group are called a ____________________.

target population, sample

The table of contents does not need to match the headings structure of your document exactly.

False

The three categories of proposals are informational, progress, and sales.

False

Though your signature is required on a workplace letter, it does not indicate that you approve of the letter's contents.

False

Varying the margins throughout a document creates a unified appearance.

False

Which statement below is most accurate?

Information should be ordered in a logical progression.

A proposal for improving your company's morale, requested by the vice president in charge of personnel, probably would be classified as

a solicited, internal planning proposal.

When writing the proposal,

adopt a confident tone. use active verbs.

A coherent paragraph will have

an accessible line of reasoning.

Avoid all of the following in a proposal except

an inducement for readers to act

Proposals differ from reports in that proposals

answer the question "How should we do it?"

Detailed formal outlines are most useful for

complex documents such as proposals.

Dissertations and medical pamphlets are examples of ____________________ literature.

gray

Identify possible limitations to your proposed solution

in all situations.

Unjustified text

is appropriate for letters and memos.

____________________ text has even right margins.

justified

A conclusion is a good place to

make recommendations. suggest further research.

Bulleted lists are appropriate for

organizing similar items. enumerating a sequence of steps. drawing attention to headings.

Memos

provide appropriate formality for the workplace.

Besides being clear, the proposal plan must be

realistic.

In which of the following scenarios would email be an appropriate way to communicate?

sending a colleague a project update

Which of the following components may be included in a formal proposal?

table of contents references list a letter of transmittal

Paragraphs in a document should

vary in length.

The three types of grid patterns for documents are ____________________, ____________________, and ____________________.

vertical, horizontal, and combined

Any area of a page that is not filled with visual elements, graphics, or text is called ____________________.

white space

Headings take the form of

words. phrases. brief statements. questions.

An example of sexist language is

Dear Sir.

Avoid person-first language for people with disabilities.

False

Commercial sites should never be used as reliable sources of information since they are inherently biased.

False

Decisions may be unethical, but they will rarely cause harm to anyone.

False

Direct observation is the surest way to eliminate bias in research.

False

Emoticons are useful to convey tone in emails to clients.

False

Items in a list need not be written in similar grammatical form.

False

Key words and search phrases should be as general as possible.

False

Nominalizations are easier to understand than verbs.

False

Numbered lists are inappropriate in email.

False

Which of these statements about Web-based research is most accurate?

No single search engine indexes everything on the Web.

As you prepare to look for a job, remember to limit posting your latest personal stories and photos to

None of these answers are correct.

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Adopt a more formal tone when emailing a client.

Sources of conflict in collaborative groups include

All of these answers are correct.

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

All social media sites are used for the same purposes.

Which statement below is least accurate?

Because the company owns all the documents produced, employees cannot possibly plagiarize each other's work.

Effective technical documents

are easy to navigate.

Web-based sources

are more current than hard-copy sources.

When communicating with someone from another culture,

avoid humor.

Components of a well-written email message include a

clear subject line. brief introduction. signature block.

When communicating via text message in a professional context, do all of the following except

drop out of the conversation without alerting other participants.

An ____________________ is a controlled form of observation designed to verify an assumption.

experiment

In an adjustment letter,

offer an incentive if appropriate

Distorting images may help you create a more persuasive document, but doing so is unethical.

True

Ethical decisions are not always "black and white."

True

Ethical questions often revolve around topics related to technology.

True

Hard-copy sources are easier to preserve and keep secure than Web-based sources.

True

Idioms and informal language are not appropriate for international letter recipients.

True

Include sufficient detail in a document to ensure that readers understand the facts.

True

Choose the statement below that is least accurate.

When writing for blogs and wikis, repeat the same information several times to make the point clear.

The "you" perspective in a letter is most appropriate

throughout the letter.

Sources that explore topics at deeper levels include

trade and business publications.

In a claim letter,

use a direct approach for a routine claim.

When posting to a social network that might be viewed by potential employers,

use discretion.

When conducting informational interviews, you should

use open-ended questions instead of closed-ended questions.

To write fluently,

use parallel structure. vary sentence length.

Before preparing a workplace email, consider

which salutation to use. whether a more personal form of communication is needed. whether files should be attached or sent in hard copy.

A ____________________ is a community encyclopedia that allows users to edit the content.

wiki

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

All of these answers are correct. Technical communication helps us interact with technology in our daily lives. Technical communication helps advance workplace goals. Technical communication helps specialists solve complex problems.

Technical communication seeks to

All of these answers are correct. anticipate and answer questions. help people perform a task. persuade people to do something.

A document prepared for an international audience should include visuals that are simple and honest.

True

All documents are at least partly persuasive.

True

Always assume that any email message you send will be read by unintended audiences.

True

Blogs can be sources of relevant and reliable information, but you should check the information against a professionally edited or peer-reviewed source.

True

Combining sentences can help deemphasize some ideas and emphasize others.

True

Inefficient style can be uninformative, unpersuasive, and even unethical.

True

Informational memos are increasingly being sent via email.

True

Letters are preferred for communicating outside an organization.

True

Subject directories are indexes of information that are maintained by computer programs

False

Text messages are more formal than email.

False

Readers do not appreciate a visual hierarchy in a document.

False

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A 2-inch inside margin is appropriate for a bound document.

Which statement below is least accurate?

A cause-and-effect sequence must always start with an action and progress to the result.

Strings of short, choppy sentences are effective for conveying information in technical documents.

False

Choose the most accurate statement below about reviewing a team document.

Begin with a positive comment before suggesting improvements.

Which of the following sequences is the best approach to designing a usable document?

Determine audience and purpose; conduct a task analysis; design the document.

Which of the following statements about inquiry letters is least accurate?

Do not enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope as doing so is presumptuous.

A collaborative document need not display a consistent style throughout, as if one person wrote the text.

False

A set of instructions usually follows a problem/solution sequence.

False

A specific call to action is not necessary in a proposal, because it is implied.

False

A support paragraph provides transition within a document.

False

A survey is an example of secondary research.

False

Acknowledging contributors to your proposal is not necessary.

False

Always use "Mrs." or "Miss" when identifying a woman.

False

An email "signature" is not legally binding.

False

Avoid using PDF for digital email delivery.

False

Chunking is relevant for print documents but not online documents.

False

Formal proposals should be presented only in email or memo format.

False

In a chronological sequence, a description begins at one location and ends at another.

False

In a letter, the enclosure notation appears at the top of the page.

False

In technical writing, the topic sentence is usually placed at the end of a paragraph.

False

Informal proposals have the same format as formal reports.

False

Inquiry letters are always unsolicited.

False

Justified text is best used for personal documents.

False

Overviews are not appropriate for instructions or user manuals.

False

Page numbers are essential only for documents with more than six pages

False

Readers are confused by a page design that forms a visual hierarchy.

False

Omitting a confidentiality statement from a medical document asking for a patient's medical history

Is unethical.

Choose the situation in which sending a text message is most appropriate.

Let another student know you will be late for a team meeting.

When creating workplace emails

None of these answers are correct. incorporate emoticons for greater connection with your audience. don't worry too much about proper spelling and grammar, since everyone knows how quickly email is written. apply a conversational, informal style. use a vague subject line to draw the recipient into the email.

Acceptable practices in technical communication include

None of these answers are correct. plagiarizing the work of others. exaggerating claims. downplaying information.

When adding headings, be sure to

None of these answers are correct. use no more than two levels of headings. make each higher-level heading yield at least three lower-level headings. avoid using all capital letters.

A document's design affects its usability.

True

Appeal to both logic and emotion in a sales letter.

True

Brochures commonly follow a vertical grid pattern.

True

In some situations, using email for an informal proposal may be appropriate

True

Memos are used to remind readers about events, provide information, and make requests.

True

Once the writing process has begun, a working outline may be modified as needed.

True

Paying attention to "face saving" is key to working across cultures.

True

Proposals have one purpose: to convince your audience to agree to your plan.

True

Research proposals can use technical language appropriate for experts in the field.

True

Sans-serif fonts are less formal than serif font

True

Some short documents may not need headings.

True

The headings of a technical document should always be created first, before the text is written.

True

The logical flow of proposals, regardless of type, should move from problem/situation to solution/resolution.

True

Transitions and connectors help create a sense of coherence in a paragraph.

True

Well-designed documents address a diversity of readers.

True

Your proposal should address any objections to your plan that the audience might have.

True

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

Use very bright colors to draw attention to text.

Taking an ethical stance requires you to

make a personal decision. consider the effects of your decision on others

Technical communication does not include digital media such as blogs and podcasts.

False

The definition of technical communication is any communication that provides complex information for technical experts; it is not intended for broader audiences.

False

The passive voice should always be avoided.

False

Web sites that ask customers for personal information need not link to a privacy policy explaining how the information will be used.

False

Whenever possible, you should preface your assertions with qualifiers.

False

Withholding important information is not an ethical violation.

False

You may edit forwarded emails without the sender's permission.

False

Which of the following statements is least accurate?

I need not be reasonably sure that a document will not have harmful consequences.

Which statement below is most accurate?

Instant messaging is an easy means of holding real-time team meetings.

Some issues are best addressed in a telephone conversation rather than through email.

True

Sometimes the most reliable material resides in less attractive, text-only sites.

True

Technical communication helps us interact with technology in our daily lives.

True

Technical documents are typically written by teams.

True

Use jargon only when you know your audience will understand it.

True

You should respond to workplace emails in a timely manner.

True

The best social media option to use when a situation requires a rapid response is

Twitter.

Which of the following statements about tone is most accurate?

Using "you" and "your" will help a writer connect with readers.

Which of the following statements about organizing a team project is least accurate?

Work without a manager; allow all team members to take charge.

Social media are used by

companies. non-profit organizations. individuals.

Reference works include all of the following except

conference papers.

Thinking critically about research depends on all of the following except

finding a definite answer.

All of the following are elements of style except

grammar.

In standard letter format, the

heading appears above the date.

When preparing a technical document,

provide possible alternatives if needed. respect rights to privacy.

A transmittal memo

provides a paper trail detailing that information has been sent from one place to another.