Exam 3 Study Guide (Ch. 9, 13, 14, 16)
Formative evaluations are intended to assess the quality of a completed project.
False
Generally speaking, the netiquette guidelines that apply to microblog posts do not apply to email.
False
In a bad-news adjustment letter, there is no sense trying to salvage goodwill; the reader is so angry that he or she will never do business with you again.
False
The number following an enclosure notation at the bottom of a letter indicates the number of sheets of paper enclosed with the letter.
False
The only proper way to create a sentence list is by using bullet points.
False
The proposed program section of a proposal contains an itemization of the costs associated with the project you are proposing.
False
The terms letter and memo are interchangeable.
False
The three phases of usability testing are revising, editing, and proofreading.
False
Transitional paragraphs tend to be much longer than body paragraphs.
False
Usability testing is the process of performing experiments to determine that a product functions at a minimally acceptable level before the manufacturer devotes time, money, and other resources to creating documentation for the product.
False
Whenever possible, you should combine two or more ideas into one paragraph to create a paragraph of 75 to 125 words—the ideal paragraph length.
False
Your company intends to open a new office on the other side of the country. The goal is to expand the company's operations and move into some newer, more exclusive markets. This is a major step for the company, and you want your shareholders to be impressed. Which type of correspondence should you use to communicate with your shareholders?
Letter
Chapter 14 offers several guidelines for writing inquiry letters. One is to explain who you are and why you are writing. What is another guideline?
Make your questions clear and precise, so they are easy to answer.
ABC Electronics wants someone to install a top-of-the-line burglar-alarm system for its two buildings, a system that not only sounds an alarm but also simultaneously notifies authorities and the company president. Video surveillance of the premises should also be a capability of the security system. In order to obtain price quotes, what should ABC Electronics write?
a request for proposals
According to Chapter 16, which of these is an example of an indirect cost associated with a proposal?
cost of operating a company's telephone system
Which of the following is NOT a technique for conducting usability evaluations?
crafting a persona of a subject-matter expert
In which one of the following pairs are the two paired techniques most similar?
expert evaluation and heuristic evaluation
During which phase of usability testing is it important to tabulate the information?
in the last phase, interpreting and reporting
To create an effective title for your document, what should you focus on?
key words that describe the document's subject and purpose
Which word best summarizes the role of a test administrator relative to a participant in a usability test?
Facilitator
A heuristic evaluation is usually performed by focus groups.
False
A solicited proposal is one that you send to a customer who has not requested it.
False
According to Chapter 14, it is inappropriate to use headings in informal documents such as memos or email.
False
According to Chapter 16, proposals are usually written by a single writer.
False
What kinds of questions should a test administrator ask of a usability test participant who is unable to complete a task?
Leading questions
How does money affect the decision to conduct a usability test?
Participants in a usability test need to be compensated for their time.
Why is it important to communicate honestly, no matter what type of document you create?
- To be ethical you must be honest and avoid misleading people. - Honesty projects a "you attitude" toward your reader. - Dishonest communication can lead customers to take their business elsewhere. - ALL OF THE RESPONSES ARE CORRECT.
Why is it important to conduct a usability test with a team as opposed to a single usability specialist?
- Usability testing involves a lot of work. - A well-rounded team can develop more effective test materials than a single person can. - Usability testing involves watching for small details that are revealed very quickly during testing. - ALL RESPONSES ARE CORRECT
How might a business letter to someone from a very different culture differ from a business letter to someone from your own culture?
- in the level of specificity of the information - in the salutation - in the tone - ALL RESPONSES ARE CORRECT.
Which of the following can be an unintended consequence of posting an informal social-media message?
- trading multiple public insults after starting an online "flame war" - making a hasty, bold statement about your company that later turns out to be untrue - embarrassing the company - ALL RESPONSES ARE CORRECT.
What is an advance organizer?
Any text that indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the discussion that follows it
A small manufacturer of computer games discovers an error in the instructions shipped with the latest product. A writer at the company has been asked to write a letter to recent purchasers of the product explaining the correct information and apologizing for the mistake. Which of the following elements would NOT appropriately be included in this letter?
Blind-copy notation
According to Chapter 13, what does it mean to evaluate a draft?
Evaluating means to have another person read over your draft and communicate with you about the document's strengths and weaknesses.
What is the phrase "Special Restricted Incoming Materials Storage Area" an example of?
A noun string
According to Chapter 13, what is a prototype?
A prototype is a model item that is built to simulate the look and feel of an item before it is produced commercially.
In which of the following situations would a school district be likely to issue a request for quotation (RFQ)?
A school district needs to purchase 30 iPad tablet computers for an elementary school.
What is an SME?
A subject-matter expert
What type of sentence states, summarizes, or forecasts the main point of the paragraph?
A topic sentence
A writer at ColdTec Accounting has just completed a draft of an internal report describing a recent drop in enrollment in a training course for new employees entitled "Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007." Which of the following titles would be most appropriate for the report?
An Analysis of Declining Enrollment in "Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007"
What do you call a letter in which you respond to a claim and tell the author how you plan to handle the situation described in the letter?
An adjustment letter
What kind of transition would be most helpful to readers of these two sentences? "Mr. Polk accomplished each objective he had for his term of office. He did not seek a second term."
Cause-effect
Which of the following statements is true?
Clichés give your writing a stilted tone.
Which of the following words or phrases should be used in the excerpt below to signal to readers that because land-use problems are causing high bacteria levels, landowners must take action. Bacteria levels are often above state standards and are due to localized, specific land-use problems. _______, landowners must take action to address these problems and reduce the high bacteria levels.
Consequently
You are writing a research paper on the hydrological impacts of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on groundwater in your state. In your research, you have found that a professor at a university in another state, Dr. Thomas Henry Wright, has conducted similar research. You decide to write an inquiry letter to ask him some questions. Which salutation is most appropriate for your letter?
Dear Dr. Wright:
Provide an example of a salutation.
Dear Mr. Wheat:
Which pair of sentences shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to the second?
Demand for kettle chips is down by 15 percent. As a result, we have laid off 12 production workers.
You are a technical writer for an electrical contractor. You have finished writing a draft of the procedures to be used by your company's electricians when installing gas dryers and water heaters. You have just learned that your county has updated the code that gives the allowable length of the gas-input pipe used for dryers and water heaters. What is the name of the process you will engage in when you look at your document to determine how to change it in light of the revised code?
Editing
According to Chapter 16, which of these is NOT a useful guideline for creating a proposal for an audience in a different culture?
Focus on costs.
Chapter 14 describes two common letter formats. One is modified block. What is the other format described in the chapter?
Full block format
You are one of four people on a search committee interviewing candidates for a marketing manager position in your department. The Human Resources (HR) department has asked each person on the committee to provide feedback after every interview. The candidate you interviewed this afternoon, Mr. Zoolander, did not seem at ease, and you were disappointed in several of his responses to questions. Which passage would be best to include in your email to the HR department?
I was disappointed with several of Mr. Zoolander's responses to our questions. He did not show that he had thought deeply about the issues our department is facing.
What kind of transitional words are for example, for instance, and in other words?
Illustration words
Which of the following is the most important difference between observing users in a usability evaluation and observing them in a usability test?
In an evaluation, the users pick the tasks they do. In a test, users are assigned tasks to do.
According to Chapter 13, which type of person is NOT typically involved in a usability evaluation?
Informed-consent coordinator
The first phase of usability testing is preparing for the test. What is the final phase?
Interpreting and reporting data from the test
Chapter 14 states two reasons language errors in correspondence are unprofessional. One is that they suggest a lack of respect for your reader and for yourself. What is the other reason?
It causes readers to think you are careless about your job.
According to Chapter 9, turning paragraphs into lists has four advantages for the writer. One is that it forces you to look at the big picture. What are two other advantages listed in the chapter?
It forces you to create a lead-in and it forces you to examine the sequence.
Which of these statements does NOT identify a benefit of turning a paragraph into a list?
It forces you to reorder the sequence.
Which of these statements provides an effective definition of a sentence list?
It is a list in which the bulleted or numbered items are words, phrases, or single sentences.
In describing usability, Jakob Nielsen refers to five factors related to a person's use of an item. Of the options below, which is NOT a factor he discusses?
Marketability
Which of the following statements is true?
Memos are commonly written to people within your own organization.
According to Chapter 14, which of the correspondence types below is generally considered the least formal?
Microblogs
One factor affecting your decision about whether to review, evaluate, or test a document is that document's relative importance. What are two other factors? (Select both answers.)
Money and time
Which of these examples shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to the second?
New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. These techniques are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
Identify two coherence devices discussed in Chapter 9.
One example is transitional words and phrases. Another example is repeating key words.
What does it mean to "link generously" when posting to a microblog at work?
Post links to websites and articles that are relevant to a subject you are discussing online.
What kinds of words are especially valuable for use in section headings and titles?
Precise words
Which of these is NOT a common deliverable for the end of a research project?
Progress report
Why should you avoid back-to-back headings, such as the following? 6. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing 6.1 Community Policing
Readers expect you to use headings to introduce text, not to introduce another heading.
According to Chapter 14, which of the following is NOT a guideline for effective on-the-job microblogging?
Regard your followers as a market for your company's products and services.
Twitter tweets and Facebook posts are forms of business correspondence.
True
Which person would make the best administrator of a usability test?
Someone who can be neutral and help users think through the test
Which of the following is NOT a means of adhering to netiquette guidelines?
Take a friendly, casual tone.
Which of the following statements effectively summarizes a main principle of usability testing?
Test the manual, not the person using the manual.
In usability testing, what is informed consent?
The company fully discloses information to the participant about the conditions of the test as well as how the results will be used. The test cannot occur if the participant doesn't give written permission.
A local bank uses this slogan in its advertising: "Integrity. Experience. Trust. Local." What about this slogan violates readers' expectations?
The items in this list are not parallel.
An effective topic sentence will reflect which of the following?
The organizational structure of the document
Which of the changes listed below would make the following paragraph more coherent? As an undergraduate student, you can satisfy the university writing requirement and meet an important graduation requirement by scoring a 4 or 5 on either of the advanced placement English exams (Language & Composition or Literature & Composition). You can also meet this requirement by receiving transfer credit for an approved college-level writing or writing-intensive course you have taken elsewhere and in which you have received a grade of B or higher. Finally, you can meet this requirement by taking and receiving a passing grade in a writing course at this university. The following two courses, for example, are dedicated primarily to the development of writing skills and can be used to meet the writing requirement: English 205 (Technical Communication) or English 200 (Rhetoric and Writing). If you have any further questions, please call Professor Lee Klein, Director of Writing Programs, in the Department of English at (518) 555-8122.
Turn the paragraph into a list.
A heading eliminates the need for a transitional sentence such as "Let us now turn to the advantages of the mandatory enrollment process."
True
A printed form is the standard way to obtain informed consent from a test participant.
True
A salutation is a greeting at the beginning of a letter, traditionally consisting of the word "Dear," the reader's courtesy title and last name, and a colon.
True
According to Chapter 16, both internal proposals and external proposals are arguments that an organization needs to do something.
True
According to Chapter 16, some readers might not consider a proposal if it does not provide an effective summary.
True
According to Chapter 9, using Styles to design your headings can help you enhance the coherence of your document.
True
According to Chapter 9, you should jot down a working title before you start drafting a document to give you a sense of direction, then come back and revise it at the end.
True
Email is usually archived digitally (backed up in some way).
True
Evaluation refers to having other people read your document or use your website and then communicate with you about its strengths and weaknesses.
True
Generally, it is best not to use company employees as participants in a usability test.
True
In some cultures, a person is more likely to walk down the hall to deliver a brief message than to send an email, because doing so shows more respect.
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
One advantage of evaluating over reviewing is that you get the benefit of someone else's perspective.
True
Readers who can easily locate and understand important information in a document will be more likely to agree with its arguments.
True
You are writing an internal proposal to suggest that your company purchase a new ticket-tracking system, called Tick-Track, for the company's information-technology help desk. Which of the following is the best point to make in the introduction of your proposal?
We estimate that the response delays caused by our current ticket-tracking system are costing the company $1,000 per day in lost productivity.
A writer is developing a brochure for vacationers interested in taking an "Introduction to Kayaking" course offered by a rafting and kayaking company. Which of the following headings is most likely to appear in the brochure?
What clothing will I need to bring?
One principle of usability testing is that it permeates product development. What does that mean?
You conduct testing in all stages of a product's development, not only at the end.
In what situation should you use an attention line in a letter?
You do not know the name of a specific person at the company you are writing to, so you do not know who will read the letter.
Which of the following is an important part of persuading the reader of a proposal that you can complete the proposed work successfully?
You must show readers that they can trust you to do a good job.
According to Chapter 9, using precise words will make a title more useful. What is an added benefit of using precise words?
Your document can be more accurately indexed in databases or online libraries.
Which of the following does the proposed program section of a proposal NOT customarily include?
a budget
Hardy Grocery Store has published an RFP for the construction of a two-story warehouse addition to its main store. The warehouse must be built on 5,000 square feet of adjacent property, but it must have up to 9,000 square feet of storage space and have loading platforms for both North and East Street entrances. R&F Architects has responded with a proposal acknowledging the grocery's property restrictions and space requirements. R&F's proposal includes a sketch of the warehouse they propose to build, with multiple entrances to the exterior as well as entrances to the existing building. The proposal has a chart showing the phases of the project, including the completion date, and a section describing R&F's staff and similar past projects. The proposal ends with a bid. What should R&F add to the proposal to better compete with other organizations bidding on the project?
a description of its quality-control measures
In which situation might you present your proposal as a memo?
when your audience is internal
