The primary purpose of a document should affect the document’s overall shape and
content.
When added together, the pieces of a pie chart will total 100%.
The headings of a technical document should always be created first, before the text is
written.
Once the writing process has begun, a working outline may be modified as needed.
Strings of short, choppy sentences are effective for conveying information in technical
documents.
Trip reports help managers monitor employee activities.
You may edit forwarded emails without the sender’s permission.
Overviews are not appropriate for instructionsor user manuals.
Direct observation is the surest way to eliminate bias in research.
Recommendation reports include extensive feasibility analysis.
Objective descriptions filter out personal feelings and focus on observable details.
Commercial sites should never be used as reliable sources of information since they are
inherently biased.
Increasingly, companies offer smaller print manuals and more detailed user instructions
on Web sites.
Descriptions are a type of specification.
Sources that explore topics at deeper levels include
(a) newspapers.
(b) tabloids.
(c) commercial Web sites.
(d) popular press.
(e) trade and business publications.
Reference works include all of the following except
(a) encyclopedias.
(b) indexes.
(c) abstracts.
(d) conference papers.
(e) almanacs.
Choose the situation in which sending a text message is most appropriate.
(a) Let another student know you will be late for a team meeting.
(b) Send a response to a customer who has complaint.
(c) Ask your professor for an extension on an assignment.
(d) Draft a new proposal with colleagues.
(e) a and d.
Which of the following sections of a formal report may be optional?
(a) title page
(b) table of contents
(c) abstract or executive summary
(d) list of tables and figures
(e) conclusion
When constructing bar graphs,
(a) vary widths of the bars for emphasis.
(b) avoid tick marks.
(c) use numbers or gradations that are evenly divided.
(d) use the same colors or shades for multiple bar graphs.
(e) do not include a title.
An information plan
(a) includes a purpose statement.
(b) should be kept to one page or less.
(c) avoids issues related to budget.
(d) describes potential problems.
(e) a and d.
Extemporaneous delivery style
(a) avoids the use of notes and instead involves spontaneously thinking on your feet.
(b) is the preferred delivery style in the workplace.
(c) allows strict control to meet time limits.
(d) is most appropriate when communicating with international audiences.
(e) is the ideal delivery style for the highly nervous speaker.
A sentence using passive voice
(a) has a clear agent performing a clear action on a recipient.
(b) places the recipient of the action in the subject slot.
(c) rarely uses a form of the verb ‘be.’
(d) is usually more concise and direct than one using active voice.
(e) b and d.
The information on a Web site
(a) should never be organized with hyperlinks ‘” all content should be on one page.
(b) should always follow a chronological sequence.
(c) will always be read in a linear fashion.
(d) must be presented so that each chunk of information can stand alone.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
Effective technical documents
(a) use obfuscation.
(b) avoid combining text, visuals, and sound.
(c) are easy to navigate.
(d) a and c.
(e) None of these answers are correct.
Which of these statements about Web-based research is most accurate?
(a) The more design elements on a site, the more reliable the information.
(b) Since Web sites are always accessible, you do not need to save any of the
material you find on them.
(c) No single search engine indexes everything on the Web.
(d) Web sites with the domains .gov and .edu will most likely not contain reliable
information.
(e) You may download anything from the Web and use it without permission.
Which of the following is not an element of effective reports?
(a) navigable design
(b) personable style
(c) audience-centered visuals
(d) general purpose statement
(e) logical structure
Besides being clear, the proposal plan must be
(a) inexpensive.
(b) highly optimistic. (c) creative.
(d) realistic. (e) a and d.
When choosing the phrasing of each step of the instructions, use
(a) parallel phrasing.
(b) imperative mood.
(c) active voice.
(d) affirmative phrasing.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
Choose the statement below that is least accurate.
(a) For an external blog, focus on the customer’s priorities and needs.
(b) When writing for blogs and wikis, repeat the same information several times to
make the point clear.
(c) Check blog and wiki entries for credibility by checking when the content was
last updated.
(d) Avoid wordiness in blogs and wikis.
(e) Internal blog and wiki audiences do not require as much background as external
audiences do.
Cautions in instructions are used to
(a) prevent mistakes that could result in injury or equipment damage.
(b) alert users to potential hazards to life and limb.
(c) identify an immediate hazard to life and limb.
(d) clarify a point.
(e) emphasize vital information.
Social media are used by
(a) companies.
(b) non-profit organizations.
(c) individuals.
(d) a, b, and c.
(e) a and c.
Which of the following statements is least accurate?
(a) Medical procedures might include standard operating procedures.
(b) Standard operating procedures are never written for a public audience.
(c) Safety procedures may detail steps to take in emergency situations.
(d) Standard operating procedures are mandatory in some workplace environments.
(e) Medical procedures are rarely available to public audiences.
Which of the following characteristics is least important in a summary?
(a) accuracy
(b) jargon
(c) conciseness
(d) completeness
(e) nontechnical style
‘General readers’
(a) do not exist, so do not try writing to them.
(b) want high levels of detail to fully understand the message.
(c) want explanations to accompany facts.
(d) want you to show them how smart you are.
(e) prefer to know the theoretical basis of the topic at hand.
Taking an ethical stance requires you to
(a) make a personal decision.
(b) consider only the demands of your job.
(c) consider the effects of your decision on others.
(d) a and c.
(e) b and c.
Most employers will look at a résumé for
(a) 3’“5 minutes.
(b) 2’“3 minutes.
(c) 1’“2 minutes.
(d) 15’“45 seconds.
(e) 5’“15 seconds.
Well-designed instructions should
(a) place visuals and prose steps apart from one another.
(b) use a layered approach for lengthy instructions.
(c) separate each step visually.
(d) b and c.
(e) a and c.
___________ includes the table of contents and title page while_________ includes
appendices and the references list.
Consistency is not a key feature of specifications.
Use anacademic tone when writing for an external corporate blog.
To give a colleague constructive criticism, write a _____________report
Try to include as much information as possible on each slide in a presentation.
Feasibility reports provide the background of a problem but do not offer
recommendations or possible solutions.
Regardless of the intended audience, summaries should use a technical style.