Chapter 3 discusses three questions to ask about your audience during the planning
stage of the writing process. One is “Why and how will the reader use your document?”
What is another question to consider during planning?
A) What are your reader’s attitudes and expectations?
B) How much time do you have to write the document?
C) Are your readers male or female?
D) Do you have enough money in the budget that you can afford usability testing?
A task schedule is almost always drawn in one of three graphical formats: table, bar
chart, or network diagram.
A) True
B) False
Which sentence below shows a comma splice?
A) The 728B polo shirt is our most popular model, and it offers an unequaled blend of
comfort and durability.
B) The 728B polo shirt is our most popular, comfortable, attractive, durable, and
cost-effective model.
C) The 728B polo shirt is our most popular model, because it offers an unequaled blend
of comfort and durability.
D) The 728B polo shirt is our most popular model, it offers an unequaled blend of
comfort and durability.
Which of the following best describes the definition “A conjunctive adverb is an adverb
that has a conjunctive function between two clauses”?
A) This is a simple, but effective, sentence definition.
B) This is a circular definition.
C) This sentence definition describes its item with clear distinguishing characteristics.
D) This is a stipulative definition.
Which are the four categories of evidence to which people usually respond favorably?
A) numerical data, examples, commonsense arguments, and celebrity testimony
B) expert testimony, ideologies, numerical data, and commonsense arguments
C) examples, commonsense arguments, numerical data, and expert testimony
D) verbal data, numerical data, expert testimony, and implications
Which of the following is a potential drawback of using a multicolumn design?
A) It shortens the length of lines of text, making them harder to read.
B) It might increase the amount of space between a picture and the text describing it.
C) It might lead to more words on a page than a single-column design.
D) It might differ from the design the audience expects to see.
Chapter 3 describes the writing process as a series of stages. One stage is drafting. What
are two other stages discussed in Chapter 3? (Select both answers.)
A) planning
B) brainstorming
C) proofreading
D) researching
According to Chapter 11, online documents are easier to read than paper documents
because of differences in resolution.
A) True
B) False
If you want to publish a graphic that your organization paid to have produced, you do
not need written permission.
A) True
B) False
Although many aspects of private life and community life differ from culture to culture,
in most developed countries business is conducted in more or less the same way.
A) True
B) False
Which pair of sentences shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to
the second?
A) Demand for kettle chips is down by 15 percent. As a result, we have laid off 12
production workers.
B) The vendor assured us that the replacement parts would be delivered in time for the
product release. The parts were delivered nearly two weeks after the product release.
C) The furniture-replacement project was originally expected to cost us $450,000.
Unfortunately, the final cost was $300,000.
D) Brazilian people love soccer. My friend Silvino has played soccer all his life.
Which of the following does NOT involve legal and ethical issues?
A) collecting informed consent from usability-test participants
B) managing data collected in a usability test
C) proofreading
D) managing data collected in focus groups
It is relatively easy to design field research to measure what you are interested in, but it
is difficult to conduct field research.
A) True
B) False
Chapter 7 states that one disadvantage of the problem-methods-solution organizational
pattern is that you cannot alter the sequence of those three elements.
A) True
B) False
In the recommendations section of a recommendation report, you should avoid
recommending that the organization take no action, or no action at this time.
A) True
B) False
Jan is a technical writer for Endco, Inc., a company that has just completed a study to
determine whether to convert to a more advanced type of server software. Jan is now
compiling information for a report that will document the study and will be presented to
Endco’s CEO, budget director, and operations manager. Jan made a table showing the
pros and cons of each of the three brands of software under consideration, along with
costs. Endco’s Computer Services director also gave Jan his conclusions about each
brand and suggestions for what the company ought to do next. Which of the following
statements is correct?
A) Jan should prepare an informational report.
B) Jan should include the problems that initiated the study.
C) Jan should not include the Computer Services director’s recommendations because
the CEO is the final decision maker.
D) Jan’s report should not include the table about software because her most important
readers are not knowledgeable about server software.
Which of the following sentences has a strong subject?
A) The firm issued a statement about the newly promoted lawyers.
B) The statement from the college about the newly promoted professors was published
in the newspaper.
C) The use of fireworks in this city is strictly prohibited.
D) The challenge of pursuing higher education while using a foreign language should
not be underestimated.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a descriptive abstract?
A) It contains a list of topics covered in the report.
B) It does not include the important results of the study.
C) It does not include the conclusions of the study.
D) All responses are correct.
Which of the following is NOT a guideline for using social media ethically and legally,
according to Chapter 2?
A) Keep your private social-media accounts separate from those at work.
B) Avoid revealing unauthorized news about your own company.
C) Work efficiently by repurposing pieces of content you wrote for other workplace
documents.
D) Avoid false endorsements.
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.
A) True
B) False
You are majoring in environmental studies. Last year, you worked for six months as a
volunteer caregiver at an orphanage in Asia. Does this help you in your job search?
A) Yes. It gives you opportunities to discuss the transferrable skills you developed in
areas such as problem-solving and collaboration.
B) No. It is not related to your intended field of study.
C) No. It shows that you took time off from finishing school.
D) Yes. It shows that you are willing to work for free, which employers like.
One disadvantage of using the Styles feature of a word processor is that you cannot
create new styles.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 16, what is a common name for the leader of a proposed research
project?
A) principal investigator
B) research lead
C) investigator-in-principle
D) project principal
Only professionals with management responsibilities have ethical responsibilities to the
environment.
A) True
B) False
To invite questions after your presentation, a simple “Any questions?” is appropriate.
A) True
B) False
Which of these resources is NOT likely to appear in a library’s online database?
A) proceedings from an annual academic conference
B) posts from a blog
C) articles from a magazine
D) articles from a national newspaper
Which of the following does the proposed program section of a proposal NOT
customarily include?
A) an explanation of the work intended
B) references to appropriate research or scholarship
C) a justification of your claims
D) a budget
Proofreading should precede the editing process.
A) True
B) False
Which of these is an example of documentation in a report?
A) a citation for an article that gave you information for the report
B) a title for a table you created
C) a list of symbols you use throughout the report
D) an appendix
Social-media posts such as tweets can be examples of technical documents.
A) True
B) False
Chapter 6 suggests that you do two things after conducting an interview. What are they?
(Select both answers.)
A) Transcribe the audio recording of the interview.
B) Write down the important information from the interview.
C) Ask for a follow-up interview.
D) Send a brief thank-you note to the respondent.
According to Chapter 2, saying that a recently fired employee was “offered an
alternative career opportunity” would be an example of which of the following?
A) exaggeration
B) euphemism
C) legalistic construction
D) none of the above
Which of the following tactics will help your readers see and follow your organizational
pattern?
A) using section headings conservatively
B) using section headings liberally
C) using section headings subtly
D) using section headings infrequently
Which of the following is the most effective title for a set of instructions on bicycle
repair?
A) Caliper Brake Shoe Yaw Angle Adjustment
B) Adjusting the Yaw Angle of Caliper Brake Shoes
C) Fixing Caliper Brake Shoes
D) How-to Adjusting Brake Shoes Yaw Angle