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CHAPTER 4. Providing Audiences with Usable Information
True/False Questions
1. The relationship connection is particularly important in cross-cultural
communication.
2. The relationship of the writer to the reader does not affect how to approach a
writing situation.
3. Audience analysis is necessary only when a document is long or complex.
4. Both the primary and secondary purpose of a document affect the language,
format, and other features.
5. A claim is a statement of the point you are trying to prove.
6. Write all documents at the technical level of laypeople.
7. The target audience and the specific audience may be different.
8. Across cultures, readers prefer a direct, plain language approach to
communication.
Fill-in-the-blank Questions
9. Five aspects of a document to ask user testers about in order to determine how to revise
the document include , ,
, and .
10. A measure of how well a document meets the audience’s information needs is called
its .
11. An is an outline that begins with a document’s
purpose statement and then details all of the important usability considerations.
Multiple-choice Questions
12. A task analysis
(a) entails knowing what the audience needs to do to accomplish something.
(b) applies only when creating instructions or procedures.
(c) uses noun phrases to express the steps.
(d) is a process used primarily in technical fields.
(e) None of these answers is correct.
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13. 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) includes a purpose statement and describes potential problems
14. “General readers”
(a) do not exist, so don’t 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.
15. The preferred strategy is to use
(a) the power connection strategy.
(b) the rational connection strategy.
(c) the relationship connection strategy.
(d) the rational and relationship connection
(e) the power connection and the rational connection strategy
16. Effective strategies for persuasion include all of the following except
(a) standing firm when your message is rejected.
(b) allowing for give-and-take.
(c) asking for what your audience will consider reasonable.
(d) recognizing constraints.
(e) identifying your specific goal.
17. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
(a) A task analysis should be completed after a step-by-step process is written.
(b) Most technical communication is task-oriented.
(c) Subtasks should be planned before the main task is decided upon.
(d) Tasks and subtasks should be listed using passive verb constructions.
(e) All of these statements are accurate.
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18. To prepare a usable document, consider the
(a) budget.
(b) setting.
(c) length.
(d) budget and length, only.
(e) budget, setting, length.
19. A claim can be a statement that
(a) acknowledges facts.
(b) interprets facts.
(c) asks for direct action.
(d) All of these answers are correct.
(e) interprets facts and asks for direct action.
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CHAPTER 4 ANSWER KEY