One principle of usability testing is that it permeates product development. What does
that mean?
A) Designers and managers know that if a product fails the usability test given right
before product launch, they will not be paid.
B) Once a product is permanently on the market, you no longer need to test it.
C) Conduct testing on prototypes, then conduct evaluations on final drafts.
D) You conduct testing in all stages of a product’s development, not only at the end.
Which of the following statements best describes a progress report?
A) A progress report is an initial document that helps establish a project.
B) A progress report is an intermediate document produced while a project is ongoing.
C) A progress report is a summative document produced at the conclusion of a project.
D) None of the responses are correct.
Which of these is not an effective technique for generating ideas about your subject?
A) creating a cluster diagram
B) creating a branching diagram
C) freewriting
D) creating an index
Because a presentation occurs only once, you must work harder to maintain and direct
the audience’s attention to what you say.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 20, there is no absolute distinction between a set of instructions
and a manual.
A) True
B) False
Which of the following is the least effective title for a lab report or scientific article?
A) Three-dimensional Imaging of Enzymes
B) Intensification in the Activity of Lipase Enzyme Using Ultrasonic Irradiation and
Stability Studies
C) Immunoassays of Fungal Laccases for Screening of Natural Enzymes and Control of
Recombinant Enzyme Production
D) Evaluation of Butyrate-induced Production of a Mannose-6-phosphorylated
Therapeutic Enzyme Using Parallel Bioreactors
Chapter 12 discusses five characteristics that make a graphic clear and understandable.
One characteristic is that the graphic meets readers’ format expectations.
A) True
B) False
Print is a common medium for publishing information. Chapter 6 identifies four other
publishing media. What are two other media listed in the chapter? (Select both
answers.)
A) microfilm
B) microfiche
C) websites
D) social media
Which document-design practice will most effectively convey the hierarchy within a
document?
A) queuing
B) chunking
C) underlining
D) binding
Which characteristic of an attractive professional persona has the writer of the
following excerpt NOT shown?
As you probably already know, we have a problem with our current documentation.
Users cannot easily locate the serial numbers necessary to complete the online
registration step. The solution below will help us address this problem and eliminate the
customer-support calls we get. It will also solve a few other problems. Last week,
others suggested different solutions. However, I know they will not work. The best
course of action is to prominently display the serial numbers at the start of the chapter
labeled “Registering Your Product.” Our users expect to find the numbers in this
chapter.
A) cooperativeness
B) moderation
C) fair-mindedness
D) modesty
In which of these stages is the outline view of a document most likely to be helpful?
A) the proofreading stage
B) the editing stage
C) the revising stage
D) the post-hoc stage
Which two things must you clearly understand in order to communicate successfully?
A) your audience and your purpose
B) your proposal and your audience
C) your documentation and measures of excellence
D) your software and your hardware
Which of these is a limitation of a decision matrix?
A) It is less effective with decision criteria that are primarily qualitative and not
quantitative.
B) It is less effective with decision criteria that are primarily quantitative and not
qualitative.
C) Some readers may resist the bottom-line presentation of scores.
D) None of the responses are correct.
According to Chapter 6, one disadvantage of a questionnaire is that you cannot be sure
the respondents are representative of the population you want to study.
A) True
B) False
Chapter 5 suggests that you consider five other individual characteristics of readers in
addition to education. Which two of the following characteristics does the chapter
suggest you consider? (Select both answers.)
A) the reader’s professional experience
B) the reader’s gender
C) the reader’s temperament
D) the reader’s job responsibility
E) None of the above responses are correct.
Which of these tips for presenting to an audience from a different culture who have a
different native language is NOT recommended in the chapter?
A) Hire translators and interpreters if necessary.
B) Use graphics effectively to reinforce your points.
C) Be aware that gestures can have cultural meanings.
D) Anticipate that the audience will adapt quickly to your presentation style.
What is the name for a table or spreadsheet used to systematically evaluate options
according to specific criteria?
A) problem-solving model
B) recommendation generator
C) decision matrix
D) flowchart
Chapter 1 identifies common reasons for creating technical documents. Which reason in
the following list is NOT mentioned in the chapter?
A) to help others carry out a task
B) to change attitudes about a technology or an issue
C) to establish common knowledge in the marketplace
D) to help others make a decision
A printed form is the standard way to obtain informed consent from a test participant.
A) True
B) False
You work for a company that makes high-volume photocopiers for use in business
settings. Your team is going to test the usability of the new repair manual for the
company’s Series 400 photocopier system. You are helping to write the test materials.
Which of the following is an effective task to ask a user of the Series 400 repair manual
to complete?
A) Find “toner replacement” in the index.
B) Find the instructions for toner replacement.
C) Follow the instructions for toner replacement to replace the toner in this Series 400
copier.
D) Find every chapter that refers to “toner replacement.”
Your company has completed an audience analysis for the manual you are writing for
users of a new accounting system. The manual will be given to the 750 employees in
the company’s accounting department. Some members of the audience are experienced
accountants and others are not; some have MBA degrees and others have bachelor’s or
associate’s degrees; some were recently hired and some are long-term employees; some
are managers and some are bookkeepers. How might you best accommodate your
audiences?
A) Include different sections for the different audiences.
B) Write the manual to the lowest level of the audience.
C) Write the manual to the highest level of the audience.
D) Prepare an audience profile sheet.
Which of these is NOT a variable “beneath the surface” of daily life in a culture?
A) distance between ranks
B) need to spell out details
C) prevalence of technology
D) distance between business and private life
In editing and proofreading a document, a writer should NOT do which of the
following?
A) Consider the diction (word choice) in individual sentences.
B) Give the document to the eventual reader and ask if he or she understands it.
C) Check for problems with mechanics, such as the use of numbers and abbreviations.
D) Reread the draft out loud.
Social-media activities can provide an organization with signficant information about
members of their target audiences.
A) True
B) False
For a report on the nutritional value of fast food, a writer has decided to organize her
information by assigning fast-food items to categories. Which of the following sets of
categories is flawed?
A) under a dollar
$1.00″$2.00
$2.01″$4.00
over $4.00
B) breakfast items
lunch items
dinner items
C) main dishes
side dishes
drinks
desserts
D) high-fat items
high-cholesterol items
high-calorie items
A local bank uses this slogan in its advertising: “Integrity. Experience. Trust. Local.”
What about this slogan violates readers’ expectations?
A) The items in the list are not parallel.
B) The list does not follow the general-to-specific pattern.
C) The hierarchy of the list is confusing.
D) None of the responses are correct.
Readers who can easily locate and understand important information in a document will
be more likely to agree with its arguments.
A) True
B) False
Which of the following people would be most likely to organize a progress or status
report according to task? (Select all answers that apply.)
A) a salesperson responsible for selling medical devices in a two-state area
B) a project manager overseeing the implementation of new software throughout your
company
C) an engineer developing a new industrial ceramic compound for a client
D) All responses are correct.
Chapter 1 states that effective technical communication is honest. The chapter then
presents three reasons it is important to be honest when communicating. Which of the
following is NOT one of the reasons listed in Chapter 1?
A) It’s the right thing to do.
B) If readers bring your dishonesty to the attention of your supervisor, your career may
be negatively affected.
C) Readers can get hurt if you are dishonest.
D) You and your organization could face serious legal charges if you are dishonest.
While a college student, you spent two years as an officer in the campus chapter of your
field’s main professional association. Which of the following statements best shows a
focus on problem-solving and accomplishments?
A) In my two years on the leadership team, membership was increased by 12 percent.
B) In my two years on the leadership team, my work on recruiting and retention led to a
12-percent increase in membership.
C) In my two years on the leadership team, we conducted several meetings about
becoming professional engineers.
D) I served on the leadership team for two years.
Chapter 1 identifies correctness as a characteristic of good technical communication. In
this context, correctness refers to the proper use of grammar and punctuation to
accurately convey the intended meaning.
A) True
B) False
Which of these questions is best for a self-inventory to help plan a job search in
engineering?
A) Which engineering companies attend our annual job fair on campus?
B) Which engineering companies are listed on the NASDAQ exchange?
C) Which engineering companies provide the highest starting salaries?
D) What kind of company will give me the best opportunities to develop into an
engineering project manager?
For what reason do most organizations welcome both positive and negative comments
on blog posts?
According to Chapter 17, what is the primary purpose of a field report?
Chapter 1 lists a variety of examples of workplace communication. Name four of them.
As you complete assignments, why should you consider not only your instructor’s
expectations but also the audience and purpose specified in those assignments?
According to Chapter 5, how do public agencies use social-media data?
What course of action should you take if you find that you will not be able to meet your
original deadline for delivery of a report?
What are the four parts of the body of a job-application letter?
According to Chapter 12, what is the most important characteristic of an infographic?
According to Chapter 7, one benefit of using a conventional pattern to organize
technical information is that the pattern serves as a template or checklist, helping you
remember which information to include where. According to the chapter, what is one
benefit for your readers?
According to the research cited in Chapter 4, students from other cultures may be
unwilling to respond with a definite “no” in a collaborative setting. What is one other
behavior that students from other cultures might exhibit in a collaborative setting?
Inexperienced speakers encounter problems with five aspects of vocalizing. One aspect
is volume. Name two other aspects of vocalizing that can be a source of problems.
How can you ensure that readers can easily find any appendixes you create for a report?
Chapter 15 lists four questions you should ask before posting an electronic rsum on an
Internet job board. One question is “Who has access to your rsum?” What is one of the
other questions?
What is one of the disadvantages of collaboration mentioned in Chapter 4?
According to Chapter 9, using precise words will make a title more useful. What is an
added benefit of using precise words?
Chapter 2 lists four factors governing the fair-use exemption, which allows you to use
copyrighted material without permission under certain conditions. One factor is the
nature and purpose of the copyrighted work. What are the other three factors?