When exporting goods, U.S. companies can face ethical challenges that they do not face
when selling goods in the United States.
A) True
B) False
Which of the following is an example of an informational constraintthat you might
confront when completing a project?
A) You know that your proposal would help the company, but you also know that the
company can’t afford to act on your proposal.
B) Your document would be most effective if it used color, but your budget will allow
for only black-and-white printing.
C) You have located advertising brochures and testimonials associated with the subject
you’re writing about, but you can’t find reports on the kinds of controlled tests that
would convince a skeptical reader.
D) All responses are correct.
In the following excerpt from a proposal seeking funding to upgrade a police
department’s crime lab, which technique for making a persuasive case listed below does
the writer NOT use?
In the past four years, the department’s crime lab has experienced an increase in
fingerprint evidence for comparisons. The increase in volume is a result of submissions
from other rural agencies in the state. However, because our agency cannot access data
maintained within the state’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS),
submissions are limited to manual searches of the 14,000 files maintained by our
department. You can imagine the likelihood of missing a fingerprint match while
looking through thousands of fingerprints by hand. In fact, Harlan Andrews, a Senior
Investigator at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s laboratory, reports that manual
searches often fail to find matches when in fact fingerprint matches exist. To prevent
such errors, our department needs to upgrade its computer system to allow access to
AFIS.
A) commonsense arguments
B) examples
C) expert testimony
D) numerical data
According to Chapter 15, what is a “transferrable skill”?
A) a skill that you can apply across many different job settings and professional fields
B) a skill that you take when you transfer from one company to the same job in a
different company
C) a skill that you develop through attending special training classes
D) a skill that you learn through a mentoring technique called skill-transfer
A writer is considering revising the long paragraph below. Would the best place to start
a second paragraph be at (1), (2), or (3)?
Although graphics can enhance a website, they can also serve as a distraction. Having
too many graphics that do not contribute to the content of the site may make your
company appear unprofessional, as well as contributing to slow download times. Your
site, for example, has thirty moving images. (1) Such images do not reflect the serious
nature of your business. When it comes to graphics, we suggest you adopt a “less is
more” approach. (2) Another troublesome feature of your site is the scrolling banner
used as a navigation element. To reach certain pages on your site, users must quickly
click the links scrolling across the banner. If they miss a link, they must wait another 20
seconds until the link scrolls by again. (3) Because this site is not designed to be a game
but rather a place for customers to learn more about handling hazardous materials, you
should not use a scrolling banner as a navigation element. We recommend that you use
standard navigation buttons aligned along the left margin or across the top of the page.
Also, you may want to include a text-only navigation element at the bottom of the page.
A) at (1)
B) at (2)
C) at (3)
D) None of the responses are correct. The excerpt is most effective as a single
paragraph.
To achieve the most effective contrast between colors, pair dark and light shades of a
deep color together.
A) True
B) False
The proposed program section of a proposal contains an itemization of the costs
associated with the project you are proposing.
A) True
B) False
Differences between the ways men and women work in teams are hard to notice.
A) True
B) False
Which of these questions is NOT likely to help you revise your document?
A) Have I included all the elements my readers expect to see?
B) Have I left out anything in turning my outline into a draft?
C) Have I kept the project within the available budget?
D) Is the document persuasive?
Chapter 7 explains that one challenge in using the cause-and-effect organizational
pattern is that it is very difficult to prove a causal relationship between two factors.
A) True
B) False
The general-to-specific pattern is effective for explaining the factors that led to a
specific problem.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 16, what are the two kinds of deliverables that typically result
from proposals? (Select both answers.)
A) a progress report
B) a tangible product, a service, or some combination of the two
C) transfer of real property
D) a research report
E) None of the responses are correct.
A writer is drafting the conclusion of a lengthy process description explaining to
consumers how a company’s new voice-recognition product works. Which of the
following elements would be least appropriate for the conclusion?
A) a brief review of the uses of voice-recognition technology
B) a sales message summarizing the benefits of the product
C) a short summary of the principal steps in the process
D) a brief discussion of the implications of the process
Your methods should be detailed enough that another researcher could perform the
same experiment using the same materials and methods. What term describes this goal?
A) iteration
B) redundancy
C) redaction
D) None of the responses are correct.
A conventions section explains to readers how a manual uses typography to signify
different kinds of information. One example is using Courier typeface to represent text
the reader is supposed to type.
A) True
B) False
It is not appropriate to add appendixes to informational reports.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 16, what is the best way to describe the problem or opportunity
behind a proposal?
A) in terms as general as possible
B) using economic principles of supply, demand, and opportunity cost
C) in general financial terms
D) in specific monetary terms
In almost all cases, demonstrative pronouns should be followed by nouns.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 18, the methods section of a recommendation report answers the
question “What equipment did you use in conducting this investigation?”
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 12, why do you need to cite the source of a graphic?
A) It is part of your ethical responsibilities.
B) It is necessary for papers submitted to industry conventions and conferences.
C) It increases the prestige of your bibliography.
D) None of the responses are correct.
In many cases, removing which type of phrase following a noun will make your writing
more concise?
A) adjectival phrase
B) prepositional phrase
C) transitional phrase
D) adverbial phrase
What does liability law have to do with technical communication?
A) Liability law regulates the words and pictures available for use in sets of
instructions.
B) Liability law says that a manufacturer or seller of a product is liable for injuries or
damages caused by the use of that product.
C) Liability law puts the responsibilty for product safety onto consumers.
D) Liability law requires instructions to fit on a single printed page.
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?
A) Ferries, Peel-Outs, and Eddy Turns
B) What Clothing Will I Need To Bring?
C) How To Perform Z-Drag Extractions of Pinned Boats
D) 1.0 Water
A team of writers is just beginning a new documentation project. The client for the
team’s last project complained that the completed document kept switching from active
to passive voice and that the design of the headings was not visually consistent. Which
of the following is the team’s best approach to avoiding such problems on the current
project?
A) Discuss cultural differences.
B) Create a style sheet.
C) Create a document template.
D) Establish clear work procedures.
You should select research methods before determining what research questions to
pursue.
A) True
B) False
Classification is an organizational pattern in which a unit is divided into its components.
A) True
B) False
What kind of transitional words are for example, for instance, and in other words?
A) illustration words
B) addition words
C) contrast words
D) summary words
Which of these is a document-related factor you must consider when communicating on
the job?
A) the amount of time you have to complete the communication task
B) the level of formality required in the final product
C) the number of resources available to help you complete the communication task
D) All responses are correct.
Which of these is an example of a workplace document?
A) a podcast about Internet servers
B) an oral presentation about selecting appropriate insurance coverage
C) a video describing how a piece of equipment works
D) All responses are correct.
A writer preparing an electrician’s manual is considering inserting company-designed
danger symbols to denote the potential for electrocution. In deciding whether to do so,
what should the writer’s primary concern be?
A) codes of conduct
B) liability law
C) copyright law
D) whistle-blowing
Which of the following is the most important difference between observing users in a
usability evaluation and observing them in a usability test?
A) In an evaluation, the users pick the tasks they do. In a test, users are assigned tasks
to do.
B) In an evaluation, the users pick the location. In a test, users must go wherever the
usability team is.
C) In an evaluation, user feedback is not very important. In a test, user feedback
becomes very important.
D) There is no important difference between observing users in an evaluation and
observing them in a test.