Which of the following statements best displays appropriate levels of both confidence
and politeness?
A) I hope you will have some time available to consider my qualifications for this
position. Please contact me at (123) 555-5555 if you would be able to set up a time.
B) I am eager to meet with you to discuss my qualifications for this position. Please
contact me at (123) 555-5555 to set up a time.
C) I am clearly a solid candidate for this position. Call me at (123) 555-5555 to get this
thing going.
D) I hope you will be able to consider me for this position. Please contact me at (123)
555-5555 if you would be able to meet with me. Thank you for your time.
Which of these best describes the process of revising a document?
A) reading closely to make sure you do not have errors in spelling and punctuation
B) changing your document to improve style, diction, and mechanics
C) reexamining your draft to see if it serves your audience and your purpose
D) developing an outline of major points you want to make
Chapter 10 suggests that the passive voice is generally more appropriate than the active
voice in four circumstances. One is when the agent is clear from the context, as in
“Students are required to take both writing courses,” in which it is clear that the college
sets the requirements. Under what other circumstances is the passive voice generally
more appropriate?
A) when the agent is less important than the action
B) when the agent is unknown
C) when a reference to the agent is embarrassing, dangerous, or in some other way
inappropriate
D) All responses are correct.
E) None of the responses are correct.
What level of formality does technical communication usually require?
A) very informal to informal
B) informal to moderately formal
C) moderately formal to highly formal
D) None of the responses are correct.
Which of the following mistakes did McDonald’s make when it printed takeout bags
decorated with flags from around the world?
A) The bags showed a pair of hands holding a flag in a way that customers in some
cultures would interpret as an obscene gesture.
B) The bags showed a Saudi flag, which depicts holy scripture from the Koran. The
Saudis were offended because these bags would be thrown out.
C) The writing on the bags was in English, which offended numerous nonnative
speakers.
D) All responses are correct.
What kinds of questions should a test administrator ask of a usability test participant
who is unable to complete a task?
A) closed questions
B) demographic questions
C) biased questions
D) leading questions
Technical communication primarily involves those whose main job is to produce
documentation such as reports and manuals.
A) True
B) False
Which person would make the best administrator of a usability test?
A) someone who is an extrovert
B) someone who can be neutral and help users think through the test
C) the person who knows the product best
D) None of the choices are correct.
Which of the following does NOT overstate the speaker’s position?
A) I know one of the members of the review panel, and I am positive that he will stick
up for us when they pick their finalists.
B) We prepared our document carefully, and I think we have highlighted our strengths
successfully.
C) We’re the indisputable leaders in this market niche. There’s no way anyone can offer
better features than we do.
D) It is not possible that anyone is more qualified for this job than we are.
Chapter 11 discusses four basic principles for designing effective documents. One is
proximity. What are two other basic principles discussed in the chapter? (Select both
answers.)
A) alignment
B) consistency
C) variety
D) contrast
Which statement best explains how the concept of company branding is related to
technical communication?
A) Branding is concerned with making money, and employees are paid to help
companies make money.
B) Branding is concerned with the image that a company presents to the world, and that
image includes its documents.
C) Branding is largely concerned with color choices, so a document must contain the
company’s colors.
D) Branding is concerned with slogans, and you might have to write a slogan for your
department.
Under the concept of work made for hire, anything written on the job by an employee
being paid by the organization is the property of the organizationprovided that the
employee agrees after the document is written to surrender his or her copyright.
A) True
B) False
Any picture of yourself that you display on your LinkedIn profile or your portfolio must
be taken by a professional.
A) True
B) False
Which of these examples shows the most effective transition from the first sentence to
the second?
A) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. They
are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
B) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. These
techniques are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
C) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses. A new
research effort at Big State University is focused on fighting computer viruses.
D) New screening techniques are being developed to combat computer viruses.
Nevertheless, they are the subject of a new research effort at Big State University.
Chapter 4 offers several suggestions for conducting efficient meetings. Which of these
is NOT a suggestion from the chapter?
A) Be aware of group members’ body language and nonverbal communication.
B) Have one team member write down the decisions made at each meeting.
C) Avoid a formal schedule and make sure each team member gets to say whatever is
on his or her mind.
D) Summarize the major decisions and assign tasks to finish before the next meeting.
Which of the following does Chapter 3 suggest as a method for effective proofreading?
A) reading the revised portions of your document, which you print in a different color
B) reading backwards
C) reading aloud
D) reading in a quiet space
You work in the recruiting office of a large state university. You need to give your boss
precise numerical dataincluding numbers of applicants, numbers of enrollees,
percentages, and statistical measurementsabout recruiting efforts in five different
regions. Which type of graphic would best suit your needs?
A) bar graph
B) table
C) line graph
D) pictograph
Contract law affects technical communication because technical documents sometimes
contain warranty statements.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 5, which approach is best when writing for multiple audiences?
A) a linear approach
B) an experiential approach
C) a modular approach
D) an attitudinal approach
According to Chapter 12, one way to create graphics is to modify existing graphics.
A) True
B) False
Templates are useful because they organize a document for you.
A) True
B) False
Which of these is NOT a resource to consider when planning a document project?
A) accessibility
B) time
C) equipment
D) money
Which of these is a measure of excellence in technical communication?
A) accuracy
B) terseness
C) plainness
D) celerity
Which factor should influence the organizational pattern you choose?
A) your readers’ expectations
B) your document’s length
C) your number of section headings
D) All responses are correct.
Which of the following recommendation statements is NOT effective?
A) NerveCenter software shows excellent potential in helping us increase our
productivity.
B) We should buy NerveCenter software because other companies have successfully
used it to address problems similar to ours.
C) We should buy NerveCenter software to address our productivity problem.
D) We should buy new software to fix our productivity problem.
According to Chapter 16, both internal proposals and external proposals are arguments
that an organization needs to do something.
A) True
B) False
The following statement appears in a proposal to install a large pond near an
amphitheater: “Jones Company is an expert in pond preparation. We installed our first
pond at Jameson Park earlier this year.” What type of reasoning does the passage
display?
A) post hoc reasoning
B) inadequate sampling
C) arguing from ignorance
D) arguing from authority
Sentences are often easier to understand and more emphatic if new information appears
in which position?
A) at the beginning of the sentence
B) in the middle of the sentence
C) after a semicolon
D) at the end of the sentence
You are writing a recommendation report on which vendor of audio-visual services to
hire for your company’s annual conference. The three vendors you considered are
Adams, MicMasters, and Zenith. You concluded that Zenith was by far the best option,
followed by Adams and then MicMasters, both of which were barely satisfactory.
However, you have just learned that the top two managers at Zenith, with whom you
met, have left the company. The personal service provided by these managers was a big
factor in your positive assessment of the company. What recommendation should you
make now?
A) Recommend Zenith anyway.
B) Recommend the next best company, Adams.
C) Recommend postponing a decision until you know more about the new management
at Zenith.
D) Recommend starting over on the report.
You are writing a report using a template provided by your supervisor. If you increase
the margins around your pages by 30 percent and do not change anything else, which
aspect of the overall design will change the most?
A) proximity
B) alignment
C) contrast
D) repetition
According to the research cited in Chapter 4, which two of the following behaviors
might students from other cultures exhibit? (Select both answers.)
A) unwillingness to respond with a definite “no”
B) reluctance to initiate new tasks or perform creatively
C) unwillingness to meet at certain times
D) routinely arriving late for team meetings
Chapter 2 states that you have five obligations to your employer. One obligation is
honesty and candor. What are two of the other obligations?
Chapter 11 lists three kinds of physical impairments that may prevent someone from
fully using your site. One is hearing impairment. What is another?
According to Chapter 8, crafting a persuasive argument involves six tasks. One is using
the right kinds of evidence. What is another of the tasks listed in the chapter?
What is queuing?
Chapter 21 suggests using three techniques to make your language more memorable.
One technique is to refer to people, not to abstractions. What is one other technique
described in the chapter?
In the context of a lab report, what does replicability mean?
According to Chapter 7, what is partition?
One basic purpose of design features is to create a positive impression with a document.
What is one other purpose mentioned in Chapter 1?
Chapter 1 lists eight measures of excellence in technical communication. For example,
excellent technical communication is honest. What are three other measures of
excellence?
What technique is used in the definition “RADAR originally stood for ‘radio detection
and ranging,’ but these days it is rarely used as an acronym and instead appears as the
noun radar“?
Ideally, what will the title and abstract of a report help readers do?
According to Chapter 15, what are the four main steps in planning a job search?
Chapter 15 lists four ways to look for a job. One is through a job board on the Internet.
Name two of the other ways to look for a job.
What type of argument appeals to a person’s understanding and experience of how the
world works?
Chapter 15 lists six guidelines for building the foundation of your professional brand.
One is to research what others have done. Name two other guidelines.