One way to learn about the primary reader of your document is to interview people who
know him or her. Which of these questions is NOT likely to help you learn useful
information about your primary reader?
A) Does this person prefer to read hard-copy documents or electronic documents?
B) Does this person prefer to read detailed information or a summary that provides a
big picture?
C) Does this person tend to review the sources listed in a bibliography after reading a
report?
D) Does this person attend chapter meetings of professional associations?
According to Chapter 16, what must you demonstrate to show that your organization
can complete the work described in a proposal?
A) efficiency
B) qualifications and experience
C) program information
D) certification and authorization
According to Chapter 16, some readers might not consider a proposal if it does not
provide an effective summary.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 5, what should you do once you have analyzed your audience and
purpose?
A) Begin drafting.
B) Conduct research.
C) Get management’s approval.
D) Outline the document.
E) Complete an audience profile.
The excerpt below is the beginning of the results section of a recommendation report
about exercise equipment for a new fitness center. What is wrong with the excerpt?
Results
In this section, we describe our research into the best exercise equipment for your new
fitness center. We consulted Consumer Reports and Health Fitness and interviewed Dr.
Hilda Candlish, exercise physiologist, to evaluate the type and quality of equipment that
best meets your needs.
Treadmills
Treadmills are essential equipment for your fitness center, especially with the limited
number of outdoor running trails available in your neighborhood. Johnsung Cardio
Trainer, TreadTrainer SJ928, and the Pacer Elite 1100 are the most popular models
(“Treadmills,” Consumer, p. 102). Studies have shown these models to be the most
effective for cardio health (Candlish). We also researched the ProTread 44 and Precision
Treader models 24 and 28. We found that the SJ928 had the best overall performance
ratings (“Treadmills,” Consumer, p. 103) and is priced very competitively locally
(Sportshoppe, GymTastic). We conclude that your center should purchase a dozen of
these treadmills for zone C of our floor diagram, shown below.
Stationary Bicycles
Both types of stationary bicycles, recumbent and upright, should be available at every
fitness center (Candlish). Though the TrueFitness 356 has the best fitness rating
(Health), it has received low ratings for durability and reliability (“Latest,” Consumer),
and . . .
A) Conclusions should not be integrated into the results section.
B) The advance organizer is not needed because each section begins with a subhead.
C) Because this is a recommendation report, text citations are not needed.
D) Task lists describing the methodology used should introduce each section.
Which of the following statements about plain-text rsums is true?
A) The word plain refers to the language you use to write your rsum.
B) The word plain refers to the visual style of your rsum.
C) The word plain refers to the email you use to send your rsum.
D) The word plain refers to the formatting of your rsum.
Which of the following is an effective sentence definition?
A) Cardiovascular exercise equipment is used by people to exercise their cardiovascular
system.
B) A canteen is a clear Nalgene bottle used to hold liquids such as water, lemonade,
soda, and sometimes hot beverages.
C) Velo binding is when two plastic strips are placed on either side of the document and
bound together with heat.
D) Thermography is a printing process in which a special powder is added to the wet
ink on the surface of the paper and then heated.
The standard of utility is concerned with which of the following?
A) the relationships we have with other individuals
B) whether the positive and negative effects of an action or a policy will be distributed
fairly among a group
C) the positive and negative effects that an action or a policy has, will have, or might
have on others
D) the basic needs and welfare of individuals
According to Chapter 21, one of the suggestions for introducing your presentation is to
introduce yourself. What are two other suggestions from the chapter? (Select both
answers.)
A) Have the audience read your title slide aloud.
B) Explain the purpose of the presentation.
C) Provide an advance organizer.
D) Tell the audience how many slides you will use.
According to Chapter 21, which factors should you take into account when using Prezi
to prepare a presentation? (Select all that apply.)
A) You will be able to access the free version only when you have access to the
Internet.
B) You can collaborate with others on your Prezi presentation in real time.
C) You will need to pay a fee in order to present your Prezi presentation to the public.
D) Once you decide on a sequence for a specific presentation, you will need to use that
same sequence each time you deliver the presentation.
Generally, it is best not to use company employees as participants in a usability test.
A) True
B) False
Styles are preformatted designs for different kinds of documents, such as business
letters, memos, newsletters, and reports.
A) True
B) False
Which of these is NOT a common deliverable for the end of a research project?
A) completion report
B) progress report
C) recommendation report
D) project report
In what way is the following list flawed?
The Ventura Aquifer program objectives are the following:
characterization of groundwater quality
to provide data to support Best Management Practices (BMP)
relating data to agricultural land-use practices
A) The list is not punctuated correctly.
B) The list is not parallel in structure.
C) The lead-in is not grammatically complete.
D) The list uses the wrong verb tense.
According to Chapter 5, if you think your document will have a number of readers, you
should consider writing a variety of documents addressed to different kinds of readers.
A) True
B) False
In describing your company’s product, you should not compare it with a competitor’s
product because the competitor will sue your company for misrepresentation.
A) True
B) False
Which quality in the list below is evident in the revised version of the following
paragraph?
Original: During our monthly meeting last month, we all came to the conclusion that
overtime procedures are inadequate and that new procedures need to be initiated. I
discussed this problem with our chief accountant, who was sympathetic and agreed to
consider any changes we would like to make to the present procedures. Please bring
your suggested changes to this month’s departmental meeting scheduled for 2:30 P.M.
next Wednesday afternoon.
Revision: During last month’s meeting, we concluded that our overtime procedures
need revision. Our chief accountant has agreed to consider any changes we would like
to make to the present procedures. Please bring your suggested changes to this month’s
departmental meeting scheduled for 2:30 P.M. next Wednesday.
A) conciseness
B) accuracy
C) comprehensiveness
D) correctness
When creating a technical document, you often have to make compromises. Which of
these is an example of a compromise related to communication?
A) Your boss tells you to create the document in English and Spanish, so you do.
B) You would prefer to create separate instruction sheets in English and Spanish, but
you create one sheet giving instructions in both languages to save on printing costs.
C) Your audience is not made up of technical experts, so you use common words in
place of technical vocabulary.
D) You place paper copies of your document in the boxes carrying your products, and
you post electronic copies online.
Which of the following is likely to cause a team writing collaboratively to produce an
inferior document?
A) The team shares a common goal.
B) The team avoids conflict.
C) Team members act as the audience for the document.
D) Team members divide up the workload.
Fair-use guidelines apply to graphics just as they do to words.
A) True
B) False
Secondary research is the process of creating technical information yourself, as opposed
to collecting information that other people have discovered or created.
A) True
B) False
What does the symbol indicate about a word, phrase, or symbol?
A) It has been registered for trademark protection under the Regency d’Internationale
Agreement of 1996.
B) It has been registered for trademark protection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
C) It has been registered for trademark protection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, but with “reserved” status.
D) none of the above
Which of these is NOT an important question to answer when writing an incident
report?
A) What happened?
B) Whose camera recorded the incident?
C) Why did the incident happen?
D) What should be done in response to this incident?
Which phrase best defines the purpose of a workplace document?
A) what you want to accomplish with the document you are producing
B) what you propose to do when you receive permission
C) what you want to display in words or images
D) what you want to document for clarity
Which of these comments about a team member’s report draft is the least diplomatic?
A) I like the statistics that you provide in the introduction. I wonder if the audience will
recognize these sources you consulted.
B) This introduction shows a lot of hard work. Perhaps an additional example would
make your point even stronger.
C) You did not write this introduction very well. You left out a lot of important
background information.
D) I know the proposal reviewers have very high standards. I think we all will benefit
from improving our proofreading skills.
The following statement appears in a brochure supporting a law to allow ducks on a
lake on a college campus: “In the other states that have allowed ducks on campus, we
know of no adverse encounters between ducks and people to date.” What type of
reasoning does that passage display?
A) arguing from ignorance
B) arguing from authority
C) post hoc reasoning
D) circular argument
Several organizations have guidelines and standards for communicating information
about safety. Which of the following is NOT one of these organizations?
A) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
B) American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
C) International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
D) Institute of Safety Ordinances (ISO)
Usually, your audience is more aware of your nervousness than you are.
A) True
B) False
Which of the following is NOT an example of a quality-control measure?
A) a formative evaluation conducted by members of the project team
B) a performance test conducted by a third party
C) a list of all the heavy equipment used in a construction project
D) an on-site evaluation conducted by the customer
The discussion portion of a lab report is also called an analysis.
A) True
B) False
An idiom is a phrase identified by linguists as universally understandable.
A) True
B) False
Transitional paragraphs tend to be much longer than body paragraphs.
A) True
B) False
Chapter 11 discusses four basic principles for designing effective documents and
websites. One is contrast. What are the other three basic principles discussed in the
chapter?
Chapter 5 lists three specific reasons a writer should analyze his or her audience during
the planning phase. One is so that the document appeals to the audience’s interests and
needs. What are the other two reasons?
A proposal routinely makes use of which organizational pattern?
As used in Chapter 1, what does correctness mean?
You receive a progress report in which all of the first-level headings are in the same
typeface and type size and have the same spacing and color. Which design principle do
these characteristics reflect?
What technique is used to clarify the term inflammable in the definition “An
inflammable substance is not a substance that cannot catch fire. To the contrary, an
inflammable substance catches fire quite easily”?
According to Chapter 3, using templates can lead to three problems. One is that
templates may bore readers. What are the other two?
When drafting a document, you come to an item that you don’t understand or that
requires more research. What should you do?
What are the two major ways to revise a document?
What is one of the advantages of collaboration mentioned in Chapter 4?
What is the past perfect tense used to describe?
For example, for instance, in other words, and to illustrate fall into which category of
transitional words and phrases?
Which type of graphic commonly used to portray task schedules communicates
interdependence between various activities?
Chapter 3 describes the writing process as a series of stages. One stage is drafting. What
are the other stages discussed in Chapter 3?
In a question-and-answer session, what should you do if you are asked a question you
do not understand?
Why is it important to include keywords in your LinkedIn profile?
The introduction to a set of instructions should answer six questions, one of which is
“Why should the reader carry out this task?” According to Chapter 20, what is one other
question?
As used in Chapter 1, what does accessibility mean?
What mistake did McDonald’s make when it printed takeout bags decorated with flags
from around the world?
What is chunking?