Chapter 12 offers six principles for using color in graphics. One is “Don’t overdo it.”
Which of the following principles is also mentioned in the chapter?
A) Use color to create patterns.
B) Use as many colors as possible.
C) Use dark colors to make objects look smaller.
D) All responses are correct.
When used as evidence, what does an effective example do?
A) It makes concrete ideas more abstract.
B) It makes abstract ideas more concrete.
C) It makes concrete ideas more figurative.
D) It makes abstractions less didactic.
With which research method does the researcher have the least amount of control?
A) field research
B) interviews
C) experiments
D) inquiries
Which source reflects the highest degree of authority on the subject of shale-oil deposits
in North America?
A) an article in an encyclopedia
B) an article in a national newspaper
C) an article in a journal for geological research
D) an article in a journal on public policy
You are an independent contractor. The due date for your current project falls fairly
close to your vacation, which means you are going to miss a deadline to deliver some
work to your client. Which of the following statements in a progress report sent before
your deadline is most ethical?
A) I anticipate meeting the deadline.
B) Against my protestations, the project manager pressured me to accept an overly
aggressive schedule.
C) I did not realize how much my vacation would affect my work hours. I might need
1″2 extra days to complete everything.
D) I have never missed a deadline with a client.
Which of these guidelines is NOT likely to help your team work effectively and
efficiently?
A) Choose a team leader.
B) Establish procedures for resolving conflict productively.
C) Establish a work schedule.
D) Let team members assign themselves tasks.
According to Chapter 1, most technical communication has six characteristics. One
characteristic is that technical communication helps readers solve problems. Which of
the following is another characteristic of technical communication?
A) Technical communication reflects an organization’s goals and culture.
B) Technical communication uses technical vocabulary as often as possible.
C) Technical communication strives to both entertain and educate readers.
D) Technical communication is most often aimed at a general audience rather than at a
particular audience.
Which terms below are used in Chapter 5 to describe types of audiences? (Select both
answers.)
A) supplemental
B) primary
C) secondary
D) fundamental
Which of these resources is likely to be available to employees of a company with a
strong ethical culture?
A) a code of conduct or a code of ethics
B) a way to submit ethics concerns anonymously
C) an ethics office or an ombudsperson
D) All responses are correct.
The R&D division of Nickelburg Steel has just completed testing to determine the best
high-strength, low-alloy steel to use for a project. Of the five steel samples, labeled A,
B, C, D, and E, steel samples A and B satisfy the minimum requirements, while samples
C and D are just barely acceptable. Steel sample E failed the tests. How should the
recommendation section of the formal report to the CEO be written?
A) We conclude that samples A and B should be used to complete the project.
B) We are confident that the following recommendations will correct the failures of the
procedures already developed by the company:
•Samples A and B should be used to fill all future orders.
•Samples C and D should be used only if A and B are out of stock.
•Sample E should not be used.
C) We recommend that samples A and B be used to fill all future orders, C and D used only
if A and B are out of stock, and E rejected.
D) We recommend the following action:
•Use samples A and B to fill all future orders.
•Use samples C and D only if A and B are out of stock.
•Do not use sample E
What is an advance organizer?
A) an outline of the document you are drafting, showing its content and organization
B) the text that introduces a list
C) any text that indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the
discussion that follows it
D) transitional words and phrases, such as first,therefore,furthermore, or consequently
E) None of the responses are correct.
According to Chapter 13, which type of person is NOT typically involved in a usability
evaluation?
A) subject-matter expert (SME)
B) user of the item being evaluated
C) informed-consent coordinator
D) usability expert
According to the principle of the moral minimum, it is permissible for companies to
passively reinforce patterns of discrimination in product information if the audience to
which the product is being sold practices that discrimination.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 16, proposals are not expensive to write, so companies submit
unsolicited proposals often.
A) True
B) False
In which stage of the reviewing process are you most likely to benefit from using your
word processor’s outline view?
A) revising
B) editing
C) proofreading
D) all three stages: revising, editing, and proofreading
Fair use is best described as a set of general guidelines on ways to use small parts of
someone else’s copyrighted material for purposes such as commentary, criticism, and
research.
A) True
B) False
Generosity and honesty are characteristics of effective technical communicators.
A) True
B) False
Which of the following is structured to emphasize the person or group with
responsibility for certain tasks?
A) deployment flowchart
B) deployment organization chart
C) logic tree
D) diagram
A writer at ColdTec Accounting has just completed a draft of an internal report
describing a recent drop in enrollment in a training course for new employees entitled
“Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2007.” Which of the following titles
would be most appropriate for the report?
A) The Changing Needs of New Employees at ColdTec
B) Choosing a Training Class: “Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel
2007″
C) An Analysis of Declining Enrollment in “Web Linking and Publishing with
Microsoft Excel 2007″
D) Declining Enrollment in Training Classes Offered at ColdTec
What does copyright law have to do with graphics?
A) Copyright determines who may modify a graphic.
B) Copyright determines who has the ability to read a graphic.
C) Copyright determines who has the right to publish or republish a graphic.
D) Copyright determines the medium of a graphic.
The most effective way to distinguish one level of heading from another is to use
different sizes of type.
A) True
B) False
Which of these design features in a document does not primarily involve the principle
of contrast?
A) a rule
B) a pull quote
C) a screen
D) a marginal gloss
Indirect costs are intangible expenses such as general secretarial and clerical expenses
not devoted exclusively to any one project, as well as operating expenses such as
utilities and maintenance.
A) True
B) False
According to Chapter 20, what is an effective way to conclude a description?
A) with a restatement of key points from the introduction
B) with a summary of major points and in some cases, a brief description of how the
parts or process steps work together
C) with information on maintenance or troubleshooting
D) with distinguishing characteristics
Which of the following is an example of a coherence device?
A) replacing nouns with demonstrative pronouns
B) removing transitional words
C) repeating key words
D) None of the responses are correct.
Which of the factors listed below did the writer of the following memo fail to take into
account?
TO: University Faculty Advisers
FROM: David Gates, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
SUBJECT: New course offeredPSYC 499, Self-Fulfillment in a Global Society
Enclosed is a flyer briefly describing PSYC 499. After you read through the flyer, post
it in a conspicuous place, e.g., on your door. Or, better yet, make copies and hand it out
in your class. The course will explore how our society can maintain a sense of self in
these increasingly uncertain times. So tell students in your courses and your advisees
about this new timely course.
A) reader’s attitude toward the writer
B) reader’s attitude toward the subject
C) reader’s expectations about the subject
D) reader’s expectations about the document
E) All responses are correct.
Which of the following statements signals a transition?
A) My name is Susan Tratz, and I represent the Bureau of Environmental Quality.
B) In this presentation, I will discuss the causes of political gridlock as well as three
potential solutions.
C) Now that we have discussed the symptoms of the disease, I would like to discuss its
probable causes.
D) None of the responses are correct.
When obtaining information on products and services from websites, discussion boards,
and blogs, it is important not to assume that vendors’ claims are accurate.
A) True
B) False
In general, why would someone need to write an incident report?
A) Readers have followed the guidelines established in a recent directive.
B) Something unexpected happened, and the results are good news.
C) Work on a project has been completed.
D) Something unexpected happened, and the results are bad news.
Helvetica Regular, Helvetica Light, Helvetica Italic, and Helvetica Bold all belong to
what group?
A) a typeface
B) a type family
C) a type case
D) a type setting
The first phase of usability testing is preparing for the test. What is the final phase?
A) conducting the test
B) interpreting and reporting data from the test
C) telling participants which parts of the test they got wrong
D) thanking participants for their time
Read the following instruction steps for creating an automated index of web files. Then
indicate which instruction steps are NOT CORRECTLY written.
1) Open Windows Explorer to c:\ program files\autoindex\ .
2) Copy the folders containing your web files to the folder named “indexer.” If
autoindex does not contain an indexer folder, you must reinstall the software. See the
installation booklet.
3) Type the appropriate path, for instance, c:\ program files\autoindex\ indexer\
indexer.exe webfolder1, webfolder2, etc.
4) Indexer now has a folder called IndexSearch. The executable file, index.exe, may be
run to view the searchable index of your web files.
A) step 1
B) steps 2 and 3
C) steps 3 and 4
D) steps 2 and 4
People who write proposals are the only technical writers who need to be concerned
with persuasion.
A) True
B) False
In which one of the following pairs are the two paired techniques most similar?
A) expert evaluation and heuristic evaluation
B) focus group and review
C) focus group and heuristic evaluation
D) review and usability test