Question 1

It is not appropriate to add appendixes to informational reports.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

If you are writing an informational report for a nontechnical audience, which of the following options is a good strategy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Leave out difficult concepts. 
B)  Keep the number of pages in the report to a minimum. 
C)  Define any important terms that might be unfamiliar to the audience. 
D)  Incorporate many graphics to entertain the audience. 
A)  Leave out difficult concepts. 
B)  Keep the number of pages in the report to a minimum. 
C)  Define any important terms that might be unfamiliar to the audience. 
D)  Incorporate many graphics to entertain the audience.

Question 3

According to Chapter 17, what are the two organizational patterns frequently used in progress reports?

Accepted Answer

According to Chapter 17, which typically

Question 4

In general, why would someone need to write an incident report?

Accepted Answer

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. 
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.

Question 5

A status report is usually organized according to task.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

It is appropriate to use a defensive tone in an informational report if something has not happened according to plan.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

According to Chapter 17, which of the options below is NOT an advantage of using a commercial template to record meeting minutes?

Accepted Answer

A)  The note taker can enter the notes directly into his or her computer rather than typing up written notes afterward. 
B)  The template prompts the note taker to enter information he or she might otherwise overlook. 
C)  The template automatically distributes the minutes to all meeting attendees. 
D)  Because the template is a table, readers quickly become accustomed to reading it and locating the information they need. 
A)  The note taker can enter the notes directly into his or her computer rather than typing up written notes afterward. 
B)  The template prompts the note taker to enter information he or she might otherwise overlook. 
C)  The template automatically distributes the minutes to all meeting attendees. 
D)  Because the template is a table, readers quickly become accustomed to reading it and locating the information they need.

Question 8

Identify three of the issues you should be sure to address in a field report.

Accepted Answer

1. Observations and findings: In a field

Question 9

Which of these is NOT an important question to answer when writing an incident report?

Accepted Answer

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? 
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?

Question 10

A directive is an informational document, not a persuasive one.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

You are a floor supervisor at a manufacturing company. Yesterday, an important piece of equipment failed, stopping production for a full day. You need to explain to the company owners what happened. What kind of report will you write?

Accepted Answer

A)  a directive 
B)  a field report 
C)  a status report 
D)  an incident report 
A)  a directive 
B)  a field report 
C)  a status report 
D)  an incident report

Question 12

According to Chapter 17, what is the primary purpose of a field report?

Accepted Answer

As the question seems to refer to a spec

Question 13

Which of these is NOT a typical field report as described by Chapter 17?

Accepted Answer

A)  a report on a visit to a potential building site for a client's office 
B)  a report on maintenance performed on a broken piece of machinery in a shop 
C)  a report on an inspection conducted at a customer's site 
D)  a report on an experiment conducted in your company's laboratory 
A)  a report on a visit to a potential building site for a client's office 
B)  a report on maintenance performed on a broken piece of machinery in a shop 
C)  a report on an inspection conducted at a customer's site 
D)  a report on an experiment conducted in your company's laboratory

Question 14

What is another name for a status report?

Accepted Answer

Another name for a status report is a pr

Question 15

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?

Accepted Answer

If you find that you will not be able to

Question 16

You are an independent contractor. The due date for your current project falls right after your vacation, which means you are going to miss a deadline to deliver some of the work to your client. Which of the following statements in a progress report sent before your deadline is most ethical?

Accepted Answer

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 final tasks on this project. I might need 1-2 extra days to complete everything. 
D)  I have never missed a deadline with a client. 
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 final tasks on this project. I might need 1-2 extra days to complete everything. 
D)  I have never missed a deadline with a client.

Question 17

The primary purpose of a directive is to direct the reader to additional sources of information.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Progress reports are similar to, but not identical to, status reports. 
B)  Correctly written meeting minutes record everything that occurs at the meeting. 
C)  Field reports may conclude with suggestions for future action. 
D)  Incident reports are appropriate for describing accidents that occur in the workplace. 
A)  Progress reports are similar to, but not identical to, status reports. 
B)  Correctly written meeting minutes record everything that occurs at the meeting. 
C)  Field reports may conclude with suggestions for future action. 
D)  Incident reports are appropriate for describing accidents that occur in the workplace.

Question 19

Chapter 17 notes that, in writing meeting minutes, you should be comprehensive and clear. According to the chapter, what else should you do?

Accepted Answer

A)  Be objective and diplomatic. 
B)  Record emotional exchanges between participants. 
C)  Record the details of any disagreements. 
D)  Create a planning document for use in preparing for the group's next meeting. 
A)  Be objective and diplomatic. 
B)  Record emotional exchanges between participants. 
C)  Record the details of any disagreements. 
D)  Create a planning document for use in preparing for the group's next meeting.

Question 20

What is the difference between a progress report and a status report?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no difference. 
B)  A progress report communicates the current status of an ongoing project, whereas a status report is an update on the entire range of operations of a department or division of an organization. 
C)  A status report communicates the current status of an ongoing project, whereas a progress report is an update on the entire range of operations of a department or division of an organization. 
D)  A progress report is written for readers outside of the originating organization, whereas a status report is written for readers within the organization. 
A)  There is no difference. 
B)  A progress report communicates the current status of an ongoing project, whereas a status report is an update on the entire range of operations of a department or division of an organization. 
C)  A status report communicates the current status of an ongoing project, whereas a progress report is an update on the entire range of operations of a department or division of an organization. 
D)  A progress report is written for readers outside of the originating organization, whereas a status report is written for readers within the organization.

Exam 17: Writing Informational Reports

It is not appropriate to add appendixes to informational reports.

If you are writing an informational report for a nontechnical audience, which of the following options is a good strategy?

According to Chapter 17, what are the two organizational patterns frequently used in progress reports?

In general, why would someone need to write an incident report?

A status report is usually organized according to task.

It is appropriate to use a defensive tone in an informational report if something has not happened according to plan.

According to Chapter 17, which of the options below is NOT an advantage of using a commercial template to record meeting minutes?

Identify three of the issues you should be sure to address in a field report.

Which of these is NOT an important question to answer when writing an incident report?

A directive is an informational document, not a persuasive one.

You are a floor supervisor at a manufacturing company. Yesterday, an important piece of equipment failed, stopping production for a full day. You need to explain to the company owners what happened. What kind of report will you write?

According to Chapter 17, what is the primary purpose of a field report?

Which of these is NOT a typical field report as described by Chapter 17?

What is another name for a status report?

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?

You are an independent contractor. The due date for your current project falls right after your vacation, which means you are going to miss a deadline to deliver some of the work to your client. Which of the following statements in a progress report sent before your deadline is most ethical?

The primary purpose of a directive is to direct the reader to additional sources of information.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Chapter 17 notes that, in writing meeting minutes, you should be comprehensive and clear. According to the chapter, what else should you do?

What is the difference between a progress report and a status report?

Introduction to Technical Communication

Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations

Writing Technical Documents

Writing Collaboratively

Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose

Researching Your Subject

Organizing Your Information

Communicating Persuasively

Emphasizing Important Information

Writing Correct and Effective Sentences

Designing Print and Online Documents

Creating Graphics

Evaluating and Testing Technical Documents

Corresponding in Print and Online

Applying for a Job

Writing Proposals

Writing Recommendation Reports

Writing Lab Reports

Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions

Making Oral Presentations

Filters