Question 1

Data sources could be unreliable if they are

Accepted Answer

A) accompanied by careful listing of the sources of the data. 
B) published by reputable sources. 
C) published by a corporation. 
D) biased in favour of an interest group's agenda. 
A) accompanied by careful listing of the sources of the data. 
B) published by reputable sources. 
C) published by a corporation. 
D) biased in favour of an interest group's agenda. D

Question 2

Use a direct quotation only when

Accepted Answer

A) you don't have your own opinion on the subject. 
B) you need additional authority to back up your opinion. 
C) specific examples, facts, and statistics need to be presented. 
D) precision, clarity, or emphasis requires the exact words from the original. 
A) you don't have your own opinion on the subject. 
B) you need additional authority to back up your opinion. 
C) specific examples, facts, and statistics need to be presented. 
D) precision, clarity, or emphasis requires the exact words from the original. D

Question 3

Plagiarism is defined as the

Accepted Answer

A) the intentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. 
B) the unintentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. 
C) the intentional attempt to mislead the reader. 
D) the intentional or unintentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. 
A) the intentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. 
B) the unintentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. 
C) the intentional attempt to mislead the reader. 
D) the intentional or unintentional lack of credit for someone else's words or ideas. D

Question 4

When you quote the exact words from another person's work, you must

Accepted Answer

A) underline those words. 
B) place those words within quotation marks. 
C) italicize those words. 
D) place those words within brackets. 
A) underline those words. 
B) place those words within quotation marks. 
C) italicize those words. 
D) place those words within brackets.

Question 5

Effective causal reasoning

Accepted Answer

A) identifies and rules out potential causes, in order to arrive at the most probable causes. 
B) looks for no more than two possible causes for each result. 
C) depends entirely on detailed accurate data that can suggest possible causes. 
D) invents causes when none are readily apparent. 
A) identifies and rules out potential causes, in order to arrive at the most probable causes. 
B) looks for no more than two possible causes for each result. 
C) depends entirely on detailed accurate data that can suggest possible causes. 
D) invents causes when none are readily apparent.

Question 6

Sanitized statistics result from

Accepted Answer

A) quantifying something so vague that it should only be approximated. 
B) using a mean or a median when the mode should have been used. 
C) manipulating numbers to obscure the facts and make a situation appear positive. 
D) entering rounded numbers into calculations. 
A) quantifying something so vague that it should only be approximated. 
B) using a mean or a median when the mode should have been used. 
C) manipulating numbers to obscure the facts and make a situation appear positive. 
D) entering rounded numbers into calculations.

Question 7

When deciding how to interpret our research findings, we should choose

Accepted Answer

A) the conclusive answer (definitive truth). 
B) the probable answer. 
C) the inconclusive answer. 
D) the level of certainty the findings warrant. 
A) the conclusive answer (definitive truth). 
B) the probable answer. 
C) the inconclusive answer. 
D) the level of certainty the findings warrant.

Question 8

The IMRAD pattern is a form of

Accepted Answer

A) deductive reasoning. 
B) inductive reasoning. 
C) circular reasoning. 
D) rhetorical double blind. 
A) deductive reasoning. 
B) inductive reasoning. 
C) circular reasoning. 
D) rhetorical double blind.

Question 9

To avoid plagiarism when quoting or paraphrasing statements, you must

Accepted Answer

A) place quotation marks around quoted or paraphrased material. 
B) include a permission statement from the author or rights holder of the "borrowed" material. 
C) use a textual note or footnote to cite the source of the quoted or paraphrased statement. 
D) introduce each quoted or paraphrased statement with an explanation of its origin. 
A) place quotation marks around quoted or paraphrased material. 
B) include a permission statement from the author or rights holder of the "borrowed" material. 
C) use a textual note or footnote to cite the source of the quoted or paraphrased statement. 
D) introduce each quoted or paraphrased statement with an explanation of its origin.

Question 10

Inductive reasoning

Accepted Answer

A) argues from general principles to specific cases. 
B) always uses analogy. 
C) argues from specific cases to general principles. 
D) uses statistics as its main source of proof. 
A) argues from general principles to specific cases. 
B) always uses analogy. 
C) argues from specific cases to general principles. 
D) uses statistics as its main source of proof.

Question 11

Analogy works on the assumption that

Accepted Answer

A) all events have causes and those causes can be determined. 
B) what happens in one environment may happen in another if the conditions in both environments are similar. 
C) all reasoning includes several related and comparable elements. 
D) people will believe anything that's told in story form. 
A) all events have causes and those causes can be determined. 
B) what happens in one environment may happen in another if the conditions in both environments are similar. 
C) all reasoning includes several related and comparable elements. 
D) people will believe anything that's told in story form.

Question 12

Paraphrasing is defined as

Accepted Answer

A) a slightly altered version of someone else's words. 
B) restating the original idea in one's own words and acknowledging the source. 
C) restating the original idea in one's own words without acknowledging the source. 
D) assimilating another's ideas into one's own knowledge bank. 
A) a slightly altered version of someone else's words. 
B) restating the original idea in one's own words and acknowledging the source. 
C) restating the original idea in one's own words without acknowledging the source. 
D) assimilating another's ideas into one's own knowledge bank.

Question 13

Distorted percentage figures result from

Accepted Answer

A) using very large numbers. 
B) listing numbers that exceed normal ranges. 
C) introducing a percentage figure with a misleading phrase. 
D) reporting the figure without revealing the numbers used to calculate the percentage. 
A) using very large numbers. 
B) listing numbers that exceed normal ranges. 
C) introducing a percentage figure with a misleading phrase. 
D) reporting the figure without revealing the numbers used to calculate the percentage.

Question 14

The following statement is an example of deductive reasoning:

Accepted Answer

A) Girls are smarter than boys because of cultural conditioning. 
B) The weather's usually fair here in September, so we'll schedule the company picnic for September 12. 
C) Bill, Cora, and Imre have all scored above 93 percent in all four math exams this semester, so we expect these strong students to do well on the final exam. 
D) I doubt that the Leafs will ever win another Stanley Cup. 
A) Girls are smarter than boys because of cultural conditioning. 
B) The weather's usually fair here in September, so we'll schedule the company picnic for September 12. 
C) Bill, Cora, and Imre have all scored above 93 percent in all four math exams this semester, so we expect these strong students to do well on the final exam. 
D) I doubt that the Leafs will ever win another Stanley Cup.

Question 15

Wikipedia's open-source philosophy and its millions of articles mean that

Accepted Answer

A) its articles are consistently reliable and complete. 
B) Wikipedia provides "one-stop-shopping" for researchers of all types. 
C) the site must basically rely on continuous updating and honest editing to keep its material accurate and reliable. 
D) all Wikipedia articles can be fully trusted. 
A) its articles are consistently reliable and complete. 
B) Wikipedia provides "one-stop-shopping" for researchers of all types. 
C) the site must basically rely on continuous updating and honest editing to keep its material accurate and reliable. 
D) all Wikipedia articles can be fully trusted.

Question 16

Deductive reasoning

Accepted Answer

A) argues from authoritative statements made by well-known sources. 
B) argues from general principles to specific cases. 
C) argues from specific cases to general principles. 
D) is immune to errors in reasoning. 
A) argues from authoritative statements made by well-known sources. 
B) argues from general principles to specific cases. 
C) argues from specific cases to general principles. 
D) is immune to errors in reasoning.

Question 17

Copyright protection of intellectual property in electronic form is

Accepted Answer

A) clearly described by Canadian copyright laws. 
B) not as clearly defined as copyright for print materials. 
C) not an issue because everything on the internet is public property. 
D) covered by Bill C-61, which was passed in 2008. 
A) clearly described by Canadian copyright laws. 
B) not as clearly defined as copyright for print materials. 
C) not an issue because everything on the internet is public property. 
D) covered by Bill C-61, which was passed in 2008.

Question 18

Standards of proof (required for a high level of certainty in a report's conclusions)

Accepted Answer

A) vary considerably from one culture to another. 
B) are consistent from one culture to another. 
C) can be defined exactly. 
D) are not really important as long as your reasoning is impeccable. 
A) vary considerably from one culture to another. 
B) are consistent from one culture to another. 
C) can be defined exactly. 
D) are not really important as long as your reasoning is impeccable.

Question 19

Properly quoted material must

Accepted Answer

A) include seven or more words. 
B) not exceed three lines. 
C) use a different font than the surrounding text. 
D) copy the words exactly, or use an ellipsis to indicate omitted words. 
A) include seven or more words. 
B) not exceed three lines. 
C) use a different font than the surrounding text. 
D) copy the words exactly, or use an ellipsis to indicate omitted words.

Exam 8: Evaluating and Interpreting Information

Data sources could be unreliable if they are

Use a direct quotation only when

Plagiarism is defined as the

When you quote the exact words from another person's work, you must

Effective causal reasoning

Sanitized statistics result from

When deciding how to interpret our research findings, we should choose

The IMRAD pattern is a form of

To avoid plagiarism when quoting or paraphrasing statements, you must

Inductive reasoning

Analogy works on the assumption that

Paraphrasing is defined as

Distorted percentage figures result from

The following statement is an example of deductive reasoning:

Wikipedia's open-source philosophy and its millions of articles mean that

Deductive reasoning

Copyright protection of intellectual property in electronic form is

Standards of proof (required for a high level of certainty in a report's conclusions)

Properly quoted material must

Introduction to Technical Communication

Meeting the Needs of Specific Audiences

Persuading Your Audience

Weighing the Ethical Issues

Teamwork and Global Considerations

An Overview of the Technical Writing Process

Thinking Critically About the Research Process

Summarizing Research Findings and Other Information

Organizing for Readers

Editing for a Professional Style and Tone

Designing Visual Information

Designing Pages and Documents

Email

Workplace Memos and Letters

Résumés and Other Job-Search Materials

Technical Definitions

Technical Descriptions, Specifications, and Marketing Materials

Instructions and Procedures

Informal Reports

Formal Analytical Reports

Proposals

Oral Presentations and Video Conferencing

Blogs, Wikis, and Web Pages

Social Media

Filters