Deck 3: Objectives in Technical Communication

Question 1

In addition to using obscure and unclear words, other obstacles to readers are created when a technical communicator uses

A) jargon.
B) acronyms.
C) abbreviations.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following should be avoided in written communication?

A) short words
B) camouflaged words
C) technical terms
D) active verbs

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The text lists six methods of improving conciseness. Which of the following is not one of them?

A) Limit paragraph length.
B) Use the gestation approach.
C) Use the meat cleaver method of revision.
D) Limit prepositional phrases.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Shun words almost always

A) are unnecessarily wordy.
B) frequently end in "tion."
C) frequently end in "sion."
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 5

Technological advancements have made modern communication more wordy.

Question 6

Words like obtain, disclose, subsequent, and initial are examples of obscure words.

Question 7

To achieve clarity in a sentence, it should have

A) quantifiable details.
B) specific information.
C) broad and general descriptions.
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) A and B

Question 8

In a story mentioned in the text, the importance of proofreading in writing was highlighted by

A) courses given at Fortune 500 companies for proofreading.
B) professional communicators rated grammar as more important and teachers rated mechanics as more important.
C) teachers rating it as more important than professional communicators.
D) a misplaced decimal and a misplaced comma.

Question 9

Sentences may be wordy because you have

A) been redundant.
B) used shun words.
C) used expletives.
D) All of these answers are correct.
E) A and B only

Question 10

Robert Gunning's Fog Index is a mathematical method for determining whether a
paragraph is difficult or easy to read.

Question 11

Using acronyms in technical writing is

A) sometimes acceptable.
B) never acceptable.
C) always acceptable.
D) unavoidable.

Question 12

The text lists five proofreading tips. Two of them are:

A) Read it aloud and omit redundancies.
B) Read one line at a time and use emphatic words.
C) Read it aloud and try printing out a copy.
D) Let someone else read it and avoid shun words.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 13

Four important goals of effective technical communication are clarity, conciseness,
accuracy, and organization.

Question 14

Which of the following is a passive-voice sentence?

A) The deal will be closed tomorrow.
B) The salesman will probably close the deal tomorrow.
C) He will close the deal tomorrow.
D) Truthfully, I hope he closes the deal tomorrow.

Question 15

You can always avoid multisyllabic words in technical communication.

Question 16

Limiting the number of words in each sentence to not more than ____ generally makes the writing more readable.

A) 15 words
B) 17 words
C) 12 words
D) 20 words

Question 17

Which of the following contains no passive-voice structures?

A) The dog was shot by an irate neighbor.
B) How old will Steve be on his next birthday?
C) We couldn't see the sky because the shades had been closed and the curtains had been drawn by whomever was in the room last.
D) While the room was being cleaned by the maid, we waited outside.

Question 18

The ultimate goal of good technical communication is clarity.

Question 19

Answering reporter's questions helps determine which details to include.

Question 20

Examples of camouflaged words are

A) make revisions and have a meeting.
B) at a later moment and arrive at an agreement.
C) with the exception of and consider the implementation of.
D) thanking you in advance and came to the conclusion.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 21

According to the text, only 31% of college graduates could read long and "complex English textbooks and draw complicated inferences" from the material. As a technical communicator, what would you do to make reading such material easier?

Question 22

Which of the following groups of words is an example of wordiness in writing?

A) With the exception of the orange juice, we purchased everything on the list.
B) Enclosed please find two back issues of Scientific American magazine, as requested.
C) We arrived at a decision after only 90 minutes.
D) We collaborated together on the project.

Question 23

How will the shrinking size of technology impact the role of technical communicators and others who write in the world of work in the future? What kinds of equipment fall into this category? Since this is an issue facing professionals in the next decade, be creative and specific with your approach to this challenge.