Deck 5: Letters, Memos, and E-Mail

Question 1

Which of the following situations are exceptions to the "you" style guideline?

A) when presenting negative information
B) when you are writing to more than one person
C) when you are writing as part of a team
D) All of the above are correct.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Mapping can help

A) generate content.
B) provide a timeline.
C) fill space.
D) determine the readers' perspective.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Letters are generally written to

A) people outside of the company.
B) family and friends.
C) superiors.
D) All of the above are correct.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

You have recently received a notice from your Homeowner's Association (HOA) that the flagpole that you just installed violates the HOA rules. You were not aware of this rule when you purchased and installed the flagpole. Write the Homeowner's Association a letter asking them to reconsider their rule or make an exception for the flagpole that you have installed. When you are finished, trade your letter with another student (or small group if you are working in groups). Write a response letter either granting or denying the homeowner's request. Make up details such as names and address, but use an appropriate tone and follow the guidelines set forth in the textbook.

Question 5

Salutations and signatures are not included in memos.

Question 6

People who will take action after they read your message are readers.

A) tertiary
B) primary
C) gatekeeper
D) secondary

Question 7

Your conclusion should

A) restate your main point.
B) look to the future.
C) thank the readers.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 8

What are some guidelines for using e-mail internationally?

Question 9

Guidelines for writing an adjustment include

A) taking blame for the problem.
B) expressing regret for the problem.
C) avoiding timelines for results unless company lawyers are involved.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 10

Which of the following refers to a technical description?

A) Manufacturers use these to describe their products for patents, quality control, and sales.
B) These describe a product in great detail, providing exact information about features, dimensions, power requirements, capacities, and other qualities.
C) Naturalists, anthropologists, sociologists, and others use these to help them accurately describe people, animals, and places.
D) Scientists and medical personnel describe what they observe in great detail, so they can measure changes in their patients' conditions.

Question 11

E-mails should be written to people

A) inside the company.
B) outside the company.
C) with whom you have developed only a personal friendship.
D) inside and outside the company.

Question 12

Access a print copy or electronic copy of your local newspaper. Find an article about a local event, political issue, or concern and write a letter to the editor expressing your views. Follow the guidelines in the book. Remember to use the "you" style and an appropriate tone.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT part of researching before writing a technical description?

A) taking measurements
B) describing the context
C) using your senses
D) partitioning

Question 14

Which of the following options is NOT a partitioning strategy mentioned in

A) by features
B) by stages of a process
C) by date
D) by functions

Question 15

Documents that explain the reason enclosed materials are being sent are known as

A) inquiries.
B) responses.
C) transmittal letters.
D) claim letters.

Question 16

Where should the inside address appear?

A) two lines below the date or return address
B) two lines above the date or return address
C) two lines below the signature
D) two lines below the greeting

Question 17

Why should you avoid the use of bureaucratic phrasing?

Question 18

Texting is never an appropriate way to communicate with co-workers.

Question 19

Which of the following sections provides a "context" for the rest of the letter by defining subject, purpose, and main point?

A) body
B) header
C) conclusion
D) introduction

Question 20

CHAPTER 6: Technical Descriptions and Specifications

Question 21

Titles and last names are an unnecessary formality in international e-mails.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT usually included in a sentence definition?

A) term
B) etymology
C) class
D) characteristics

Question 23

"The heart is a pump: it has valves and chambers." This statement is an example of an analogy.

Question 24

Select a topic of interest (for example, motorcycles or video game systems). Divide your topic into parts. Follow the four steps to partition your item, place, or process. Turn in your partition to your instructor with an explanation as to why partitioning your topic in this way could be helpful as part of a technical description or specification.

Question 25

At what stage of writing a technical description should a purpose statement be included?

A) organizing and drafting
B) planning
C) researching
D) partitioning

Question 26

What is an extended definition?

Question 27

Which of the following is used to present an image of the subject by equating two different things?

A) metaphor
B) sensory description
C) analogy
D) simile

Question 28

In which style are most technical descriptions written?

A) plain style
B) technical jargon
C) literary
D) abstract

Question 29

Which design feature is inconsistent with good design?
a. listing any minor parts in bulleted lists
b. using one column of text to maximize space
c. using headings to clarify the organization
d. putting measurements in a table

Question 30

What type of title is best?

A) a clear title
B) one that identifies the purpose of the document
C) a specific title
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 31

Use a simile, analogy, or metaphor to describe the following terms: a human hand, a rose, a diesel engine, a Polaroid camera, an MP3 player.

Question 32

ISO9000 is a government-mandated quality control standard.

Question 33

TB (5e)
Technical descriptions tend to be written for readers who are unfamiliar with the subject.

Question 34

Which of the following help produce a plain, simple style for technical descriptions?

A) keeping sentences short
B) focusing on need to know details
C) removing subjective qualifiers like "very," "hard," "amazing."
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 35

Use the Internet to visit a website that allows side-by-side comparisons. Many cellular phone carriers and retailers like Best Buy offer this service on their websites. Select three items in the same category to compare. Write a recommendation to a friend about which of the three items you would choose based on the information available to you. In addition, write your instructor a memo indicating how the company uses partitioning strategies in their comparison feature. Was it effective or ineffective? Why?

Question 36

What steps should you take in the planning stages as you prepare to write a technical description?
EXERCISE