Question 1

____ are overused, unoriginal, and generally meaningless-and they can trivialize a communication, making the speaker look ignorant and/or insincere.

Accepted Answer

A)  Verbalizations 
B)  Trite expressions 
C)  Inoperative caveats 
D)  Transitions

Question 2

____ writing involves using as few simple words as possible to make a point.

Accepted Answer

A)  Concise 
B)  Candid 
C)  Clever 
D)  Coy

Question 3

An in-text citation and quotation marks are needed for all paraphrases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Which of the following word pairs are redundant?

Accepted Answer

A)  armed guard 
B)  circular drive 
C)  advance planning 
D)  partial payment

Question 5

Which of the following is a strategy for eliminating filler from written communications? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A)  Pretend that each word costs $1. 
B)  Try not to overthink or spend too much time on it. 
C)  Outline before we write the draft. 
D)  Write only one draft.

Question 6

A(n) ____ is when source material is repeated verbatim, using the exact same words and sentence structure to express the exact same idea.

Accepted Answer

A)  paraphrase 
B)  summary 
C)  preposition 
D)  quotation

Question 7

When we summarize, we use mostly the source's own words.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The phrase "needless to say" does not belong in technical communications.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which of the following is not a guideline for achieving concise communications?

Accepted Answer

A)  Omit rhetorical questions. 
B)  Avoid obvious statements. 
C)  Reword clunky prepositional phrases. 
D)  Prefer quotations to paraphrases and summaries.

Question 10

Based on the information provided, which of the following underlined passages is an example of a rhetorical question? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A)  Do you know why? I'll tell you why. Because…. 
B)  And why would he report the accident? After all, he had already seen the victim drive off…. 
C)  Who in here has experienced road rage? Raise your hands, please. 
D)  Is there a reason to believe he would be involved in a hit-and-run? A few years ago, he was caught in….

Question 11

If the source material is long as well as unclear and/or complicated, then we should ____ it.

Accepted Answer

A)  summarize 
B)  quote 
C)  paraphrase 
D)  borrow

Question 12

The foundation of conciseness is focus.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

A typical abstract is approximately how long?

Accepted Answer

A)  3 pages 
B)  1 page 
C)  1 sentence 
D)  1/2 page

Question 14

A(n) ____ word or collection of words is superfluous in that it is merely repeating information that appears elsewhere in the communication.

Accepted Answer

A)  vague 
B)  abstract 
C)  concrete 
D)  redundant

Question 15

As presented in Chapter 10, which of the following is not a reason why law-enforcement agencies use social media? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A)  gathering information about crime 
B)  announcing hirings, promotions, demotions, and firings 
C)  notifying the public 
D)  dating and match-making

Exam 10: Conciseness

____ are overused, unoriginal, and generally meaningless-and they can trivialize a communication, making the speaker look ignorant and/or insincere.

____ writing involves using as few simple words as possible to make a point.

An in-text citation and quotation marks are needed for all paraphrases.

Which of the following word pairs are redundant?

Which of the following is a strategy for eliminating filler from written communications? Select all that apply.

A(n) ____ is when source material is repeated verbatim, using the exact same words and sentence structure to express the exact same idea.

When we summarize, we use mostly the source's own words.

The phrase "needless to say" does not belong in technical communications.

Which of the following is not a guideline for achieving concise communications?

Based on the information provided, which of the following underlined passages is an example of a rhetorical question? Select all that apply.

If the source material is long as well as unclear and/or complicated, then we should ____ it.

The foundation of conciseness is focus.

A typical abstract is approximately how long?

A(n) ____ word or collection of words is superfluous in that it is merely repeating information that appears elsewhere in the communication.

As presented in Chapter 10, which of the following is not a reason why law-enforcement agencies use social media? Select all that apply.