Question 1

Writing for conciseness means you write for…

Accepted Answer

A)   Clarity
B)   Brevity
C)   Clarity and brevity.
D)   Accessibility A

Question 2

Chapter 4 describes reasons to adjust style to the needs of your readers. Name these reasons and explain how they affect style. You may want to use a concrete example to help express why the four reasons are important considerations when planning a communication.

Accepted Answer

Effective writers adjust their style to the needs of their readers:
readers' knowledge of the subject - this helps you select the terminology and jargon you will include.
readers' expectations about style based on the specific kind of writing - this helps you identify that type of document or format you will use or a required template
readers' probable reading level based on the context in which they will read the document - this helps you select your sentence length and helps you write for clarity
the writer's relationship to readers-the professional roles of both writer and readers - this helps you understand what type of information to include and the complexity of the information

Question 3

Performing a thorough, detailed analysis of the rhetorical situation and determining your readers' knowledge of the subject, their expectations about the style, and their probable reading level, as well as knowing the purpose of your communication, you are able to more effectively…

Accepted Answer

A)   Write clear prose.
B)   Write concise prose.
C)   Adjust the style to the readers, the purpose, and the context.
D)   All of the above. D

Question 4

How many words is considered to be a long sentence?

Accepted Answer

A)   Five to 10
B)   Ten to fifteen
C)   Fifteen to twenty
D)   At a minimum of five words that are complex or ten words that are simple.

Question 5

How might knowledge of the audience's technical expertise affect style?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How might knowledge of the audience's technical...

Question 6

What is one aspect of your reader you must consider in order to adjust your style to meet their needs?

Accepted Answer

A)   The readers' knowledge of the subject.
B)   The readers' expectations about the type of style that should be used.
C)   The readers' context of use.
D)   All of the above.

Question 7

Chapter 4 describes the four key elements to developing effective, clear paragraphs.
Effective paragraphs don't happen by accident. Explain the four elements of effective paragraphs from the textbook and how each contributes to a clear, concise style.
escribes reasons to adjust style to the needs of your readers. Name these reasons and explain how they affect style. You may want to use a concrete example to help express why the four reasons are important considerations when planning a communication.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Chapter 4 describes the four key elements...

Question 8

Evaluate the sentences below for this question:
1) John loves Mary because she inherited money.
2) Mary's inheritance of money was one of the reasons for John's interest in Mary.

Accepted Answer

A)   Sentence 2 is clearer because it has a higher verb/word ratio.
B)   Sentence 1 is clearer because it has a higher verb/word ratio.
C)   Sentence 2 is clearer because of the parallel structure between "Mary's" and "John's."
D)   Sentence 1 is clearer because of the parallel structure between "Mary's" and "John's."

Question 9

Determining your readers' knowledge level of the subject you are writing about helps you to select…

Accepted Answer

A)   The terminology and jargon you will use in the communication.
B)   The type of paper you will print your communication on.
C)   How you will deliver your communication.
D)   The color font you will use.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of active voice?

Accepted Answer

A)   Most of the work for this project has been performed by my assistant.
B)   The product surface is reconstructed to comply with tolerance specifications.
C)   The division staff attempted to assess the project using quantitative data.
D)   The gap is filled by a course-grained reconfigurable architecture.

Question 11

For each of the following words, provide a shorter, simpler word that would be more appropriate when writing for clarity.
utilize
anticipate
cooperate
indicate
prohibit

Accepted Answer

The answer of For each of the following words, provide...

Question 12

What is a contributor to your readers' disregarding your writing?

Accepted Answer

A)   It is not written in their language.
B)   Poor or ineffective style.
C)   When readers must keep rereading paragraphs and sentences that becomes distracting.
D)   Both b and c.

Question 13

Elaine asks, "Do you recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate plastics?" Why is this an ineffective, poorly written question?

Accepted Answer

A)   Elaine's audience may not be familiar with the term, "Polyethylene Terephthalate," which is the complex term for the most common form of recyclable plastic identified with a, "1," on the bottom; thus, she her audience may not understand the term and not be able to answer correctly or honestly.
B)   Elaine is using the exact scientific term.
C)   Elaine is distracting her audience with pompous language.
D)   It is written clearly; it isn't a bad question.

Question 14

Part of your role as a content writer for an engineering firm requires you to review and proofread co-workers' communications prior to being published on your corporate website. A co-worker in the marketing department wrote a few paragraphs about a new device that was going to be released soon and asked you to review it prior to it being released to the public. He wrote:
We are excited to launch the new digital wireless sensor that knows your needs before you do. This sensor measures medical data and transfers it to your medical provider at another location via telecommunication technology. Although no human testing has been done as of yet, that we know of, we know this will be a huge step for the medical community in being able to bring healthcare to patients around the country. Also, it is suppose to be pretty easy to use, we believe, because it there are only three steps to take to hook it up to your body and send the medical data to your provider. Remember the date of June 21, that is the date it is coming out.
Re-write the paragraph for clarity and with attention to a target audience of an older demographic. Next, writer a brief response to your co-worker about the changes you made and why. You can include references from Chapter 4 to support your argument and defend your decisions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Part of your role as a content...

Question 15

How can you achieve "squeaky clean prose?"

Accepted Answer

A)   Use words readers' understand and are familiar with.
B)   Write logical and concise paragraphs.
C)   Use a variety of sentences of moderate length.
D)   All of the above.

Question 16

Elaine asks, "Do you recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate plastics?" Why is this an ineffective, poorly written question?

Accepted Answer

A)   Elaine's audience may not be familiar with the term, "Polyethylene Terephthalate," which is the complex term for the most common form of recyclable plastic identified with a, "1," on the bottom; thus, she her audience may not understand the term and not be able to answer correctly or honestly.
B)   Elaine is using the exact scientific term.
C)   Elaine is distracting her audience with pompous language.
D)   It is written clearly; it isn't a bad question.

Question 17

What does style refer to?

Accepted Answer

A)   Your attention to an audience's needs.
B)   Your sense of fashion.
C)   The clothes you wear to work.
D)   The way you express your ideas in a document, including how you write paragraphs, sentences, and the words and phrases you choose.

Question 18

What is a paragraph?

Accepted Answer

A)   A group of words that are placed together to create meaning.
B)   The punctuation you use in a sentence.
C)   A paragraph is a group of sentences that begins with a statement of the central idea, called the topic sentence, followed by supporting sentences in a logical order.
D)   The distracting pop-ups that appear on the side of websites.

Question 19

In active voice, the agent…

Accepted Answer

A)   is acted upon.
B)   does the action.
C)   is always a human being.
D)   does not appear in the sentence.

Question 20

In the below sentence, select a more clear term to replace the underlined word.
The project is going to be terminated if you do not perform your part of the work.

Accepted Answer

A)   Ended
B)   Halted
C)   Progressed
D)   Dead ended

Exam 4: Achieving a Readable Style

Writing for conciseness means you write for…

Chapter 4 describes reasons to adjust style to the needs of your readers. Name these reasons and explain how they affect style. You may want to use a concrete example to help express why the four reasons are important considerations when planning a communication.

Performing a thorough, detailed analysis of the rhetorical situation and determining your readers' knowledge of the subject, their expectations about the style, and their probable reading level, as well as knowing the purpose of your communication, you are able to more effectively…

How many words is considered to be a long sentence?

How might knowledge of the audience's technical expertise affect style?

What is one aspect of your reader you must consider in order to adjust your style to meet their needs?

Evaluate the sentences below for this question: 1) John loves Mary because she inherited money. 2) Mary's inheritance of money was one of the reasons for John's interest in Mary.

Determining your readers' knowledge level of the subject you are writing about helps you to select…

Which of the following is an example of active voice?

For each of the following words, provide a shorter, simpler word that would be more appropriate when writing for clarity. utilize anticipate cooperate indicate prohibit

What is a contributor to your readers' disregarding your writing?

Elaine asks, "Do you recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate plastics?" Why is this an ineffective, poorly written question?

How can you achieve "squeaky clean prose?"

Elaine asks, "Do you recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate plastics?" Why is this an ineffective, poorly written question?

What does style refer to?

What is a paragraph?

In active voice, the agent…

In the below sentence, select a more clear term to replace the underlined word. The project is going to be terminated if you do not perform your part of the work.