Deck 2: Meeting the Needs of Specific Audiences

Question 1

Technical documents longer than two pages should be addressed to

A)the primary readers' needs, with appendices or summaries or transmittal letters addressed to secondary readers' needs.
B)the lowest common denominator of technical knowledge possessed by the range of readers for that document.
C)the information needs of all potential readers of the document.
D)whoever makes the decisions related to the topic discussed in the document.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In communicating technical information and analysis, most successful writers

A)do not consider how readers view themselves in their roles.
B)consider how readers view themselves in their roles.
C)automatically discount role behaviour, which affects only emotional messages.
D)address the role issue directly, in a transmittal document.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When selecting the content, structure, format, and phrasing for a document, writers should consider the reader's

A)income level.
B)role needs and priorities.
C)gender.
D)dossier of documents.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Although encoding messages is often difficult, the process of decoding these messages can be even harder because

A)a receiver might possess the same knowledge level as the sender.
B)content (verbal)meanings are not affected by relational (nonverbal)meanings.
C)a receiver might have a different meaning for a word or phrase than the sender.
D)it's difficult to remember the meanings of words.

Question 5

Communication can break down for many reasons, including

A)the time of day.
B)the weather and communications climate.
C)receiver inattentiveness.
D)previous contact between sender and receiver.

Question 6

Some of a reader's information needs can be predicted by

A)the writer's cultural background.
B)the reader's role and job description.
C)the writer's role and job description.
D)format requirements for various kinds of technical documents.

Question 7

Oral communication transmits most of its meanings

A)with the spoken words themselves.
B)with the non-verbal cues that accompany the words.
C)through words whose meanings are coloured or "mediated" non-verbally.
D)directly, without need for reader interpretation.

Question 8

North American readers prefer correspondence and reports that

A)use 28 lb.bond paper.
B)get straight to the point and spell out the meaning directly.
C)provide indirect, somewhat ambiguous messages for readers to interpret.
D)provide mostly graphs and other illustrations, with little or no explanation.

Question 9

According to Edward T.Hall, North American and German cultures are

A)high-context cultures.
B)low-context cultures.
C)identical to Scandinavian cultural attitudes to individualist thinking.
D)identical to Latin American cultural attitudes to individualist thinking.

Question 10

Technical Communication identifies the following levels of document technicality

A)semi-technical, non-technical, and highly technical.
B)grade reading level.
C)percentage of space devoted to technical illustrations.
D)fully technical, partially technical, and layman level.

Question 11

Nonverbal cues convey

A)primarily relational messages.
B)primarily content messages.
C)equal amounts of relational and content messages.
D)information that words cannot convey.

Question 12

Identity needs that influence communication behaviour are essentially the same as

A)practical needs.
B)physical needs.
C)social needs for acceptance, affection, and control.
D)the self-actualization need to determine who we are and project that identity to others.

Question 13

Non-technical readers expect

A)all terms to be defined.
B)technical data to be expressed in terms they use and understand.
C)two versions of a technical document, one technical and one non-technical.
D)frequent visual illustrations.

Question 14

An audience/purpose profile is primarily useful as

A)a statement in the first part of a report's introduction.
B)a component of a report's abstract or executive summary.
C)a tool in planning any document's content, structure, and appearance.
D)proof that the writer has thought carefully about the document.

Question 15

Which of the following letter openings would appeal to a reader from a low-context culture? (The letter tells the reader about a factory workers' strike that has halted production and prevented the writer's company from meeting its promised delivery dates.)

A)We are unable to ship your equipment by June 1 because of a strike at our factory.
B)At this time, we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances we are unable to supply your production equipment that we had, in good faith, undertaken to provide by June 1.This letter explains those circumstances.
C)We trust that this letter finds you and your family in good health and that your business continues to flourish.This letter provides an update on the status of your order for production equipment, which we have agreed will meet your needs most admirably.
D)The idiotic workers have gone on strike, so you can forget about getting your production equipment by November 16.

Question 16

Using the communication model illustrated in Chapter 2 will allow you to

A)accurately and comprehensively predict how your reader will react to a document.
B)understand some of the reasons for the outcome of a given communications exchange.
C)write documents that bypass readers' cultural filters.
D)understand how others think and how they will use your document.

Question 17

Writing has informative value when it

A)conveys knowledge that will be new to the reader.
B)presents information that has never before been made public.
C)not only presents the facts, but also explains what the facts mean.
D)is presented in point form.

Question 18

Specialized technical readers

A)never need technical terms to be defined or explained.
B)expect the technical facts and figures they need, without long explanations.
C)expect extensive theoretical background to precede detailed findings and conclusions.
D)do not want to see visual illustrations.

Question 19

Ethnocentrism

A)promotes understanding of others' cultural practices and standards.
B)is basically the opposite of multiculturalism.
C)often leads to misunderstandings and conflict between cultures.
D)is not a factor in intercultural communication.

Question 20

The main difference between highly technical and semi-technical documents is

A)the sheer amount of descriptive detail in the document.
B)the degree of formality in the document's format.
C)the advanced level of technical detail and the jargon used to present that detail.
D)the kind of headings used to designate sections of the document.

Question 21

The following is an example of a dyad:

A)two fellow workers meet over lunch to discuss a new project.
B)an office manager arranges a conference call with three field employees.
C)two employees and their supervisor meet to discuss production errors
D)the owner of a small firm chastises her employees about excessive travel expenses.

Question 22

The communications model in Chapter 2 uses the term feedback to refer to

A)problems that listeners have with over-amplified electronic equipment.
B)receiver inattentiveness due to sensory overload.
C)vague responses to messages that the receiver didn't understand.
D)verbal and nonverbal responses that help a sender learn about a message transmission's degree of success.

Question 23

Which of the following letter openings would appeal to a reader from a high-context culture? (The letter tells the reader about a factory workers' strike that has halted production and prevented the writer's company from meeting its promised delivery dates.)

A)We are unable to ship your equipment by June 1 because of a strike at our factory.
B)At this time, we regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances we are unable to supply your production equipment that we had, in good faith, undertaken to provide by June 1.This letter explains those circumstances.
C)We trust that this letter finds you and your family in good health and that your business continues to flourish.This letter provides an update on the status of your order for production equipment, which we have agreed will meet your needs most admirably.
D)The idiotic workers have gone on strike, so you can forget about getting your production equipment by November 16.

Question 24

Name the country that uses the following date notation: 15^th May, 2008.

A)Germany
B)Norway
C)Canada
D)United Kingdom