Deck 11: Writing Professionally: Process and Style

Question 1

By clear writing,we mean:

A) writing that is simple,familiar and 'visible'.
B) writing that attains the writer's highest intellectual level.
C) writing that describes everything in detail.
D) writing that helps readers expand their vocabularies.
E) writing that is supported with graphics.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an element of the readership model put forth by Janice Redish?

A) Readers decide how much attention to pay to a document.
B) Readers expect a wide variety of writing techniques to be used by competent writers.
C) Readers use documents as tools.
D) Readers actively interpret as they read.
E) Readers interpret documents in light of their own knowledge and expectations.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT one of the 4P's for writing?

A) Present situation
B) Proposal
C) Place
D) Problem
E) Possible solutions

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is the most concise sentence?

A) Bad luck.
B) It is apparent and obvious,therefore,that sound knowledge of letter composition and cultivation of the accurate thinking by which it must be accompanied should constitute an exceedingly worthwhile accomplishment.
C) Graduate students looking for good teaching jobs face an uncertain future.
D) In the case of the spaceship,there is an uncertainty factor as to whether the data communicated from it will be satisfactory in respect of the aims of the experiment.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true concerning De Bono's ideas on thinking?

A) Green hat thinking is about caution and logical negatives.
B) Yellow hat thinking is about avoiding confrontation.
C) Red hat thinking is about intuition and feeling.
D) Blue hat thinking is about honesty.
E) White hat thinking is about control.

Question 6

What is the main purpose of punctuation?

A) To demonstrate excellence in writing.
B) To present ideas clearly.
C) To convey appropriate tone.
D) To show that the writer is old-fashioned.
E) To appeal to readers who like that sort of thing.

Question 7

Which of the following is the main reason that a writer would use a thesaurus?

A) The writer cannot find his/her dictionary.
B) To discover the meaning of a word.
C) To discover the origin and history of the word.
D) To find an exact word to best describe an idea.
E) To translate a word into another language.

Question 8

Which of the following sentences contain tautologies?

A) Jim travelled to China yesterday.
B) Although the address was limited to only one controversial topic,the discussion that subsequently followed was based on mutual agreement.
C) Six people attended the committee meeting.
D) An interview was scheduled with the office manager.
E) Economic conditions are deteriorating.

Question 9

Which of the following is true about editing and reviewing written work?

A) Good writers don't need to have their work edited or reviewed.
B) Most students are keen to go over their work once it appears to be complete.
C) The composition stage is more important than the editing stage.
D) It is easier to see flaws in another's writing than it is to edit your own work.
E) When reviewing someone else's work it is best to not highlight any problems in the text,so you don't bruise the writer's ego.

Question 10

A good writer will try to understand the needs of their readers.Which of the following is NOT an example of a question a good writer would reflect on in order to understand audience needs?

A) How much prior knowledge is my audience likely to already have about this topic?
B) How much interest will my audience have in this topic?
C) Will my audience understand technical terms?
D) Will my audience have any expectations around style and tone?
E) Does the publisher have expectations around the formatting of computer files?

Question 11

Which of the following is generally true about emphasis?

A) If you put the main idea at the beginning of a sentence,readers will find it harder to remember.
B) If you put the main idea at the beginning of a sentence,readers will find it easier to remember.
C) If you put the main idea at the beginning of a sentence,you will attract immediate attention.
D) If you put the main idea at the beginning of a sentence,readers will find the sentence more coherent.
E) If you put the main idea at the beginning of a sentence,readers will find the sentence more concise.

Question 12

Which of the following are the 5W's?

A) Who,what,when,where,why
B) Which,who,what,where,why
C) How,what,when ,where,why
D) Which,who,what,where,how
E) Who,what,when,where,which

Question 13

When you write as part of a team,which of the following writing techniques contribute to an effective outcome?

A) Competing with each other to impress the boss.
B) Criticising each other's vocabulary and grammar.
C) Allowing the work of individual writers to stand out.
D) Standardising the format to produce the appearance of single authorship.
E) Focusing on the project costs.

Question 14

Once you have a written draft,editing techniques can be applied to improve the composition.Put the following nine editing tasks in the order recommended by the textbook:

A)Add visual impact.
B)Check references.
C)Analyse the introduction.
D)Do a full review of spelling,grammar,sentence and paragraph structure,and word usage.
E)Review the conclusion.
F)Work through the body of the paper.
G)Review the format and appearance.
H)Do a last and final review,reading the paper aloud or allowing someone else to have a look.
I)Make a point-form outline of the draft.

Question 15

What is good writing?

A) Writing that narrows the communication gap between sender and receiver.
B) Writing that strictly conforms to all the rules of spelling and grammar.
C) Writing that avoids slang and jargon.
D) Writing that strictly follows a formula.
E) Writing that is strictly planned and structured from the beginning.

Question 16

Which of the following sentences is NOT ambiguous?

A) If the paint is too thin,the door cannot be painted because it will not last.
B) When I entered the room,the chief accountant was reading a letter to his secretary.
C) The conference will be held later this year at a time to be determined.
D) Joan told Anne that her husband had been promoted.
E) Great Britain cannot grow her own food,as she has a large population and little space in which to grow it.

Question 17

Readers interpret documents in light of their own knowledge.Which of the following is an example of this?

A) David has read several articles about railway systems before .
B) David prefers to skim headings for critical information.
C) David needs to access critical information about railway systems.
D) David would like to see diagrams,as well as written text,about railway systems.
E) David prefers bullet points in documents.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a task in the review of someone else's written work?

A) Examine the writing carefully.
B) Looking for incorrect spelling and grammar.
C) Forcing the writer to accept your suggestions.
D) Picking up on inappropriate style.
E) Looking for inconsistent logic.

Question 19

Which of the following sentences is an example of ambiguity?

A) It is the consensus of opinion of our Human Resources Committee that work stoppages would decrease considerably and substantially if the equipment were kept in constant and complete repair.
B) The fact that you were provoked perhaps mitigates but certainly does not justify your action in attacking your companion.
C) Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address while travelling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope.
D) Jacaranda and fig trees were planted alternately along the footpath.
E) The tendency to make social contacts is a constant factor in the sphere of human relationships.