Deck 17: Technical Definitions

Question 1

In instruction manuals, italics should be used

A)to indicate the proprietary names of products or the names of publications.
B)to quote experts who comment on the use of the device featured in the manual.
C)to emphasize key words or phrases.
D)to indicate when a joke is being made.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Design graphics (such as coloured headings, italics, bolding, underlining, spacing, and appropriate symbols)provide the following benefit:

A)they contribute to a professional appearance.
B)they provide a welcome break from blocks and blocks of paragraphs.
C)they make the textual information easier to understand.
D)they help create a modern, dressed-up look.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The best way(s)for a manual writer to determine a manual's contents is to

A)try using the device or try performing the desired actions.
B)look at manuals for similar products or processes.
C)analyze the projected readership and the manual's purpose.
D)use the "Action Structure."

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Manuals have the following major advantage

A)user and maintenance manuals legally ensure that a company cannot be sued for a faulty product.
B)well-written manuals endear a company to its customers and help sell products.
C)the cost of producing a manual is built into the product's price.
D)good manuals eliminate complaints and help desk inquiries.

Question 5

Manuals are primarily written to

A)reduce the cost of help line service and warranty work.
B)make the sponsoring company look good.
C)help purchasers get the most out of the items they have purchased.
D)improve employee productivity.

Question 6

Quantitative usability testing should be

A)avoided if at all possible.
B)used as a first test, before employing focus groups.
C)used as a second test of usability.
D)used as a final check on usability.

Question 7

Qualitative usability testing uses the following method

A)focus groups respond to a series of targeted questions.
B)an individual user responds to his/her reading of a section in the manual.
C)a test team measures a control group's time to perform the instructions.
D)a test team measures a control group's accuracy in performing the instructions.

Question 8

Most full-length manuals are written, illustrated, and designed by

A)a single manual writer.
B)a team comprised of several people whose main job is to produce manuals.
C)a manual writer who collaborates with product designers, page designers, graphic designers, and marketing people.
D)the person who designed or developed the equipment, processes, or substances discussed in the manual.

Question 9

Alpha-level usability testing is done by

A)the actual users of the product or document.
B)focus groups who are hired to test drive the document.
C)the product designers or manual writers.
D)a supervisor of the manual writer.

Question 10

Manual cover pages and title pages contain

A)several of the same pieces of information.
B)exactly the same information, but in a different order of parts.
C)exactly the same information, except for the publication date on the cover page.
D)much different information because they have different purposes.

Question 11

The main challenge in writing and designing manuals is

A)how to keep the manual short.
B)how to reduce the reader's reluctance to use the manual.
C)how to determine the manual's readers' needs and knowledge levels.
D)how to produce the manual.

Question 12

Beta-level usability testing is done by

A)the actual users of the product or document.
B)focus groups who are hired to test drive the document.
C)the product designers or manual writers.
D)a supervisor of the manual writer.

Question 13

Manuals typically follow this pattern:

A)the same pattern as reports: Introduction; Detailed Information and Analysis; Conclusion.
B)background; detailed instructions; appendixes.
C)an introduction followed by a series of instructional sections that suit the manual's purpose and content.
D)a chronological pattern that follows the order in which a device would be prepared and used.

Question 14

Online and multimedia manuals have the following unique usability issue:

A)they're used primarily for training
B)streaming video is very important
C)online readers need constant orientation
D)they're expensive to produce

Question 15

The best way to test a manual's readability is to

A)use objective readability indexes such as the Fog Index.
B)place it on the market to see if people will buy it.
C)have members of the target market test the manual's usability.
D)ask members of a university English department to rate the manual.

Question 16

Manuals should use strong fonts such as

A)Trebuchet.
B)Verdana.
C)Courier.
D)Arial.

Question 17

Headings and subheadings are valuable in manuals, so they should

A)stand out by using bolding and colour.
B)use the same font size and degree of capitalization for all levels of headings.
C)use generic topic headings such as "instructions."
D)be numbered.

Question 18

Manuals often can include supplementary material such as

A)a company mission statement.
B)biographies of the manual's writing and design team.
C)marketing material about the company's related products.
D)a table of contents.

Question 19

A manual can effectively orient and guide its readers by using:

A)headers and footers.
B)an index.
C)a variety of coloured fonts in each section.
D)sans serif fonts.

Question 20

A manual needs a table of contents when

A)readers may have difficulty locating sections because of the manual's complexity and length
B)the manual exceeds 15 pages
C)the manual uses section headings and section identifiers
D)the manual discusses more than one device or operation