Deck 4: Parallelism, Lists, Headings, and Layout

Question 1

Formatting and ________ determine a document's accessibility and usefulness.

A) design
B) organization
C) grammar
D) accuracy

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When readers encounter a document they typically ________.

A) read it thoroughly from start to finish
B) start in the middle and then work their way out
C) scan it for information that is relevant to them
D) read just the introduction and conclusion

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true about parallelism?

A) It allows you to omit certain words.
B) It requires less effort to interpret.
C) It requires good design sense.
D) It creates elegance.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Repetition and predictability ________.

A) can make your writing dull and boring
B) can make your writing seem more "technical"
C) are a weakness in technical writing
D) are a strength in technical writing

Question 5

In technical writing, experiments with form ________.

A) are not necessary and should be avoided
B) should be attempted only by advanced writers
C) can enhance the readability of your document
D) can add a personal flair to your writing

Question 6

Vertical lists are especially good for ________.

A) stacking point form thoughts
B) adding drama and variety
C) informal purposes
D) clarifying the list or drawing attention to it

Question 7

In technical writing, lists function as ________.

A) design tools
B) study tools
C) grammar tools
D) work tools

Question 8

Full sentence lead-ins should be followed by ________.

A) a colon
B) a question mark
C) a dash
D) no punctuation

Question 9

Which of the following is a correct way of punctuating full-sentence list items?

A) first letter upper case, period at the end
B) first letter upper case, comma at the end
C) first letter lower case, period at the end
D) first letter lower case, no punctuation at the end

Question 10

Which of the following is a correct way of punctuating partial-sentence list items?

A) first letter upper case, period at the end of each item
B) first letter upper case, comma at the end of each item
C) first letter lower case, period at the end of each item
D) first letter lower case, punctuation at the end of the last item

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT true about shopping lists?

A) They are informal.
B) They contain nouns or noun phrases.
C) They are also known as fragment lists.
D) They should begin with a capital letter.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a type of list?

A) horizontal
B) nested
C) directed
D) laundry

Question 13

In a horizontal list, items should NOT be separated by ________.

A) numbers
B) commas
C) semi-colons
D) bullet points

Question 14

Do not use more than ________ levels of hierarchy in a list.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 15

Letters should be used for ________.

A) secondary (nested) sequential lists
B) tertiary sequential lists
C) secondary non-sequential lists
D) primary sequential lists

Question 16

Bullets should be used for ________.

A) primary or secondary sequential lists
B) tertiary sequential lists
C) primary or secondary non-sequential lists
D) any level of non-sequential list

Question 17

Which of the following is the correct way of formatting the numbers in a numbered list when it is displayed horizontally?

A) 1.
B) (1)
C) 1-
D) Never place numbered lists in a sentence.

Question 18

Which of the following is true about headings?

A) They label paragraphs.
B) They allow horizontal scanning.
C) They are the first things readers see when they look at a document.
D) They should be broad and generic.

Question 19

Headings should be written in the form of ________.

A) phrases
B) clauses
C) single words
D) full sentences

Question 20

Which of the following is the least effective way to differentiate levels of headings?

A) point size
B) indentation
C) typeface
D) colour

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true about serif fonts?

A) They contain little extra strokes at the ends of letters.
B) They are easier to read at small point sizes.
C) They are useful for body text.
D) They include Arial and Verdana.

Question 22

Which of the following is an acceptable formatting style to distinguish headings from body text?

A) serif font
B) sans serif font
C) underlining
D) all caps

Question 23

Law, codes of conduct, and standard operating procedures typically differentiate heading levels with ________.

A) numbers
B) letters
C) italics
D) colour

Question 24

Which of the following horizontal lists is punctuated correctly?

A) Criticisms levelled at wind turbines include a high level of embodied energy, potential bird strikes, poor aesthetics, and relatively high energy-generation cost.
B) Criticisms levelled at wind turbines include: a high level of embodied energy, potential bird strikes, poor aesthetics, and relatively high energy-generation cost.
C) Criticisms levelled at wind turbines include a high level of embodied energy; potential bird strikes; poor aesthetics; and relatively high energy-generation cost.
D) Criticisms levelled at wind turbines include a. a high level of embodied energy, b. potential bird strikes, c. poor aesthetics, d. and relatively high energy-generation cost

Question 25

Which of the following horizontal lists is punctuated correctly?

A) To remove the six gearbox socket cap screws, follow these steps: remove the two bottom screws, remove the two middle screws, and remove the two top screws.
B) To remove the six gearbox socket cap screws, follow these steps: (1) remove the two bottom screws, (2) remove the two middle screws, and (3) remove the two top screws.
C) To remove the six gearbox socket cap screws, follow these steps: (a) remove the two bottom screws, (b) remove the two middle screws, and (c) remove the two top screws.
D) To remove the six gearbox socket cap screws, follow these steps: remove the two bottom screws; remove the two middle screws; and remove the two top screws.

Question 26

Readers generally don't want to read the whole technical document.

Question 27

Underline your headings when you want them to stand out.

Question 28

You should never think of headings as separate from the document itself.

Question 29

If you write numbered lists in sentence form, use parentheses to set off the numbers.

Question 30

You should try to avoid indenting a bulleted list under a bulleted list.

Question 31

Headings should be kept broad and generic.

Question 32

Repetition and predictability are weaknesses in technical writing.

Question 33

Use coloured headings only when you have control over the document output.

Question 34

Numbered lists and bulleted lists indicate sequence (items should be read in a specific order).

Question 35

The following is not grammatically parallel: "Writing proposals is time consuming, expensive, and risky."

Question 36

It is generally better to create longer sections than create more sections.

Question 37

To maintain parallelism, a technical writer should repeat words or phrases, rather than deleting them.

Question 38

Lists are brainstorming tools or shortcuts for technical writers.

Question 39

Only in some cases are lists "work tools" for technical writers.

Question 40

Effective lists can be situated horizontally or vertically.

Question 41

What is the difference between logical parallelism and grammatical parallelism? Why are both of these essential when writing lists?

Question 42

What are the two main reasons for choosing to format a list vertically?

Question 43

Describe how to properly punctuate a full sentence list.

Question 44

Describe how to properly punctuate a partial sentence list.

Question 45

What are "shopping lists" and how should they be punctuated?

Question 46

Describe the different usage of bulleted lists, numbered lists, and lettered lists.

Question 47

What are headings and how do they enhance accessibility in technical documents?

Question 48

What guidelines should be followed when writing headings?

Question 49

What are some useful strategies for formatting headings?

Question 50

What is a serif font and why is it useful for body text?

Question 51

Describe the meaning and significance of parallelism as it pertains to sentences, lists, and headings.

Question 52

The first paragraph of this chapter states: "Formatting and organization determine a document's accessibility and, to a large extent, its usefulness." Based on what you have learned in this chapter, describe why this is true.

Question 53

Describe how parallelism and formatting work together to create effective lists. What happens when one exists without the other?