Deck 19: Writing for the Professions

Question 1

What questions determine the structure and purpose of the document?

A)What does the reader need to know and how much do they understand about the subject?
B)What is the best way to organise ideas so that they make sense to the reader?
C)Is the document really necessary or would another method of communication work better?
D)All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is the most important principle of plain English?

A)Ensure that your writing makes sense
B)Have a purpose for your writing
C)Approach the writing with vigour
D)Put yourself in the place of the receivers of the intended message

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Because technical terms can be useful for informed people but make uninformed people feel nervous,they

A)need to be deleted from plain English
B)should be used as often as possible
C)should be clearly explained at the beginning of the writing
D)need to be used appropriately

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The use of the passive voice has an important role to play

A)when we wish to communicate in a sonorous fashion
B)when counterbalancing excesses of active voice in a document
C)when wishing to be diplomatic or avoiding laying blame
D)all of the above

Question 5

Which word is preferred instead of 'in the event that'?

A)Even though
B)Even if
C)If
D)None of the above

Question 6

Plain English is highly recommended because it

A)helps people communicate without using body language
B)is easy to write down
C)communicates as simply and effectively as possible
D)looks attractive when written

Question 7

The three-stage process for effective writing is

A)researching,writing and presenting
B)planning,writing and editing
C)planning,researching and writing
D)planning,doing and checking

Question 8

'The family ship of state sailed on to greener pastures' is an example of

A)a mixed metaphor
B)concrete language
C)colourful expression
D)an abstract expression

Question 9

Which of the following is in the passive voice?

A)The motorcycle engine was overhauled by Justine.
B)Justine has overhauled the motorcycle engine.
C)The carburettor was misfiring.
D)Justine is cleaning the carburettor.

Question 10

The two features of a document written in plain English are

A)the right purpose and focus
B)a sequence of information that is easy to understand and an appropriate tone
C)an appropriate tone and the right approach
D)an effective approach and an equitable tone

Question 11

Use of the active voice in writing

A)is more economical
B)is where the subject of the sentence is acted upon
C)is where the subject of the sentence is placed after the action
D)communicates vividly and clearly,emphasising the subject as doing the action

Question 12

One source of power over people can be

A)information
B)equity
C)language
D)fine print

Question 13

The rough proportions for the three different phases in writing is considered to be

A)planning 25%,writing 50%,revising and editing 25%
B)planning 50%,writing 25%,revising and editing 25%
C)planning 25%,writing 25%,revising and proofreading 50%
D)none of the above

Question 14

Plain English is the best way to ensure that your managers,staff,suppliers,customers and the wider public understand.In business terms,this is

A)efficiency
B)effectiveness
C)equity
D)none of the above

Question 15

Who said 'the reader is the judge' in writing?

A)Dwyer 2008
B)Murphy 2001
C)Aristotle 320BC
D)Jones 2003

Question 16

A cliché is

A)a spoonerism
B)an allegory
C)an overworked expression that has lost its original impact
D)a metaphor

Question 17

Writing that presents facts objectively,explains concepts and cites external sources would be an

A)appeal to emotion
B)appeal to logic
C)appeal to character
D)none of the above

Question 18

According to Murphy 2001,the phrase 'it would seem that' is an example of

A)a conditional phrase
B)a filler which shows that the writer is still thinking
C)a fallacy
D)a redundancy

Question 19

The main purpose in any work-based writing task is to

A)engage the reader and,if required,act
B)educate,elucidate and entertain
C)get the message across
D)present the message in a convincing way

Question 20

Plain English writing makes good business sense because of the three advantages of

A)empathy,economy and elegance
B)equity,efficiency and effectiveness
C)friendliness,familiarity and formality
D)conciseness,clarity and concern

Question 21

The role of the editor is

A)to ensure that what writers set out to say is indeed what they have said and check that the result is clear,correct and appropriate for the receiver
B)to check that the language surpasses the information
C)to make sure that redundancy and repetition are highlighted
D)none of the above

Question 22

The use of a gender-specific reference,such as 'lady doctor' is inappropriate in business writing because

A)it is potentially discriminatory
B)it is non-representative
C)it carries hidden meaning
D)it is promoting stereotype

Question 23

The use of a phrase such as 'It appears that' is an example of

A)hedging
B)being non-committal
C)using cautious language
D)all of the above

Question 24

Clear,easy to understand communication is achieved by using the natural word order for the English language.This is shown in

A)subject - verb - object
B)subject - verb - clause
C)object - verb - subject
D)clause - verb - subject

Question 25

The benefit of understanding and being able to apply correct sentence structure is so you

A)avoid writing fragments instead of whole sentences and writing sentences that lack unity
B)let the reader know how to understand complex sentences
C)know how to express everything in compound sentences
D)can handle plain English writing

Question 26

The tone of business writing is basically divided into two types

A)coherence and flow
B)imperative and positive
C)relevant and effective
D)top-down and bottom-up

Question 27

Document layout and design deal with

A)line length,line spacing,type size and justification
B)provision of visual cues and generous use of white space
C)headings,graphics,use of colour,bolding,italics and capitals
D)all of the above

Question 28

The purpose of punctuation in writing is to

A)alert the reader to the appropriate speed when reading
B)aid understanding and convey a clearer message by providing flow to the words
C)help the reader to better understand the tone of the communication
D)indicate where capital letters are needed

Question 29

The difference between a compound sentence and a complex sentence is

A)whether or not they express more than one idea
B)the relationships between the two clauses
C)the meaning of the two sentences
D)all of the above

Question 30

Inclusive language can best be defined as

A)the restructuring of sentences to avoid gender-specific pronouns
B)male and female interests being represented equally in the communication
C)language that does not carry any hidden meaning or discriminatory,negative overtones and which avoids invisibility or extra visibility
D)including all people without fear or favour,recognising the needs of all persons to be treated democratically

Question 31

In business writing,sentences should be kept relatively short and compact.A reasonable sentence length in the business context would be in the range of

A)eight to fourteen words
B)twenty to thirty words
C)fifteen to twenty-five words
D)fifteen to twenty words

Question 32

Which of the following demonstrates sentence sprawl?

A)Forsooth,what manner of man is this?
B)The vast canvas of the Russian steppes served as the background to the great patriotic war.
C)The blind man heard it,the deaf man saw it.All were stunned at this turn of events.
D)The horse,perhaps barely able to maintain momentum because of the great load upon her and struggling mightily,was near dead from exhaustion as well as from lack of water in the last few days.

Question 33

Which of the following is a sentence fragment?

A)The youth donned his helmet.
B)Riding towards the hills.
C)Galahs shrieked and wheeled overhead.
D)Up the street and down the road walked the man whose legs were bowed.

Question 34

The basic requirement of paragraph writing is that

A)no more than three sentences are included
B)each paragraph has one main idea
C)coherence is limited
D)an introduction is required

Question 35

What are the key skills used to group sentences together in business writing?

A)Linking words,punctuation and parallel structure
B)Limiting sentence fragments
C)Balancing sentence sprawl
D)Avoiding paragraph unity

Question 36

Tone,rhythm,and format is important for readers in business writing because

A)it helps the document sound and look professional
B)it makes the writing readable and interesting
C)it focuses on creating a relationship with the reader
D)all of the above

Question 37

In coherent sentences and paragraphs,when a sentence is too long,it is often a problem of

A)a sentence fragment
B)a compound sentence
C)sentence sprawl
D)a complex sentence

Question 38

The use of a 'you' approach in writing

A)should be avoided as such familiarity with the reader may not be welcome
B)helps to create a more personal,reader-friendly document
C)is reserved for immediate circle users and excludes formal business usage
D)all of the above

Question 39

What sort of language is needed to offer access for Australia's diverse population to opportunities in education,jobs and promotion in business writing?

A)Concrete language
B)A 'You' approach
C)Parallel language
D)Inclusive language

Question 40

What Fog index is a reasonable average for business writing?

A)4-5
B)6+
C)2-3
D)None of the above

Question 41

As advantages of a plain English writing style,equity,efficiency and effectiveness have a significant impact on information and formatting.

Question 42

Rhetoric is the art of writing effectively

Question 43

Technical terms are used to help the reader understand the message rather than to show the reader the cleverness or superiority of the writer.Whenever possible,use as many technical terms as possible.

Question 44

Mixed metaphors should be widely used in writing because it makes documents interesting and easily understood.

Question 45

The 'we' style of writing projects an empathetic tone,is personal and includes both male and female readers.

Question 46

Concrete language uses specific words that are easy to understand.

Question 47

Fillers are words that 'creep into sentences while the writer is still thinking'.

Question 48

All documents formal and informal should be created and written from the point of view of the writer.

Question 49

According to Strunk and White 2000,'a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts',referring to the need for a paragraph to contain no unnecessary sentences.

Question 50

The use of plain English also reduces the number of incorrectly completed forms and so saves clerical time in processing or returning incomplete or incorrectly completed forms.

Question 51

In business writing,words are used as a writing tool.

Question 52

Clichés are words that have been so overused they have lost meaning and impact.

Question 53

Inclusive language includes all readers,including those opposed to the argument.

Question 54

Passive voice is useful to give good news.

Question 55

Analysing the content enables a writer to compose persuasive,user-centred written messages.

Question 56

The feature of good writing is that it communicates clearly to the other person what is happening in real life.

Question 57

A metaphor is a description of an object or an action which is imaginative but not literally applicable;for example,'as clear as crystal'.

Question 58

Plain English is a readable writing style that uses the 'you' approach,positive language,clear expression and an assertive,courteous tone.

Question 59

An effective writer places the subject before the action to give a stronger link between them and to show who or what is doing the action.

Question 60

Nouns help writers to avoid abstractions and keep sentences short,and encourage them to use concrete language.

Question 61

Achieving a professional layout includes basic design principles and highlighting the main points.

Question 62

What is the 'you' approach in writing? What is its purpose? Why is it important to use inclusive language in business writing?

Question 63

In business writing,the order in which the information is presented is always direct.

Question 64

A complex sentence has one main clause and one or more subordinate or dependent clauses.

Question 65

What are the types of errors to look for when editing written business messages? What is the role of an editor?

Question 66

What is 'plain English'? How does writing in plain English advantage the reader?

Question 67

Discuss situations in which you would use an active and a passive voice in writing business documents.

Question 68

Sentence sprawl occurs when a sentence contains consistent ideas.

Question 69

According to Kane 1988,coherence and flow are two related but distinct concepts at the sentence level in writing.

Question 70

Discuss the differences between a 'simple sentence','compound sentence' and 'complex sentence'? Give an example of each type of sentence.What is a sentence fragment and sentence sprawl? Briefly discuss three ways of removing sentence sprawl from your writing.

Question 71

The topic sentence identifies for the reader the central issue of that paragraph.

Question 72

A compound sentence has two main clauses and one needs to be attached to the other.

Question 73

Describe two techniques that help to organise information into a paragraph.Identify three techniques that can be used to emphasise a point.

Question 74

'The man and the lady' is an example of parallel language.

Question 75

Contrast a positive tone with a negative tone and give an example of each.Briefly describe the design elements that make up the layout of a document.Describe an order of information suited to a document that uses vertical channels of communication.

Question 76

What are some of the writing techniques you can use to align your message with a reader? Base your discussion on concepts drawn from Chapter 18,and provide examples.