Deck 1: Why Technical People Neednt Fear Writing

Question 1

Writing in the technical workplace is important because ________.

A) paper trails prove due diligence
B) work teams are often dispersed
C) every project requires documentation
D) all of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Poor communication ________.

A) is costly
B) can cause even well-engineered projects to fail
C) wastes time
D) all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true about the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2006?

A) Email warnings of the impending problem were ignored.
B) Email warnings contained an inappropriate tone and/or unclear message.
C) A technical glitch prevented intended recipients from receiving email warnings.
D) Eleven workers died.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following attributes is most important when learning how to write technically?

A) a knack for wordplay
B) the ability to follow rules, guidelines, and principles
C) knowledge of modern literature and poetry
D) creativity and imagination

Question 5

Technical professionals spend ________ per cent of their time communicating in writing on the job.

A) less than 5
B) 10- 15
C) 20-40
D) more than 40

Question 6

Which of the following is a key attribute of good technical writing?

A) conciseness
B) standardization
C) translatability
D) complexity

Question 7

Which of the following is the best location to state your main idea in an email?

A) first paragraph
B) middle paragraph
C) concluding paragraph
D) It doesn't matter, so long as it is in bold or underlined.

Question 8

Common categories of audiences of technical writing do NOT include ________.

A) decision makers
B) experts
C) general readers
D) watch makers

Question 9

General readers of a report may ________.

A) influence decisions even when they don't have decision-making power
B) carry out the actions described in the document
C) require detailed technical information
D) need technical terms to be defined

Question 10

Which of the following is true about agents?

A) They don't have a lot of time, so they require brief summaries.
B) They appreciate a clear explanation of why changes are necessary.
C) They have a thorough understanding of the technical details of your report.
D) They require frequent graphics and illustrations.

Question 11

On the subject of brainstorming, the textbook recommends ________.

A) avoiding brainstorming when writing in highly technical fields
B) creating an outline before brainstorming
C) brainstorming with your audience and purpose in mind
D) disregarding audience and purpose so as to be able to find all ideas

Question 12

Organizing content means putting information into the following sequence: ________.

A) Context, summary, details, next step
B) Details, content, summary, next step
C) Summary, context, details, next step
D) Introduction, details, next step, closing summary

Question 13

An email or letter is like ________.

A) a one-time thing
B) a two-dimensional drawing
C) a three-pronged approach
D) a one-way conversation

Question 14

The purpose of a document ________.

A) can be implied
B) is communicated by document type (e.g., email, report, essay)
C) need not be stated when there is a clear title
D) belongs in the opening statement

Question 15

Generally, correspondence and reports require ________.

A) data
B) conflict
C) clear solutions to problems
D) follow-up

Question 16

The "conversation with the reader" refers to ________.

A) an essay-style of writing more suited to topics in the humanities
B) a good way to think of technical documents, especially emails and letters
C) a poor way to think of technical documents, especially emails and letters
D) something that can take place only after the reader has read the writer's report

Question 17

The "conversation with the reader" requires a qualification, namely that ________.

A) the reader isn't able to ask any qualifying questions
B) the reader and writer must be in contact via email or share instant-messaging software
C) the reader and writer adhere to professionalism in their conversation
D) the writer needn't provide all the details because a face-to-face conversation will eventually take place

Question 18

Which of the following statements about writing in technical fields is FALSE?

A) Correspondence and reports require follow-up.
B) You write because something has to get done.
C) Writing is an integral part of getting things done.
D) Urge readers to grant requests-but never stipulate deadlines.

Question 19

Which of the following statements about summaries is FALSE?

A) Readers may safely read only the summary, not the full document.
B) One should think of the summary as not being part of the report at all.
C) A summary should be the same length as the introduction.
D) A summary should be one-tenth the length of the total report.

Question 20

When writing your first draft, which of the following should you NOT do?

A) Imagine that you are sitting across the desk from your reader.
B) Write unselfconsciously, with no fear of judgement.
C) Think of it as a one-way conversation.
D) Pay careful attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Question 21

When revising a draft, a writer should revise in stages. These stages, in the correct order, are ________.

A) substantive editing (content and sequence), copy editing (tone and style), proofreading (grammar and mechanics)
B) copy editing (tone and style), substantive editing (content and sequence), proofreading (grammar and mechanics)
C) proofreading (grammar and mechanics), substantive editing (content and sequence), copy editing (tone and style)
D) The editing stages-substantive editing, copy editing, and proofreading-are discrete; however, their order does not matter.

Question 22

Readers who will be directed to carry out actions described in a document are considered ________.

A) employees
B) technicians
C) agents
D) staff

Question 23

In technical writing with multiple audiences, the needs of ________ should be considered most strongly.

A) technical experts
B) citizens
C) decision makers
D) stakeholders

Question 24

Which of the following elements is most useful to decision-makers?

A) appendices
B) clear instructions and procedures
C) summaries
D) graphics and illustrations

Question 25

It is best to write your first draft ________.

A) without stopping
B) whenever you have time
C) without a plan
D) one sentence at a time

Question 26

Communication in the technical workplace almost always requires writing.

Question 27

Technical writing should be regarded as a skill-not as a gift.

Question 28

Technical people are poorly positioned to learn to write well.

Question 29

Few projects in the technical workplace require documentation.

Question 30

Writing creates a paper trail that negates due diligence.

Question 31

The tone of emails is often incorrectly perceived.

Question 32

The absence of communicative body language is something a writer must overcome.

Question 33

What makes technical and business writing effective also makes literary writing effective.

Question 34

Ignored emails can be linked to serious catastrophes.

Question 35

Technical writers should develop the habit of thinking like a reader.

Question 36

Attributes of good technical writing include complexity.

Question 37

A writer should begin revising a document by editing for grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

Question 38

A writer should think of the summary as an integral or essential part of the document.

Question 39

Good correspondence and reports should not require follow-up.

Question 40

Emails are primarily a tool of convenience and a writer should not spend much time fussing over the organization and formatting of emails.

Question 41

What does it mean to write concisely? Why is writing concisely so important in technical writing?

Question 42

Define accessibility as it pertains to technical writing. Describe one way to achieve accessibility when writing technical documents.

Question 43

What is the very first step in the writing process? Why is this step important?

Question 44

Define the meaning of audience as it pertains to technical writing. Why is it important to consider your audience before you begin to write?

Question 45

Write a brief summary comparing the different requirements of decision makers, experts, agents, and general readers.

Question 46

Draw a diagram illustrating the standard document organization as a conversation or story. Why do you think this particular structure is effective at getting the message across?

Question 47

What does it mean to think of correspondence as a "one-way conversation"? Why is this a helpful way of approaching a technical writing task?

Question 48

Describe the parallels between writing a technical report and writing a story.

Question 49

Why is it important to write your first draft in one pass, without stopping?

Question 50

What does "mechanics" refer to in relation to writing? Why is this element important?

Question 51

Describe a situation-at school, at work, or at home-in which some form of written communication was misunderstood. What were the consequences of this miscommunication? Next, identify the cause of the miscommunication. How would you revise the piece of writing to make it more effective?

Question 52

Describe the similarities and differences between written correspondence and having a face-to-face conversation.

Question 53

Recall a situation in which you read a technical document that you had difficulty understanding. What category of reader were you? Describe point by point, what was ineffective about this written document and what could have been done differently to make it more effective.