Technical Communication, 14th Edition Test Bank

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Test Bank
to accompany
Lannon/Gurak
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Fourteenth Edition
Lee Scholder

iii
CONTENTS
PART 1 COMMUNICATING IN THE WORKPLACE
Chapter 1 Introduction to Technical Communication 1
Chapter 2 Meeting the Needs of Specific Audiences 4
Chapter 3 Persuading Your Audience 7
Chapter 4 Weighing the Ethical Issues 10
Chapter 5 Teamwork and Global Considerations 13
Chapter 6 An Overview of the Technical Writing Process 16
PART 2 THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Chapter 7 Thinking Critically about the Research Process 19
Chapter 8 Evaluating and Interpreting Information 23
Chapter 9 Summarizing Research Findings and Other Information 26
PART 3 ORGANIZATION, STYLE, AND VISUAL DESIGN
Chapter 10 Organizing for Readers 29
Chapter 11 Editing for a Professional Style and Tone 32
Chapter 12 Designing Visual Information 35
Chapter 13 Designing Pages and Documents 38
PART 4 SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS AND APPLICATIONS
Chapter 14 Email and Text Messages 41
Chapter 15 Workplace Memos and Letters 44
Chapter 16 Résumés and Other Job-Search Materials 48
Chapter 17 Technical Definitions 51
Chapter 18 Technical Descriptions, Specifications, and Marketing Materials 54
Chapter 19 Instructions and Procedures 57
Chapter 20 Informal Reports 61
Chapter 21 Formal Analytical Reports 65
Chapter 22 Proposals 69
Chapter 23 Oral Presentations and Video Conferencing 72
Chapter 24 Blogs, Wikis, and Web Pages 75
Chapter 25 Social Media 78

1
PART 1 COMMUNICATING IN THE WORKPLACE
CHAPTER 1. Introduction to Technical Communication
True/False Questions
1. _______ Technical communication rarely focuses on the author’s personal thoughts
or feelings.
2. _______ Few technical documents have a persuasive purpose.
3. _______ Phone calls, conversations, and meetings have largely replaced the need
for written documents.
4. _______ Most technical writing is done in teams.
5. _______ All documents have some persuasive aspect.
6. _______ Employers seek technical communicators with portable skills.
7. _______ Technical communication includes digital media such as podcasts and
online videos.
8. _______ In the United States, most people read documents from beginning to end.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. __________-centered documents focus on what people need to learn, do, or
decide.
10. Four different types of technical communication documents are
__________________, ___________________, __________________, and
__________________.
11. Accessible and efficient technical documents include elements such as
______________ and __________________.
Multiple-Choice Questions
12. Technical communication seeks to
(a) anticipate and answer questions.
(b) help people perform a task.
(c) persuade people to do something.
(d) b and c
(e) All of these answers are correct.

2
13. When trying to make sense of information, people should never
(a) determine which information is relevant.
(b) ask with whom the information should be shared.
(c) verify the accuracy of the source.
(d) let the data speak for themselves.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
14. Effective technical documents
(a) use obfuscation.
(b) avoid combining text, visuals, and sound.
(c) are easy to navigate.
(d) a and c
(e) None of these answers are correct.
15. Of the following statements, which is least accurate?
(a) As long as a document is persuasive, it need not be clear and efficient.
(b) Instructions and procedures are two types of technical documents.
(c) At some point, all professionals engage in technical communication.
(d) Technical documents focus on the reader.
(e) Technical documents must account for cultural differences among readers.
16. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
(a) Technical communication helps us interact with technology in our daily
lives.
(b) Technical communication helps advance workplace goals.
(c) Technical communication helps specialists solve complex problems.
(d) Technical communication helps both to advance workplace goals and to
assist specialists in solving complex problems.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
17. An effective technical communicator does all of the following except
(a) works well as part of a team.
(b) consistently applies one cultural perspective.
(c) anticipates readers’ questions.
(d) considers global audiences as needed.
(e) uses appropriate media.

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4
CHAPTER 2. Meeting the Needs of Specific Audiences
True/False Questions
1. _______ A document may have both a primary and secondary purpose.
2. _______ Highly technical audiences need facts and figures explained in the
simplest terms.
3. _______ Web pages are useful for linking different levels of information.
4. _______ Always provide readers with more than they want and need.
5. _______ Determining all the needs of a large and diverse audience is easy to do.
6. _______ Calculating the final costs of a document is not a technical
communicator’s concern.
7. _______ When writing a 1-page memo for audiences with varying technical
backgrounds, preferably rewrite it at different levels for different
backgrounds.
8. _______ A short document can be rewritten at different levels for different
audiences.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. An audience with no specialized training is called a ________________
audience.
10. The image of you that readers see “between the lines” is called your
________________ and is created by the tone you adopt.
11. Creating a(n) ________________________ statement will help you identify
your readers and their needs.
Multiple-Choice Questions
12. A usable document is
(a) safe.
(b) easy to navigate.
(c) dependable.
(d) All of these answers are correct.
(e) b and c.

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5
13. Semi-technical audiences consist of
(a) informed persons as well as experts.
(b) informed persons who are not experts.
(c) laypersons.
(d) laypersons and experts.
(e) laypersons and informed persons.
14. Your audience will have preferences about all of the following except
(a) your brainstorming process.
(b) the deadline.
(c) the document’s length.
(d) whether the document will be in paper or electronic form.
(e) the level of detail.
15. Which of the following statements is correct?
(a) Secondary readers are decision makers who request a document.
(b) The primary audience is an immediate set of readers.
(c) Secondary readers are often those who will carry out a project.
(d) Tertiary readers are both primary and secondary audiences.
(e) b and c.
16. Technical documents are written to
(a) define something.
(b) describe something.
(c) explain something.
(d) propose something.
(e) All of the answers are correct.
17. The North American business culture prefers
(a) indirect answers.
(b) ambiguous messages.
(c) plain talk.
(d) interpretations left to the reader.
(e) All of the answers are correct.

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7
CHAPTER 3. Persuading Your Audience
True/False Questions
1. _______ The relationship connection is particularly important in cross-cultural
communication.
2. _______ Once their minds are made up, people are easily swayed to change their
position.
3. _______ “Presenting your best case” means that you may deceive the audience to
achieve your goal.
4. _______ Unbiased expert opinion can lend credibility to any claim.
5. _______ A claim is a statement of the point you are trying to prove.
6. _______ A blunt approach works best with audiences from other cultures.
7. _______ Communicators within organizations often face unofficial constraints
when making an argument.
8. _______ The most persuasive argument is one that presents the strongest case from
the writer’s perspective.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. The three levels of response to persuasion are ___________________,
____________________, and _________________________.
10. __________________ are limits or restrictions imposed by a situation.
11. A(n) ___________________ involves careful reasoning that supports a claim.
Multiple-Choice Questions
12. Which of the following is not a social or psychological constraint?
(a) the writer’s legal liabilities
(b) the audience’s personality
(c) the writer’s relationship with the audience
(d) the audience’s sense of identity
(e) the audience’s perception of the issue’s urgency

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8
13. An audience expects evidence that is
(a) specific.
(b) verifiable.
(c) new.
(d) a and b only.
(e) a, b, and c.
14. When preparing an argument,
(a) adopt an extreme persona.
(b) cast the opponent in a negative light.
(c) identify values, goals, or experiences you share with audience.
(d) avoid conceding any points.
(e) be as indirect as possible about what you want.
15. Strategies for effectively connecting with the audience include
(a) power connection and social connection strategies.
(b) rational connection and evidence connection strategies.
(c) relationship connection and audience connection strategies.
(d) rational connection and relationship connection strategies.
(e) power connection and driven connection strategies.
16. Effective strategies for persuasion include all of the following except
(a) standing firm when your message is rejected.
(b) allowing for give-and-take.
(c) asking for what your audience will consider reasonable.
(d) recognizing constraints.
(e) identifying your specific goal.
17. When others offer an opposing view, try to
(a) see the issue their way.
(b) rephrase their position in your own words.
(c) explore possible compromises they might accept.
(d) reach agreement on what to do next.
(e) All of the answers are correct.
18. A claim can be a statement that
(a) acknowledges facts.
(b) interprets facts.
(c) asks for direct action.
(d) a, b, and c.
(e) interprets facts and asks for direct action only.

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10
CHAPTER 4. Weighing the Ethical Issues
True/False Questions
1. _______ Using upbeat images to downplay the negative messages of written text
may be persuasive, but it is unethical.
2. _______ Ethical decisions are always “black and white.”
3. _______ In advertising, false claims or suggestions are legally prohibited.
4. _______ “Groupthink” is another way of referring to good teamwork.
5. _______ Whistle-blowers usually are rewarded for going public with their
company’s unethical behavior.
6. _______ Deliberate miscommunication is fairly common in the workplace.
7. _______ Proprietary information is not the exclusive property of a company.
8. _______ Plagiarism and copyright infringement are the same.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. Often confused for teamwork, __________ is a dynamic when group pressure
prevents individuals from questioning, criticizing, or reporting bad news.
10. __________________ occurs when a person claims the work of another as his
or her own.
11. A code of _______________________ offers guidelines for avoiding ethical
abuses within a specific organization or company.
Multiple-Choice Questions
12. Examples of ethical abuses in technical communication include
(a) plagiarizing the work of others.
(b) exaggerating claims.
(c) downplaying information.
(d) a and b only.
(e) a, b, and c.

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11
13. Which of the following statements is least accurate?
(a) I should make a distinction between what is certain and what is probable.
(b) I should use jargon and euphemisms when stating my claims.
(c) I should make sure that my sources of information are credible.
(d) I should believe what I say and not have a hidden agenda.
(e) I should distribute copies of the document to everyone who has a right to
know about it.
14. Reworking findings to make them more useful or appealing
(a) is not misleading.
(b) carries no consequences for any party involved.
(c) is unethical.
(d) is a clever way to promote the company’s interests.
(e) is an important skill to develop.
15. Which statement below is least accurate?
(a) Because the company owns all the documents produced, employees cannot
possibly plagiarize each other’s work.
(b) Charts and other visuals can be distorted to create a more positive outcome.
(c) Withholding information is equally as unethical as fabricating information.
(d) The pressure to look the other way can lead to misuse of texts or data.
(e) All of these statements are accurate.
16. Reasonable criteria for ethical judgment include
(a) obligations.
(b) ideals.
(c) consequences.
(d) a, b, and c.
(e) a and c only.
17. When preparing a technical document, do all of the following except
(a) give candid feedback if warranted.
(b) exaggerate information.
(c) respect rights to privacy.
(d) provide sufficient information.
(e) inform of consequences or risks.

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13
CHAPTER 5. Teamwork and Global Considerations
True/False Questions
1. _______ In collaborating to produce a document, all members of a collaborative
team participate in the actual “writing.”
2. _______ “Reviewing” is a more precise term for “editing.”
3. _______ A meeting manager should take charge by steering the group discussion.
4. _______ Conference calls are no longer used as a form of virtual communication.
5. _______ Social cues are not conveyed well in certain types of digital
communication.
6. _______ Any technical document may be distributed globally.
7. _______ Face-to-face meetings are still essential for personal contact.
8. _______ Women who speak up in meetings are often perceived as too controlling,
while men who do so are considered to be leadership-oriented.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. A ________________ allows team members to collaborate by writing,
sketching, and erasing in real time from their computers.
10. When ________________ a document, you examine it for accuracy and
readability.
11. The aim of _________________ is to produce as many ideas as possible.
Multiple-Choice Questions
12. Sources of conflict in collaborative groups include
(a) interpersonal differences.
(b) cultural differences.
(c) gender differences.
(d) a, b, and c.
(e) only b and c.

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14
13. Effective strategies for managing group conflict include
(a) suppressing disagreement with others’ ideas or opinions.
(b) offering but not accepting constructive criticism.
(c) protesting a decision when you are outvoted.
(d) offering and accepting constructive criticism.
(e) both c and d.
14. Choose the most accurate statement below about reviewing a team document.
(a) Offer only general comments when identifying weaknesses.
(b) Begin with a positive comment before suggesting improvements.
(c) Rewrite the entire document yourself if needed.
(d) Dictate advice to the team.
(e) Evaluate it on the first read.
15. An effective strategy for global technical communication is to
(a) avoid stereotyping.
(b) write with translation in mind.
(c) avoid slang and idioms.
(d) create a glossary of specific terms and abbreviations.
(e) All of the answers are correct.
16. Which statement below is most accurate?
(a) Blogs are not useful for collaboration.
(b) Email is the most effective way to hold a group meeting.
(c) Collaborative writing software allows team members to log into a document
at the same time.
(d) “Internet conferencing” is another term for “teleconferencing.”
(e) None of these answers are correct.
17. When communicating with someone from another culture,
(a) use humor on first contact to break the ice.
(b) use humor only in email correspondence.
(c) use humor only in face-to-face contact.
(d) always use humor to facilitate strong interpersonal connections.
(e) avoid humor.
18. Which of the following strategies for teamwork is least effective?
(a) Work without a manager; allow all team members to take charge.
(b) Compose a purpose statement.
(c) Develop a file-naming system for documents.
(d) Decide on a specific meeting schedule.
(e) All of these are effective strategies.

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16
CHAPTER 6. An Overview of the Technical Writing Process
True/False Questions
1. _______ Email, rather than chat or texting, is the appropriate digital tool to use for
quick turnarounds during the writing process.
2. _______ Typographical errors include issues such as missing page numbers or
inconsistent spacing.
3. _______ Very few technologies exist for assisting the technical writing process.
4. _______ The human brain is the ultimate tool for navigating critical thinking
decisions.
5. _______ Save all drafts of a document; you may need to retrieve useful material
from an early draft.
6. _______ Deadlines often limit the amount of time that can be spent preparing a
technical document.
7. _______ Proofreading need not involve reading every word; skimming a document
is effective.
8. _______ The actual composition of text is just a small part of the technical writing
process.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
9. ______________ thinking involves examining and evaluating information, as
well as weighing alternatives and considering consequences.
10. The kind of easily correctable errors proofreading can detect include
______________, _______________, and __________________ errors.
Multiple-Choice Questions
11. Digital tools for the technical writing process include
(a) wikis.
(b) social media.
(c) tracking systems.
(d) All of the answers are correct.
(e) a and c.

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17
12. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
(a) Revision guarantees improvement.
(b) No one step in the writing process is complete until the whole is complete.
(c) Always begin the writing process by brainstorming.
(d) When drafting a document, you should write the introduction first.
(e) All of these statements are accurate.
13. Everyday writing situations typically pose
(a) persuasion problems.
(b) collaboration problems.
(c) ethics problems.
(d) information problems.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
14. Writing technical documents differs from writing essays in all of the following
ways except that
(a) grammatical correctness is essential.
(b) the documents are often being written by teams.
(c) organizational politics can be involved.
(d) research often involves speaking with technical experts.
(e) All of these answers are correct.
15. Which of the following questions is crucial to answer at the planning stage of
the document?
(a) Is the style readable?
(b) Is the organization sensible?
(c) Who is my audience?
(d) Does the document advance my organization’s goals?
(e) Have I left anything out?
16. When proofreading your work,
(a) do so early on in the writing process so you don’t have to rework your
sentences later.
(b) read your paper on a computer screen for easy viewing and correcting.
(c) avoid reading small chunks at a time.
(d) never rely exclusively on computerized writing aids.
(e) do all of these.

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19
PART 2 THE RESEARCH PROCESS
CHAPTER 7. Thinking Critically about the Research Process
True/False Questions
1. _______ A survey is an example of secondary research.
2. _______ Subject directories are indexes compiled by editors and others who sift
through Web sites and compile the most useful links.
3. _______ Sometimes the most reliable material resides in less attractive, text-only
sites.
4. _______ Commercial sites never should be used as reliable sources of information
since they are inherently biased.
5. _______ Blogs can be sources of relevant and reliable information.
6. _______ Questionnaires use only closed-ended questions, not open-ended
questions.
7. _______ Direct observation is the surest way to eliminate bias in research.
8. _______ Hard-copy materials are still important sources for research.
9. _______ Key words and search phrases should be as general as possible.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
10. ___________________ scan for Web sites containing key words.
11. Conducting ______________ research means getting information directly from
the source.
12. A ______________ is a community encyclopedia that allows readers to edit the
content.
13. A large, identifiable group of people is called a ______________ population,
while representatives of that group are called a _________________.
14. A(n) _________________ is a controlled form of observation designed to verify
an assumption.

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Multiple-Choice Questions
15. Reference works include all of the following except
(a) encyclopedias.
(b) indexes.
(c) abstracts.
(d) conference papers.
(e) almanacs.
16. Thinking critically about research depends on all of the following except
(a) finding a definite answer.
(b) looking at the research from many viewpoints.
(c) achieving sufficient depth.
(d) asking the right questions.
(e) evaluating the reliability and completeness of sources.
17. In informational interviews,
(a) try to write down everything the respondent says.
(b) deviate from your interview plan to allow for interesting material to emerge.
(c) invite the respondent to review your version of any material to be published.
(d) you should do most of the talking.
(e) ask yes/no questions.
18. When creating a survey,
(a) phrase questions ambiguously.
(b) do not include an introduction.
(c) use only close-ended questions.
(d) use loaded questions.
(e) keep it simple and brief.
19. Which of the following is not an example of a Web-based only resource?
(a) e-libraries.
(b) periodical databases.
(c) discussion forums.
(d) periodicals.
(e) wikis.

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21
20. Which of these statements about Web-based research is most accurate?
(a) The more design elements on a site, the more reliable the information there.
(b) Since Web sites are always accessible, you do not need to save any of the
material you find on them.
(c) No single search engine indexes everything on the Web.
(d) Web sites with the domains .gov and .edu will most likely not contain
reliable information.
(e) You may download anything from the Web and use it without permission.

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