Technical Communication
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
Technical Communication focuses on the principles and practices of conveying complex information clearly and effectively to varied audiences, particularly within scientific, engineering, and business contexts. The course covers topics such as audience analysis, document design, effective writing styles, and the use of visuals in communication. Students develop practical skills in composing technical reports, user manuals, proposals, and digital content, while also honing abilities in oral presentations and collaborative projects. Emphasis is placed on ethical considerations, adapting messages for diverse stakeholders, and leveraging technology to support clear, purposeful communication in professional environments.
Recommended Textbook
Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update 11th Edition by Mike Markel
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Technical Communication
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Q1) Chapter 1 lists eight measures of excellence in technical communication. For example, excellent technical communication is honest. What are three other measures of excellence?
Answer: The other seven measures of excellence are clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional appearance, and correctness.
Q2) Most technical documents are produced by professional technical communicators working alone.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Which of these activities is NOT essential as you prepare to communicate technical information?
A) listening
B) reading C) writing
D) speaking
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations
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Q1) When warning users about the dangers of products, writers should avoid using mandatory language such as must and shall.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) You are writing the second edition of a user manual to be included with software sold to the general public. You want to reuse a portion of the introductory materials from the first edition but cannot determine who wrote that section or what the contractual conditions were. You know that your company has customarily required that freelance writers sign work-made-for-hire agreements. What should you do?
A) Rewrite the introductory materials yourself.
B) State in a footnote that the excerpt was written under a work-made-for-hire agreement.
C) Register the work with the appropriate government agency.
D) Include a disclaimer when you insert the materials from the first edition.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: Writing Technical Documents
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Q1) When revising documents for technical communication, you should ask two kinds of people for help. One type is subject-matter experts. What is the other one?
Answer: Actual users of your existing document or prospective users of the next version of the document
Q2) Identify one of the strategies listed in Chapter 3 for acknowledging reviewers who contributed significant feedback on your document.
Answer: Strategies for acknowledging reviewers include writing a one- or two-sentence statement of appreciation in the introduction of the document or in the transmittal letter and writing a letter or memo of appreciation to the reviewer that he or she can use in the future.
Q3) Chapter 3 lists eight steps that are often involved in planning a document. One is generating ideas about your topic. What are two other steps listed in Chapter 3?
A) analyzing your purpose
B) proofreading
C) freewriting
D) devising a schedule and a budget
Answer: A, D
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Chapter 4: Writing Collaboratively
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Q1) A writer is commenting on a first draft of a technical report written by another team member. Which of the following comments is most appropriate?
A) "You've really improved your editing skills, Brian. Your writing would be less confusing if you used more active voice. Similarly, your report would be even better if you used some bulleted lists to break up some of your longer paragraphs."
B) "Section 3 does a great job of making a case for the importance of our usability testing. Perhaps we should also include a graph showing a decrease in customer-service calls since we started testing. We may also want to add a section on user feedback."
C) "I'm working on several different projects right now. I've been able to proof the document. However, I leave it to you to check its organization. Also, I feel you didn't sell me on the benefits of usability testing."
D) "Use Arial Bold for all headings. Change on-line to online. Delete section 4. Add a map of the site in section 2. Otherwise, you are on the right track. Good work, Kathy."
Q2) Differences between the ways men and women work in teams are hard to notice.
A)True B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose
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Q1) Which of these is NOT a variable "beneath the surface" of daily life in a culture?
A) distance between ranks
B) need to spell out details
C) prevalence of technology
D) distance between business and private life
Q2) Chapter 5 describes three categories of audience. What are they?
Q3) One way to learn about the primary reader of your document is to interview people who know him or her. Which of these questions is NOT likely to help you learn useful information about your primary reader?
A) Does this person prefer to read hard-copy documents or electronic documents?
B) Does this person prefer to read detailed information or a summary that provides a big picture?
C) Does this person tend to review the sources listed in a bibliography after reading a report?
D) Does this person attend chapter meetings of professional associations?
Q4) Chapter 5 suggests that, in addition to education, you should consider five other individual characteristics of readers. What is one other individual characteristic listed in the chapter?
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Researching Your Subject
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Q1) Which word best describes the kind of information found in reference works?
A) exploratory
B) experimental
C) cutting-edge
D) foundational
Q2) A periodical index contains lists of journal and magazine articles classified according to title, subject, and author.
A)True
B)False
Q3) You are interviewing the mayor of your city for a report on the prospects for high-tech manufacturing there. Which of the following questions will be most effective in an interview?
A) Are tax incentives helping to retain expanding companies?
B) How well are tax incentives helping to retain expanding companies?
C) How long have you been the mayor?
D) Do companies complain about the tax system here?
Q4) What is the difference between secondary research and primary research?
Q5) What kind of information is found in a periodical index?
Q6) Chapter 6 suggests that you do three things when concluding an interview. What is one of them?
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Organizing Your Information
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Q1) Your supervisor has asked you to write a completion report about a project you completed to improve the employee onboarding program at your company. Of the organizational patterns discussed in Chapter 7, which would be most logical and effective for describing the project?
Q2) one benefit of using a conventional pattern to organize technical information is that the pattern serves as a template or checklist, helping you remember what information to include. What is the main benefit for your readers, according to the chapter?
A) It helps readers relax.
B) It keeps readers from becoming bored.
C) It makes a positive impression on readers.
D) It helps readers associate new information with other information presented in the same pattern.
E) None of the responses are correct.
Q3) In what situation do graphics benefit your reader?
A) when graphics contrast with the text
B) when graphics complement the text
C) when graphics subvert the text
D) when graphics supplant the text
Q4) what is classification?
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Chapter 8: Communicating Persuasively
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Q1) What type of argument restates the main point without presenting any evidence to support it?
Q2) In the following excerpt, a writer tries to persuade his supervisor to respond to a government request for proposals (RFP) to build an unmanned surveillance plane for the military. Which aspects of the paragraph undercut the effectiveness of the passage?
I think we are making a serious mistake by not responding. If we don't respond to this proposal, we will lose our competitive edge. At a conference last month, for example, I spoke to a couple of people who said the market for unmanned surveillance aircraft will grow exponentially during the next 10 years. Can we talk about this more at next week's planning meeting?
A) It argues that the claim is valid because the person making the claim is an authority.
B) It assumes what the writer is attempting to prove.
C) It draws conclusions on the basis of an inadequate sample.
D) It poses only two alternatives when in fact there might be more.
Q3) crafting a persuasive argument involves six tasks. One is using the right kinds of evidence. What is another of the tasks listed in the chapter?
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Chapter 9: Emphasizing Important Information
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Q1) The only proper way to create a sentence list is by using bullet points.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the phrase "Special Restricted Incoming Materials Storage Area" an example of?
Q3) In almost all cases, demonstrative pronouns should be followed by nouns.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following options is the best lead-in for a sentence list?
A) Our three main competitive advantages are:
B) The reasons are the following:
C) We offer advantages over the competition.
D) We offer three main advantages over the competition:
Q5) A writer is developing a brochure for vacationers interested in taking an "Introduction to Kayaking" course offered by a rafting and kayaking company. Which of the following headings is most likely to appear in the brochure?
A) Ferries, Peel-Outs, and Eddy Turns
B) What Clothing Will I Need To Bring?
C) How To Perform Z-Drag Extractions of Pinned Boats
D) 1.0 Water
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Chapter 10: Writing Correct and Effective Sentences
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Q1) How should you punctuate a restrictive modifier?
A) Use commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
B) Use dashes to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
C) Add no extra punctuation.
D) Precede it with a comma and the word which.
Q2) What is the past perfect tense used to describe?
Q3) To what does a pronoun need to refer?
A) its antecedent
B) its precedent
C) its antonym
D) its adverb
Q4) Sentences are often easier to understand and more emphatic if new information appears in which position?
A) at the beginning of the sentence
B) in the middle of the sentence
C) after a semicolon
D) at the end of the sentence
Q5) The sentence "Employees who seek their supervisor's advice often can improve their performance" contains an example of which type of modifier?
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Chapter 11: Designing Print and Online Documents
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Q1) Which of the following is a guideline for creating effective links in online documents?
A) Trust readers to know what the linked page will contain.
B) Structure your sentences as if there were no links in the text.
C) Use custom colors for linked text.
D) Make links bold, italic, and underlined for emphasis.
Q2) A page grid is a drawing, or map, in which areas of white space and text in a document are arranged clearly and consistently.
A)True
B)False
Q3) what can you do to make a website easy to navigate?
A) Use "Back to top" links on long pages.
B) Include a site map.
C) Use a table of contents at the top of long pages.
D) All responses are correct.
E) None of the responses are correct.
Q4) Chapter 11 discusses four basic principles for designing effective documents and websites. One is contrast. What are the other three basic principles discussed in the chapter?
Q5) What is the difference between a serif typeface and a sans-serif typeface?
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Chapter 12: Creating Graphics
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Q1) one way to create graphics is to modify existing graphics.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Chapter 12 discusses five characteristics that make a graphic clear and understandable. One characteristic is that the graphic meets readers' format expectations.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Where is the stub located in a table?
Q4) How can a writer avoid creating chartjunk?
A) by separating clip art from charts and graphs
B) by choosing two-dimensional charts and graphs over three-dimensional ones
C) by placing charts on pages separate from graphs
D) None of the responses are correct.
Q5) Many Western hand gestures, such as the "okay" sign, are considered obscene in other cultures.
A)True B)False
Q6) Why is it important to either begin graph axes at zero or mark them clearly?
Q7) what is the most important characteristic of an infographic?
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Chapter 13: Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Web Sites
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Q1) Your company makes cell phones that are sold around the world. You have carried out several focus groups of users in China, with the help of an excellent interpreter. Unfortunately, although you are good at conducting focus groups, these focus groups have not yielded as much useful information as you had hoped. What might be the problem?
Q2) The three phases of usability testing are revising, editing, and proofreading. A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is the most important difference between observing users in a usability evaluation and observing them in a usability test?
A) In an evaluation, the users pick the tasks they do. In a test, users are assigned tasks to do.
B) In an evaluation, the users pick the location. In a test, users must go wherever the usability team is.
C) In an evaluation, user feedback is not very important. In a test, user feedback becomes very important.
D) There is no important difference between observing users in an evaluation and observing them in a test.
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Chapter 14: Writing Correspondence
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Q1) You are writing a research paper on the hydrological impacts of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, on groundwater in your state. In your research, you have found that a professor at a university in another state, Dr. Thomas Henry Wright, has conducted similar research. You decide to write an inquiry letter to ask him some questions. Which salutation is most appropriate for your letter?
A) Dear Tom:
B) Dear Thomas Henry Wright:
C) Dear Dr. Wright:
D) Dear Professor:
Q2) which of the correspondence types below is generally considered the least formal?
A) letters
B) email
C) memos
D) microblogs
Q3) One disadvantage of correspondence clichés is that they can be hard to understand.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What does the notation "cc" stand for in a letter, memo, or email?
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Chapter 15: Writing Job-Application Materials
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Q1) planning a job search involves four tasks. One is to conduct a self-inventory. What are two other steps?
A) Learn about your field.
B) Learn about potential employers.
C) Participate in mock interviews.
D) Put your portfolio items online.
E) Purchase clothes to wear to interviews.
Q2) what is an elevator pitch?
Q3) Which of these statements best explains how your use of social media affects your professional brand?
A) Potential employers will review your social-media use as one way to judge how well you would succeed at marketing.
B) Potential employers will review your social-media use to see if you are a fun person to be around.
C) Potential employers will review your social-media use as one way to assess how you would behave on the job.
D) Potential employers will review your social-media use to see if you take good pictures.
Q4) What are the four parts of the body of a job-application letter?
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Chapter 16: Writing Proposals
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Q1) Proposals have two kinds of deliverables. What are they?
Q2) What are the main categories of resources required for completing a proposed project?
A) personnel, potential, and qualifications
B) personnel, facilities, and equipment
C) qualifications and experience
D) personnel, budget, and tangential resources
Q3) A solicited proposal is one that you send to a customer who has not requested it.
A)True
B)False
Q4) what must you demonstrate to show that your organization can complete the work described in a proposal?
A) efficiency
B) qualifications and experience
C) program information
D) certification and authorization
Q5) What are indirect costs?
Q6) In the sample internal proposal presented at the end of Chapter 16, what are the authors proposing to do?
Page 18
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Chapter 17: Writing Informational Reports
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Q1) Why is it important to be honest in an informational report when you have to share bad news?
A) Failure to be honest in the short term could lead to more problems in the long term.
B) Being honest is the ethical thing to do.
C) Sponsors or supervisors of a project have a right to know what is going on.
D) All responses are correct.
Q2) what is the primary purpose of a field report?
Q3) When you are recording meeting minutes and an argument arises, you should record both the argument and its outcome in order to ensure comprehensiveness.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Which of the following statements best describes a progress report?
A) A progress report is an initial document that helps establish a project.
B) A progress report is an intermediate document produced while a project is ongoing.
C) A progress report is a summative document produced at the conclusion of a project.
D) None of the responses are correct.
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Chapter 18: Writing Recommendation Reports
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Q1) the conclusions section of a typical recommendation report provides a summary of the report.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Into what two categories can criteria be classified?
Q3) What is the purpose of providing back matter in a report?
A) to provide information that elaborates on details in the body of the report
B) to help readers know where to go for additional information
C) to give readers answers to questions that the body of the report does not cover
D) All responses are correct.
Q4) In a decision matrix, which factor demonstrates a criterion's importance?
Q5) you must establish your decision criteria before you determine your options for addressing the problem.
A)True B)False
Q6) The back matter section of a recommendation report serves two primary purposes. Identify one.
Q7) What fundamental question does the results section of a recommendation report answer?
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Chapter 19: Writing Lab Reports
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Q1) How familiar should you assume your audience will be with the particulars of your experiment?
Q2) which of these is NOT an element common to most lab reports?
A) task schedule
B) title
C) discussion
D) conclusion
Q3) Readers of abstracts often ask some typical questions. Which of these is NOT one of those typical questions?
A) What questions motivated your study?
B) What answers did you discover?
C) What implications do your findings have?
D) How much did your equipment cost?
Q4) What does prepublication permit an author to do and what is it designed to take advantage of?
Q5) Why do scientists have a strong tradition of using the passive voice in lab reports?
Q6) The discussion portion of a lab report is also called an analysis.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions
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Q1) What technique is used to clarify the term inflammable in the definition "An inflammable substance is not a substance that cannot catch fire. To the contrary, an inflammable substance catches fire quite easily"?
Q2) Which of the following best describes the definition "A conjunctive adverb is an adverb that has a conjunctive function between two clauses"?
A) This is a simple, but effective, sentence definition.
B) This is a circular definition.
C) This sentence definition describes its item with clear distinguishing characteristics. D) This is a stipulative definition.
Q3) A conventions section explains to readers how a manual uses typography to signify different kinds of information. One example is using Courier typeface to represent text the reader is supposed to type.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What are the three types of descriptions discussed in Chapter 20?
Q5) In what way is the definition "In a bankruptcy action, a nonsecured debt is a debt that is not secured" flawed?
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Chapter 21: Making Oral Presentations
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Q1) Chapter 21 describes four types of oral presentations, including impromptu presentations. What are the other three?
A) contemporaneous presentations
B) extemporaneous presentations
C) scripted presentations
D) prescriptive presentations
E) memorized presentations
Q2) which statement about oral presentations is correct?
A) The audience and purpose are basically the same for any presentation you give.
B) The audience for an oral presentation will be receptive to your message; otherwise, they will not attend.
C) You can always find a way to fit all of your ideas into the allotted time.
D) Some presentations call for both informing and persuading the audience.
Q3) Because a presentation occurs only once, you must work harder to maintain and direct the audience's attention to what you say.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In an oral presentation, what is an advance organizer?
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