Technical Report Writing Practice Exam
Course Introduction
Technical Report Writing is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to produce clear, concise, and well-structured technical documents. The course covers the fundamentals of report organization, audience analysis, data presentation, and the integration of visual aids. Emphasis is placed on the effective communication of technical information, including the writing of abstracts, executive summaries, methodologies, results, and conclusions. Practical assignments provide students with the opportunity to develop professional reports tailored to specific purposes and reader expectations in engineering, science, and other technical fields.
Recommended Textbook
Practical Strategies for Technical Communication 2nd Edition by Mike Markel
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15 Chapters
600 Verified Questions
600 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Technical Communication
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Chapter 15, 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 would 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.
Answer: D
Q2) What should you do if a belligerent audience member rejects your response during a question-and-answer session and insists on restating his or her point?
Answer: You should politely offer to discuss the matter further after the presentation has concluded.
Q3) Which of the following is an example of a nonfluency?
A) When you say "rural juror," the audience hears "ruhr juhr."
B) When you get nervous, you say, "And, um. . . ."
C) You pronounce the word nuclear as "nuke-you-lar."
D) The speech that took 10 minutes when you practiced it is over in 5 minutes.
Answer: B
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Page 3
Chapter 1: Introduction to Technical Communication
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Sample Questions
Q1) Chapter 1 states that technical communicators use design to increase readability and make their documents more effective. Which of the following is an example of a design feature?
A) easy-to-understand vocabulary
B) typography
C) definitions of key terms
D) effective topic sentences
E) all of the above
Answer: B
Q2) To make it easy for readers to find the information they need, many technical documents are made up of small, independent sections.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) As used in Chapter 1, what does accessibility mean?
Answer: Accessibility refers to making the various parts of a document easy for readers to locate.
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4
Chapter 2: Understanding Ethical and Legal Obligations
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the main purpose behind copyright law?
A) to prevent plagiarism
B) to allow those who create intellectual property (such as stories, films, and music) to control how it is copied
C) to ensure that each copy of a document is right or correct
D) to ameliorate inadvertent misappropriation of content
Answer: B
Q2) What is the challenge in trying to apply the four moral standards from ethicist Manuel G. Velasquez described in Chapter 2?
A) The four standards cannot be applied in a systematic way.
B) Sometimes one standard conflicts with another standard.
C) The standards are imprecise.
D) All of the answers are correct.
Answer: D
Q3) Plagiarism is a legal issue and not an ethical issue.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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5
Chapter 3: Writing Collaboratively
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the participants in a videoconference must be in dedicated conference rooms with sophisticated cameras and microphones.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) According to the research cited in Chapter 3, which two of the following behaviors might students from other cultures exhibit?
A) unwillingness to respond with a definite "no"
B) reluctance to initiate new tasks or perform creatively
C) unwillingness to meet at certain times
D) routinely arriving late for team meetings
Answer: A, B
Q3) Chapter 3 discusses five aspects of conducting meetings, a crucial component of collaboration. What are two of those aspects?
Answer: The five aspects discussed are listening effectively, setting the team's agenda, conducting efficient meetings, communicating diplomatically, and critiquing a team member's work.
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Chapter 4: Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose
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Sample Questions
Q1) When considering your readers' expectations for a document you are planning, it is not essential to think about the level of detail they expect the document to go into.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Although many aspects of private life and business life differ from culture to culture, in most developed countries business is conducted in more or less the same way.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of these is NOT a cultural variable "beneath the surface"?
A) distance between ranks
B) need to spell out details
C) prevalence of technology
D) distance between business and private life
Q4) Chapter 4 lists seven categories of cultural variables that lie "on the surface." Two of these categories of variables are political and economic. Name two more.
Q5) Chapter 4 describes three categories of audience. What are they?
Q6) how do public agencies use social-media data?
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Page 7
Chapter 5: Researching Your Subject
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Sample Questions
Q1) Primary research is the set of sources that you consult while you are in the document-planning stage.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What kind of information is found in a periodical index?
Q3) With which research method does the researcher have the LEAST amount of control?
A) field research
B) interviews
C) experiments
D) inquiries
Q4) What is the function of an RSS feed?
Q5) Which of the following types of research is least like field research?
A) observations
B) inquiries
C) experiments
D) inspections
Q6) What is the difference between secondary research and primary research?
Q7) Chapter 5 identifies three common problems that occur when you use questionnaires to gather information. What are two of them?
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Chapter 6: Writing for Your Readers
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Sample Questions
Q1) Identify two coherence devices discussed in Chapter 6.
Q2) New and important information should come at the beginning of a sentence, where readers will be sure to notice it.
A)True
B)False
Q3) 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:
Q4) Whenever possible, you should combine two or more ideas into one paragraph to create a paragraph of 75 to 125 words-the ideal paragraph length.
A)True
B)False
Q5) In a passive-voice sentence, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb.
A)True
B)False
Q6) According to Chapter 6, what are the two types of paragraphs?
Page 9
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Chapter 7: Designing Print and Online Documents
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Sample Questions
Q1) An estimated 50 percent of Internet users are nonnative speakers of English.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of these design features for a document does not primarily involve the principle of contrast?
A) a rule
B) a pull quote
C) a screen
D) a marginal gloss
Q3) Chapter 7 identifies five goals of document design. One goal is to make a good impression on readers. What are two other goals mentioned in the chapter?
Q4) You are working on a brochure about your business. The type for the body text will be black and that for the section headings will be blue. What document-design principles are you implementing with these color choices?
A) proximity and alignment
B) alignment and repetition
C) contrast and alignment
D) contrast and repetition
Q5) What is the design term for a straight line on a page or screen?
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Chapter 8: Creating Graphics
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Q1) Saving space is not an ideal reason for cropping a photo to be used in a technical document. What is a better reason?
Q2) Chapter 8 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) Which of the following is structured to emphasize the person or group with responsibility for certain tasks?
A) deployment flowchart
B) deployment organization chart
C) logic tree
D) diagram
Q4) Chapter 8 offers six principles for using color in graphics. One is "Don't overdo it." Which of the following principles is also mentioned in the chapter?
A) Use color to create patterns.
B) Use as many colors as possible.
C) Use dark colors to make objects look smaller.
D) All responses are correct.
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Chapter 9: Writing Correspondence
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Q1) What level of formality should be used in workplace correspondence with digital applications such as email and microblogs?
A) informal
B) moderately formal
C) very formal
D) The level of formality depends on the recipient.
Q2) Twitter tweets and Facebook posts can be forms of business correspondence.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What does the term bandwidth refer to in Chapter 9?
A) the amount of computer memory required to store a message you send
B) the frequency of the wifi network in your office
C) the width of your document on a smartphone screen
D) the space your message takes up and the time required to read it
Q4) Why is it important to communicate honestly, no matter what type of document you create?
A) It shows respect for your reader and for yourself.
B) Dishonest communication can lead customers to take their business elsewhere.
C) Misleading your reader jeopardizes your credibility.
D) All responses are correct.
Page 12
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Chapter 10: Writing Job-Application Materials
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Q1) What are the two major types of résumés discussed in the chapter?
A) descriptive résumé
B) skills résumé
C) narrative résumé
D) chronological résumé
E) developmental résumé
Q2) which of these is NOT a guideline for developing your professional brand?
A) Research what others have done.
B) Highlight your job skills.
C) Focus on problem-solving and accomplishments.
D) Focus on academic accomplishments and awards.
Q3) A job-application letter should expand on all the information contained in your résumé.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Why might you want to create a plain-text version of your résumé?
Q5) The best way to find keywords for your résumé is to study the job titles for jobs you like.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Writing Proposals
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Q1) Which of the following does the proposed program section of a proposal NOT customarily include?
A) an explanation of the work intended
B) references to appropriate research or scholarship
C) a justification of your claims
D) a budget
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) which of these is an example of an indirect cost associated with a proposal?
A) travel costs for personnel going to a remote work site
B) cost of insurance benefits for personnel going to a remote work site
C) cost of supplies used at a remote work site
D) cost of operating a company's telephone system
Q4) the introduction to a proposal must answer seven questions, one of which is "What is the problem or opportunity?" What is another question the introduction should answer?
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Chapter 12: Writing Informational Reports
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Sample Questions
Q1) Chapter 12 notes that in writing meeting minutes, you should be comprehensive and clear. According to the chapter, what else should you do?
A) Be objective.
B) Record emotional exchanges between participants.
C) Be diplomatic.
D) Create a planning document for use in preparing for the group's next meeting.
Q2) What are the five basic formats for informational reports discussed in Chapter 12?
Q3) what is the common goal of all informational reports?
Q4) what does an incident report describe?
Q5) what are the two organizational patterns frequently used in progress reports?
Q6) what is the primary purpose of a field report?
Q7) What course of action should you take if you find that you will not be able to meet your original deadline for delivery of a report?
Q8) It is appropriate to use a defensive tone in an informational report if something has not happened according to plan.
A)True
B)False
Q9) What is another name for a status report?
Page 15
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Chapter 13: Writing Recommendation Reports
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Sample Questions
Q1) What fundamental question does the conclusions section of a recommendation report answer?
Q2) A feasibility report is an argument that answers three kinds of questions. One kind is questions of possibility. What is one other kind of question?
Q3) In what order should definitions relevant to a report be presented in a glossary?
Q4) What is the difference between the conclusions section and the recommendations section of a report?
A) The two sections are interchangeable.
B) Conclusions explain what the collected data mean, whereas recommendations list specific actions to take.
C) Recommendations explain what the collected data mean, whereas conclusions list specific actions to take.
D) Conclusions are directed toward your internal audience, whereas recommendations are directed toward your external audience.
Q5) Into what two categories can criteria be classified?
Q6) What fundamental question does the recommendations section of a recommendation report answer?
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Page 16
Chapter 14: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions
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Sample Questions
Q1) Several organizations have issued guidelines and standards for communicating information about safety. Which of the following is NOT one of these organizations?
A) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
B) American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
C) International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
D) Institute of Safety Ordinances (ISO)
Q2) Part of the challenge of deciding where to put a definition lies in the fact that several places are viable options.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A writer wants to describe how screen printing is done. Which of the following elements is NOT likely to appear in the process description?
A) a diagram illustrating the parts of the screen-printing machine
B) a step-by-step guide to performing the process
C) a sentence definition of screen printing
D) a section heading or title indicating the nature and scope of the description
Q4) What are the three types of descriptions discussed in Chapter 14?
Q5) What is the function of a conventions section?
Page 17
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