Technical Writing for Engineers
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Course Introduction
Technical Writing for Engineers is designed to equip engineering students with the essential communication skills needed for the professional world. The course focuses on principles and practices of effective technical writing, including the creation of clear, concise, and well-organized documents such as reports, proposals, manuals, and instructions. Students will learn strategies for audience analysis, document design, and the use of graphics and data in engineering communication. Emphasis is placed on accuracy, ethical responsibility, and developing the ability to convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
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Technical Communication 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 six defining characteristics of technical communication. One characteristic is that technical communication addresses particular readers. What are three other characteristics mentioned in the chapter?
Answer: The other five characteristics of technical communication are that it helps readers solve problems, it reflects the organization's goals and culture, it is produced collaboratively, it uses design to increase readability, and it consists of words or images or both.
Q2) Chapter 1 identifies correctness as a characteristic of good technical communication. In this context, correctness refers to the proper use of grammar and punctuation to accurately convey the intended meaning.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Generosity and honesty are characteristics of effective technical communicators. A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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3
Chapter 2: Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations
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Q1) saying that a recently fired employee was "offered an alternative career opportunity" would be an example of which of the following?
A) exaggeration
B) euphemism
C) legalistic construction
D) none of the above
Answer: B
Q2) Only professionals with management responsibilities have ethical responsibilities to the environment.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Contract law affects technical communication because technical documents sometimes contain warranty statements.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Writing Technical Documents
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Q1) Why should you save proofreading until the end of your project instead of proofreading as you are drafting?
A) Studies show that writers can effectively increase their focus as they approach the end of a long, tiring project.
B) When you are drafting, everything you write is subject to being revised, moved, or even deleted.
C) Proofreading is the most efficient way of working through the writing process.
D) None of the responses are correct.
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following does Chapter 3 suggest as a method for effective proofreading?
A) reading the revised portions of your document, which you print in a different color
B) reading backwards
C) reading aloud
D) reading in a quiet space
Answer: C
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5
Chapter 4: Writing Collaboratively
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Q1) Chapter 4 offers seven suggestions for communicating diplomatically. Which of these is a suggestion from the chapter?
A) Avoid qualifier statements such as "I think . . . ." or "It seems to me . . . ."
B) Use strong language-it is better to appear overbearing than to appear weak and indecisive.
C) Follow your emotions if someone opposes you.
D) Ask pertinent questions.
Q2) In what way does collaboration allow an organization to grow?
Q3) Companies sometimes use virtual worlds, such as Second Life, to conduct meetings and conferences.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Chapter 4 offers six suggestions for participating in a videoconference. Which of these is NOT a suggestion from the chapter?
A) Practice using the videoconferencing system.
B) Dress as you would for a face-to-face meeting.
C) Arrange for technical support for all participants.
D) Speak louder than usual.
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose
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Q1) how do public agencies use social-media data?
Q2) Chapter 5 discusses certain variables that lead to differences among cultures. Which of these statements about cultural variables is true?
A) Different organizations within the same culture can vary greatly.
B) Cultural variables line up in clear, predictable patterns.
C) Each variable represents a small number of attitudes.
D) An organization's cultural attitudes tend to be static over time.
Q3) Chapter 5 identifies seven categories of cultural variables "on the surface." One category is political. Which of these is NOT a category of surface cultural variables?
A) economic
B) social C) religious
D) philosophical
E) technological
Q4) Chapter 5 describes three categories of audience. What are they?
Q5) Why are LinkedIn profiles a particularly useful resource for learning about one's audience?
Q6) for what primary purpose do private companies use social-media data?
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Chapter 6: Researching Your Subject
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Q1) Chapter 6 advises researchers to look for information that is current. What are two other characteristics of reliable information that the chapter says you should look for?
A) lack of bias
B) well-known author
C) attractive design
D) comprehensiveness
Q2) You are writing a report about technical methods used for desalination of seawater. Which of these resources is least likely to provide the technical information you need?
A) a website for professional water-treatment engineers
B) a book about industrial desalination
C) a discussion board about ecology
D) a blog by a leading expert in desalination
Q3) You should select research methods before determining what research questions to pursue.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is the difference between secondary research and primary research?
Q5) What is the function of an RSS feed?
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Chapter 7: Organizing Your Information
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Q1) It is always unethical to compare your company's product to a similar product by another company when trying to argue that your own company's product is superior.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In describing your company's product, you should not compare it with a competitor's product because the competitor will sue your company for misrepresentation.
A)True
B)False
Q3) what is classification?
Q4) 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
Q5) what is partition?
Q6) Why are cause-and-effect relationships difficult to describe?
Q7) Which organizational pattern works best when readers want to get to key information as soon as possible?
9
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Chapter 8: Communicating Persuasively
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Q1) The following statement appears in a proposal to install a large pond near an amphitheater: "Jones Company is an expert in pond preparation. We installed our first pond at Jameson Park earlier this year." What type of reasoning does the passage display?
A) post hoc reasoning
B) inadequate sampling
C) arguing from ignorance
D) arguing from authority
Q2) If you are facing constraints in trying to persuade your audience, you are not an effective writer.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Give an example of an informational constraint that you might confront in completing a project.
Q4) How does culture affect the process of persuasion?
A) It determines the content of effective arguments.
B) It determines the structure of effective arguments.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) None of the responses are correct.
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Chapter 9: Emphasizing Important Information
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Q1) You are writing a report about sales of your company's products over the past three months. Sales are not growing, but instead appear to be steady. You have identified three factors contributing to this situation. Which of these options is the most effective lead-in for a paragraph list discussing these factors?
A) Certain factors are affecting our sales channels.
B) Three factors include:
C) I have identified three factors that are contributing to the plateau of product sales.
D) The following factors are contributing to the plateau of product sales.
Q2) Why should you avoid back-to-back headings, such as the following?
6. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing
6.1 Community Policing
Q3) A heading eliminates the need for a transitional sentence such as "Let us now turn to the advantages of the mandatory enrollment process."
A)True
B)False
Q4) Transitional paragraphs tend to be much longer than body paragraphs.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Writing Correct and Effective Sentences
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Q1) Chapter 10 describes six techniques for avoiding sexist language. What are two of them?
Q2) Which type of modifier is NOT identified in Chapter 10 as a problem?
A) an adjectival modifier
B) a squinting modifier
C) a dangling modifier
D) a misplaced modifier
Q3) Identify one of the four cases in which it is better to use passive voice than active voice.
Q4) Nominalized verbs help you communicate clearly and concisely.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Where do real or conceptual subjects often get "buried" within confusing sentences?
A) in dangling modifiers
B) in prepositional phrases before weak verbs
C) in prepositional phrases following weak subjects
D) None of the responses are correct.
Q6) Which type of modifier lacks an antecedent?
Q7) What is the past perfect tense used to describe?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Designing Print and Online Documents
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Q1) Which design principle is especially important when creating accessing aids for your document?
A) repetition
B) alignment
C) proximity
D) contraction
Q2) What is chunking?
Q3) Which aspects of typography affect the white space of a document?
A) line length, sentence length, and word length
B) leading, color, and sentence length
C) line spacing, line length, and justification
D) line spacing, headings, and footers
Q4) One of the main challenges of document design is using as few pages as possible while still making the document easy to read.
A)True
B)False
Q5) You receive a progress report in which all of the first-level headings are in the same typeface and type size and have the same spacing and color. Which design principle do these characteristics reflect?
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Chapter 12: Creating Graphics
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Q1) one potential drawback of photographs is that they can provide too much information.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following graphics would be best suited to showing the stages of a procedure or a process?
A) checklist
B) drawing
C) organization chart
D) flowchart
Q3) Besides using existing graphics, what is one other approach to producing graphics, according to Chapter 12?
Q4) Chapter 12 offers six guidelines for using color in graphics. One is to use contrast effectively. Name two other guidelines mentioned in the chapter.
Q5) Saving space is not an ideal reason for cropping a photo to be used in technical communication. What is a better reason?
Q6) Where is the stub located in a table?
Q7) what is the most important characteristic of an infographic?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Web Sites
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Q1) A printed form is the standard way to obtain informed consent from a test participant.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In which stage of the reviewing process are you most likely to benefit from using your word processor's outline view?
A) revising
B) editing
C) proofreading
D) all three stages: revising, editing, and proofreading
Q3) Generally, it is best not to use company employees as participants in a usability test.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Reviewing a document or website is the same thing as testing it.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The three phases of usability testing are revising, editing, and proofreading.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Writing Correspondence
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Q1) In a bad-news adjustment letter, there is no sense trying to salvage goodwill; the reader is so angry that he or she will never do business with you again.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A writer working for the state department of agriculture wishes to educate farmers statewide about upcoming changes in irrigation policies. Which of the following types of communication would be most effective?
A) memo
B) email
C) letter
D) fax
Q3) Why is it important to communicate honestly, no matter what type of document you create?
A) To be ethical you must be honest and avoid misleading people.
B) Dishonest communication can lead customers to take their business elsewhere.
C) Honesty projects a "you attitude" toward your reader.
D) All responses are correct.
Q4) Provide an example of a salutation.
Q5) 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) Why is it important to include keywords in your LinkedIn profile?
Q2) what are the four main steps in planning a job search?
Q3) Which of the following statements is true about applying for jobs outside the United States?
A) Information disclosed in job applications is standard and universal around the world.
B) You might have to include information about your marital status.
C) With the prevalence of the Internet, the job-application process is standard around the world.
D) None of the responses are correct.
Q4) In terms of how they are organized, what are the two major types of résumés discussed in the chapter?
Q5) which of these is NOT a guideline for establishing your professional brand?
A) Research what others have done.
B) Describe your job skills.
C) Focus on problem-solving and accomplishments.
D) Focus on academic accomplishments and awards.
Q6) Chapter 15 lists four ways to look for a job. One is through a job board on the Internet. Name two of the other ways to look for a job.
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Chapter 16: Writing Proposals
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Q1) Which of the following is an important part of persuading the reader of a proposal that you can complete the proposed work successfully?
A) You must show readers that you understand how to submit the proposal.
B) You must show readers that you sympathize with their frustrations.
C) You must show readers that you are enthusiastic.
D) You must show readers that they can trust you to do a good job.
Q2) 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
Q3) Indirect costs are intangible expenses such as general secretarial and clerical expenses not devoted exclusively to any one project, as well as operating expenses such as utilities and maintenance.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In the sample internal proposal presented at the end of Chapter 16, what are the authors proposing to do?
Q5) What do the initials RFP stand for?
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Chapter 17: Writing Informational Reports
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Q1) what is the common goal of all informational reports?
Q2) what are the two organizational patterns frequently used in progress reports?
Q3) You have been sent by your employer, Madison Construction Company, to a regional conference dealing with ways to improve communication between management and workers in the field. Which of the following would NOT be an acceptable way to submit an informational report on your trip?
A) discussing the trip in your next status report
B) issuing a directive
C) writing a one-page trip-report memo
D) filling out the company's standardized trip form
Q4) In writing a set of meeting minutes, you should interpret the events of the meeting for your readers.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A directive is an informational document, not a persuasive one. A)True
B)False
Q6) Identify three of the issues you should be sure to address in a field report?
Q7) what does an incident report describe?
Q8) what is the primary purpose of a directive?
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Chapter 18: Writing Recommendation Reports
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Q1) What fundamental question does the results section of a recommendation report answer?
Q2) In the recommendations section of a recommendation report, you should avoid recommending that the organization take no action, or no action at this time.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of these is an example of documentation in a report?
A) a citation for an article that gave you information for the report
B) a title for a table you created
C) a list of symbols you use throughout the report
D) an appendix
Q4) What fundamental question does the recommendations section of a recommendation report answer?
Q5) Into what two categories can criteria be classified?
Q6) What fundamental question does the conclusions section of a recommendation report answer?
Q7) If your report presents multiple recommendations, how should you consider presenting them?
Q8) In a decision matrix, which factor demonstrates a criterion's importance?
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Chapter 19: Writing Lab Reports
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Q1) Which of the procedures you performed should you mention in the "Materials and Methods" section of your report?
Q2) Your methods should be detailed enough that another researcher could perform the same experiment using the same materials and methods. What term describes this goal?
A) iteration
B) redundancy
C) redaction
D) None of the responses are correct.
Q3) Science and engineering journals usually instruct authors to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide.
A)True
B)False
Q4) 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?
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Chapter 20: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions
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Q1) In what way is the definition "Booting a computer is when you turn it on" flawed?
Q2) What are the three types of descriptions discussed in Chapter 20?
Q3) You are writing a manual for a deep fryer designed for home cooks. Which statement would be appropriately set off with Note as a signal word?
A) Corn balls will be very hot when removed from the oil.
B) The fry zone is very hot when the power is on. To avoid serious burns, do not touch the fry zone while it is heated.
C) The fry basket can hold 4-6 small doughnuts at a time.
D) Do not attempt to fix the deep fryer while it is connected to a power source.
Q4) Which two types of organizational patterns are most common for mechanism descriptions?
A) comparison and contrast
B) functional
C) spatial
D) radial
Q5) there is no absolute distinction between a set of instructions and a manual.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 21: Making Oral Presentations
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Q1) Usually, your audience is more aware of your nervousness than you are.
A)True
B)False
Q2) An effective graphic for an oral presentation has five characteristics. One is that it presents a clear, well-supported claim. What are two other characteristics mentioned in the chapter?
Q3) Chapter 21 lists a number of points to keep in mind if you become nervous before giving an oral presentation. One is to realize that you are prepared. What is one other mentioned in the chapter?
Q4) Maintaining eye contact is one way to use your body effectively. What is another technique discussed in the chapter?
Q5) you do not need to announce the end of your presentation. Listeners can tell when you are ending.
A)True
B)False
Q6) In a question-and-answer session, what should you do if you are asked a question you do not understand?
Q7) In an oral presentation, what is an advance organizer?
Page 23
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