Test your basic knowledge |

DSST Technical Writing

Subjects : dsst, writing-skills
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. These help readers decide whether to read the document - find a particular section - divide information into logical pieces - highlight main points and topics - signal topic changes






2. ______ ______ ______ is as follows: Introduction: background information and purpose statement - Body: Review of options being considered based on criteria like costs and staff - Conclusion: Interpretations of findings - Recommendation: Author's opin






3. Use these to show the meaning of a process or concept.






4. Show real or imaginary objects; highlight specific parts; use exploded view to show how parts fit together.






5. Included before full report; summarized version of report






6. _______________ terms are clearer than general ones.






7. Used when requesting large amounts of money






8. Organization Name __________ To: Name/Title of addressee From: Name/Title of sender with handwritten initials Date: For record keeping purposes Subject: Key words Introductory Paragraph: purpose and background Body Paragraph(s): details - explanation






9. Major teaching tool in vocational jobs; used to train people in a procedure or skill and often paired with audiovisual information






10. The extent to which data has been verified to be accurate






11. Informal written communications used in business between colleagues. The provide a record trail of decisions that can be used legally.






12. Titles or brief statements that describe a visual.






13. Describing the terms origin - such as Greek or Latin words






14. Included before full report; combines main points of a report or proposal; often persuasive






15. Sentences with an average of ____________ words are appropriate for technical writing. Sentences of fewer than 15 words are too short and choppy - and ones longer than 20 words are cumbersome and confusing.






16. A ____________ is the final document or product that will be submitted once a project is completed.






17. Written for trained operators of construction - computer - or manufacturing equipment for use on the job; includes instructions and safety information.

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18. Written in short proposal format; used frequently in organizations for minor spending requests.






19. ______ are documents that help people how to understand how to assemble - use - and repair products.






20. External proposal written and submitted without request






21. Audience consists of people with some technical knowledge but less than experts; data needs some explanation e.g.: a physician giving a report to a first-year medical student regarding a patient's lab results and symptoms






22. Used when extensive details are required about an item; may be a paragraph or numerous pages depending on the audience and purpose.






23. Audience consists of experts in the subject matter - data does not require lengthy explanation e.g.: a physician giving a report to a surgeon about a patient's lab results and symptoms






24. Describes the physical appearance of an object or area beginning at one point and ending at another; useful for product or mechanism descriptions






25. Appear on the top of every page in a document to indicate the page number and document title.






26. The attitude expressed by a writer. Use formal or semi when writing for superiors/professionals - Use semi or informal when writing for colleagues and subordinates - Use informal when conversational style is desired. Avoid profanity or slang.






27. What is the background of the audience? Global? - What is the reader's experience - What is the attitude of the audience on subject? - What are the needs/interests/expectations of the audience? - Will multiple audiences/skill levels read this?






28. Detailed - usually multipage commercial document containing descriptions of product/servive/project for marketing purposes.






29. External proposal that may be short or long depending on the size of the potential sale






30. Show trends and changes over time - cost - size - rates - and other variables.






31. Use comparison to define - but they are less likely to be used for terms with multiple meanings.






32. Commonly used to outline longer documents like reports - proposals - and manuals.






33. Show how components of a principle - process - or system function together - useful to people assembling and installing things.






34. This document contains: Name and contact information - Job Objective - Qualifications and Summary - Education and Work Experience - Awards - Skills and Activities - References






35. The page area that contains no text or graphics - and it helps draw a reader's attention to a particular page element. Improves the readability of a document for all types of readers. Although it limits the amount of information on a page - it does n






36. Illustrate relationships in systems - such as components in an electronic device






37. Used for complex terms or when term has multiple meanings. Follows a fixed patter: indicate the term to be defined - the class in which the time belongs - and the features that make the item unique in its class.






38. Useful in highlighting sections of a document to draw reader attention






39. Charts that show parts of a whole






40. Emphasizes important information; reasons or examples are arranged in decreasing or increasing order of imporance; used when making recommendations or proposals.






41. Defining through __________ involves comparing two seemingly different objects that share a common characteristic.






42. Audience consists of laypersons with no training in the subject matter; data needs to be translated into simple language that can be easily understood e.g.; a physician giving a report to a patient's spouse regarding lab results - symptoms - and trea






43. A document with an alphabetical list of definitions. It defines terms without breaking the flow. If a document has five or more technical terms it needs one of these. Insert after the appendix and bibiolography






44. Using '______________' to link the two sentences best contrasts the information.






45. Left ____________ improves the flow of a document.






46. These kinds of reports answer the following questions: What has been accomplished since the last progress report? - What tasks still need to be accomplished? - Have there been any unanticipated problems? - What is the expected timetable for completio






47. ____________________ in a sentence indicates the relationship between ideas; structuring a sentence with effective ______________ improves conciseness.






48. Follows a sequence of events; useful for explanations of how something is done or how an accident occurred.






49. This supplements or clarifies information in the text body. It is in the back and there may be more than one per topic. For example: experiment details - complicated formulas - interview questions and answers - long quotes - maps - photos - tests - v






50. Translate numbers into shapes or colors; show camprisons