SUBJECTS
|
BROWSE
|
CAREER CENTER
|
POPULAR
|
JOIN
|
LOGIN
Business Skills
|
Soft Skills
|
Basic Literacy
|
Certifications
About
|
Help
|
Privacy
|
Terms
|
Email
Search
Test your basic knowledge |
DSST Technical Writing
Start Test
Study First
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. Writers developing a formal document should avoid _______________ - but thee occasional use in semiformal or informal documents is acceptable.
Parenthetical definition
The functional resume format
Process Description
Contractions
2. Charts that show parts of a whole
Line Graphs
Pie charts
Sequential pattern
Bar graphs
3. 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
Sentence outlines
Semi Technical
Chunking
Closing Summary
4. Margins ________ on the left are easier to read; fully ______ is appropriate for multiple columns.
Justification
Proposal
Appendix
Visuals
5. External proposal written to request funding for a project or study.
Routine Internal Proposal
Grant or Research Proposal
Directives
Memos
6. ___________ - such as 'who -' are more likely to decrease clarity in a document.
Relative pronouns
Modified-block style
Formal Internal Proposal
Letters
7. These are sentences clarity is increased by creating lists/clauses with similar grammer. (for example - every item on a list has 'a' before it)
Parallel sentences
Chunking
15 to 20
Letters
8. Describes the physical appearance of an object or area beginning at one point and ending at another; useful for product or mechanism descriptions
Pie charts
Spatial pattern
Passive voice and helping verbs
15 to 20
9. Use comparison to define - but they are less likely to be used for terms with multiple meanings.
Usability testing
Operation
Negative definitions
Thumbnails
10. Translate numbers into shapes or colors; show camprisons
Bar graphs
White space
Parenthetical definition
Memos
11. 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.
Procedures
Visuals
Sentence Definition
Sequential pattern
12. This describes how something works and breaks down something into steps or parts. (e.g. how to make a dvd player - how to apply for a loan)
Tutorials
Process Description
Spatial pattern
Sequential pattern
13. Used for writing step-by-step instructions.
Sequential pattern
Stub
Emphatic pattern
Visuals
14. Rules and guidelines provided to people who know how to perform a task - These ensure safety within a group. For example - guide on how to exit a building during a fire. Policemen have ________ they do after at a crime scene.
Transitional phrases
Procedures
Schematic diagrams
Chronological pattern
15. 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?
Flowcharts
Columns
Audience Analysis Questions
Progress Reports
16. Defining through __________ involves comparing two seemingly different objects that share a common characteristic.
Letters
Analogy
Transitional phrases
Use Manuals
17. Reduces costs by minimizing customer calls and the need to release document updates. Product sales and customer satisfaction also benefitsfrom this - although this enhances product safety - it does not eliminate a firm's legal responsibilities.
Parenthetical definition
Claim Letters
Usability testing
Contractions
18. Explain how each element of a complex item works - which is especially beneficial to laypersons attempting to understand a technical subject.
Although
Analysis of parts
Widows
Memorandum Structure
19. Written for both skilled and unskilled users of a product; include instructions regarding setup - operation and maintenance as well as safety warning and trouble-shooting tips
Tables
Closing Summary
Use Manuals
Deliverable
20. Use a synonym or clarifying phrase to explain the meaning of an unfamiliar word; easy to set up links in electronic documents.
Feasibility Reports
Parenthetical Definition
High Technical
Cover panel
21. Included either at the beginning of the conclusion or at the end of the body; reviews main points and findings
Titles and headings
Sequential pattern
Closing Summary
White space
22. Letter format most appropriate with letterhead stationery - all letter elements are aligned to the left margin - and company letterhead is commonly used.
Full-block style
Chronological pattern
Background
Deliverable
23. Involves dividing an idea into different parts and explaining each part separately.
Partition
Drawings
Semi Technical
Headings
24. The _______ is the left-hand column of a table - and it lists the items being compared.
Conclusion
Captions
Feasibility Reports
Stub
25. Written to ask about a product - service or procedure; brief - direct and clearly worded so the reader understands what is needed.
Memos
Descriptive Abstract
Inquiry Letters
Schematic diagrams
26. 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
White space
Progress Reports
Although
Sentence outlines
27. Discuss history - development - and applications for the term - unless readers are only attempting to perform a task related to the term.
Drawings
Unsolicited proposal
Background
Parenthetical definition
28. _______ are documents written to persuade readers to take some type of action.
Formal Internal Proposal
Appendix
Sentence definitions
Proposal
29. Titles or brief statements that describe a visual.
Memorandum Structure
Emphatic pattern
Captions
Drawings
30. Use images or icons to represent quantities; useful for non-experts to grasp ideas.
Pictograms
Solicited Proposal
Service Manuals
Comparison
31. The _____________ explains what an organization wants to do and justifies the proposal with primary and secondary research.
Plan of work
White space
Sales Proposal
Justification
32. ____________________ in a sentence indicates the relationship between ideas; structuring a sentence with effective ______________ improves conciseness.
Stub
Feasibility Report Structure
Subordination
Executive Summary
33. Used when writing about one subject that is similar to another.
Contractions
The functional resume format
Conclusion
Comparison
34. Explaining what the term does not mean.
Although
Negation
Service Manuals
Sentence Definition
35. Most appropriate when a writer needs to define a multiple-meaning term with precision.
Analogy
Sentence definitions
Bar graphs
Memos
36. Used when requesting large amounts of money
Directives
Gantt charts
Formal Internal Proposal
High Technical
37. Written to express disappointment with a product or service and to request a refund - replacement - or an apology
Grant or Research Proposal
The functional resume format
Data Validity Questions
Claim Letters
38. Written as a self-study guide for the users of a product; intended to guide first-time users through the steps involved in operating a product.
Expanded Definition
Headers and footers
Color
Tutorials
39. These kinds of reports answer the following questions: The reason for conducting the test or investigation - Problems - Results and Conclusion
Topic outlines
Collaborative writing
Headings
Laboratory Reports
40. Useful in highlighting sections of a document to draw reader attention
Pictograms
Operator's Manuals
Color
Transitional phrases
41. Explain policies - and proposals persuade readers to follow a plan of action.
Directives
Color
Headers
Widows
42. Informal written communications used in business between colleagues. The provide a record trail of decisions that can be used legally.
Feasibility Reports
Diagrams
Job Application Letters
Memos
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
First-level and second-level
Grant or Research Proposal
Glossary
Job Application Letters
44. _______________ terms are clearer than general ones.
Precise
15 to 20
Letters
Process Description
45. The extent to which data has been verified to be accurate
Parallel sentences
Pie charts
Collaborative writing
Data Validity
46. 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
Brochure
15 to 20
Non Technical
Partition
47. 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
High Technical
Titles and headings
Progress Reports
Diagrams
48. Data organized visually for easy comparison
Gantt charts
Spatial pattern
Routine Internal Proposal
Tables
49. Consist of brief phrases that indicate a document's method of development - and they are primarily used for short documents like letters and memos.
Flowcharts
Executive Summary
Topic outlines
Justification
50. Show how the phases of a project relate to each other
Drawings
Analogy
Gantt charts
Memos