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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. _______________ terms are clearer than general ones.
Precise
Audience Analysis Questions
Data Validity Questions
Feasibility Reports
2. ____________________ in a sentence indicates the relationship between ideas; structuring a sentence with effective ______________ improves conciseness.
Subordination
Manuals
Plan of work
Topic outlines
3. Emphasizes important information; reasons or examples are arranged in decreasing or increasing order of imporance; used when making recommendations or proposals.
Captions
Brochure
Emphatic pattern
Parenthetical definition
4. They are different from Memos - since they correspond to people outside of the organization instead of inside.
Plan of work
Job Application Letters
Bar graphs
Letters
5. 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?
Negation
Cover panel
Audience Analysis Questions
Inquiry Letters
6. Written to accompany a resume when seeking an internship or employment; explains how skills and experience match a specific job position.
Job Application Letters
Justification
Negative definitions
Data Validity
7. Charts that show parts of a whole
Pie charts
Although
Background
Descriptive Abstract
8. ______ are documents that help people how to understand how to assemble - use - and repair products.
Parenthetical Definition
Orphan
Memos
Manuals
9. Consist of brief phrases that indicate a document's method of development - and they are primarily used for short documents like letters and memos.
Visuals
Inquiry Letters
Partition
Topic outlines
10. Left ____________ improves the flow of a document.
Columns
Parenthetical Definition
Justification
Relative pronouns
11. ______ ______ ______ 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
Analysis of parts
Laboratory Reports
Feasibility Report Structure
Schematic diagrams
12. Show how components of a principle - process - or system function together - useful to people assembling and installing things.
Schematic diagrams
Contractions
Flowcharts
Cause and Effect
13. Written to ask about a product - service or procedure; brief - direct and clearly worded so the reader understands what is needed.
Audience Analysis Questions
Transitional phrases
Stub
Inquiry Letters
14. Are reduced images of pictures.
Thumbnails
Although
Collaborative writing
Gantt charts
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.
15 to 20
Tables
Full-block style
Passive voice and helping verbs
16. Written for unskilled individuals. The steps required to complete a task safely and efficiently - such as installing a memory card into a laptop. i.e. printed manuals - user manuals.
White space
Instructions
Claim Letters
Schematic diagrams
17. Use images or icons to represent quantities; useful for non-experts to grasp ideas.
Operation
Pictograms
Informative Abstract
Bar graphs
18. Written in short proposal format; used frequently in organizations for minor spending requests.
Routine Internal Proposal
Diagrams
Data Validity Questions
Chunking
19. Included either at the beginning of the conclusion or at the end of the body; reviews main points and findings
Cause and Effect
Closing Summary
Visuals
Comparison
20. Indicate organizational structure and help readers find information; type size or font should differ from main text.
Full-block style
Partition
Headers
Headings
21. The _________ of a brochure is its front page - and its purpose is to catch the attention of the audience. Usually contain a visual image and a small amount of text. Concepts and overviews appear inside the brochure.
Incident or trouble reports
Pictograms
Laboratory Reports
Cover panel
22. The purpose of a ____ is to: Summarize information - Interpret Findings - Recommend action
Resume
Expanded Definition
Conclusion
Drawings
23. 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.
Sentence Definition
Analogy
Headers
Justification
24. Used when requesting large amounts of money
Drawings
Formal Internal Proposal
Analogy
Justification
25. These are sentences clarity is increased by creating lists/clauses with similar grammer. (for example - every item on a list has 'a' before it)
Cause and Effect
Directives
Descriptive Abstract
Parallel sentences
26. 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
Semi Technical
Sentence outlines
Precise
Memos
27. Used when extensive details are required about an item; may be a paragraph or numerous pages depending on the audience and purpose.
Widow
Expanded Definition
Training Manuals
Table of Contents
28. Titles or brief statements that describe a visual.
Captions
Audience Analysis Questions
Sequential pattern
Laboratory Reports
29. Show how the phases of a project relate to each other
Sales Proposal
White space
Gantt charts
Plan of work
30. When using a ______________ - center the return address - date - and closing - and align body paragraphs to the left.
Memos
Descriptive Abstract
Titles and headings
Modified-block style
31. Explain how each element of a complex item works - which is especially beneficial to laypersons attempting to understand a technical subject.
Deliverable
Routine Internal Proposal
Inquiry Letters
Analysis of parts
32. Single words or short lines carried over to the top of a column or page
Progress Reports
Service Manuals
Comparison
Widows
33. Show trends and changes over time - cost - size - rates - and other variables.
Tone
Line Graphs
Laboratory Reports
Chunking
34. These build unity and clarity by creating a smoooth flow of ideas. Achieved by using ______ words (therefore - meanwhile etc) Repeating major points or words - summarizing information in previous paragraphs - using numbers to indicate steps.
Transitional phrases
Color
Process Description
Letters
35. External proposal written and submitted without request
15 to 20
Training Manuals
Parenthetical Definition
Unsolicited proposal
36. Explaining what the term does not mean.
Service Manuals
Negation
Drawings
Columns
37. Using '______________' to link the two sentences best contrasts the information.
Although
Deliverable
High Technical
Pie charts
38. Advantages: gaining a better understanding of how the audience will read the document - each member of the group provides more questions and suggestions Disadvantages: disjointed writing styles - increased time to complete the project - and reduced m
Executive Summary
Collaborative writing
Thumbnails
15 to 20
39. Single ___ for larger typeface; double for smaller typeface. Avoid orphans and widows.
Job Application Letters
Grant or Research Proposal
Columns
Use Manuals
40. 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
Semi Technical
Laboratory Reports
Progress Reports
Justification
41. A ____________ is the final document or product that will be submitted once a project is completed.
Data Validity
Deliverable
Claim Letters
Drawings
42. ___________ - such as 'who -' are more likely to decrease clarity in a document.
Routine Internal Proposal
Feasibility Reports
Cause and Effect
Relative pronouns
43. Data organized visually for easy comparison
Transitional phrases
Schematic diagrams
Tables
Deliverable
44. Involves dividing an idea into different parts and explaining each part separately.
Formal Internal Proposal
Partition
Headers and footers
Manuals
45. 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.
Training Manuals
Headers and footers
Feasibility Reports
Procedures
46. The _______ is the left-hand column of a table - and it lists the items being compared.
Stub
Headers and footers
Feasibility Reports
Resume
47. Written to express disappointment with a product or service and to request a refund - replacement - or an apology
High Technical
Claim Letters
Headings
Full-block style
48. Used for writing step-by-step instructions.
Sequential pattern
Proposal
Orphan
Cover panel
49. 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.
Usability testing
Sequential pattern
Passive voice and helping verbs
Tutorials
50. Follows a sequence of events; useful for explanations of how something is done or how an accident occurred.
The functional resume format
Diagrams
Chronological pattern
Analysis of parts