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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. Detailed - usually multipage commercial document containing descriptions of product/servive/project for marketing purposes.
Brochure
Service Manuals
Justification
Visuals
2. Explaining what the term does not mean.
Negation
The functional resume format
Expanded Definition
Descriptive Abstract
3. Writers developing a formal document should avoid _______________ - but thee occasional use in semiformal or informal documents is acceptable.
Manuals
Memos
The functional resume format
Contractions
4. 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
Parenthetical Definition
Non Technical
Drawings
Orphan
5. Use a synonym or clarifying phrase to explain the meaning of an unfamiliar word; easy to set up links in electronic documents.
Sentence Definition
Subordination
Parenthetical Definition
Analogy
6. External proposal written and submitted without request
Unsolicited proposal
White space
Background
High Technical
7. Written for repair technicians; contain troubleshooting charts for diagnosing problems
Headers and footers
Service Manuals
Manuals
Incident or trouble reports
8. 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
Chronological pattern
Headings
Table of Contents
Progress Reports
9. External proposal written in response to a request for proposals (RFP) or an invitation for bids (IFB)
Emphatic pattern
Solicited Proposal
Job Application Letters
Deliverable
10. Describes the physical appearance of an object or area beginning at one point and ending at another; useful for product or mechanism descriptions
Justification
Spatial pattern
Negative definitions
Manuals
11. External proposal that may be short or long depending on the size of the potential sale
Sales Proposal
Brochure
Tables
Analogy
12. ___________ - such as 'who -' are more likely to decrease clarity in a document.
Relative pronouns
Tone
Informative Abstract
Inquiry Letters
13. A ____________ is the final document or product that will be submitted once a project is completed.
Brochure
Deliverable
Non Technical
Cover panel
14. Included on the title page; summarizes in a few sentences the scope and purpose of the document.
Descriptive Abstract
Laboratory Reports
Sales Proposal
Training Manuals
15. Use comparison to define - but they are less likely to be used for terms with multiple meanings.
Sales Proposal
Negative definitions
Analogy
Sentence outlines
16. External proposal written to request funding for a project or study.
Background
Headings
Gantt charts
Grant or Research Proposal
17. Written to accompany a resume when seeking an internship or employment; explains how skills and experience match a specific job position.
Proposal
Job Application Letters
Claim Letters
Process Description
18. 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
Contractions
Spatial pattern
Parenthetical Definition
Semi Technical
19. Show how components of a principle - process - or system function together - useful to people assembling and installing things.
Stub
Schematic diagrams
Cover panel
Parallel sentences
20. Included before full report; combines main points of a report or proposal; often persuasive
Cover panel
Laboratory Reports
Training Manuals
Executive Summary
21. Informal written communications used in business between colleagues. The provide a record trail of decisions that can be used legally.
Analysis of parts
The functional resume format
Memos
Sentence Definition
22. Illustrate relationships in systems - such as components in an electronic device
Parallel sentences
Justification
Diagrams
Chunking
23. Written to describe events like safety emergencies - equipment problems - and workplace accidents.
Background
Inquiry Letters
Sequential pattern
Incident or trouble reports
24. Single ___ for larger typeface; double for smaller typeface. Avoid orphans and widows.
Emphatic pattern
Contractions
Columns
Analysis of parts
25. 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
Memorandum Structure
Cover panel
Data Validity
Headings
26. Show real or imaginary objects; highlight specific parts; use exploded view to show how parts fit together.
Audience Analysis Questions
Directives
Conclusion
Drawings
27. Left ____________ improves the flow of a document.
Schematic diagrams
Collaborative writing
Justification
Sentence definitions
28. Increase the wordiness of a sentence
Schematic diagrams
Data Validity
Passive voice and helping verbs
Justification
29. 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
Expanded Definition
White space
Pictograms
Training Manuals
30. 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
Appendix
Proposal
Formal Internal Proposal
Feasibility Report Structure
31. 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.
Gantt charts
Subordination
Procedures
Pie charts
32. 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.
Tables
Instructions
Flowcharts
Job Application Letters
33. Emphasizes important information; reasons or examples are arranged in decreasing or increasing order of imporance; used when making recommendations or proposals.
Training Manuals
Although
Thumbnails
Emphatic pattern
34. These kinds of reports answer the following questions: The reason for conducting the test or investigation - Problems - Results and Conclusion
Full-block style
Pie charts
Laboratory Reports
Cover panel
35. The _______ is the left-hand column of a table - and it lists the items being compared.
Informative Abstract
Titles and headings
Full-block style
Stub
36. Show trends and changes over time - cost - size - rates - and other variables.
Line Graphs
Solicited Proposal
Chunking
Pie charts
37. Written in short proposal format; used frequently in organizations for minor spending requests.
Routine Internal Proposal
Sentence Definition
Widows
Tables
38. Dividing information into manageable pieces so that the document is easier for readers to follow and understand - Writers use various sequencing methods to do this.
Glossary
Chunking
Resume
Informative Abstract
39. Use these to show the meaning of a process or concept.
Table of Contents
Thumbnails
Visuals
Solicited Proposal
40. 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
First-level and second-level
Laboratory Reports
Analysis of parts
41. Describing the terms origin - such as Greek or Latin words
Routine Internal Proposal
Training Manuals
Etymology
Descriptive Abstract
42. Appear on the top of every page in a document to indicate the page number and document title.
Headers
Tables
Solicited Proposal
Widow
43. 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.
Parenthetical Definition
Topic outlines
Cover panel
Conclusion
44. Used when requesting large amounts of money
Formal Internal Proposal
Grant or Research Proposal
Columns
Partition
45. A single line carried over the top of a column
Inquiry Letters
Widow
First-level and second-level
Sentence definitions
46. Titles or brief statements that describe a visual.
Captions
Non Technical
Tone
Background
47. ______ ______ ______ 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
Pie charts
Feasibility Report Structure
Headings
Cause and Effect
48. The _____________ explains what an organization wants to do and justifies the proposal with primary and secondary research.
Plan of work
Solicited Proposal
Job Application Letters
Parenthetical definition
49. A word on a line by itself at the end of a column
Feasibility Reports
Operator's Manuals
Orphan
Flowcharts
50. Using '______________' to link the two sentences best contrasts the information.
Instructions
Although
Columns
Orphan