Test your basic knowledge |

Making Manuals

Subject : writing-skills
Instructions:
  • Answer 42 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. Your goal as a good technical writer is to force your reader to infer only one meaning from what you have written so avoid using...






2. A primary goal of technical writing...






3. ___ elements can play an important role in manuals - and how you use them will depend on the manual's intended flow.






4. So - ___ is to a process as ___ are to a procedure.






5. Usability Testing has proven that well-written - usable manuals can contribute to...






6. In the cookbook you might have an ______________ for beating egg whites - rather than repeating the sub-procedure everywhere egg whites need to be beaten - thereby saving page space.






7. Usability testing your procedures speaks directly to...






8. Use ___ everywhere its use is indicated: lists - procedures - headings - sentences - paragraphs - pages - etc.






9. Manuals help...






10. An outline allows you to determine the best ____ to use through visualization and modeling






11. An alphabetical (linear) reference that that is typically used in a non-linear way






12. ___ will make errors stick out






13. Figures (Illustrations) - tables - charts - graphs - etc.






14. An entire manual will cover at least one of these - each with its own series of procedures.






15. A list of the (sub)sections in the manual - with page numbers


16. The sections that appear in a manual depend on the manual's _________________ and purpose






17. Creating ____ can help you organize your manual.






18. A ___ is a numbered series/sequence of steps or instructions for accomplishing something






19. ___ can aid a procedure and are particularly helpful when you are addressing a multi-cultural audience.






20. ___ is the only means you have to know/prove the procedure you wrote will be effective.






21. A ___ is an example of a linear manual.






22. Aspects that need to be done/considered/in hand before doing anything else; these could include tools - parts - and materials - as well as generic definitions of what Notes - Cautions - Warnings mean to readers and why these elements should be heeded






23. The flow of a manual can be either ___






24. Above all - as you write a manual - it is best to keep in mind its goals and ___.






25. Appendixes and indexes are referred to as...






26. A ___ is non-linear.






27. Introductions (that cover the entire manual) - tables of contents - and lists of figures/tables are referred to as...






28. Commonly used terms (jargon terms - definitions - abbreviations - etc.) that appear in the manual; could also be placed in an addendum






29. A ___ is a series/sequence of procedures.






30. Glossaries can be either ___ - depending on where they are placed.






31. The two most common methods of development for manuals are ___ and general-to-specific.






32. Three primary purposes to writing manuals






33. Having someone else perform (test) the procedure is usually best - but whichever testing methods you choose - they are collectively called ___.






34. Repetitive information mentioned once in order to avoid repetition elsewhere.






35. Procedures and instructions must use active voice and ____ sentences






36. Verbs or participles that end in 'ing'






37. Tables of contents - section headings - sub-section headings - headers - footers - and page numbers are examples of...






38. If your manual includes troubleshooting information - ___ sentences (questions) can be useful






39. CBS Method stands for...






40. A detailed description of what the manual discusses and - possibly - how the manual should be used.






41. Manuals provide readers the information necessary to do something - such as...






42. If your manual includes Cautions and Warnings - ___ sentences (sentences ending with !) can also be useful.