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Test your basic knowledge |
Technical Writing Style Vocab
Start Test
Study First
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. Often found with the word 'not.' Tell readers what they need to know and what they should be doing instead of focusing on what they should not be doing: e.g. - 'You do not not have homework -' is more difficult to read and understand than - 'You have
Negative Language
Accessibility
Unity
Ad hominem
2. Technical information that your readers are unfamiliar with should come at the end of sentences. Sentences that open with unfamiliar technical terms slow readers.
Clarity
Tech Term Placement
Non-Specific Language
Nominalization
3. A verb acting as a noun and hiding the main action of the sentence. Find all the nouns in a sentence - then see if they could be verbs - if they can - they are nominalizations. Use common sense to change all the nominalizations you can without changi
Nominalization
Missing the point
Subjective descriptions
Dangling Modifier
4. A tangential issue that is addressed in order to distract the readers from the main problem
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
Accuracy
Red herrings
Slippery slopes
5. Unnecessary intensifier or explainer that is already implied by one (or more) of the words: e.g. - 'very unique -' 'free gift -' 'green in color -' 'round in shape -' etc... To fix: remove extra words.
Passive Voice
Redundant Modifier
Hasty generalizations
Cultural Idiom
6. A word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g. - 'when young' in 'when young - circuses appeal to all of us' or 'wearing a ball gown' in the sentence - 'She sat on the lap of a fat man wearing a
Misplaced Modifier
Redundant Modifier
Emphasis Problem
Accuracy
7. Use personal pronouns
Ad populum
Faulty Word Choice
Red herrings
Audience recognition
8. The extent to which the elements of a document develop a shared idea.
Unity
Objective descriptions
Nominalization
Accuracy
9. To base a conclusion on a piece of information that is essentially a restatement of the conclusion or to ignore flaws in a core piece of information.
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
Cultural Idiom
Begging the question
Appeals to authority
10. To draw a conclusion that is more extreme than the evidence supports
Emphasis Problem
Ad hominem
Missing the point
Conciseness
11. Spell check
Slippery slopes
Accuracy
Clarity
Tu quoque
12. Be brief and to the point - use active voice - avoid redundancy
Accessibility
Conciseness
Cultural Idiom
Non-Specific Language
13. When sentences are not tied together using the old/new information principle. To fix: New information comes at the end of a sentence to introduce the new idea. Once a writer has introduced the new info - then it becomes old information and is availab
Accuracy
Missing the point
Tie-In Problem
Objective descriptions
14. Assumes a chain of events will happen - even thought the evidence does not support the entire chain.
Offensive Language
Missing the point
Slippery slopes
Objective descriptions
15. Have someone else read your document
Tu quoque
Accuracy
Unnecessary Words
Objective descriptions
16. Slang - cliches - or brand names that belong only to a specific group or culture: e.g.: 'I went home and crashed -' becomes 'I went home and napped -' 'Band-Aids' becomes 'bandages -' 'White Out' becomes 'liquid paper' or 'correction fluid -' etc....
Cultural Idiom
Subject/Verb Separation
Faulty Word Choice
Tie-In Problem
17. Words that the average 8th grade level reader and below would not be familiar with. Any jargon from a specific field. Use sparingly in technical documents unless you know your audience has the necessary vocabulary. Example: 'Pursuant to our conversat
Tie-In Problem
Nominalization
Inflated Language
Conciseness
18. Based on opinions.
Offensive Language
Hasty generalizations
Subjective descriptions
Misplaced Modifier
19. A series of actions - a list of several things - a bullet list for example - or a sentence that is divided into two parts - in these cases when a main verb control several phrases that follow it - each of those phrases has to be set up in the same w
Parallel construction
Inflated Language
Objective descriptions
Subjective descriptions
20. The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb. This style error hides credit for ideas and can often indicate sloppy research. Passive Voice Formula: ('to be' v
Passive Voice
Tie-In Problem
Subjective descriptions
Accuracy
21. Assumes a casual relationship between 2 events.
Accessibility
Tie-In Problem
Audience recognition
Post hoc
22. Language that alienates a specific group or gender: e.g - 'Policeman' becomes 'Police Officer -' 'man-made' becomes 'synthetic -' 'autistic children' becomes 'children with autism -' etc...
Inflated Language
Offensive Language
Redundant Pair
No Actor in Subject
23. The mistaken view that there are only 2 possible solutions to a problem.
Nominalization
False dichotomies
Tie-In Problem
Post hoc
24. When the writer puts unimportant information at the end of a sentence. The end of a sentence is the last thing the reader remembers and only important information belongs there. Avoid ending sentences with phrases such as - 'however -' 'according to
Appeals to authority
Cultural Idiom
Ad populum
Emphasis Problem
25. 'To the people' argument relies on public opinion to support a position
Tie-In Problem
Ad populum
Clarity
Non-Specific Language
26. Three or more nouns together can slow reading. To fix: break these long noun phrases up by adding in articles or prepositions.
Tie-In Problem
Slippery slopes
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
Cultural Idiom
27. A conclusion based on a sample size that is too small or limited.
Hasty generalizations
Tie-In Problem
Faulty Word Choice
Tu quoque
28. Page layout - make headings larger than body text - use highlighting techniques
Audience recognition
Accessibility
Parallel construction
Hasty generalizations
29. This style error occurs when the person or entity performing the action is not in the subject position of the sentence. To fix: move the actor (what performs the action) to the subject position in the sentence.
No Actor in Subject
Accessibility
Tech Term Placement
Negative Language
30. A modifiying phrase or clause that does not sensibly modify any word or words in a sentence. Usually the actor is missing from the sentence: e.g. - 'Reading a book - the black cat crawled onto my lap.' The cat was not reading the book. To fix: add an
Ad hominem
Passive Voice
Dangling Modifier
Subjective descriptions
31. Are built when a watered down or misrepresented version of one side is described and then attacked.
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
Emphasis Problem
Post hoc
Strawmen
32. Can take 2 forms; citing a person who is not an expert in the subject being discussed or failing to describe the reasons that support an expert's opinion.
Clarity
Cultural Idiom
Appeals to authority
Offensive Language
33. 'You too' attacks points out the hypocrisy of a person who supports a dissenting position.
Passive Voice
Cultural Idiom
Tu quoque
No Actor in Subject
34. This issue makes sentences more difficult to read for the average person. Anytime a writer places words between the subject and the verb - the writer is slowing the action of the sentence. Use sparingly and only when necessary. Subject/Verb Separatio
No Actor in Subject
Subject/Verb Separation
Unity
Unnecessary Words
35. Words that pad a sentence without adding anything of value: e.g.: 'due to the fact that' is unnecessary when writers have 'because' to use. 'In order to' does not need the 'in order' portion to communicate the same message.
Unnecessary Words
Audience recognition
Redundant Modifier
Passive Voice
36. Two words with the same meaning joined by 'and': e.g. - 'each and every -' 'full and complete -' 'null and void -' 'first and foremost -' etc.... To fix: removed extra words.
Misplaced Modifier
Redundant Pair
Accessibility
Hasty generalizations
37. Based on facts - not opinions.
Appeals to authority
Objective descriptions
Ad hominem
Accuracy
38. Language that is not clear or detailed. Non-specific language often related to numbers and times: soon - few - many - several. Non-specific language can include 'it' if it begins a sentence or is without clear prior reference.
Red herrings
Redundant Modifier
No Actor in Subject
Non-Specific Language
39. Most important trait - Have an understandable message - avoid vague words - answer the reader's questions
Red herrings
Inflated Language
Clarity
Parallel construction
40. Consider the needs of the reader
Audience recognition
Faulty Word Choice
Passive Voice
Tu quoque
41. 1. Words that can have more than one meaning in the context of the sentence: e.g. - 'The teacher was mad -' --was she insane or angry? 2. Typos - misspellings - homonyms used incorrectly.
Inflated Language
Tie-In Problem
Faulty Word Choice
Tu quoque
42. 'Against the person' arguments attacks a person who supports a dissenting position - rather than the position.
Tie-In Problem
Ad hominem
Tech Term Placement
Begging the question