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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. 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.
Subjective descriptions
Negative Language
Cultural Idiom
Non-Specific Language
2. A conclusion based on a sample size that is too small or limited.
Post hoc
Hasty generalizations
Dangling Modifier
Inflated Language
3. Are built when a watered down or misrepresented version of one side is described and then attacked.
Begging the question
Tie-In Problem
Slippery slopes
Strawmen
4. 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.
Subjective descriptions
Negative Language
Redundant Modifier
Emphasis Problem
5. 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.
Audience recognition
Accessibility
Redundant Pair
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
6. 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
Nominalization
Offensive Language
Slippery slopes
7. 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
Strawmen
Passive Voice
Begging the question
8. 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
Red herrings
Dangling Modifier
Parallel construction
Subject/Verb Separation
9. Based on facts - not opinions.
Missing the point
Objective descriptions
Subject/Verb Separation
Audience recognition
10. To draw a conclusion that is more extreme than the evidence supports
Dangling Modifier
Post hoc
Missing the point
Redundant Pair
11. 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.
Dangling Modifier
Appeals to authority
Clarity
Parallel construction
12. Based on opinions.
Subjective descriptions
Cultural Idiom
Negative Language
Passive Voice
13. Be brief and to the point - use active voice - avoid redundancy
Ad populum
No Actor in Subject
Conciseness
Unity
14. Page layout - make headings larger than body text - use highlighting techniques
Non-Specific Language
Subject/Verb Separation
Accessibility
Faulty Word Choice
15. 'To the people' argument relies on public opinion to support a position
Ad populum
Hasty generalizations
Slippery slopes
False dichotomies
16. 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
False dichotomies
Conciseness
Accuracy
Negative Language
17. Most important trait - Have an understandable message - avoid vague words - answer the reader's questions
Red herrings
No Actor in Subject
Clarity
Accuracy
18. 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
Tie-In Problem
Ad hominem
Redundant Pair
Accuracy
19. 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...
Strawmen
Tech Term Placement
Offensive Language
Hasty generalizations
20. Three or more nouns together can slow reading. To fix: break these long noun phrases up by adding in articles or prepositions.
Audience recognition
Misplaced Modifier
Cultural Idiom
Stacked Noun (Noun + Noun + Noun)
21. Consider the needs of the reader
Nominalization
Red herrings
Tie-In Problem
Audience recognition
22. 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
Hasty generalizations
Begging the question
Subject/Verb Separation
Accessibility
23. 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
False dichotomies
Nominalization
Redundant Pair
Conciseness
24. 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.
Unity
Faulty Word Choice
Inflated Language
Offensive Language
25. 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....
Offensive Language
Inflated Language
Missing the point
Cultural Idiom
26. 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
Inflated Language
Objective descriptions
Appeals to authority
No Actor in Subject
27. 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.
Parallel construction
Begging the question
Tu quoque
Appeals to authority
28. 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
Non-Specific Language
No Actor in Subject
Accuracy
29. The extent to which the elements of a document develop a shared idea.
Inflated Language
Clarity
Conciseness
Unity
30. Assumes a chain of events will happen - even thought the evidence does not support the entire chain.
Redundant Modifier
Unnecessary Words
Slippery slopes
Accuracy
31. The mistaken view that there are only 2 possible solutions to a problem.
Accuracy
Misplaced Modifier
False dichotomies
Redundant Modifier
32. 'Against the person' arguments attacks a person who supports a dissenting position - rather than the position.
Ad hominem
Negative Language
Redundant Modifier
Subject/Verb Separation
33. 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
Dangling Modifier
Parallel construction
Redundant Modifier
34. Have someone else read your document
Non-Specific Language
Faulty Word Choice
Accuracy
Unnecessary Words
35. 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
Faulty Word Choice
Audience recognition
Parallel construction
Nominalization
36. Technical information that your readers are unfamiliar with should come at the end of sentences. Sentences that open with unfamiliar technical terms slow readers.
Slippery slopes
Inflated Language
Tech Term Placement
Unity
37. A tangential issue that is addressed in order to distract the readers from the main problem
Unity
Red herrings
Ad populum
Post hoc
38. Spell check
Accuracy
Begging the question
Unnecessary Words
Faulty Word Choice
39. Use personal pronouns
Begging the question
Post hoc
Audience recognition
Ad populum
40. Assumes a casual relationship between 2 events.
Emphasis Problem
Unity
Red herrings
Post hoc
41. 'You too' attacks points out the hypocrisy of a person who supports a dissenting position.
Audience recognition
Tie-In Problem
Nominalization
Tu quoque
42. 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
Subjective descriptions
Begging the question
Ad populum
Emphasis Problem