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