MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT a. Satisfying Document Specifications
English 8 Preliminary Examination
Test I. TRUE OR FALSE. Read the following
statements, then write A if they truthfully define or
describe Technical Writing, otherwise write B.
TECHNICAL WRITING
1. Also considers outlines and layouts or
formats of reports.
2. Uses precise, clear, and concise point of
view.
3. Has two major aspects, the end products
and the skills necessary to prepare technical
documents.
4. Is dictated by the need of the writer or
reporter.
5. Is about scientific subject matters.
6. Mainly aims to inform or explain.
7. Is crucial in the workplace.
8. Is exactly the same as fictional writing.
9. Is only about written report forms.
10.Is an expressive form of writing.
11.Is a formal kind of writing.
12.Is highly imaginative or artistic.
13.Makes use of special techniques, such as,
definition, description of mechanisms and
processes, classification and partition and
interpretation.
14.Uses precise sentences most of the time.
15.Stresses the importance of clarity and
precision in style.
16.Standardizes reports like the progress
reports, recommendation reports, and other
form reports.
17.Supports technical communication needs
of professionals.
18.Maintains an altitude of impartiality and
objectivity.
19.Makes use of special features or visual
effects, like, boldfacing, underlining,
italicizing, bulleted forms and other
techniques to draw attention.
20.Involves complex important writing and
oral presentation techniques.
Test II. Characteristics of Technical Writing. Choose
the letter of the answer that best fits the description
above it.
1. It is important to understand who is reading
the document so that the information you convey
is transferred effectively.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
2. Technical writing is known for its use of
headings and subheadings and for the way
information is made easily accessible by grouping
material into chunks.
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
3. Technical documents should be clear and
concise, never wordy and flowery.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
4. Document specifications include: Adherence to
document type and Format.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
5. Sentences must have a single meaning with no
room for ambiguity. Technical writing should be
direct, not suspenseful.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Providing Accurate Information
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Expressing Information Clearly
6. Is the purpose of writing to inform? to instruct?
to propose? to recommend? or to persuade?
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Providing Accurate Information
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Expressing Information Clearly
7. ALL technical documents have a clear
introduction, body, and conclusion.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Providing Accurate Information
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Expressing Information Clearly
8. Technical writing is rarely about opinion.
Technical and scientific writing is grounded in
fact. It always wrong and unethical to falsify
information and data, and that is
particularly true in technical writing.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Providing Accurate Information
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Expressing Information Clearly
9. Nothing is more irritating to a reader than
sorting through misspellings, poorly written
sentences, typos, and punctuation problems.
Errors such as these make the writer look
uneducated and unprofessional.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Eliminating noise
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Using Appropriate Writing Style
10. Technical writing tends to be rather dry. This
is because, compared to other types of writing,
the purpose of technical writing is to inform
rather than to entertain.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Eliminating noise
c. Organizing Information Logically and Linearly
d. Using Appropriate Writing Style
11. Anytime you can make information visual
by creating figures and graphics, try to do so.
Figures and tables provide visual relief from
all of the text on the page and help the
reader to access important data.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
12. Expressing information clearly is crucial;
you NEVER want to make your reader work
harder than necessary to understand the
message/idea/information you are
conveying.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Providing Accurate Information
c. Organizing Information Logically and
Linearly
d. Expressing Information Clearly
13. Careful editing and proofreading are
essential steps in the writing process.
a. Understanding Why You are Writing
b. Eliminating noise
c. Organizing Information Logically and
Linearly
d. Using Appropriate Writing Style
14. Always choose words and phrases that
are simple and straightforward.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
15. As a writer, it is crucial to have an
awareness of the readers knowledge, ability
level, and interest in the information being
conveyed.
a. Satisfying Document Specifications
b. Writing for the Audience
c. Using Efficient Wording
d. Making Ideas/Information Accessible
Test III. Write A if the sentence is
FORMAL and B if INFORMAL
1. This guy, Hewson, right, he says that
people that speak English, like native
speakers, dont think about when to use
words like the, they just do it.
2. The project will be completed next year.
3. I showed that his arguments didnt hold
water.
4. I wonder why he put up with those terrible
conditions for so long.
5. Five more tests will be necessary before
the experiment can be concluded.
6. It is possible to consider the results from a
different viewpoint.
7. It has been proved that the arguments so
far are without foundation.
8. Hell have to do another five tests before
he can stop the experiment.
9. It is not clear why such terrible conditions
were tolerated for so long.
10. There are a number of reasons why the
questionnaire should be revised.
11. Well finish the job next year.
12. The total price for the order is $350.75
including shipping and handling.
13. When you buy books theyre so
expensive.
14.The house, which was damaged during
the storm, was sold for $180,000.00 to an
undisclosed buyer.
15. Boil the potato slices along with the rest
of the ingredients until soft.
TEST IV. Identify the end product of Technical
Writing being described.
1. A formal agreement between two or more
persons.
2. Provides useful information about a
complete program of work, for reference and
permanent record.
3. A record of procedures and results of
laboratory tests.
4. Refers to pictures, graphs, charts and
other materials used in illustrating important
points in a report.
5. Written communication or message used
to transact business.
6. Summarized form of a long piece of
writing.
7. A research paper written for a professional
paper or magazine.
8. A form of written communication
circulated within a company.
9. A thorough study of any subject.
10. An account of a business or professional
trip.
Test V. Identify whether the direction of
the end product of technical writing is
UPWARD, LATERAL, DOWNWARD, or
OUTWARD. Some may go in more than
one direction.
1. Brochure
2. Laboratory Report
3. Contract
4. Technical report 8. Proposal
5. Business letter 9. Progress Report
6. Abstract 10.Memorandum
7. Instructional Manual