technical writing – Flashcards

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What are the Characteristics of a technical document?
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-Addresses particular readers -helps readers solve problems -reflects the organization's goals and culture -produced collaboratively -uses design to increase readability -consists of words or images or both
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What are your roles as a communicator?
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-the writer of the document -a member of a project team -an information resource for people inside and outside the workplace
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How can you use design to increase readability?
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-make the document look attractive and professional -to help readers navigate the document -to help readers understand the document
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What are the three reasons to be honest?
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1. it is the right thing to do 2. if you are dishonest, readers can get hurt 3. if you are dishonest, you and your organization can face serious legal charges
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Why must technical communication be clear?
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can be dangerous and expensive
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creating, designing, and transmitting specialized knowledge so that people can understand it and use it safely, effectively, and efficiently
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technical communication
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What is the role of technical communication?
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problem solving and documentation
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How much time do technical professionals devote of their time to writing?
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one fifth
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What are the first professional documents?
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resume and letter
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Why is tech writing collaborative?
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no one person has all the information, skills or time to create the lengthy documents often needed
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What are the 4 characteristics of ethics?
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Rights justice utility care
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A standard that concerns individuals' basic needs and welfare
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rights
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Give an example of how culture affects rights
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welfare- considered a right in some country and not in others
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A standard that concerns how the costs and benefits of an action or policy are distributed among a group
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justice
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A standard that concerns the positive and negative effects that an action or policy has, will have, or might have on others
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utility
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A standard that concerns the relationships we have with other individuals
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care
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What are your obligations to your employer?
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1. competence and diligence 2. generosity 3. honesty and candor 4. confidentiality 5. loyalty
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True or false: The answer to ethical dilemmas in the workplace is always clear-cut for the professional.
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false
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According to Markel's interpretation of Velasquez's four moral standards, what are the three ways your lobbying for a less qualified friend getting a job with your company violate workplace ethics?
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rights utilities justice
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true or false: Copyright is primarily an ethical issue.
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false
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true or false: Liability is an important concern for technical communication because courts frequently rule that a product's written instructions and warnings must be adequate to protect the consumer.
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true
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Why is liability an important concern for technical communication?
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courts frequently rule that a product's written instructions and warnings must be adequate to protect the consumer
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According to T. Donaldson's "moral minimum," must an organization or company actively seek to oppose target cultural norms such as discrimination?
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no, but it is admirable to do so
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Your Brother HL-210W printer will produce 27 pages per minute (as found in the owner's manual) is a statement to express what?
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the warranty
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Which are the first and last principle of ethical communication given by Markel?
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abide by laws and acknowledge assistance from others
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Which statement best summarizes how to create a culture that encourages ethical and legal behavior of its employees?
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From the top on down, all members of the orgaization behave ethically and within the law, supporting and rewarding those that also behave appropriately and use informal communication to reinforce the policies expressed in the company's code of conduct.
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Why is it we can use a few lines from a journal article (with quote marks and proper citation, of course) in our research papers without getting formal permission from the writer?
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This use falls under the guidelines of fair use.
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Why do more than half of the employees surveyed fail to report ethical misconduct they see in the workplace?
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They fear retaliation. They assume reporting misconduct will do no good.
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refers to your skills
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competence
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hard work
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diligence
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The obligation to help your co-workers and stakeholders outside your organization by sharing your knowledge and expertise
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generosity
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What are three things that violate honest and candor obligations to the employer?
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embezzlement stealing "borrowing" office supplies padding expense accounts
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Reporting problems to your employer that might threaten the quality or safety of the organization's product or service
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the obligation of candor
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the smoothing of irregularities to make research data look extremely accurate and precise
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trimming
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retaining only those results that fit the theory and discarding others
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cooking
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inventing some or all of the data and even reporting experiments that were never performed
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forging
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What are the three issues of honesty reported by sigma xi?
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trimming forging cooking
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no divulging company business outside of the company
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confidentiality
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an employee who knows about a development that will increase the value of the company's stock, buys the stock before the information is made public, thus reaping an unfair and illegal profit
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insider information
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acting in the employer's interest and not your own
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loyalty
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performing an outside job, such as private consulting
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moolighting
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moonlighting is a violation of which ethical obligation to the employer?
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loyalty
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True or false: you owe your employer absolute loyalty
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false
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What is an ethical dilemma that could occur in a proposal?
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asked to lie about your organization's past accomplishments
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What is an ethical dilemma that could occur in a progress report?
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you might be asked to describe a project as proceeding smoothly when it isn't
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What is an ethical dilemma that could occur in a completion report?
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you might be asked to leave out data inconsistent with other findings
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What is an ethical dilemma that could occur in a web site?
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you might be asked to copy source code, then make minor changes
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What is an ethical dilemma that could occur in graphics?
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you might be asked to hide undesirable features or leave out or make up data for a graph
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When do ethical dilemmas occur?
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when the interests of your employers conflict with the interests of other people invovled
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true or false: we are legally and ethically responsible for what we write
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true
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Should we depend on legal guidelines solely?
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no
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What are our four legal obligations?
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copyright law trademark law contract law liability law
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Protects the author of published or unpublished work
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copyright law
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what does the copyright law include?
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printed material software photographs
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What does the copyright law do?
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allows the individual or group to profit from sale and distribution in exchange for making work accessible
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When can we use materials w/o getting explicit permission?
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-criticism -commentary -news reporting -teaching -scholarship -research (without profit)
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What are the 4 factors for determing "fair use" in copyright?
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1. purpose and character of use (non profit) 2. nature and purpose of copyrighted materials 3. amount and substantiality of the portion of the work used (400 words) 4. effect of the use on the potential market for copyrighted work
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Fair use does not apply to __________
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graphics
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What are the copyright stipulations?
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attribution non commercial (non profit) no derivative work: as is
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What are the treatments of fair use?
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internal documents a bit looser external documents must follow use stringently
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What is the advice for coping with copyright?
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1. abide by fair use concept 2. seek permission 3. cite sources accurately 4. discuss authorship questions openly 5. seek legal counsel
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word, phrase, name or symbol that is identified with a company
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trademark
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word, phrase, name or symbol that the company has registered with the US Patent Office and Trademark office
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registered trademark
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How do you protect your client's, employer's, or own trademark?
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1. distinguish trademark from other material 2. use trademarked item as an adjective, not as a noun or verb 3. do no use plural or possessive form 4. use trademark symbol
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what is the statement used to indicate a trademark?
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"___________ is the registered trademark of ____________"
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anything written or revised by an employee on the job is the company's property, not the employee's
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work made for hire
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an agreement between two parties
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contract law
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What do most disputes in a contract law concern?
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whether a product lives up to manufacture's claim
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What are the claims in a contract law?
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express warranty implied waranty
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explicit statement in product documentation or oral communication that the product had a particular feature or can perform a particular function
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express warranty
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a warranty that is not written or spoken explicitly bus is inferred (reasonably) by the purchaser. include inferences from graphics and all forms of communication
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implied warranty
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statement that the company hopes will limit the company's liability
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disclaimer
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a manufacturer or seller of a product is liable for injuries or damages caused by the use of that product
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product liability law
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What are the ten guidelines to abiding by liability law?
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1. understand product and likely users 2. accurately describe products functions and limitations 3. instruct users on all aspects of ownership 4. use appropriate words and graphics 5. warn users about risks of using or misusing product 6. include warnings along with safety assertions 7. make directions and warnings conspicuous 8. make sure instructions comply with organization's standards and local, state, and federal laws 9. perform usability testing on product and instructions 10. make sure user gets information
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What are the 3 characteristics effective codes share?
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1. protect the interests of the public rather than the interests of the members 2. specific and comprehensive 3. enforceable
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the practice of going public with information about serious unethical or criminal conduct within an organization
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whistleblowing
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What are the conditions that justify whistleblowing?
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-strong evidence of harm done by organization -employee has made serious, but unsuccessful attempt to prevent wrongdoing through internal channels -wrongdoing is serious enough to warrant consequences to all parties
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When are you obligated to whistleblowing?
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-your position or professional responsibility calls you to prevent the wrong -wrongdoing is sufficiently serious enough for society, group or individual, including health, safety, and economic welfare
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What are the recommendations before whistleblowing?
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1. check facts 2. advance benefit to organization and stay calm 3. document everything 4. go through channels 5. get legal advice from workplace lawyer 6. do the right thing
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What are the principles for ethical communication?
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1. abide by relevant laws 2. abide by appropriate corporate and professional code of conduct 3. tell the truth 4. don't mislead audience 5. be clear 6. avoid discriminatory language 7. acknowledge assistance from others 8. think now about what you would do if...
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Markel recommends you think about your audience in which step of the writing process?
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planning
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What are the six journalistic questions?
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who what when where why how
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writing without plan or restrictions and not stopping until you know what you understand and what you need to find out
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freewriting
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with the main idea in the middle of the page, second and third level ideas connect to it and each other in any direction
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clustering
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the main idea or question is put at the top of the page, then second and third level ideas are place below it to help expand a topic
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branching
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discussing the topic with someone to have a conversation that will help you make new connections with the subject
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talking with someone
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spending 10-15 minutes writing down short phrases and questions
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brainstorming
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true or false: You can use or adapt organizational patterns to structure your documents.
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true
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rough copy created from outline, template, or styles
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drafting
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critically important to all writing and may take up to a third of the total time spent on writing something
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planning
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method of checking the writing to improve its grammar, punctuation, style, usage, diction, and mechanics
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editing
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process of looking over a draft to reconsider audience, purpose, and subject
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revising
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checking to be sure what you have typed is what you meant to type
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proofreading
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true or false: Proofreading is vital to producing a clear, well-written document.
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true
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Markel recommends you turn to two kinds for help with technical documents. What are the categorizations?
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SMEs and actual users
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true or false: Stating the purpose of a document (writing) should be done in the editing stage of the writing process.
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false
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What are the common problems with using templates in the drafting stage?
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1) They can't answer important questions and may mislead you. 2) They don't always reflect the best design principles. 3) Readers get tired of seeing the same designs.
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According to Markel, one should devise a schedule and budget during which of the writing process stages?
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planning
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What are the three techniques for analyzing your audience?
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Who is your reader? What are your reader's attitudes and expectations? How and why will your reader use the document?
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What are the factors to consider when identifying who the reader is?
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education job experiences responsibilities reading skill in English cultural characteristics personal preferences
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What are the factors to consider when analyzing your purpose in writing?
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what do you want the readers to know or do what beliefs or attitudes do you want them to hold
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What are the 3 things to consider when revising?
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1. audience 2. purpose 3. subject
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What is considered effective writing in the workplace?
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giving readers info they need to make a decision or solve a problem
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People farther removed from the writer who might take an interest in the subject.
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tertiary audience
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The beliefs, attitudes, and values that motivate people's behavior.
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culture
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What is the role of the primary reader?
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action taker
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what is the role of the secondary reader?
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advisors
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what is the role of the tertiary reader?
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evaluators
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what is the role of the gatekeepers?
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supervisors
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What are the most important characteristics when determining the reader?
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education professional experiences job responsibility personal characteristics personal preferences cultural characteristics
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True or false: The need to analyze the audience and purpose of communication is unique to technical communication.
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false
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What is to be taken into consideration when considering the reader's education?
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their degree and when they earned it
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What is to be taken into consideration when considering the reader's professional experience?
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content and style influenced by experience in the field
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When considering the reader, what characteristic helps the writer determine how the text can help in considerations in age, impaired vision or physical limitations, or other individual attributes?
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personal characteristics
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When considering the reader, what characteristic helps the writer know how much supporting material is needed, vocabulary, sentence structure and length, what kind of graphics to include and whether to provide other formal elements?
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education
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The reader's age might suggest how he or she will read and interpret your document
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personal preferences
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How does Markel recommend you begin learning about how to communicate with people from other cultures?
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Read basic guides to communicating with people from other cultures
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People close to the writer who use the document in carrying out their jobs.
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primary audience
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When communicating with people from another culture, what is the first surface cultural variable you will need to consider?
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languages
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true or false: Cultural variables beneath the surface vary greatly even within the dominant culture.
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true
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What are the ways Markel recommends we learn about our audience?
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1) Listing what is already known and needs to be discovered. 2) Searching for Information on the Internet 3) Reading documents the audience has written 4) Interviewing people.
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People more distant from the writer who need to stay aware of developments.
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secondary audience
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What are things to consider when looking at how your reader will use your document?
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How they will read it the reading skill the physical environment they will be reading in
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What research is used to find information that will help answer a scholarly question?
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academic
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What research is used to find information to help you answer a practical question, usually one that involves the organizations for which you work?
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workplace reasearch
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What is an example of a surface level source?
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popular media
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True or false: surface level sources should be avoided
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true
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What three questions should you answer when choosing someone to interview for research information?
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1) Who could best provide this information? 2) What questions do you want to answer? 3) Is this person willing to be interviewed?
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Who is the world's largest publisher in any field?
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US government
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When you can't find the research you need or when the information you find doesn't help you say what you want to say in a research project, it can be very frustrating. Explain how the ethical communicator handles this problem.
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...
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Why is it most difficult to evaluate information from the Internet?
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Because it often appears without passing through the formal review procedure.
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What does it mean that information should be appropriately technical?
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It means that the level of detail is in response to the needs of its readers.
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Name types of primary reasearch
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1) Inspections 2) Observations and Demonstrations 3) Interviews 4) Questionnaires
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collecting information that other people have already created or discovered.
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secondary research
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true or false: Primary research, according to Markel, involves going to the original source of published research such as a seminal source.
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false
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Which kind of research is usually done first in the workplace?
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secondary reasearch
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Trade and business are ___________ research
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intermediate level
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What are intermediate level sources?
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trade magazines newsletters short technical publications white papers web pages
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What reader is intermediate level research for?
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range form moderately informed to highly specialized
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Sources that focuse more on practice than on theory and items newsworthy to group, issues affecting the field, and public realtions
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intermediate level sources
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What are deeper level sources?
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specialized literature
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What are examples of deeper level sources?
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peer-review journals from professional organizations books by experts for experts white papers government sources
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What should the writer evaluate all sources for?
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accuracy, credibility, timeliness and biases
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What must a writer look at when evaluating web sources?
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domain purpose style posting/updating dates
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What are the steps to understanding the research process?
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1. analyze the audience 2. analyze your purpose 3. analyze your subject 4. visualize the deliverable 5. work out a schedule and a budget for the project 6. determine what info will need to be part of that deliverable 7. determine what information you still need to acquire 8. create questions you need to answer in your deliverable 9. conduct secondary research 10. conduct primary research 11. evaluate info 12. do more research
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"Positive construction" refers to what in technical writing?
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the writer is describing what something is
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What is the chief advantage of a coherent list for the reader?
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It makes the information easier to read and remember.
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true or false: Markel recommends you study the outline view of a document as a means for checking its coherence.
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true
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Collectively, headings achieve what in a document?
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They create a heirarchy of information.
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true or false:
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Using euphemisms in technical writing is important so that we not offend anyone.
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Of what is a typical technical paragraph composed?
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1) A beginning topic sentence. 2) Supporting information
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What does a title implicitly promise a reader?
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1) This document was written to achieve this purpose. 2) This document is about the subject
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When should writers check for coherence in their documents?
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1) After completing a draft 2) During draft 3) Before the document reaches the reader.
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In the event that
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if
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due to the fact of
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because
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at the conclusion of
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after, following
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of the opinion that
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think that
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until such time as
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until
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at this point in time
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now
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Why is a document title crucial?
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first chance to define your subject and purpose for your readers
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lower level titles for the sections and subsection in a document
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heading
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What do headings do?
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create a heiracrchy of information
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What should one do when revising headings?
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avoid long noun strings be informative use a grammatical form appropriate to audience avoid back to back headings
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true or false: An internal proposal is simpler than an external proposal because the writer has more access to the readers and can get more information more easily.
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true
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Into what categories are the deliverables of a proposal usually classified?
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research goods and services
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IFB
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information for bid
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RFP
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request for proposal
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what the supplier provides at the end of the project
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deliverable
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true or false: Writing a proposal calls for the same process as any other kind of document writing.
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true
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To understand the logistics, proposals can be classified as?
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external and internal
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true or false: External proposals may be classified as either solicited or illicit.
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false
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In an internal proposal, it's usually appropriate to make a request that involves a large amount of money in what format?
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a report
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To what other applications does a research proposal often lead?
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1) completion report 2) progress report
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an argument, submitted to writer's own organization, for carrying out an activity that will benefit the organization
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internal proposal
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When an organization wants to purchase a product or service
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solicited proposals
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what are the two types of solicited proposals
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IFB and RFP
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a proposal used for standard products
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information for a bid
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What is an example of an IFB
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a state agency needs desktop computers
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used for more-customized products or services
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RFP
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What is an example of an RFP
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the air force needs and identification of friend from foe
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what two other applications do research proposals lead to?
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progress reports and completion reports
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an offer to supply a tangible product, a service, or some combination of the two
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goods and services proposal
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What is the standard pattern of a sentence definition?
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term class distinguishing characteristic
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true or false: The placement of a definition is mostly determined by the reader's need and convenience.
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true
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The Oxford English Dictionary is especially useful in what way?
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It defines over half a million words used throughout the world.
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What are common techniques for extending a definition?
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1) Negation 2) Partition 3) Analogy 4) Examples
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Why type of definition is most comprehensive?
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extended definition
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true or false: Circular defintions are a good way to confuse the audience.
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true
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true or false: Specialists don't ever have to define vocabulary used by other specialists in a technical field.
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false
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What are the common subjects of technical description?
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1. processes 2. mechanisms 3. objects
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