Quiz: Meeting 1

For MIS320 V3WW (W14)

MIS 320: Technical Communication
Student Name: Matt Ginsberg
Date:

Quiz: Pre-Course Knowledge Assessment

True or False: Type your answer (True or False) in the ANSWER column.
(You may also leave an answer blank if you are uncertain)
Answer
TRUE

Question
Technical communication must be accurate.

FALSE

Expression errors in technical communication are not important.

FALSE

Tone of voice in an oral presentation is not as important as spelling in written

communications.

FALSE

Informal technical communication is of little importance, it is all right to not be

entirely accurate.

FALSE

Email is only used for formal communication.

TRUE

Ethical considerations can vary by communication structure or level of

formality.

TRUE

Writing a blog about a hobby, like collecting stamps or horse riding, could
never be considered technical communication.

FALSE

Writing a report for your boss without first understanding the purpose of the
report is a reasonable activity.

TRUE

Writing a report without knowing the specific audience and the characteristics
of that audience is not ethical.

FALSE

10 Using copyrighted material in ones own text without express permission of

the owner of the copyright can entail a breach of ethics, but is never illegal.

FALSE

11 Informal communication structures never involve following rules

TRUE

12 A communication structure is either formal or informal, never both

Multiple Choice: For each of the following questions, indicate your answer by setting it to BOLD
typeface.
1

Which of the following not an informal communication structure:

A Conversation in the hallway with your boss about the current status of your project
B Text message to your boss that you will miss the meeting with companys CEO
C Letter of resignation from you addressed to your boss
D Telling your office mate how to use a new app on their phone that you recommended to them

Ethics, the laws of your government, and morality are:

A Concerned with the integrity of human relationships
B

Vary in terms of their degree of formal enforcement by society

C Considerations when engaged in technical communication

D All of the above.
3

Ethical considerations in informal communication structures are

A

Irrelevant

Relevant

Less binding on the participants then if they were part of a formal communication structure XXX

A nuisance that slows down accurate communication

Which of these could never be considered to be a technical communication structure:

A

A presentation where the delivery is interlaced with incredibly funny stories that illustrate
the points being made.

Scientific Report

News article

None of the above

Technical communication is
A

Difficult to do well

Can only be done in ways that are boring, even to the communicator

Never aimed at a non-technical audience

Something only management cares about

Successful careers in technical fields like computing

A

Never require technical professionals to be able to communicate to people who are not part of the
profession

Require at most being able to write a reasonably intelligible, accurate weekly status report

Are never impacted by ethical or legal or moral considerations

None of the above

Formal communication structures

A

Are defined by their level of adherence to rules about how they are to be structured, who are the
appropriate audiences

Should not contain off-the-cuff, spur-of-the-moment estimates of cost, time or resources needed
for a project

Should be used to convey materially important information that needs to be documented for
future references and use within an organization

All of the above

Ethics, laws and morals:

A

Are the same thing.

Differ in unimportant ways in terms of technical communication

Are made up rules that a computing professional can safely ignore

None of the above

Correct
Incorrect
Unanswered
Points