TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS RATED A.
What are technical report indexes?
Correct Answer -Collect highly current information unavailable elsewhere
What are encyclopedias?
Correct Answer -Alphabetically arranged collections of articles
What are handbooks?
Correct Answer -Books that offer condensed facts (formulas, tables,
advice, examples) about particular fields
What are almanacs?
Correct Answer -Collections of factual and statistical data, usually
arranged by subject area and published annually
What are directories?
Correct Answer -Books that provide updated information about
organizations, companies, people, products, services, or careers, often
listing addresses and phone numbers
What are abstracts?
Correct Answer -Collections of summaries of books or articles, as you
might find when searching a periodical database, but collected in one
place
,What is gray literature?
Correct Answer -Materials that are unpublished or not typically cataloged
What are some examples of gray literature?
Correct Answer -Pamphlets, unpublished government documents,
dissertations by graduate students, papers presented at professional
conferences, or self-published works
What is the only way to get gray literature?
Correct Answer -Contact the company or organization directly
What are some examples of primary resources?
Correct Answer -Unsolicited inquiries, informational interviews, surveys,
and observations or experiments
What is the most basic form of primary research and what does it include?
Correct Answer -Unsolicited inquires and letters, phone calls, and emails
What is another name for informational interview?
Correct Answer -Solicited inquiry
Why are surveys beneficial?
Correct Answer -Help form impressions of the concerns, preferences,
attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions of a large, identifiable group (target
population) by studying representatives of that group (a sample)
What are some benefits to a survey?
Correct Answer -Inexpensive and respondents are more likely to be candid
than an interview
, What does a random sample mean?
Correct Answer -Each member of the target population stand an equal
chance of being in the sample group
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a phone survey?
Correct Answer -Yield fast results and high response rates but take longer
than written surveys, are found annoying, and people are less candid
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a mail survey?
Correct Answer -Less expensive and promote candid responses but many
people won't go to the post office and results are slow to arrive
What are the benefits and drawbacks of an online survey?
Correct Answer -The least expensive and yield quick results but computer
connections can fail and you have less control over how many times the
same person can respond
What is a benefit and drawback to open-ended questions?
Correct Answer -Provide more information but are time-consuming to
measure
What is a benefit and drawback to closed-ended questions?
Correct Answer -Easily measure but limited in value
What are observations?
Correct Answer -Firsthand examinations of people, processes, places,
using only your senses
AND ANSWERS RATED A.
What are technical report indexes?
Correct Answer -Collect highly current information unavailable elsewhere
What are encyclopedias?
Correct Answer -Alphabetically arranged collections of articles
What are handbooks?
Correct Answer -Books that offer condensed facts (formulas, tables,
advice, examples) about particular fields
What are almanacs?
Correct Answer -Collections of factual and statistical data, usually
arranged by subject area and published annually
What are directories?
Correct Answer -Books that provide updated information about
organizations, companies, people, products, services, or careers, often
listing addresses and phone numbers
What are abstracts?
Correct Answer -Collections of summaries of books or articles, as you
might find when searching a periodical database, but collected in one
place
,What is gray literature?
Correct Answer -Materials that are unpublished or not typically cataloged
What are some examples of gray literature?
Correct Answer -Pamphlets, unpublished government documents,
dissertations by graduate students, papers presented at professional
conferences, or self-published works
What is the only way to get gray literature?
Correct Answer -Contact the company or organization directly
What are some examples of primary resources?
Correct Answer -Unsolicited inquiries, informational interviews, surveys,
and observations or experiments
What is the most basic form of primary research and what does it include?
Correct Answer -Unsolicited inquires and letters, phone calls, and emails
What is another name for informational interview?
Correct Answer -Solicited inquiry
Why are surveys beneficial?
Correct Answer -Help form impressions of the concerns, preferences,
attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions of a large, identifiable group (target
population) by studying representatives of that group (a sample)
What are some benefits to a survey?
Correct Answer -Inexpensive and respondents are more likely to be candid
than an interview
, What does a random sample mean?
Correct Answer -Each member of the target population stand an equal
chance of being in the sample group
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a phone survey?
Correct Answer -Yield fast results and high response rates but take longer
than written surveys, are found annoying, and people are less candid
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a mail survey?
Correct Answer -Less expensive and promote candid responses but many
people won't go to the post office and results are slow to arrive
What are the benefits and drawbacks of an online survey?
Correct Answer -The least expensive and yield quick results but computer
connections can fail and you have less control over how many times the
same person can respond
What is a benefit and drawback to open-ended questions?
Correct Answer -Provide more information but are time-consuming to
measure
What is a benefit and drawback to closed-ended questions?
Correct Answer -Easily measure but limited in value
What are observations?
Correct Answer -Firsthand examinations of people, processes, places,
using only your senses
