Deck 4: Writing Collaboratively

Question 1

According to Chapter 4, one advantage of collaboration is that it can yield a more coherent document.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

All of the participants in a video conference must be in dedicated conference rooms with sophisticated cameras and microphones.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Chapter 4 discusses three features of word-processing software that are particularly useful in collaboration. Name one feature.

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

According to Chapter 4, one of the disadvantages of collaboration is that it is likely to lead to charges of sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, or both.

Question 5

According to Chapter 4, one advantage of collaboration is that it helps acclimate new employees to an organization.

Question 6

Communicating diplomatically involves a critical tone.

Question 7

Employees rarely use social media and personal electronics to complete work tasks.

Question 8

What two technologies make the collaborative writing process more efficient?

Question 9

Videoconferencing allows two or more people in separate locations to see and hear each other simultaneously. What other two activities does videoconferencing allow participants to perform?

Question 10

Companies sometimes use virtual worlds, such as Second Life, to conduct meetings and conferences.

Question 11

When critiquing the work of a team member, you should save your biggest compliment for the last comment in order to end on a positive note.

Question 12

What is one of the advantages of collaboration mentioned in Chapter 4?

Question 13

Chapter 4 discusses five aspects of conducting meetings, a crucial component of collaboration. What are two of those aspects?

Question 14

According to Chapter 4, the differences in behavior between two men or between two women are likely to be fewer and less pronounced than the differences between men and women in general.

Question 15

In what way does collaboration allow an organization to grow?

Question 16

What is one of the disadvantages of collaboration mentioned in Chapter 4?

Question 17

According to the research cited in Chapter 4, students from other cultures may be unwilling to respond with a definite "no" in a collaborative setting. What is one other behavior that students from other cultures might exhibit in a collaborative setting?

Question 18

Is email a synchronous or an asynchronous medium of communication?

Question 19

Chapter 4 contains examples of three forms that collaborative teams can use to help ensure that the team's efforts will be successful. List the forms.

Question 20

Differences between the ways men and women work in teams are hard to notice.

Question 21

A team of writers is just beginning a new documentation project. The client for the team's last project complained that the completed document kept switching from active to passive voice and that the design of the headings was not visually consistent. Which of the following is the team's best approach to avoiding such problems on the current project?

A) Discuss cultural differences.
B) Create a style sheet.
C) Create a document template.
D) Establish clear work procedures.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT one of the forms discussed in Chapter 4 as a tool to help ensure that a team's efforts will be successful?

A) work-schedule form
B) task-deadline form
C) self-evaluation form
D) team-member evaluation form

Question 23

Which of these guidelines is NOT likely to help your team work effectively and efficiently?

A) Choose a team leader.
B) Establish procedures for resolving conflict productively.
C) Establish a work schedule.
D) Let team members assign themselves tasks.

Question 24

Which of these comments about a team member's report draft is the least diplomatic?

A) I like the statistics that you provide in the introduction. I wonder if the audience will recognize these sources you consulted.
B) This introduction shows a lot of hard work. Perhaps an additional example would make your point even stronger.
C) You did not write this introduction very well. You left out a lot of important background information.
D) I know the proposal reviewers have very high standards. I think we all will benefit from improving our proofreading skills.

Question 25

Which of these statements about working with someone from another culture is true?

A) A topic of discussion that is common in one culture might be considered highly personal in another culture.
B) People from other cultures are likely to find it easy to participate actively in group projects.
C) People from other cultures have a knack for delivering criticism to teammates.
D) People from other cultures are likely to find it easy to ask for help on a project.

Question 26

Chapter 4 offers six guidelines for participating in a videoconference. Which of these is NOT a suggestion from the chapter?

A) Practice using the videoconferencing system.
B) Dress as you would for a face-to-face meeting.
C) Arrange for technical support for all participants.
D) Speak louder than usual.

Question 27

A writer is commenting on the first draft of a technical report written by another team member. Which of the following comments is most appropriate?

A) "You've really improved your editing skills, Brian. Your writing would be less confusing if you used more active voice. And the report would be even better if you used some bulleted lists to break up some of your longer paragraphs."
B) "Section 3 does a great job of making a case for the importance of our usability testing. Perhaps we should also include a graph showing a decrease in customer-service calls since we started testing. We may also want to add a section on user feedback."
C) "I'm working on several different projects right now. I've been able to proof the document. However, I leave it to you to check its organization. Also, I feel you didn't sell me on the benefits of usability testing."
D) "Use Arial Bold for all headings. Change on-line to online. Delete section 4. Add a map of the site in section 2. Otherwise, you are on the right track. Good work, Kathy."

Question 28

Which of the following does NOT overstate the speaker's position?

A) I know one of the members of the review panel, and I am positive that he will stick up for us when they pick their finalists.
B) We prepared our document carefully, and I think we have highlighted our strengths successfully.
C) We're the indisputable leaders in this market niche. There's no way anyone can offer better features than we do.
D) It is not possible that anyone is more qualified for this job than we are.

Question 29

What is an advantage of creating a document collaboratively in a shared workspace rather than working collaboratively on a document via email?

A) A shared workspace will create an archive of all the changes made by all team members.
B) A shared workspace ensures that only one person can read a document at a time.
C) A shared workspace will create backup files once per day.
D) A shared workspace ensures that only one format of a file will be available.

Question 30

According to Chapter 4, which of the following features of word-processing software are particularly useful in collaboration?

A) thesaurus and spell-checker features
B) find and replace features
C) comment, revision, and highlighting features
D) templates

Question 31

Chapter 4 offers several suggestions for conducting efficient meetings. Which of these is NOT a suggestion from the chapter?

A) Be aware of group members' body language and nonverbal communication.
B) Have one team member write down the decisions made at each meeting.
C) Avoid a formal schedule and make sure each team member gets to say whatever is on his or her mind.
D) Summarize the major decisions and assign tasks to finish before the next meeting.

Question 32

According to the research cited in Chapter 4, which of the following behaviors might people from other cultures exhibit?

A) unwillingness to respond with a definite "no"
B) being overly critical of other team members
C) unwillingness to meet at certain times
D) routinely arriving late for team meetings

Question 33

Chapter 4 discusses six advantages of collaboration. Which of the following is NOT one of those advantages?

A) Collaboration provides a better idea of how the audience will read the document.
B) Collaboration improves communication among employees.
C) Collaboration can lead to groupthink.
D) Collaboration draws on a wider knowledge base.

Question 34

Which of the following is likely to cause a team writing collaboratively to produce an inferior document?

A) The team shares a common goal.
B) The team avoids conflict.
C) Team members act as the audience for the document.
D) Team members divide up the workload.

Question 35

Chapter 4 offers seven guidelines for managing your project. Which of the following is NOT one of those suggestions?

A) Break a large project into several smaller tasks.
B) Put your decisions in writing.
C) Monitor the project regularly.
D) Follow your original schedule strictly to avoid falling behind.

Question 36

Chapter 4 offers seven guidelines for communicating diplomatically. Which of these is a suggestion from the chapter?

A) Avoid qualifier statements such as "I think . . . ." or "It seems to me . . . ."
B) Use strong language-it is better to appear overbearing than to appear weak and indecisive.
C) Follow your emotions if someone opposes you.
D) Ask pertinent questions.

Question 37

A project manager is using a word processor to review an electronic file of a document written by a team member, and she does not understand the meaning of a term used in the document. What should the project manager do?

A) Use the comment feature to ask "Will the reader understand this term?"
B) Delete the term using the revision feature.
C) Check the change bar for an explanation.
D) Use the highlighting feature to call the writer's attention to the term.

Question 38

Which of these guidelines will help you listen effectively?

A) Write down everything the speaker says.
B) Ask questions to clarify what the speaker said.
C) Keep your eyes down and avoid distracting the speaker.
D) Allow your mind to wander and trust that you will be able to refocus.

Question 39

According to Chapter 4, one way to listen more effectively is to pay attention to the speaker. What are two other ways?

A) Listen for main ideas and ask questions to clarify what the speaker said.
B) Take notes while the speaker is speaking and concentrate on your emotional responses.
C) Frequently interrupt the speaker for clarification and focus on how to phrase your responses.
D) Tape-record what the speaker is saying and ask follow-up questions.

Question 40

Chapter 4 discusses several ethical pitfalls of using social media at work. Which of these is NOT one of them?

A) using social media at work for nonbusiness purposes
B) revealing private or confidential information about people or products
C) making defamatory statements about people or organizations
D) using social media to collaborate on work-related projects