Deck 12: Designing Visual Communication

Question 1

A segmented or stacked bar chart

A) compares quantities that require different intervals.
B) shows the correlation between two items.
C) shows how individual components contribute to a total number.
D) identifies positive and negative values.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Examples of ethical lapses to avoid in business visuals include all of the following except

A) including photos that play on racial or gender stereotypes.
B) distorting the axes on a line chart to make sales look like they have increased significantly over previous years.
C) expanding the detail of a graphic in order to make it more readable.
D) altering photos or graphs to hide information that could make you look bad.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

For determining numerical values, pie charts are generally ________ than bar charts or line charts.

A) worse
B) about the same
C) much better
D) slightly better

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A bar chart would be particularly useful for

A) illustrating what percentages of a company's monthly budget are spent on utilities and other expenses.
B) showing the stages in production of a jet engine.
C) depicting links between employees at a large firm.
D) comparing sales totals of three breakfast cereals from 2007 to 2009.

Question 5

Compared to poorly written text, badly designed visuals are ________ to be noticed by your audience.

A) not eligible
B) less likely
C) more likely
D) just as likely

Question 6

To track your team's progress toward completing an important project, you should use

A) an organizational chart.
B) a pie chart.
C) a Gantt chart.
D) a pictogram.

Question 7

The best visual for illustrating a manufacturer's quality control process would be a

A) scatter diagram.
B) flowchart.
C) pie chart.
D) line chart.

Question 8

When preparing numerical tables, you should

A) use at least three colors to hold the audience's attention.
B) be sure to identify the units you are using.
C) use a font no larger than 9 points.
D) do all of the above.

Question 9

Flowcharts are used to

A) show how something looks or operates.
B) illustrate processes and procedures.
C) summarize large amounts of statistical data.
D) show the relative sizes of the parts of a whole.

Question 10

Clip art cluttering a bar chart is an example of

A) chartjunk.
B) a pictogram.
C) a good way to grab reader interest.
D) all of the above.

Question 11

The best graphic element to identify the communication channels of an entire business organization is a(n)

A) organization chart.
B) bar chart.
C) Gantt chart.
D) scatter diagram.

Question 12

The best way to illustrate what percentage of your firm's annual budget is spent on what would be a

A) flowchart.
B) line chart.
C) pie chart.
D) organizational chart.

Question 13

If you have a great deal of detailed, specific information to present to allow users to find specific data point values in decimal form, the best visual to use would be a

A) table.
B) pie chart.
C) Gantt chart.
D) diagram.

Question 14

A Gantt chart is a type of

A) time line chart.
B) line chart.
C) pictogram.
D) pie chart.

Question 15

When preparing a line chart, keep in mind that you should

A) never include negative numbers on the vertical axis.
B) never leave out increments from the vertical axis.
C) be especially careful to avoid distorting the data.
D) all of the above.

Question 16

A chart that uses symbols or graphic images instead of words or numbers to portray data is called a

A) pictogram.
B) combination chart.
C) surface chart.
D) Gantt chart.

Question 17

Microsoft Visio is one example of specialized software used to create

A) professional-quality illustrations.
B) cash flow tracking systems.
C) complex spreadsheets.
D) none of the above.

Question 18

A surface chart is

A) a type of three-dimensional pie chart.
B) a form of line chart in which all the lines add up to the top line.
C) used to show interrelationships within an organization.
D) a type of map showing various terrains.

Question 19

U.S. government research shows that about ________ percent of the adult population in the U.S. has the literacy skills needed for success in today's workplace.

A) 50
B) 10
C) 75
D) 1

Question 20

The best type of visual for showing that annual consumer spending has decreased over the past ten years would be

A) a table.
B) an organization chart.
C) a line chart.
D) a pie chart.

Question 21

A potential drawback of using photographs in reports is

A) that appropriate photos are difficult to find.
B) that they are difficult to change or manipulate.
C) that they can show too much detail.
D) all of the above.

Question 22

Using video to enhance business messages

A) has become difficult and expensive, since audiences now have such high expectations.
B) is effective for tech-savvy audiences, but a turn-off for most others.
C) is easier than ever, thanks to low-cost video cameras and video sharing sites such as YouTube.
D) is generally a bad idea, since it takes away from the main idea.

Question 23

The primary difference between titles and captions of visuals is that

A) titles provide detailed descriptions of visuals, but captions give only short descriptions.
B) captions offer discussion of the visual's content.
C) titles are usually longer than captions.
D) captions usually appear above visuals, whereas titles appear below.

Question 24

If you find a photograph online that you want to use in a document,

A) you don't need permission unless you are using it in marketing materials.
B) you don't need permission-you are protected by fair use doctrine.
C) if it is not specifically offered for free, you should assume that you will need to obtain permission to use it.
D) none of the above.

Question 25

Including visuals in your report or presentation is a particularly powerful way to communicate with a culturally diverse audience.

Question 26

The ideal balance between the visual and the verbal depends on

A) the amount of money available for underwriting the costs of graphics.
B) internal company guidelines.
C) the length of the report/presentation.
D) the nature of your audience.

Question 27

When designing visuals, you should keep in mind that elements such as shapes and colors have meanings, which can vary among cultures.

Question 28

When it comes to using photographs in business communication, learning basic functions such as how to crop an image is

A) helpful, since it can improve the effectiveness of your messages.
B) too difficult for most people.
C) best left to professional designers.
D) worthwhile only if you tend to rely more heavily on images than on text.

Question 29

The style and quality that you choose for your visuals depends mostly on

A) whether or not your topic is controversial.
B) the subject matter and the situation at hand.
C) the gender of your audience.
D) all of the above.

Question 30

Poorly planned visuals are often more noticeable than grammatical errors in the text of your report.

Question 31

U.S. government research suggests that only half of the adult population in the U.S. now has the literacy skills needed for success in the workplace.

Question 32

When designing important visuals in business,

A) the best rule of thumb is to include as little text and as many photos as possible.
B) consider having a professional designer set up a template for the types of visuals you often create.
C) use online clip art to enhance the effectiveness of what you produce.
D) the more colors you can incorporate, the better.

Question 33

Legends should be included with

A) all visuals in business reports.
B) complex graphs.
C) controversial reports.
D) all of the above.

Question 34

The reference to a bar chart in your report on advertising costs should

A) come on the page following the chart, and refer to it as "the abovementioned pie chart."
B) precede the chart.
C) include copyright information.
D) come directly after the chart itself appears.

Question 35

Unlike words, visual images have connotative meanings that are consistent across cultures.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of a descriptive title for a visual?

A) Whither Camco: Is the Rollercoaster Ride Over?
B) How CamCo Reduces Costs
C) CamCo Cost Reductions Are Increasing Each Year
D) Reducing Costs Is a Number-One Goal at CamCo

Question 37

CAD stands for

A) complete audiovisual display.
B) computer adaptable display.
C) computer-aided design.
D) charts automatically designed.

Question 38

In business reports, it is best to place each visual

A) together with other visuals at the end of each chapter.
B) together with other visuals in an appendix at the end of the report.
C) within, beside, or immediately after the paragraph it illustrates.
D) just before the paragraph referring to it.

Question 39

When creating visuals, it is highly unethical to

A) simplify data from other sources.
B) "airbrush" the photos of company executives to make them look more attractive.
C) leave out important information.
D) overload your report with unnecessary tables and charts.

Question 40

In computer graphics, a template

A) is a tool for creating classic architectural views.
B) helps ensure an effective design, saves time, and makes decision making easier.
C) is a tool for creating curves and geometric shapes.
D) is any kind of chart generated by a spreadsheet or illustration program.

Question 41

Generally speaking, a line chart should not contain more than 2-3 lines for comparison.

Question 42

A pie chart would provide an effective visual to illustrate how an employee's time is divided among different tasks throughout the week.

Question 43

Bars in a bar chart should always be aligned horizontally.

Question 44

Tables are ideal for summarizing information that would be difficult or tedious to handle in the main text.

Question 45

"Visual literacy" describes the abilities to create effective images and correctly interpret visual messages.

Question 46

The deviation bar chart shows variation for a variable over time.

Question 47

In business presentations, images should always be arranged symmetrically around a central point or axis.

Question 48

Altering the horizontal or vertical scale on a line graph can profoundly influence your audience's perception of the data you present.

Question 49

A Gantt chart is a type of time line chart used to track the progress of a project.

Question 50

Bar charts can be used to compare more than one set of data.

Question 51

Alternating rows of a table with contrasting colors serves no design purpose and qualifies as chartjunk.

Question 52

A good way to distinguish between "operating expenses" and "equipment costs" on a pie chart illustrating monthly expenses would be to use contrasting colors.

Question 53

In line charts showing trends, the vertical axis indicates time or quantity, and the horizontal axis indicates amount.

Question 54

When preparing numerical tables, you should express all items in a column in the same unit.

Question 55

The edge of the bottom section of a surface chart shows the cumulative total for all of the categories.

Question 56

In business presentations, maintaining consistency among your visuals is less important than impressing the audience with a wide range of special effects.

Question 57

Word tables are generally less useful than numerical ones.

Question 58

Tables presented in printed documents must contain fewer columns and rows than tables presented online.

Question 59

Compared to bar charts, pictograms can present a less professional tone.

Question 60

The more decorative elements you can add to a graphic, the more interesting and useful it will be to the audience.

Question 61

The best place to put a visual is right next to or immediately following the paragraph it illustrates.

Question 62

Data visualization is focused on extracting broad meaning from data (rather than on clarifying individual data points).

Question 63

________ charts are a form of line chart with a cumulative effect; all the lines add up to the top line.

Question 64

A(n) ________ chart specializes in showing how a variable changes over time.

Question 65

A(n) ________ ________ chart shows how much time is needed to complete each task in a given project.

Question 66

A(n) ________ is a poor choice for noticing mathematical trends.

Question 67

On a flowchart, diamonds indicate decision points.

Question 68

When describing the data from a visual in the text of your report, you should be sure to reiterate all the details of the data, rather than simply touching on the highlights.

Question 69

Drawings, diagrams, and photographs are generally not helpful in business documents.

Question 70

If you want to illustrate a process or procedure, the best type of visual to use is a flowchart.

Question 71

One potential disadvantage of using a photograph to help explain a repair procedure is that it shows too much detail.

Question 72

A(n) ________ chart can take several forms including singular, deviation, segmented, combination, or paired.

Question 73

Because of the costs of reproduction, photographs are usually not used in business reports.

Question 74

A(n) ________ chart is a type of time line chart used to track progress toward completing a project.

Question 75

Short titles such as "Improvements" intrigue audiences and encourage them to pay careful attention to your visuals.

Question 76

In the text of a report, only the most important visuals should be referred to by number.

Question 77

________ refers to decorative elements that clutter documents without adding any relevant information.

Question 78

The most difficult chart to use to collect numerical data from is the ________ chart.

Question 79

A basic principle of design is to maintain ________ or visual parallelism among all the visuals in a document.

Question 80

A(n) ________ is a type of chart that uses symbols instead of words or numbers to portray data.