CH 7 - Technical Descriptions and Specifications

Question 1

What are the 5 types of technical descriptions?

Answer 1

Technical descriptions - Describe products for patents, quality control and sales (manufacturers)
Specifications - engineering detail including features, dimensions, power requirements, etc.
Patents - detailed technical description of an invention
Field notes - describes people, animals, and places (naturalists, anthropologists, sociologists, etc.)
Observations - accurately describe observations to be able to measure changes (scientists and medical personnel)

Question 2

Define Specifications

Answer 2

used to establish a standard and exact set of requirements for a product or service

engineering detail including features, dimensions, power requirements, etc.

Question 3

What are the steps to write a technical description or specification?

Answer 3

1) Make a plan and do research
2) Partition your subject into major and minor parts
3) Organize and draft technical description
4) Choose style, design, and medium

Question 4

What’s the purpose of the Make a Plan and Do Research step of writing a technical description?

Answer 4

Identifying what kinds of information your readers need to know, how they will use that information, and the contexts in which they will use it.

Question 5

What tasks are accomplished in Planning to write a technical description?

Answer 5

Define Subject, Purpose, Readers, and Context

Question 6

How long should your Purpose statement be in the planning step for writing a technical description?

Answer 6

One sentence - if goes beyond that, you need to get more specific about what you are trying to achieve.

Question 7

What are the five basic features of a technical description?

Answer 7

Title
Introduction
Body
Graphics
Conclusion (if needed)

Question 8

What’s the purpose of an Introduction to a technical description?

Answer 8

Set context for the body.

Question 9

What comprises the Introduction to a technical description? (usually in one paragraph)

Answer 9

Definition of subject
Purpose statement
Main point 
Importance of subject
Overall description
List of major parts

Question 10

What comprises the body of a technical description?

Answer 10

Major Parts that partition the subject into its features, functions or stages

• Definition and purpose of part
• Description of minor parts

Question 11

What typically comprises the conclusion of a technical description?

Answer 11

Importance of subject
Future of subject
One operating cycle

Question 12

What do ISO 9000 standards involve?

Answer 12

Quality Management Systems

Question 13

What do ISO 14000 standards involve?

Answer 13

Environmental management systems

Question 14

What two ISO standards are often required to be adhered to for technical descriptions by high-tech companies and the US Government?

Answer 14

ISO 9000 and ISO 14000

Question 15

Name seven strategies for researching technical descriptions.

Answer 15

Do background research (but don't plagiarize)
Use your senses
Take measurements
Describe motion and change
Describe context
Create or locate graphics
Ask subject matter experts

Question 16

What are the three ways to partition/divide a subject?

Answer 16

By features
By functions
By stages of its process

Question 17

How does Logical Mapping help breakdown a subject into major and minor parts?

Answer 17

Put name of subject in middle
Write 2-5 major parts in circles around it
Write 2-5 minor parts for each major part

Question 18

What does the title of a technical description need to convey?

Answer 18

the purpose of the document - it should clearly distinguish your document as a technical description.

Question 19

What are four techniques to add vivid details to technical descriptions?

Answer 19

Use senses - look, feel, smell, taste, sound
Similes - simple comparison (a is like b)
Analogies - complex comparison (a is to b as c is to d)
Metaphors - equates two different things (a heart is a pump)

Question 20

What style are technical descriptions usually written in?

Answer 20

Plain style

• Use simple words and limit jargon
• Focus on details and cut extras
• Keep sentences short, within a breath
• Remove adverbs
• Use senses to add vibrancy (adjectives)

Question 21

What page layout (design) be chosen for technical descriptions?

Answer 21

Existing corporate requirements for context of use, or

• use 2-3 columns to incorporate images
• list any minor parts in bulleted lists
• add sidebar that draws attention to important items
• use headings for organization
• put measurements in tables

Question 22

Name five guidelines for using graphics in a technical description or specification.

Answer 22

Use title and figure number if possible
Refer to graphic by number in text
Include caption that explains what graphics show
Label specific features in graphic
Place on page where referenced or soon afterward

Question 23

What are the three parts of a basic, or sentence, definition?

Answer 23

Term being defined
Category in which the term belongs
Distinguishing features that differentiate it

Question 24

What are seven ways to provide an extended technical definition, which follows the sentence definition?

Answer 24

Word history and etymology
Use examples
Negation - what it isn't
Division into parts
Similarities and differences
Analogy
Graphics

Question 25

What are technical descriptions and specifications used for?

Answer 25

Describe objects, places, phenomena, and processes.