Chapter 8 Intercultural Communication, Full Test Bank

Chapter 8

Intercultural Communication, Collaborative Writing, and

Document Control

Multiple Choice Questions

• 1. The world’s most spoken language is ________.
     1. English
     2. Hindi
     3. Mandarin
     4. French
  2. English is the world’s most ________.
     1. spoken language
     2. frequently adopted second language
     3. neutral second language
     4. sophisticated language
  3. Cross-border projects and collaborations in continental European countries are often conducted in ________.
     1. French
     2. German
     3. Spanish
     4. English
  4. Which of the following is NOT a reason why English has become the international language of business and science?
     1. English has proven to be the most unbiased and easy to translate language in the world.
     2. Programming languages generally use English in the command structure.
     3. Scientific and engineering journals and texts are increasingly written and read in English.
     4. Symposia and conferences around the world are held in English.
  5. When writing for business or scientific audiences, English speakers should be mindful that ________.
     1. their readers don’t understand English, so they should have their document translated to Mandarin, Hindi, and French before publishing
     2. their readers might be learning English from their documents, so they should add and explain common idioms
     3. their document will have to be translated to many languages after publication, so they should submit it well before deadline
     4. their readers might not speak English as their first language, so they should write simply
  6. The three rules of writing for an international audience do NOT include writing ________.
     1. simply
     2. unidiomatically
     3. engagingly
     4. politely
  7. Writing simply means ________.
     1. dumbing down the text
     2. focusing on real subjects and real verbs and using the simplest words
     3. providing footnotes for words that the reader would have to check in a dictionary
     4. not using adjectives and adverbs at all
  8. An idiom is ________.
     1. a phrase whose meaning cannot be derived from the meaning of the words
     2. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another
     3. a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
     4. a special word or expression used by a particular profession or group that is difficult for others to understand
  9. Using idioms in documents for an international audience is ________.
     1. advisable, because it helps the readers learn a bit of the writer’s culture, which will smooth out future interactions
     2. advisable, because it will make the readers feel that the writer trusts their intercultural experience
     3. unadvisable, because those who didn’t grow up in the writer’s culture might not understand the idioms’ meanings
     4. unadvisable, because idioms are informal expressions, and there is no room for informality in technical writing
  10. The best phrase to end a presentation for international clients or colleagues would be ________.
      1. “This concludes my presentation.”
      2. “And that’s a wrap.”
      3. “That’s all, folks!”
      4. “And that’s that!”
  11. When replying to an email from a foreign client, you should ________.
      1. do some research into their culture to see how formal they are
      2. try to mirror the formality of their email
      3. be more formal and polite than you usually are with Canadian colleagues
      4. all of the above
  12. Canadians and Americans are generally informal and direct, an attitude which can be understood by clients or colleagues from abroad as ________.
      1. liberal and attractive
      2. abrupt and rude
      3. confusing and fascinating
      4. embarrassing and silly
  13. To successfully work with people from different cultures in this globalizing world, you need to ________.
      1. strongly assert your cultural values and beliefs
      2. take every opportunity to teach your colleagues about your culture
      3. be mindful of and actively curious about other cultures
      4. all of the above
  14. You’re presenting a new design of your company’s website to stakeholders from overseas branches whom you’re meeting for the first time. Someone says, “Whoa! That red in the header is way too bright!” The best reaction to this remark would be ________.
      1. to assume that they come from a direct culture and reply as to any feedback, perhaps showing different colour combinations
      2. to assume that they come from a direct culture and explain then and there how one should deliver feedback in a Canadian workplace
      3. to conclude that they are trying to insult you and answer that there is no need to be rude
      4. to conclude that they are trying to insult you but force a smile and reply as to any feedback, perhaps showing different colour combinations
  15. You’re working on a final project in your computer science class with an international student from Japan. You had asked to partner with her because she’d written some impressive code before, but now her feedback to your parts of the program is vague nods and “um”s. You could safely assume that ________.
      1. your solutions are optimal and she’s agreeing with you; keep doing what you’re doing
      2. she’s probably just jealous that you were the one to come up with these solutions so she’s not giving you open praise
      3. she has some reservations about your solutions but is too shy to offer a critique openly; prod to find out what she is thinking
      4. her silence is disapproving, as if she’s showing off that she’s so much better at it; change project partners
  16. To successfully communicate in a multicultural environment, you should NOT ________.
      1. try to figure out the intended meaning of messages that sound offensive or otherwise strange
      2. pay close attention to those who communicate more mildly than you
      3. assume that people are trying to work towards the same goal as you
      4. assume that others are trying to offend you and are disguising their disrespect as cultural differences
  17. The difference between a boss and a leader is that ________.
      1. the leader gives orders; the boss helps people achieve their potential
      2. the boss gives orders; the leader helps people achieve their potential
      3. the leader is always honest and vocal; the boss says what his or her boss wants to hear
      4. the boss is always honest and vocal; the leader says what his or her boss wants to hear
  18. Large documentation projects often require teams of writers because of ________.
      1. the imperative to include diverse perspectives
      2. the need to provide specialized knowledge
      3. the trend to mix talent from different departments
      4. the requirements specified in requests for proposals
  19. The order of the first four steps of a group writing process is the following: ________.
      1. plan the report, assign tasks and set timelines, select arbiters, agree on format and style
      2. agree on format and style, select arbiters, plan the report, assign tasks and set timelines
      3. assign tasks and set timelines, agree on format and style, plan the report, select arbiters
      4. select arbiters, assign tasks and set timelines, plan the report, agree on format and style
  20. Which of the following is NOT a step in preparing a presentation to accompany a written document?
      1. prepare to answer questions
      2. practice delivery
      3. write draft sections
      4. create notes and visuals
  21. The purpose of assigning arbiters in a team writing project is to ________.
      1. introduce hierarchy into a group
      2. maintain order and emphasize the supervisor’s authority
      3. assign individual responsibility if the project fails
      4. limit debate and argument
  22. It is best to agree on the report’s format and style before people start writing their first drafts because changing them in the final editing stages ________.
      1. is extremely difficult and time-consuming
      2. adds unnecessary work and distraction
      3. creates a lot of discussions and arguments
      4. will create inconsistencies and can affect content
  23. Before writing the first drafts, the team should decide and agree on ________.
      1. the level of formality required in the report
      2. technical terms and references to be used consistently
      3. a reference book that defines the rules of grammar, capitalization, hyphenation, etc.
      4. all of the above
  24. Having a performance contract is important because ________.
      1. a large team of colleagues cannot be trusted to deliver on their promises
      2. it is a reliable future reference for what was decided in case there is a disagreement about it
      3. it is prepared for the team’s supervisors to keep track of its progress
      4. it is a requirement in most requests for proposal
  25. The file name DOC 1287 Rev 1 Draft 1.docx can be read as ________.
      1. second draft of the third section of the first release of Document 1287
      2. third draft of the third section, edited by a team member with the initials TE
      3. first draft of the first release of Document 1287
      4. first draft of the second release of Document 1287, edited by a team member with the initials TE

True or False Questions

1. To write as simply as possible is a good first step to helping non-native speakers of English understand your writing.
2. In Canada, even junior people feel free to question people in authority, to offer suggestions, and to speak up at meetings, albeit politely and respectfully.
3. It is still really hard to find books and courses to teach people how to behave in other cultures, but it is slowly changing for the better.
4. In a team-generated document, it is important to preserve each team member’s unique voice in their writing style and tone.
5. Organizations rarely use report templates, so you have to plan formatting of each team project from scratch.
6. A document looks odd if the graphics are inconsistent.
7. Often groups see a performance contract as a sign of distrust, perhaps even as an insult to their professionalism and good will.
8. Writers are often so close to their work right after having written it that they see their errors quicker than any outside reader.
9. In a team writing project, you are responsible for submitting as good a draft as you are able to create—don’t add to the lead editor’s workload.
10. When pasting someone else’s file into the master file, it’s a good idea to use the Paste Special or Keep Text Only function to insert the text without formatting.
11. When you submit something in a competitive environment, you don’t have to worry that much about technical submission requirements—the content is much more important.
12. In MS Word’s Track Changes function, deleted words are crossed out and inserted words are underlined.
13. The file-naming convention for version control consists of two parts: document name and draft identification.
14. Google Docs offers online storage of files with access to an entire workgroup and allows multiple people to work on a file simultaneously.
15. Google Docs can be formatted as fully as Word documents and look equally professional when printed or sent to a client as a PDF.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does it mean to write simply? Why is writing simply important in writing for translatability?
2. What are idioms? Give one example and explain its meaning. Why are idioms not advised in writing for an international audience?
3. What are the actions you can take to make sure your email exchange with a client or colleague from abroad runs smoothly?
4. What can you do to make sure your everyday communication with foreign colleagues, classmates, or clients is successful?
5. In a team writing project, what are the actions you should take in assigning tasks and setting timelines?
6. What are the wording and mechanics of the document that you should decide and agree on before starting a team writing project? Give five examples.
7. Why is it important to pay close attention to the submission requirements?
8. List and describe three parts of the file-naming convention for version control.
9. What is the difference between Dropbox and Google Docs regarding recording changes in the shared documents?
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Wikis as described in the textbook?

Long Answer Questions

• • • 1. Describe a situation—at school, at work, or at home—in which you interacted with a person from a different culture. If you think you handled it well, why was that? If you think you could have handled it better, what could have you done differently?
      2. You’ve been assigned a group project with a few of your classmates. You’ve met for the first time to decide what you’re doing, how you’ll go about doing it, and who’s doing what. You tell your team that you’ll email everyone the notes from the meeting so they can reply and confirm they agree to the plan. One of the classmates objects, saying they are adults and they will do what they promised. How would you explain to them, with one example of the teamwork going awry, why a performance contract is useful?
      3. What are your responsibilities in the actual writing of a team-produced document—writing and editing draft sections, combining them, and doing the final edit?