Key to ETC in English

Part-A
1.How are visual aids useful?
A. Visual aids are an important part of written technical communication. These include illustrations such as
tables, graphs, maps, diagrams, charts, or photographs. Text and illustrations are complementary in technical
communication. These are used extensively in reports, presentations, and proposals, to support the facts and
figures being investigated and presented. Visual communication has more impact than verbal
communication. Using illustrations has many advantages:Arouses interest and focuses on essentials-Leads
the reader to quicker comprehension-Supports and reinforces words-Saves much time and effort in
explaining and interpreting complex ideas-Explains the data in much lesser space but with greater accuracy-
Simplifies numerical data-Emphasizes and clarifies certain facts and relationships- Makes the descriptions
vivid and eye-catching-Renders a professional flavour to the communication
2. What is Style?
A. A technical communications writing style is being concise, precise, direct, and well organized it
prioritizes or aids the efficient transfer of information, it has specific structures or lists of required elements,
organised in a specific way.
3. What is the importance of IOM?
A. It is known as an “inter office memorandum”, it is used primarily as a tool for communicating within
the organization. It is a condensed or a brief report that can be used to convey information and decisions, or
to make short requests to co-workers, superiors and subordinates. It is relatively informal in style, compared
to letters and long reports, it is concise.
4.What are the formats of business letters?
A. There are four basic business letter formats.They are Full block, semi block, modified block and hanging
indention style. Each one of the formats have specific style with regard to alignment, spacing, margins and
position of the basic elements of a letter in the layout.
5.What is a Progress report?
A. It is a written document that explains how much progress is being made on something that has
previously been planned, example the staff in an organisation write monthly progress reports to keep
the management informed. It serves the function of reassuring the recipients of the progress that is
made in a project and its completion by the expected date. It gets everyone on the same page, It
facilitates collaboration, It improves transparency and accountability by providing a formal trail, It
improves project evaluation and review by providing the recipients with a brief overview of some of
the findings of the strengths or setbacks of a project, It provides insights for future planning.

6.How does a feasibility differ from a progress report?

A. A Feasibility report tells whether it is worth undertaking a particular project or not, it is a document that
assesses potential solutions to the business problems or opportunity, and determines which of these are
viable for further analysis.It examines a proposed solution and evaluates whether it is possible, given certain
constraints. Whereas, a progress report is a document that explains in detail how far the work has
progressed towards the completion of a project. It outlines the activities that have been carried out, the tasks
that have been completed, and the milestones

7. What is a User manual?

A. A User manual is a type of manual that focuses on different kinds of users- administrators, maintenance
personnel, beginners, managers, or students. It educates people about a product and its features, it teaches
the users on how to use these features effectively. The User Manual contains all the essential information
for the user to make full use of the information system. This manual includes a description of the system
functions and capabilities, contingencies and alternate modes of operation, and step-by-step procedures for
system access and use. It is a Comprehensive and step-by-step guide to a particular topic for both beginners
and practitioners that also serves as a reference book.

8. Mention the types of manuals.

A. There are four types of manuals a) Product Manual it is a manual that instructs users on how to use the
product.b) User Manual it focuses on different kinds of users- administrators, maintenance personnel,
beginners, managers, or students who are likely to use a product, it aids their use of the product.
c) Operations Manual it is a manual for operations of a company or business. It has a set of standards and
procedures for operations, work standards, and policies of the company. d) Instruction manual it is a manual
that instructs users on how to use the product.
9. Write any two aspects of presentation.
A.Oral presentations typically involve three important steps: 1) planning, 2) practicing, and 3) presenting.
Establishing your objectives, planning and organizing your material, and using appropriate visual aids are
the essential ingredients. The use of visual aids, coupled with good public speaking skills, work hand-in-
hand to create effective presentations. In each aspect of effective presentations, however, much emphasis is
given to visual aids which are essential to successful presentations. Visual aids help you reach your
objectives by providing emphasis to whatever is being said. Clear pictures multiply the audience's level of
understanding of the material presented, and they should be used to reinforce your message, clarify points,
and create excitement.
10.Draw a flowchart showing the Process of Communication.
A.

The communication process includes five main elements—

Sender- has an idea,
Encodes-sender encodes the idea in a message,
Transmission-Message travels over channel,
Decodes-receiver decodes the message,
Response- in the form of feedback travels to the sender . The success of communication lies in positive
feedback

Part-B

11. a. Write about the salient features of technical communication.

A. Its a form of communication that focuses on technical or specialized topics, communicates
specifically by using technology or provides instructions on how to do something- factual
communication- Addresses particular readers- Uses design to increase readability- precision- relevance-
format-style and use of visual aids.
b. What are the differences between technical and general communication?
A. General writing and technical writing both adhere to the same rules of grammar, spelling, and
punctuation. Technical writing, is writing that concerns technical subjects and technical professions -
more "professional" in tone and style- factual- objective- may use technical words or jargon that is
subject specific- accurate-precision-concise- forms include reports, reviews, proposal, letters which are
formal in style- compliance-formats-devices - information is developed-formatted, whereas , general
writing is writing on general subjects- a piece of prose - a blog etc is basically unstructured
communication, which may be on general and varied topics-. and diffused as per various platforms,
styles etc.
12 a. Discuss E-Mail etiquette.
A. Briefly introduce yourself- . Don't "e-mail angry- Use exclamation points sparingly- Be careful with
confidential information- Respond in a timely fashion- Refrain from sending one-liners- Avoid using
shortcuts to real words, emoticons, jargon, or slang- Be clear in your subject line. - Don't get mistaken
for Spam- Your subject line must match the message- No more than two attachments- and provide a
logical name- Send or copy others only on a need to know basis- Keep it short and get to the point- Use a
professional email address.- Include a clear, direct subject line.- Use professional salutations- Reply to
your emails- Proofread every message- Keep your fonts classic- Don’t use higher case.
b. Email from the instructor to students
A.The email should have: Heading-Date-Receiver-sender-subject-Main body-Signature.The content
has to be appropriate.
13. a.What is evaluation report? Explain with example.
A. An evaluation report is a document which reports the results, findings, interpretations,
conclusions, or recommendations derived through an evaluation. An evaluation report
primarily gives an executive summary of the points covered by the evaluation. It also
presents an overview of the evaluation process.(The example should have discussion on these
aspects atleast five of them considered for the award of marks in an order) Title or header-
Executive summary- Table of contents- Introductory remarks- Scope- Resources and methods-
Summary- Recommendations- References.
b. Report on Fantasy Garments setting up a new branch.
A. The answer to the question must be structured as a project report and its organisation could have
the following components such as: Introduction – Objective of the project- proposed project detais-
layout, machinery- project area- project cost / budget allocation- key performance indicators-
beneficiaries- project components- manpower requirements- environmental and social aspects.
14.a.What is a manual?Explain the different types of manuals.
A.A manual is a concise reference handbookdealing with a particularprocess, procedure, operations,
mechanism, job instruction,etc. book giving instructions or information- Manuals are written to
provide guidance for people new to an organization or specific work activity- The three types of
manuals Product manuals - Its sole purpose is to ensure the proper use of the product sold- User
Manual is intended to give assistance to people using a particular system - Operations Manual - is a
manual that describes how the company does its business and all the legal issues that the company
needs to worry about ( the answer should be an elaboration of thes points).
b. Write a set of guidelines about the specific features and usage of a mobile phone.
A.The answer should have the following elements: description-specifications-features-installation
warning-operation-maintenance- troubleshoot-remedies.
15.a.Write about the different aspects of oral presentations.
A. Oral presentations typically involve three important steps: planning -practicing, - presenting oral
presentation.Four features decide the quality of the presentation-You need to consider and perfect the
preparation-delivery-audience and visuals .The speaker is capable of controlling each of these four
features to ensure the message is received satisfactorily.(answer should have step wise details and
description)
b. Information transfer bar chart to verbal.
A. The given bar graph shows data of the educational qualifications for three consecutive years 2017,
2016 and 2015, the number of students who studied Ph.D is the highest in the year 2017----- As is
observed from the given data,--- --According to the graph--------Interestingly the number of ----
16.a. Write tips for writing an effective E-mail.
A.Email messages must be kept brief- exercise caution in terms of the tone used- Always take care
with regard to tone, style, grammar, and spelling of a mail may have on the recipient- Answer
swiftly- Do not overuse reply all- Use templates for frequently used responses- Use proper structure
and layout- Identify yourself and the topic- Be concise and to the point- Use proper spelling,
grammar, and punctuation- Do not write in CAPITALS- Avoid long sentences- Use active instead of
passive voice- Keep your language gender-neutral- Maintain coherence- Do not use email to discuss
confidential matters- Do not reply to spam.
b.How do you use pie charts? Explain with an example.
A. A pie chart compares parts to a whole. As such, it shows a percentage distribution-The pie
represents the total data set, and each segment of the pie is a particular category within the whole.
To use a pie chart, the data you are measuring must depict a ratio or percentage relationship. Each
segment must be calculated using the same unit of measurement, or the numbers will be
meaningless.To transfer the information from pie chart, prepare the paragraph with the help of
following points :trend of the graph--comparison between two line graphs-the highest / lowest point
reached by the line graph-max. / min. area covered in the given pie chart-comparison between
different portions of pie chart-conclusions if any.When you draw pie chart reperesenting the given
information, the pie chart need not be upto the scale. But the layout and presentation should be neat
and clear- Be careful not to use too many segments in your pie chart. More than six and it gets far too
crowded.- you want to emphasize one of the segments, you can detach it a little from the main pie.-
For all their obvious usefulness, pie charts do have limitations. For example, the layout can mask the
relative sizes and importance of the percentages.
17.a. Draw a flow chart on preparation of your favourite dish.
A. Since a flowchart is simply a graphical representation of steps- steps should be in a sequential
order- presenting the flow- workflow or processes- the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their
order by connecting them with arrows.-symbols of ovals for start-box for operation etc.
b.letter of enquiry for a car loan
A. The letter must contain : The Heading or Letterhead - Date: - Reference - The Inside Address -
Subject - Greeting - Body Paragraphs - Opening Part - identify yourself- Main Part - explain why you
are writing and how you will use the requested information-Concluding Part - List the specific
information you need- Complimentary Close - Signature and Writer’s Identification .