Comm, 304 Midterm
Spring 2006/Eddy
Instructions:
Please download and save this document in your computer. Insert
your answers within the document. Please differentiate your answers
by using a different font or color. If a memo is called for, please place
that memo following the sample and question(s). Point values follow
each question. The exam is worth 200 points.
Due Date:
A hard copy of your document is due at the BEGINNING of class on
Tuesday, May 9.
Questions:
1. The writer's revision of the original paragraph below demonstrates which of the
following? (5 points)
Original: During our monthly meeting last month, we all came to the conclusion that
overtime procedures are inadequate and that new procedures need to be initiated. I
discussed this problem with our chief accountant, who was sympathetic and agreed to
consider any changes we would like to make to the present procedures. Please bring
your suggested changes to this month's departmental meeting scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
next Wednesday afternoon.
Revision: During last month's meeting, we concluded that our overtime procedures
need revision. Our chief accountant has agreed to consider any changes we would like to
make to the present procedures. Please bring your suggested changes to this month's
departmental meeting scheduled for 2:30 p.m. next Wednesday afternoon. Circle correct
answer.
A.
B.
C.
D.
conciseness
accuracy
comprehensiveness
correctness
2. Chapter 2 lists four guidelines governing the fair-use exemption, which allows you to
use copyrighted material without permission, under certain conditions. One guideline
is "the nature and purpose of the copyrighted work." What are the other three
guidelines? (5 points)
3. In a paragraph, explain the difference between a primary audience and a secondary
audience. (15 points)
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4. The three paragraphs that follow are taken from a brochure explaining to the general
reader some of the responsibilities involved in owning a horse. The topic sentences
do not clearly indicate the organizational pattern the writer is using. Rewrite or add
topic sentences to provide better coherence between and within
paragraphs. (25 points)
The first investment needs to be in education. Any horse owner needs to have some
knowledge of horse care, riding, and horse psychology. Without education, the owner
can unintentionally cause tragic consequences. A horse that gets into the grain bin
can die a very painful death. An owner who is rough or inconsistent can turn a wellbehaved horse into a rebel. An owner who is not paying attention can get an
unexpected kick when the horse becomes frightened . . .
These consequences can be minimized in direct proportion to the time spent with the
horse. Horses are social animals that need contact with others. If there are no other
horses available, the owner will be its focus and will need to spend more time with it.
The horse should be handled and worked daily so that any physical or mental
problems that occur can be spotted quickly. This will also build the communication
that is necessary for a happy relationship . . .
Horse expenses can be divided into the initial outlay and maintenance costs. You can
spend any amount for a horse. A good price for an average horse is $1,200 to
$3,500. You should always get an expert's evaluation before you buy. The saddle
and tack will probably cost from $350 to $2,000. The cost of keeping a horse can
range from $500 to $3,500 a year, depending on the services you need . . .
5. The town of Acton, Ohio (population 6,500), like many other small communities in
the Rust Belt region, has suffered economically during the past decade. Much of its
infrastructure is old and in need of repair, and the town has a shrinking tax base.
Young people routinely leave the area after high school in search of better jobs.
The main employer in Acton is Diversified Construction Materials, which employs
more than 1,000 people from Acton and surrounding communities. Like Acton,
Diversified has known better times. Its products are known for their high quality, but
foreign and domestic manufacturers who have moved their production facilities to
developing countries are undercutting Diversified's prices and gaining market share.
However, the research and development department (R&D) at Diversified has just
formulated a new type of blown insulation that the company thinks will perform as
well as fiberglass but will beat its price. This new substance promises to be a major
part of Diversified's highly regarded insulation products. A number of retailers have
ordered large quantities of the new insulation based on Diversified's exhibits at trade
shows and some preliminary advertisements in industrial catalogs.
As the head technical writer at Diversified, Susan Taggert oversees the creation of all
product information for the insulation. As she normally does in such cases, she
gathers all the documentation from R&D and any other materials available in the
company, which she studies before mapping out a strategy.
About one week into the project, Taggert discovers from laboratory notebooks that
three of the seven technicians participating in the project experienced abnormally
high rates of absence from work during the four months they spent developing the
insulation. One of the three technicians requested to be transferred from the project
at the end of the first month. His request was granted.
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Taggert calls Diversified's personnel department and learns that all three of the
technicians complained of the same condition—bronchial irritation of varying degrees
of severity—but that their symptoms ceased two to three days after the last
exposure to the insulation. Apparently some compound in the insulation, which the
company physician could not immediately identify, affected some of the technicians
who worked directly with it.
Taggert goes to the vice president of operations, Bill Mondale, who is in charge of
introducing all new products. Taggert presents her information to Mondale and
suggests that the company find out what is causing the bronchial irritation before it
ships any of the product. Although the irritation does not appear to be serious, there
are no data on the potential effects of long-term exposure to the insulation when
used in houses or offices.
Mondale points out Diversified's tight deadline; delivery is scheduled in less than two
weeks. Determining the cause of the irritation could take weeks or months and cost
many thousands of dollars. Taggert points out the financial risks involved in selling a
product that poses a health hazard. Mondale responds that it is a risk the company
will have to take, and adds that the product is in compliance with all applicable
federal guidelines. The company has staked its reputation—and its third-quarter
profits—on the insulation. He directs Taggert to proceed with the product literature
as quickly as possible and not to spend any more time worrying about the health
hazard.
To complete this case, perform the following tasks:
1. Study Chapter 2 of the text, focusing on principles for ethical communication.
2. Respond to the following questions:
o What should Susan Taggert do?
o Why is her recommended course of action—to determine the cause of the
irritation—preferable to other courses of action?
3. In a one to two page memo to your instructor, carefully explain your answers and
the ethical implications of her recommended course of action. (See Chapter 15,
page 378, for a discussion of memos.) (50 points)
6. Locate a fund-raising letter from a charitable organization, such as the American
Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, or the Special Olympics. (You might find fundraising appeals on these organizations' Web sites.) Write a one page memo to your
instructor describing the tactics used in the letter to persuade you to give money to
the cause. Which tactics work well, and which do not? Do not limit your analysis to
the argument made by the words themselves; consider also the design of the letter,
the appearance of the type, and the type of paper used. Analyze any graphics and
any other materials included in the envelope. (See Chapter 15, page 378, for a
discussion of memos.) (50 points)
7.
You work in the Customer Service department at Greenlawn, a company that applies
chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides to lawns. Recently Greenlawn
received a letter from Gwen Smith, a customer with a five-year-old child and an
infant. Ms. Smith is very concerned about the safety of the chemical you spray on
her lawn; recently she read an article in the newspaper about a man who died
suddenly after playing a round of golf on a course that had been treated by a similar
company. The article stated that although commercial lawn treatments are generally
safe, every year two or three people die because of an unusual vulnerability to the
chemicals.
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Your supervisor, Helen Lewis, has drafted the following letter to Ms. Smith and has
asked you to review it. "Do you think this responds to Ms. Smith's concerns?" Helen asks
you.
To complete this case, perform the following tasks:
1. Study Chapter 6, focusing on crafting a persuasive argument.
2. Analyze Helen's letter presented below. Consider the following questions:
o Did she use the three-part structure of claim, evidence, and reasoning?
o Did she choose the appropriate kinds of evidence?
o Did she consider opposing viewpoints?
o Did she avoid logical fallacies?
o Did she create a professional persona?
3. Write a one page memo to Helen Lewis evaluating the persuasiveness of the letter
and recommending any revisions you think would improve it. (See Chapter 15, page
378, for a discussion of memos.) (50 points)
April 5, 2003
Dear Ms. Smith:
Thank you for inquiring about the safety of the Greenlawn program. The materials
purchased and used by professional landscape companies are effective,
nonpersistent products that have been extensively researched by the Environmental
Protection Agency. Scientific tests have shown that dilute tank-mix solutions sprayed
on customers' lawns are rated "practically nontoxic," which means that they have a
toxicity rating equal to or lower than such common household products as cooking
oils, modeling clays, and some baby creams. Greenlawn applications present little
health risk to children and pets. A child would have to ingest almost 10 cups full of
treated lawn clippings to equal the toxicity of one baby aspirin. The child's stomach
could not possibly hold enough lawn clippings to prove dangerous!
Research published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research in February 1984
demonstrated that a dog could not consume enough grass treated at the normal rate
of application to ingest the amount of spray material required to produce toxic
symptoms. The dog's stomach simply is not large enough.
A check at your local hardware or garden store will show that numerous lawn,
ornamental, and tree-care pesticides are available for purchase by homeowners
either as a concentrate or combined with fertilizers as part of a weed-and-feed mix.
Label information shows that these products contain generally the same pesticides as
those programmed for use by professional lawn-care companies but at higher
concentrations of these pesticides than found in the dilute tank-mix solutions applied
to lawns and shrubs. By using a professional service, homeowners can eliminate the
need to store pesticide concentrates and avoid the problems of improper
overapplication and illegal disposal of leftover products in sewers or household trash
containers.
On the basis of these facts, I am sure that you will be pleased to know that the
Greenlawn program is a safe and effective way to protect your valued home
landscape. I have also enclosed some additional safety information. I encourage you
to contact me directly should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Helen Lewis
Branch Manager
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