Quiz — Chapter 22: Instructions and Procedures

Q: Which step best follows the "one action per step, imperative mood" rule? "The user should first make sure the cover is open and then remove the filter and dispose of it." "You'll want to open the valve cover before doing anything else." "Open the valve cover." "Once everything is ready, the cover can be opened."

C. One action, in the imperative, leading with the verb the reader performs. (A) bundles three actions and uses "the user should." (B) adds "you'll want to" in front of the verb (bloat) and an unnecessary clause. (D) is passive and vague ("once everything is ready"—when is that?). See §22.2.

Q: The single most common defect that the "someone who has never done this" test reveals is: typos the wrong font the assumed step—an action the author performs automatically and never wrote down too many warnings

C. The assumed step (the invisible "save the file," "plug it in," "switch to the right directory"). It's nearly impossible to find by re-reading, because the author's mind silently fills the gap; a beginner, lacking that knowledge, simply stops. See §22.8.

Q: What distinguishes a true SOP step from a casual instruction? An SOP step uses more technical jargon An SOP step removes ambiguity so any two people following it do the task identically An SOP step is always longer An SOP step is written in passive voice

B. The defining discipline of an SOP is reproducibility across people. "Approve if it looks good" lets two reviewers apply two standards; "mark Approved if the totals match the source and no line exceeds $10,000, else route to Finance" makes any two readers reach the same decision. See §22.7.

Q: Which is a *prerequisite* that belongs in a "Before you begin" block rather than inside a step? "Click Save." "You must have admin access and the order number in hand." "Wait for the green banner." "Select the reason code."

B. Tools, access, materials, and conditions the reader needs before step 1 go in the prerequisites block, so the reader can assemble everything and then proceed without interruption. Discovering at step 6 that you needed access you don't have is the failure prerequisites prevent. See §22.2.

Q: A step says "If everything looks good, proceed to deployment." The flaw is: it's too short it's a vague condition that pushes a judgment onto a reader who may lack the expertise to make it—specify the checkable condition it should be a warning it uses the imperative

B. "Looks good" is undefined. The reader doesn't know what "good" means—that's why they're following instructions. Specify it: what should they see, what values, what state. Vague conditions are a top procedural defect (§22.9). See also the SOP reproducibility test (§22.7).

Q: "Because you wrote the procedure and know the task perfectly, you are well-positioned to judge whether your instructions are clear enough."

False. Your expertise disqualifies you as the judge: your mind fills every gap silently, so the assumed steps and undefined terms are invisible to you. Only a genuine beginner reliably exposes them. (§22.8)

Q: "A 'Note' and a 'Caution' are interchangeable labels for drawing the reader's attention."

False. A Note carries no hazard (a tip, clarification, exception); a Caution signals possible minor injury or equipment/data damage. Dressing a hazard as a Note under-signals real risk, and labeling tips "Caution/Warning" erodes the strong words' credibility. (§22.3)

Q: "Instructions only need to cover the steps for when everything goes right."

False. Something always goes wrong for some reader; a troubleshooting section (symptom → cause → fix) is where instructions earn their keep, catching the reader at the first error instead of abandoning them. (§22.6)

DataField.Dev

Quiz — Chapter 22: Instructions and Procedures

Target: 70%+ before moving on.

Section 1 — Multiple Choice

1. The chapter's threshold concept is that the reader of instructions is: - A) reading carefully for comprehension before acting - B) doing, not reading—using the document as a tool while their attention is on the task - C) an expert who needs only a reminder - D) going to read the whole document front to back first

Answer

**B.** The reader is *doing*, not reading. They execute one action, then glance back at the page; their attention is on the task (a machine, a screen, a server), and reading is an interruption to performing. Every rule in the chapter follows from this. (A) and (D) describe a reader who does not exist; instructions are operated, not absorbed. (C) is sometimes true but isn't the threshold idea. See §22.1.

2. Which step best follows the "one action per step, imperative mood" rule? - A) "The user should first make sure the cover is open and then remove the filter and dispose of it." - B) "You'll want to open the valve cover before doing anything else." - C) "Open the valve cover." - D) "Once everything is ready, the cover can be opened."

Answer

**C.** One action, in the imperative, leading with the verb the reader performs. (A) bundles three actions and uses "the user should." (B) adds "you'll want to" in front of the verb (bloat) and an unnecessary clause. (D) is passive and vague ("once everything is ready"—when is that?). See §22.2.

3. A hazard warning should be placed: - A) at the very end of the procedure, as a summary - B) only at the top, in the introduction - C) immediately before the step that triggers the hazard (and repeated there even if also stated up front) - D) inside the sentence of the dangerous step, in parentheses

Answer

**C.** The reader must read the warning *before* performing the dangerous action. After the step is too late; only at the top fails the reader who skips to step 9; inside the sentence (D) hides it from a scanner. Repeat the specific warning at the point of use even if you also stated it in the prerequisites. See §22.3.

4. You're choosing a signal word for "the rotor can cause serious injury if the lid is opened while spinning." The correct choice is: - A) Note - B) Caution - C) Warning or Danger - D) Tip

Answer

**C.** Serious-injury risk calls for **Warning** (could cause serious injury) or **Danger** (will), depending on certainty and the standard in use. **Caution** is for *minor* injury or equipment/data damage and would under-signal this. **Note** and **Tip** carry no hazard at all—labeling a serious hazard as a Note badly under-signals it. See §22.3.

5. Why should a troubleshooting section be organized by symptom rather than by cause? - A) Symptoms are shorter to write - B) The reader only observes the symptom; they don't know the cause (if they did, they wouldn't need help) - C) Causes are confidential - D) It makes the section look more professional

Answer

**B.** The reader has the symptom (an error message, a light that won't change), not the cause. Organizing by cause ("storage controller mismatch") hides their problem under something they can't see. Index by observable symptom in the reader's own words, then give the cause/fix. It's the audience principle from Chapter 2. See §22.6.

6. The single most common defect that the "someone who has never done this" test reveals is: - A) typos - B) the wrong font - C) the assumed step—an action the author performs automatically and never wrote down - D) too many warnings

Answer

**C.** The assumed step (the invisible "save the file," "plug it in," "switch to the right directory"). It's nearly impossible to find by re-reading, because the author's mind silently fills the gap; a beginner, lacking that knowledge, simply stops. See §22.8.

7. Why can a complete beginner find flaws in your instructions that you, the expert author, cannot find by re-reading? - A) Beginners read more slowly and notice more - B) Your own knowledge fills every gap silently, so you can't perceive the missing steps; the beginner has no knowledge to fill them with, so they hit the gaps head-on - C) Beginners are more critical - D) You wrote it too quickly

Answer

**B.** The flaws are gaps between what you know and what the document says. Re-reading, your mind supplies the missing knowledge ("restart the service"→"after saving, obviously"), so the gap is invisible. A beginner lacks that knowledge, so they stall exactly where the instructions assume too much. Your expertise is the contamination. See §22.8.

8. A step reads: "9. Now drag it into the folder you opened earlier." For a reader who arrived at your help page from a Google search and jumped straight to this step, the problem is: - A) the step is too long - B) "it" and "the folder you opened earlier" depend on steps the reader didn't read—the step doesn't survive being entered mid-stream - C) it should be passive voice - D) there's no warning

Answer

**B.** Readers skip around and enter mid-stream. Orphan pronouns ("it") and back-references ("the folder you opened earlier") sink a reader who didn't read the prior steps. Name the noun explicitly: "Drag the **config.json** file into the **/settings** folder." See §22.5 (and the vague-*this* problem from [Chapter 6](../../part-02-building-blocks/chapter-06-sentences/index.md)).

9. What distinguishes a true SOP step from a casual instruction? - A) An SOP step uses more technical jargon - B) An SOP step removes ambiguity so any two people following it do the task identically - C) An SOP step is always longer - D) An SOP step is written in passive voice

Answer

**B.** The defining discipline of an SOP is reproducibility *across people*. "Approve if it looks good" lets two reviewers apply two standards; "mark Approved if the totals match the source and no line exceeds $10,000, else route to Finance" makes any two readers reach the same decision. See §22.7.

10. When you include a screenshot in instructions, you should: - A) paste the full un-annotated screen so the reader sees everything - B) write "click the button shown below" and rely on the image - C) crop to what matters, annotate the specific element, and keep the text instruction authoritative (name the element) so it works even if the image goes stale or doesn't load - D) use as many screenshots as possible

Answer

**C.** Annotate and crop (the value is in pointing to the specific element), and keep the named text instruction authoritative so the procedure survives a stale image, a failed load, or a reader who can't see it. (B) is fragile—an unnamed "button below" is useless if the image drifts. (A) makes the reader do the finding work. See §22.4.

11. Which is a prerequisite that belongs in a "Before you begin" block rather than inside a step? - A) "Click Save." - B) "You must have admin access and the order number in hand." - C) "Wait for the green banner." - D) "Select the reason code."

Answer

**B.** Tools, access, materials, and conditions the reader needs *before step 1* go in the prerequisites block, so the reader can assemble everything and then proceed without interruption. Discovering at step 6 that you needed access you don't have is the failure prerequisites prevent. See §22.2.

12. A step says "If everything looks good, proceed to deployment." The flaw is: - A) it's too short - B) it's a vague condition that pushes a judgment onto a reader who may lack the expertise to make it—specify the checkable condition - C) it should be a warning - D) it uses the imperative

Answer

**B.** "Looks good" is undefined. The reader doesn't know what "good" means—that's why they're following instructions. Specify it: *what* should they see, *what* values, *what* state. Vague conditions are a top procedural defect (§22.9). See also the SOP reproducibility test (§22.7).

Section 2 — True/False with Justification

For each, decide true or false and give a one-sentence justification.

T1. "Redundancy is always a flaw, so a warning stated in the introduction should never be repeated at the relevant step."

Answer

**False.** In safety-critical procedures, repeating a warning at the point of use is *correct*, not redundant-in-the-bad-sense, because you cannot assume the reader (who skips around) saw the earlier instance. The redundancy you'd cut from connected prose is a safety feature in instructions. (§22.3, §22.5)

T2. "Because you wrote the procedure and know the task perfectly, you are well-positioned to judge whether your instructions are clear enough."

Answer

**False.** Your expertise *disqualifies* you as the judge: your mind fills every gap silently, so the assumed steps and undefined terms are invisible to you. Only a genuine beginner reliably exposes them. (§22.8)

T3. "A 'Note' and a 'Caution' are interchangeable labels for drawing the reader's attention."

Answer

**False.** A Note carries *no hazard* (a tip, clarification, exception); a Caution signals possible minor injury or equipment/data damage. Dressing a hazard as a Note under-signals real risk, and labeling tips "Caution/Warning" erodes the strong words' credibility. (§22.3)

T4. "Instructions only need to cover the steps for when everything goes right."

Answer

**False.** Something always goes wrong for some reader; a troubleshooting section (symptom → cause → fix) is where instructions earn their keep, catching the reader at the first error instead of abandoning them. (§22.6)

T5. "How much detail a procedure needs is fixed; good instructions are always maximally detailed."

Answer

**False.** It depends on the audience's expertise and the cost of error: a nuclear-procedure SOP specifies everything because a wrong step is catastrophic, while a "how to book a meeting room" guide can assume basic competence. Over-specifying for a competent reader wastes their time; under-specifying for a beginner or a high-stakes task is dangerous. (§22.9)

T6. "Writing 'click the red button' is fully accessible as long as the button really is red."

Answer

**False.** Relying on color alone fails color-blind readers (~1 in 12 men) and grayscale printouts; pair color with a label or shape—"the **Delete** button (red)." In procedures this is worse than in ordinary prose, because the reference *is* the instruction and a single inaccessible step blocks the whole task. (§22.4, building on [Chapter 10](../../part-02-building-blocks/chapter-10-design-and-layout/index.md))

Section 3 — Short Answer

S1. State the three rules of the numbered step and, in one sentence each, the reason from the threshold concept that each rule serves.

Model answer + rubric

**(1) One action per step** — because a doer executes one action and then glances back at the page, so each step must be one trackable unit. **(2) Imperative mood** — because the reader needs to be told to *act*, not informed about acting, and the imperative leads with the verb they perform. **(3) Performance order** — because the reader does the task in sequence, so steps (and any prerequisites/warnings) must appear when the reader needs them, not when the writer recalls them. *Rubric: all three rules named (1 pt each) + a reason tied to "the reader is doing" for each (1 pt each).*

S2. A coworker says, "I tested my instructions—I read through them twice and they're totally clear." Explain why this is not a valid test, and what a valid test looks like.

Model answer + rubric

Re-reading isn't a test because the author's own knowledge silently fills every gap—the assumed steps and undefined terms are invisible to the person who knows the task. A valid test gives the instructions to a real beginner, has them attempt the task with *no* coaching, watches them silently, logs every stall (pause, misread, wrong action, question), and revises the instructions (not the tester) from those stalls. *Rubric: identifies the curse-of-knowledge reason re-reading fails (1.5 pt) + describes watching a real beginner with no help and revising from stalls (1.5 pt).*

S3. Give one well-formed warning for a real task. It must name the specific hazard, explain why it's dangerous, and tell the reader what to do. Then state where in the procedure it goes.

Model answer + rubric

Example: *"⚠️ **Warning:** Even with the power disconnected, the capacitor holds a charge for up to two minutes and can cause a shock. Wait two minutes after unplugging before touching the board."* It goes **immediately before** the step that exposes the board (e.g., before "lift off the base plate"), repeated at the step even if also stated up front. *Rubric: names a specific hazard (1 pt), gives the why (1 pt), gives the what-to-do (1 pt) — penalize "be careful"-style vagueness; placement stated as before the step (bonus).*

S4. Why must a step's noun often be repeated ("Drag the config.json file…") rather than pronominalized ("Drag it…"), even when repetition feels redundant to the writer?

Model answer + rubric

Because readers enter procedures non-linearly—jumping to step 7 from a search result without reading the steps that named the referent. To that reader, "it" is an orphan with no antecedent; the repeated noun is the only thing keeping them oriented. Repetition that feels redundant to the writer who read every prior step is load-bearing for the reader who teleported in. *Rubric: connects to non-linear/skipping reader (1.5 pt) + explains the orphan-pronoun failure for a mid-stream entry (1.5 pt).*

Section 4 — Applied Scenario

AS1. You're given this procedure. Rewrite it completely to fix every defect (assumed steps, mood, placement, vague conditions, missing prerequisites, missing verification). Then list, in one or two sentences, the single change you'd be least sure about without testing on a beginner.

Clearing a paper jam 1. The printer should be turned off first. 2. You'll want to open it up and pull out the jammed paper carefully. 3. Make sure all the pieces are out. 4. Close it and turn it back on, and it should work. (Note: the fuser gets hot.)

Rubric (grade against these)

A strong rewrite: - **Prerequisites / scope:** names the printer or model class and any tool; states what "open it up" means specifically. - **Steps:** imperative, one action each ("Turn off the printer." / "Open the rear access panel (Door C).") — note the model's actual panel name, since "open it up" is the kind of vague phrase a beginner can't act on. - **Warning placement + word:** the hot-fuser hazard is a *Warning* (burn risk), moved from a trailing Note to **immediately before** the step that reaches inside near the fuser, naming the hazard, why, and what-to-do ("the fuser can reach high temperatures and cause burns; if you've printed recently, wait 10 minutes before reaching inside"). - **Vague condition fixed:** "make sure all the pieces are out" → "Check the paper path and the rear roller for torn fragments; remove any you find" with how to check. - **Direction of pull:** specify pulling the paper *in the direction of paper travel* to avoid tearing (a likely assumed step). - **Verification:** "Print a test page (Settings → Print Test Page) to confirm the jam is cleared," replacing "it should work." - **The least-sure change:** a good answer flags something only testing settles—e.g., whether a real first-timer can locate the named panel/lever, or whether the direction-of-pull instruction is understood—because the author can't know what a beginner won't find. *Score: ~2 pts steps/mood, ~2 pts warning placement+word, ~1 pt vague-condition fix, ~1 pt verification added, ~1 pt prerequisites, ~1 pt a sensible "least-sure, needs testing" reflection.*

Scoring & Next Steps

Score	What it means	Do this next
< 50%	Core mechanics not yet solid	Re-read §22.1–22.3 (the doer, numbered steps, warnings), then redo Section 1
50–70%	You get the rules but miss applications	Redo Exercises Part B (Revise This) and re-read §22.5–22.6 (skipping readers, troubleshooting)
70–85%	Solid—proceed	Move to Chapter 23, and do the Project Checkpoint draft
> 85%	Strong command	Do Exercises E1 (run a real usability test)—the skill that separates good procedural writers from the rest

The one test that matters most isn't on this quiz: give your instructions to someone who's never done the task and watch them try. Nothing here proves your instructions work the way that does.