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Subject:RE: Not at all OT: Autobahn driving From:karen_otto -at- agilent -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 23 Jun 2003 08:28:11 +0200
Hello all,
BW had it right. Writing driving tests IS technical writing. So are the manuals.
The authors of these test questions have a challenging job. Not only do they have to keep up with the laws, but there are many translations required, especially since the East Bloc opened. When I took my test, there were 5 or 6 different languages in a group of about 15 people.
Instead of writing just a book of driving rules, the Germans also let you buy a set of actual questions. They are generally a little out of date with respect to the current exam, but are quite representative.
The German tests are more technical than the US tests (at least those in Tennessee, Washington, NY and Indiana). I bought the package of test questions, about 1300 in total, and worked through them again and again.
The test questions include photos of likely situations and fill in the blank questions.
My largest learning effort was trying to remember the numbers and formulas for the fill-in-the-blank questions. What is the stopping distance under certain conditions? What is the minimum distance you must leave clear in front of a St. Andrew's cross (RR crossing)? How much drinking water can be polluted by a single drop of oil?
On the other hand, there were some very entertaining questions.
Some of my favorites were:
- Immediately before setting off you have felt very angry and you are furious. What is right? A) You should not drive when you are furious or B) You set off and get rid of your anger while driving.
- What do you think of drivers who travel too fast under pressure of time and do not observe speed regulations? A) Pressure of time is no justification for ignoring traffic regulations or B) One should be indulgent towards them since they are in a hurry.
I was absolutely amazed that an actual test question would ask "What do you think of..." in ANY manner! I'm too used to having my own opinion, I guess. :-)
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