CRI Reporting Fundamentals & Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct handling of 'off the record' statements in a deposition transcript?
- They are omitted from the transcript and noted with an off-the-record notation (Correct answer)
- They are transcribed verbatim but bracketed as unofficial
- They are summarized in a reporter's note at the end of the transcript
- They must be included if requested by either party's counsel
Correct answer: They are omitted from the transcript and noted with an off-the-record notation
Off-the-record colloquy is not transcribed; instead the reporter inserts a notation indicating that the proceeding went off the record.
Question 2: Which CRI competency area addresses a reporter's ability to teach students to build and maintain their steno dictionaries?
- Dictionary management and CAT software instruction (Correct answer)
- Realtime captioning theory
- Verbatim transcription standards
- Courtroom procedures and decorum
Correct answer: Dictionary management and CAT software instruction
Dictionary management is a core CRI instructional competency because accurate translation depends on well-maintained personal dictionaries.
Question 3: An instructor notices a student consistently drops the initial consonant cluster on high-frequency words. Which drill type is most appropriate to address this pattern?
- Isolated stroke repetition drills targeting the specific initial consonant cluster (Correct answer)
- Speed bursts at 40 wpm above the student's current speed ceiling
- Transcription review of previously recorded material
- Timed literary passages at the student's comfortable speed
Correct answer: Isolated stroke repetition drills targeting the specific initial consonant cluster
Targeted isolation drills on the problematic stroke pattern allow the student to build muscle memory for the specific movement causing errors.
Question 4: What does 'stacking' refer to in the context of stenographic theory?
- Writing two or more strokes simultaneously to represent a single syllable or word (Correct answer)
- Adding dictionary entries on top of existing entries without deleting conflicts
- Layering realtime output feeds to multiple display screens
- Organizing briefs by phonetic category in the CAT dictionary
Correct answer: Writing two or more strokes simultaneously to represent a single syllable or word
Stacking is the technique of pressing multiple keys at once in a single stroke to represent a syllable, word, or phrase efficiently.
Question 5: Under NCRA's Code of Professional Ethics, a reporter who has a financial interest in a case being reported should:
- Disclose the interest and decline the assignment (Correct answer)
- Accept the assignment but not discuss the financial interest with counsel
- Complete the assignment and donate the fee to charity
- Report the conflict only if requested by the judge
Correct answer: Disclose the interest and decline the assignment
Reporters with a financial interest in a proceeding must disclose that conflict and refuse the assignment to preserve impartiality.
Question 6: When teaching students to write medical testimony, which approach best accelerates terminology acquisition?
- Providing pre-built medical steno briefs lists tied to anatomical systems (Correct answer)
- Requiring students to write every syllable of each medical term phonetically
- Having students transcribe medical dramas from television for practice
- Assigning general speed drills at 20 wpm above current certification level
Correct answer: Providing pre-built medical steno briefs lists tied to anatomical systems
Organized medical brief lists grouped by body system help students memorize high-frequency terms efficiently and build usable shortcuts.
Question 7: Which element of a certified transcript's title page is the reporter's primary legal responsibility to verify before certification?
- The correct spelling of all witness names and the accurate proceeding date (Correct answer)
- The page count of the exhibit list
- The filing fee paid by the ordering party
- The font size and margin widths used in formatting
Correct answer: The correct spelling of all witness names and the accurate proceeding date
Correct witness names and accurate dates are factual elements that the reporter must verify because they are attested to under the certification oath.
CRI Reporting Fundamentals & Skills 3
What is the correct handling of 'off the record' statements in a deposition transcript?