Book Editing Fundamentals 4

Question 1

An 'orphan' in typography is:

Accepted Answer

A paragraph's opening line stranded at the bottom of a page

Answer

An orphan is a first line of a paragraph left alone at the bottom of a page.

Question 2

What is the primary goal of substantive (heavy) editing?

Accepted Answer

Reworking content and organization for clarity and effectiveness

Answer

Substantive editing reshapes content and organization, not just mechanics.

Question 3

Which mark is used in proofreading to indicate text should be deleted?

Accepted Answer

A delete (dele) loop with a line through the text

Answer

The dele mark with a strike-through signals deletion of text.

Question 4

A caret (^) symbol in editing indicates:

Accepted Answer

Insert text at this point

Answer

The caret marks where new text should be inserted.

Question 5

Consistency in serial (Oxford) comma usage is typically decided by:

Accepted Answer

The chosen style guide or house style

Answer

House or style-guide rules govern whether the serial comma is used.

Book Editing Practice Test