CCE Applying Editorial Style Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A copyeditor is working for a publisher that has its own house style guide. The house guide dictates that all numbers from one to fifty should be spelled out. However, the author has followed The Chicago Manual of Style's general rule, spelling out numbers zero through one hundred. In a sentence that reads, 'The study included 54 participants,' what is the copyeditor's most appropriate action?
- Change '54' to 'fifty-four' to match the house style guide.
- Leave '54' as is, because it is over the house style's threshold of fifty. (Correct answer)
- Query the author about their preference for number styling.
- Change '54' to 'fifty-four' and make a note to follow Chicago style for all other numbers.
Correct answer: Leave '54' as is, because it is over the house style's threshold of fifty.
The house style guide is the primary authority for any publication. In this scenario, the house style requires spelling out numbers only up to fifty. Since 54 is above this threshold, the copyeditor should use numerals, which aligns with the author's original text, although for a different reason. The key is to consistently apply the rules of the governing style guide.
Question 2: According to The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), which of the following sentences correctly punctuates a vertical list?
- The project requires the following items: (Correct answer)
- The project requires the following items;
- The project requires the following items.
- The project requires the following items
Correct answer: The project requires the following items:
When a vertical list is introduced by a grammatically complete clause, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends using a colon to introduce the list. The phrase 'The project requires the following items' is a complete clause, making a colon the correct punctuation.
Question 3: A manuscript about film history is being edited for a US-based academic journal that follows The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). Which of the following titles is capitalized correctly according to CMOS?
- A Rumor of War: A Memoir of a Tour of Duty (Correct answer)
- A Rumor Of War: A Memoir Of A Tour Of Duty
- A Rumor of War: a Memoir of a Tour of Duty
- A Rumor of War: A Memoir of a Tour of duty
Correct answer: A Rumor of War: A Memoir of a Tour of Duty
The Chicago Manual of Style uses headline-style capitalization for titles. This means capitalizing the first and last words, and all major words in between. Short prepositions (like 'of') and articles (like 'a') are lowercased unless they are the first or last word of the title or subtitle. In this case, 'of' and 'a' are correctly lowercased within the title and subtitle.
Question 4: A copyeditor encounters a direct quotation that is six lines long in a manuscript following The Chicago Manual of Style. How should this quotation be formatted?
- As a block quotation, indented from the left margin and without quotation marks. (Correct answer)
- Integrated into the main text and enclosed in double quotation marks.
- As a block quotation, enclosed in double quotation marks.
- As a block quotation, single-spaced and italicized.
Correct answer: As a block quotation, indented from the left margin and without quotation marks.
The Chicago Manual of Style stipulates that prose quotations of five or more lines (or more than 100 words) should be set off as a block quotation. This formatting involves indenting the entire quotation from the left margin and removing the quotation marks.
Question 5: When creating a style sheet for a multi-author book, which of the following elements is MOST critical to include to ensure consistency?
- The publisher's contact information.
- A list of every proper noun mentioned in the text.
- The copyeditor's preferred editing software.
- Decisions on capitalization of recurring terms and treatment of numbers. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Decisions on capitalization of recurring terms and treatment of numbers.
A style sheet's primary purpose is to ensure consistency throughout a manuscript, which is especially important in a multi-author work. Key consistency points include the treatment of numbers (numerals vs. words), punctuation (e.g., serial comma), and the capitalization of specific, recurring terms that might not be covered by the main style guide.
Question 6: A copyeditor is preparing a manuscript for a news website that strictly follows the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. Which sentence correctly applies AP style for numbers?
- The team celebrated its third win in 11 games. (Correct answer)
- The team celebrated its 3rd win in eleven games.
- The team celebrated its third win in eleven games.
- The team celebrated its 3 win in 11 games.
Correct answer: The team celebrated its third win in 11 games.
AP style generally requires spelling out numbers one through nine and using figures for 10 and above. Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) follow the same rule. Therefore, 'third' is spelled out, and '11' is written as a numeral.
