CPW Editing & Proofreading 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes 'copyediting' as distinct from 'proofreading'?
- Copyediting checks final typeset pages for errors introduced in production
- Copyediting addresses grammar, style, consistency, and usage before layout (Correct answer)
- Copyediting rewrites content for clarity at a structural level
- Copyediting verifies factual accuracy and sources
Correct answer: Copyediting addresses grammar, style, consistency, and usage before layout
Copyediting occurs before layout and addresses grammar, punctuation, style consistency, and usage, while proofreading is the final check of typeset pages.
Question 2: A sentence reads: 'Neither the manager nor the employees was informed.' What is wrong?
- 'Neither...nor' requires plural verb when the closer subject is plural (Correct answer)
- The sentence uses passive voice incorrectly
- The pronoun 'the employees' is ambiguous
- The verb tense is inconsistent
Correct answer: 'Neither...nor' requires plural verb when the closer subject is plural
With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it; 'employees' is plural, so the verb should be 'were.'
Question 3: What is the purpose of a style sheet maintained by a copyeditor?
- To document CSS classes for web publishing
- To record author-specific or project-specific usage decisions for consistency (Correct answer)
- To outline the document's heading hierarchy
- To track all deleted passages for the author's review
Correct answer: To record author-specific or project-specific usage decisions for consistency
A copyeditor's style sheet logs decisions about spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, and usage to ensure consistency throughout the document.
Question 4: The phrase 'more importantly' at the start of a sentence is sometimes flagged. Why?
- 'More importantly' is never grammatically correct
- Some editors prefer 'more important' as an absolute adjective in this construction (Correct answer)
- Adverbs cannot begin sentences
- The comparative form should be 'most importantly'
Correct answer: Some editors prefer 'more important' as an absolute adjective in this construction
Traditional grammarians prefer 'more important' as an elliptical construction ('what is more important'), though both forms are widely accepted.
Question 5: An editor finds an em dash used where a hyphen should be in a compound modifier. What is the correct fix?
- Replace the em dash with an en dash
- Replace the em dash with a hyphen (Correct answer)
- Remove all punctuation from the modifier
- Replace the em dash with a colon
Correct answer: Replace the em dash with a hyphen
Compound modifiers before a noun use a hyphen (e.g., 'up-to-date report'), not an em dash or en dash.
Question 6: Which sentence avoids a comma splice?
- I edited the document, she proofread it.
- I edited the document; she proofread it. (Correct answer)
- I edited the document, and, she proofread it.
- I edited the document she proofread it.
Correct answer: I edited the document; she proofread it.
A semicolon correctly joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, avoiding the comma splice.
Question 7: When an editor queries the author with a question mark in the margin (e.g., 'AU: ?'), what is the standard expectation?
- The author must delete the flagged passage
- The author should review and resolve the editor's question or concern (Correct answer)
- The editor will rewrite the passage without author input
- The query signals the passage should be moved
Correct answer: The author should review and resolve the editor's question or concern
Author queries (AU:) flag uncertain content or editing decisions that require the author's review and response.
CPW Editing & Proofreading 4
Which of the following best describes 'copyediting' as distinct from 'proofreading'?