CPW Editing & Proofreading 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A text reads: 'The principle reason for editing is clarity.' What error is present?
- 'Principle' should be 'principal' (Correct answer)
- 'Reason' is redundant with 'principle'
- The sentence is passive voice
- 'Editing' should be 'to edit'
Correct answer: 'Principle' should be 'principal'
'Principal' (meaning primary or main) is the correct word here; 'principle' refers to a rule or belief.
Question 2: Which approach best defines 'global editing' versus 'local editing'?
- Global editing fixes typos; local editing addresses structure
- Global editing addresses big-picture issues like organization; local editing addresses sentence-level issues (Correct answer)
- Global editing applies to international documents; local editing to domestic ones
- Global editing is done first; local editing is a final pass for formatting
Correct answer: Global editing addresses big-picture issues like organization; local editing addresses sentence-level issues
Global editing focuses on macro-level concerns (structure, flow, argument) while local editing targets sentence- and word-level corrections.
Question 3: When editing for concision, which revision of 'due to the fact that' is preferred?
- owing to the circumstance that
- because (Correct answer)
- in light of the reason that
- given the fact that
Correct answer: because
'Because' is the concise replacement for the wordy phrase 'due to the fact that.'
Question 4: A manuscript consistently uses the Oxford (serial) comma. An editor should:
- Remove all Oxford commas regardless of style guide
- Maintain the Oxford comma throughout to ensure consistency with the chosen style (Correct answer)
- Add Oxford commas only in lists of four or more items
- Replace Oxford commas with semicolons
Correct answer: Maintain the Oxford comma throughout to ensure consistency with the chosen style
If the manuscript's style guide requires the Oxford comma, the editor must apply it consistently throughout.
Question 5: Which sentence correctly places the period relative to quotation marks in American English?
- She said, "The draft is ready".
- She said, "The draft is ready." (Correct answer)
- She said, "The draft is ready".
- She said "The draft is ready".
Correct answer: She said, "The draft is ready."
In American English, periods and commas are placed inside closing quotation marks.
Question 6: An editor encounters 'irregardless' in a professional document. The correct action is:
- Accept it as a formal intensifier of 'regardless'
- Flag it and suggest replacing it with 'regardless' (Correct answer)
- Replace it with 'irrespective' without querying the author
- Leave it if the author uses it consistently
Correct answer: Flag it and suggest replacing it with 'regardless'
'Irregardless' is a nonstandard double-negative form; 'regardless' is the correct standard word.
Question 7: What is 'tracking changes' (Track Changes) most useful for in professional editing?
- Automatically correcting all grammar errors
- Creating a visible record of edits so authors can review and accept or reject them (Correct answer)
- Locking the document against further edits
- Generating a summary of deleted words for billing purposes
Correct answer: Creating a visible record of edits so authors can review and accept or reject them
Track Changes creates a transparent, reviewable record of editorial revisions, enabling collaborative author-editor dialogue.
CPW Editing & Proofreading 5
A text reads: 'The principle reason for editing is clarity.' What error is present?