Proofreading & Editing Copy Editing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'widow' in publishing?
- An outdated reference left in a document
- A single line of text at the top of a new page isolated from its paragraph (Correct answer)
- A duplicate heading on two pages
- An unclosed parenthesis
Correct answer: A single line of text at the top of a new page isolated from its paragraph
A widow is a single line of text that appears at the top of a new page, separated from the rest of its paragraph on the previous page.
Question 2: Which word correctly completes the sentence: 'The new policy will ___ all previous guidelines'?
- supersede (Correct answer)
- supercede
- superceed
- superseed
Correct answer: supersede
'Supersede' is the only correct spelling — it derives from the Latin 'supersedere' and does not follow the '-cede' pattern.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a 'track changes' feature in digital editing?
- To automatically correct all grammatical errors
- To record edits so authors can review, accept, or reject each change (Correct answer)
- To convert a document from one file format to another
- To count the total number of edits made
Correct answer: To record edits so authors can review, accept, or reject each change
Track Changes shows every insertion, deletion, and comment so authors can see what was changed and decide whether to accept each edit.
Question 4: In copy editing, what does it mean to 'read for sense'?
- Checking that all sentences are short
- Reviewing content to ensure it is logical, clear, and makes sense to the reader (Correct answer)
- Verifying that all facts are accurate
- Counting the number of sentences per paragraph
Correct answer: Reviewing content to ensure it is logical, clear, and makes sense to the reader
Reading for sense means evaluating whether the text communicates its intended meaning clearly and logically, beyond just surface-level correctness.
Question 5: Which is the correct use of 'that' vs. 'which'?
- The report that I edited, which was long, was submitted.
- The report which I edited was submitted on time.
- The report that I edited was submitted on time. (Correct answer)
- The report, that I edited, was submitted on time.
Correct answer: The report that I edited was submitted on time.
'That' introduces a restrictive clause (essential to meaning) without commas; 'which' introduces a non-restrictive clause (additional info) with commas.
Question 6: What is the correct plural of 'criterion'?
- criterions
- criterias
- criteria (Correct answer)
- criterium
Correct answer: criteria
'Criteria' is the standard English plural of 'criterion,' which comes from Greek.
Proofreading & Editing Copy Editing 2
What is a 'widow' in publishing?