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MS Word

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high importance⚡ 10 shortcuts4 subtopics
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Formatting text, paragraphs and pages

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⏱ 5 min read🧩 5 question types🎯 22 practice Q
The idea in one minute

Character formatting: bold (Ctrl+B), italic (Ctrl+I), underline (Ctrl+U), font face/size, colour, highlight, Strikethrough, Subscript (Ctrl+=), Superscript (Ctrl+Shift+=), Change Case (Shift+F3: Sentence case -> lowercase -> UPPERCASE -> Capitalize Each Word -> tOGGLE cASE), Grow/Shrink font (Ctrl+Shift+> / < , or Ctrl+] / [ in 1-pt steps). Default font: Calibri 11 pt from Word 2007-2021; Office 365/2024 switched the default to Aptos 12 pt (2023).

Paragraph formatting: alignment - left (default), centre (Ctrl+E), right (Ctrl+R), justify (Ctrl+J); line spacing single/double (Ctrl+1/Ctrl+2)/1.5 (Ctrl+5); spacing before/after (Word 2013+ default 1.08 lines with 8 pt after); indentation (Ctrl+M in, Ctrl+Shift+M out; Ctrl+T hanging indent); bullets/numbering/multilevel lists; borders and shading; Drop Cap (Insert tab).

Page setup (Layout tab): margins, size (A4/Letter), orientation portrait (default) / landscape; columns (1 default); line numbers, hyphenation. Insert: page break (Ctrl+Enter), section breaks (change layout mid-document), page numbers, header/footer (default header/footer position is 1.25 cm / 0.5 inch from edge), watermark, page colour, page border, cover page. Headers/footers repeat automatically on every page unless sections differ.

01

Three levels of formatting

Formatting means changing how text looks. Word formats at three levels: character (letters), paragraph (whole blocks) and page (the whole sheet).

02

Character formatting (Home tab, Font group)

ActionShortcut
BoldCtrl+B
ItalicCtrl+I
UnderlineCtrl+U
Subscript (H2O style)Ctrl+=
Superscript (x2 style)Ctrl+Shift+=
Grow / shrink fontCtrl+Shift+> / Ctrl+<
Change case cycleShift+F3

Shift+F3 cycles selected text through UPPERCASE, lowercase and Capitalise Each Word — a favourite exam shortcut. Other font tools: font face (type style), font size (measured in points), colour, text highlight colour (marker behind text), Strikethrough, and Format Painter (copies formatting from one place to another).

03

Paragraph formatting (Home tab, Paragraph group)

AlignmentShortcutLook
Left (default)Ctrl+Lragged right edge
CentreCtrl+Esymmetric
RightCtrl+Rragged left edge
JustifyCtrl+Jboth edges straight

Justified text is aligned on both the left and the right edge — used in newspapers and formal reports. Line spacing shortcuts: Ctrl+1 = single, Ctrl+5 = 1.5 lines, Ctrl+2 = double. Other paragraph tools: bullets and numbering (a numbered/ bulleted list starts automatically when a line begins with 1. or *), indentation, borders and shading. A hard page break is inserted with Ctrl+Enter.

04

Page formatting (Layout tab)

  • Margins — blank space around the text; default (Normal) margins are 1 inch on all four sides.
  • Orientation — Portrait (taller than wide) is the default; Landscape turns the page sideways for wide tables.
  • Paper size — A4 is the common default in India; Legal and Letter are other sizes.
  • Columns — splits text into newspaper-style columns.
  • Header (text at the top of every page) and Footer (bottom of every page) come from the Insert tab; page numbers are inserted in the footer.
05

Default look of a new document

A new document uses the Calibri font at 11 points (Word 2007 to 2021; newer Microsoft 365 builds ship with Aptos 12), left alignment and single spacing. Theme colours and the default style set can be changed from the Design tab.

06

Question types you will see

Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.

Type 1very common4 practice Q

Character-formatting shortcuts

How to spot it:

'The shortcut of Bold/Italic/Underline/Subscript/Superscript', 'which key changes the case', or a matched pair where one shortcut is shifted to the wrong action.

Method

  1. Core trio: Bold Ctrl+B, Italic Ctrl+I, Underline Ctrl+U (B-I-U = the letters themselves).

  2. Subscript Ctrl+= , Superscript Ctrl+Shift+= (superscript needs the extra Shift).

  3. Case cycle = Shift+F3 (lower, UPPER, Capitalise Each Word). Grow/shrink = Ctrl+Shift+> / Ctrl+<.

Try this

The keyboard shortcut to apply superscript in MS Word is:

Show solution

Ctrl+Shift+= — the same key as subscript (Ctrl+=) with Shift added. Both are toggles: press again to return to normal text.

Type 2very common3 practice Q

Alignment shortcut matching

How to spot it:

The stem gives an alignment (left, right, centre, justify) and asks the shortcut, or shows Ctrl+E / Ctrl+J and asks what they do.

Method

  1. Ctrl+L left, Ctrl+R right, Ctrl+E centre, Ctrl+J justify — remember J = Justify (both edges).

  2. Default alignment of Word = left.

  3. Justify is used in newspapers and formal documents; centre is used in titles and invitations.

Try this

Which shortcut justifies the selected paragraph in MS Word?

Show solution

Ctrl+J — straightens both the left and right edges. Ctrl+E centres, Ctrl+L/Ctrl+R align left/right.

Type 3common3 practice Q

Line spacing and paragraph keys

How to spot it:

'Single / 1.5 / double line spacing shortcut', 'which shortcut inserts a page break', bullets and numbering questions.

Method

  1. Ctrl+1 single, Ctrl+5 (five = one-and-a-half on the number row) 1.5, Ctrl+2 double.

  2. Page break = Ctrl+Enter; a hard break starts the next text on a fresh page.

  3. Bullets/numbering sit in the Home tab, Paragraph group.

Try this

In MS Word, double line spacing is applied by —

Show solution

Ctrl+2 (Ctrl+1 = single, Ctrl+5 = 1.5 lines). All three are toggles for the selected paragraphs.

Type 4common3 practice Q

Page setup: margins, orientation, size

How to spot it:

The stem asks the default orientation, the default margin width, where page size or columns are set, or a scenario needing landscape.

Method

  1. Default orientation = Portrait; Landscape = sideways, used for wide tables.

  2. Default (Normal) margins = 1 inch on all four sides.

  3. Margins, Orientation, Size and Columns all live on the Layout tab (older name: Page Layout).

Try this

The default orientation of a page in MS Word is:

Show solution

Portrait — height greater than width. Landscape (width greater than height) must be chosen manually from the Layout tab.

Type 5common2 practice Q

Default font facts

How to spot it:

'Default font of MS Word 2007/2010/2016' or a pair-matching of Office version with its default font and size.

Method

  1. Word 2007 to 2021 default font = Calibri 11 point (before 2007 it was Times New Roman 12).

  2. Newer Microsoft 365 builds ship with Aptos 12 — beware version wording in the stem.

  3. Font size is measured in points (72 points = 1 inch).

Try this

The default font of Word 2007 to Word 2019 documents is:

Show solution

Calibri, 11 point — replacing Times New Roman 12 of Word 97-2003. Newest Microsoft 365 versions have moved to Aptos 12.

07

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Alignment letters

The shortcut letter sits inside the word: ctrE? No - simply: Left=Ctrl+L, CEnter=Ctrl+E, Right=Ctrl+R, Justify=Ctrl+J. Only Centre breaks the pattern with E.

Example

Shortcut for justify alignment?

Show solution

Ctrl+J.

⚡ Spacing numbers

Line-spacing shortcuts ARE the spacing: Ctrl+1 single, Ctrl+2 double, Ctrl+5 1.5. (Five looks like S for single-and-a-half.)

Example

Shortcut for 1.5 line spacing?

Show solution

Ctrl+5.

⚡ Case cycle

Shift+F3 cycles case: start at 'hello world' -> HELLO WORLD -> Hello World. Press it repeatedly to see all five styles; no menu needed.

Example

Shortcut to cycle through case styles?

Show solution

Shift+F3.

08

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Using Ctrl+H for hyperlink - Ctrl+H is Replace; hyperlink is Ctrl+K.

Mistake 02

Thinking landscape is the default orientation - portrait is.

Mistake 03

Confusing subscript (Ctrl+=) with superscript (Ctrl+Shift+=).

09

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

  • Ctrl+B/I/U bold-italic-underline; Ctrl+= subscript, Ctrl+Shift+= superscript.

  • Shift+F3 changes case; Ctrl+L/E/R/J left-centre-right-justify.

  • Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+5 / Ctrl+2 = single / 1.5 / double line spacing.

  • Portrait is the default orientation; Normal margins = 1 inch.

  • Default font Calibri 11 (Office 2007-2021); Ctrl+Enter = page break.

  • Ctrl+H is Replace, Ctrl+K is hyperlink — the classic trap pair.

10

Practice: 22 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 10 questions

Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.

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