Formatting
What this domain tests
Formatting questions ask you to change appearance at three levels: character (font, size, bold, italic, underline, colour), paragraph (alignment, indents, spacing, line spacing, bullets and numbering), and page (margins, orientation, size, headers and footers). You must know which level a command applies to and how far it reaches.
Character vs paragraph formatting
Character formatting affects only selected text; if nothing is selected, it applies to text typed next. Paragraph formatting affects the entire paragraph containing the cursor - you do not need to select the whole paragraph. Alignment (left, centre, right, justify), indentation and line spacing are paragraph-level. Bullets and numbering are also paragraph-level and can be nested with increasing indent.
Traps to watch
- Justify stretches text to both margins; it is not the same as centre.
- Line spacing vs paragraph spacing: line spacing is within a paragraph; spacing before/after is between paragraphs.
- Headers and footers repeat on pages and are edited in their own area, not the body.
- Format Painter copies formatting, not text.
- Changing margins affects the whole section, not one paragraph.
Worked example
To make a title stand out: select it, set a larger font and bold (character), then centre it (paragraph). To indent the first line only, use a first-line indent rather than the spacebar.
Rule of thumb
Ask "does this change the letters or the layout of the block?" Letters = character; block = paragraph; whole page = page setup.