CCE Numbers, Abbreviations, and Special Characters 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When should an acronym be spelled out on first reference in a document?
- Always, no exceptions
- Never, if it appears in a standard dictionary
- Whenever the reader may not recognize it (Correct answer)
- Only in documents longer than ten pages
Correct answer: Whenever the reader may not recognize it
The guiding principle is reader comprehension: spell out the acronym on first use whenever the audience may not immediately recognize it.
Question 2: Street address numbers in formal writing should always be expressed as:
- Spelled-out words for numbers under ten
- Numerals, regardless of size (Correct answer)
- Roman numerals
- Ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Correct answer: Numerals, regardless of size
Street addresses use numerals in all cases (e.g., 5 Elm Street, not Five Elm Street), regardless of the general rule to spell out small numbers.
Question 3: Which abbreviation correctly indicates multiple pages in a bibliography?
- pg.
- pgs.
- pp. (Correct answer)
- p's.
Correct answer: pp.
'Pp.' is the conventional abbreviation for multiple pages in bibliographic references (from the Latin plural convention of doubling the letter).
Question 4: Which is the correct way to express a dollar amount when the number is spelled out?
- $fifty dollars
- $50 dollars
- fifty dollars (Correct answer)
- fifty $
Correct answer: fifty dollars
When a currency amount is spelled out, the currency symbol is not used; instead, write the word 'dollars' (or the appropriate currency name).
Question 5: In AP style, which is the correct form for a person's age in running text?
- She is twenty-five years old.
- She is 25-years-old.
- She is 25 years old. (Correct answer)
- She is twenty five years old.
Correct answer: She is 25 years old.
AP style uses numerals for specific ages and omits hyphens when the age expression does not directly precede a noun as a compound modifier.
Question 6: Which is the correct use of the abbreviation 'etc.'?
- cats, dogs, etc.,
- cats, dogs, and etc.
- cats, dogs, etc. (Correct answer)
- cats, dogs; etc.
Correct answer: cats, dogs, etc.
Adding 'and' before 'etc.' is redundant because 'et cetera' already means 'and the rest'; no extra comma follows the period when it ends a clause.
Question 7: When a very large or complex number must appear at the start of a sentence, the recommended editorial solution is to:
- Use the numeral anyway
- Use Roman numerals
- Rewrite the sentence so the number does not fall first (Correct answer)
- Abbreviate with a symbol (e.g., 1K)
Correct answer: Rewrite the sentence so the number does not fall first
Because spelling out a large number at the sentence's start is awkward, the preferred fix is to restructure the sentence so the number appears elsewhere.
CCE Numbers, Abbreviations, and Special Characters 2
When should an acronym be spelled out on first reference in a document?