Practice Test Geeks(CPP) Certified Professional Proofreader Practice Test
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Proofreading Marks & Symbols Flashcards

7 cards from real CPP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Proofreading Marks & Symbols flashcards as text

  1. What proofreading mark is used to indicate that an en dash should replace the marked character?

    Answer: The abbreviation 'en' with a caret

    Writing 'en' with a caret or slash at the target location tells the compositor to insert an en dash at that point.

  2. Which mark is placed in the margin to flag a 'widow' — a single line of a paragraph isolated at the top of a page?

    Answer: 'wd' circled in the margin

    'wd' (widow) flagged in the margin alerts the compositor or editor that a single orphaned line appears at the top of the page.

  3. A caret placed below the line between two letters, with '/' written in the margin, instructs the typesetter to:

    Answer: Insert a slash or virgule between those characters

    A caret with '/' in the margin indicates a slash (virgule) should be inserted at that caret position.

  4. What does 'fl' or 'flush' written at the start of a line mean in proofreading?

    Answer: Set the line flush (aligned) with the indicated margin — no indent

    'fl' or 'flush' instructs the compositor to remove any indent and set the line even with the specified margin.

  5. When a proofreader places a double dagger (‡) in text, it traditionally marks:

    Answer: A second-level footnote reference

    The double dagger (‡) is a standard footnote reference symbol, used as the third reference mark after the asterisk (*) and single dagger (†).

  6. A proofreader writes 'out, see copy' in the margin. What does this alert the compositor to?

    Answer: Text has been accidentally omitted and the original copy must be checked to restore it

    'Out, see copy' is a traditional flag meaning that copy has been dropped (omitted) during typesetting and the compositor must refer to the original manuscript to restore the missing text.

  7. What does the proofreading mark 'AA' or 'AAs' written in the margin indicate?

    Answer: Author's alteration — a change made by the author rather than to correct a typesetter's error

    'AA' stands for Author's Alteration, distinguishing a change the author requested (which may incur extra cost) from a printer's error correction.