T02 · A3 — Microsoft PowerPoint
1. Why this topic matters here
One hour for 1.03 expected questions (ROI 1.030, second-best on the paper). Eleven items in the local deck test it, and the content is almost entirely shortcut and terminology recall — no reasoning, no calculation.
Its real value is defensive. Section A has only 7 questions but carries a sub-sectional cutoff, and PowerPoint is the cheapest way to secure marks there. An hour here is better spent than an hour extending an already-strong Section B.
2. Exactly what gets asked
- Slide-show keyboard shortcuts. Confirmed local items:
Shift+F5starts from the current slide (F5from the beginning), and which key shows a white screen to pause and discuss (W;Bgives black).
1. (d) Shift+F5 — Starts the show at the slide you are currently on.
- (b) F5 always starts from the first slide.
- (c) Ctrl+F5 is not a PowerPoint show shortcut.
- (a) Alt+F5 is not a PowerPoint show shortcut.
- View identification. Which status-bar button is slide sorter (it is the second of four: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show).
2. (c) Animations — Animations is its own ribbon tab holding Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths.
- (a) Home holds formatting and basic editing tools.
- (b) Insert adds slides, pictures, shapes and charts.
- (d) Transitions is a separate tab for slide-to-slide effects.
- Terminology discrimination. Confirmed local items: what an animation trigger is (an on-slide item that runs an animation when clicked), and that Animations is a ribbon tab, not a slide-layout section.
3. (d) B — B blanks the screen to black; pressing it again returns to the slide.
- (b) W blanks the screen to white, not black.
- (a) N advances to the next slide.
- (c) Esc ends the slide show.
- Action buttons and hyperlinks. That an action button responds to a click and optionally to mouse-over; that a hyperlink is the mechanism for jumping to another slide in the same or a different presentation.
4. (a) Slide Sorter — Shows all slides as thumbnails for reordering, deleting and setting transitions in bulk.
- (d) Normal view shows one slide plus the thumbnail pane.
- (c) Reading View plays the deck in a window without editing tools.
- (b) Notes Page shows one slide with its speaker notes.
- Capability questions. What an object can be linked to; what you can toggle when recording; which application creates a formal presentation.
3. Concept notes
3.1 The presentation views
| View | What it is | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Main editing view: thumbnail/outline pane left, current slide centre, Notes pane below | Opens by default; one large slide |
| Outline | Text-only outline of slide titles and bulleted text in the left pane | Left pane shows numbered lines of text, no thumbnails |
| Slide Sorter | Grid of all slide thumbnails | All slides visible at once, small, no editing panes — used to reorder, apply transitions, set timings to many slides |
| Notes Page | One slide plus its speaker-notes box, laid out like a printed page | Slide in the top half, notes area below |
| Reading View | Slides shown in a window with navigation controls, not full screen | Windowed, has its own navigation bar; Esc returns to the previous view |
| Slide Show | Full-screen presentation to an audience | Fills the whole screen; transitions and animations play |
Master views (View tab → Master Views group)
| Master | Controls |
|---|---|
| Slide Master | Theme, fonts, colours, background, placeholder position/size and formatting for every slide and every layout |
| Handout Master | Printed handouts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 slides per page |
| Notes Master | Printed notes pages (slide + notes) |
Status-bar view buttons — exact left-to-right order (exams number these):
| Position | Button |
|---|---|
| 1 | Normal |
| 2 | Slide Sorter |
| 3 | Reading View |
| 4 | Slide Show |
Note: Outline is not one of the four status-bar buttons. In modern PowerPoint it is a tab in the left pane of Normal view.
3.2 Slide layouts and placeholders
Layouts (Home → Layout, or Insert → New Slide) include: Title Slide, Title and Content, Section Header, Two Content, Comparison, Title Only, Blank, Content with Caption, Picture with Caption.
A content placeholder can hold:
| Placeholder section | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Title | Slide title |
| Content | Generic container that can become text, table, chart, SmartArt, picture or media |
| Text | Plain text box |
| Picture | Image |
| Chart | Embedded chart |
| Table | Rows/columns grid |
| SmartArt | Diagram |
| Media | Video/audio |
Animations is a ribbon tab, NOT a slide-layout section. No layout offers an "Animations" placeholder.
3.3 Slide Master, themes, variants, background styles
| Item | Key point |
|---|---|
| Slide Master | Top thumbnail in Slide Master view. Edit it once and the change applies to all slides using that master — so you never format every slide individually. Below it sit the individual layouts. |
| Theme | Design tab → Themes. A named set of colours, fonts and effects. |
| Variants | The colour/style variations shown to the right of the theme thumbnails; each theme ships with several. |
| Background styles | Design tab → Format Background (solid, gradient, picture/texture, pattern) plus "Hide Background Graphics". |
3.4 Transitions vs Animations — the key distinction
| Transition | Animation | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | The slide — the effect between slides | An object on a slide (text, picture, shape, chart) |
| Tab | Transitions | Animations |
| Options | Effect, Sound, Duration, On Mouse Click / After, Apply To All | Effect, Effect Options, Start, Duration, Delay, Animation Pane |
Mnemonic for MCQs: Transition = slide to slide. Animation = object on a slide.
3.5 The four animation categories
| Category | What it does |
|---|---|
| Entrance | Object appears (e.g. Fade, Fly In, Appear) |
| Emphasis | Object already on screen changes (e.g. Grow/Shrink, Spin, Pulse) |
| Exit | Object leaves the slide (e.g. Disappear, Fly Out) |
| Motion Paths | Object moves along a drawn line (e.g. Lines, Arcs, Custom Path) |
3.6 Animation Pane, triggers, Start options
- Animation Pane (Animations → Animation Pane): lists every animation in order with its object, start setting and timing; used to reorder, retime, remove animations and see triggers.
- Animation trigger: an object that starts an animation when clicked. Set via Animations → Trigger → On Click of → choose the object. (A bookmark trigger is also available.)
- Start options:
| Start | Meaning |
|---|---|
| On Click | Plays when the presenter clicks (default) |
| With Previous | Plays at the same time as the previous animation |
| After Previous | Plays automatically after the previous animation finishes |
- Animating a bulleted list by paragraph level: select the text placeholder → add an animation → Effect Options → Sequence → As One Object / All at Once / By Paragraph. "By Paragraph" reveals bullets one at a time.
- Add Animation adds a second animation to the same object; picking a new animation from the gallery without it replaces the existing one.
3.7 Action buttons and hyperlinks
- Action buttons: Insert → Shapes → Action Buttons. Predefined buttons include Back/Previous, Forward/Next, Beginning, End, Home, Information, Return, Document, Sound, Movie, Help, Custom.
- An action button can act on Mouse Click and/or Mouse Over (Action Settings dialog has a tab for each). Actions: Hyperlink to, Run program, Run macro, Object action, None.
- Hyperlink (Ctrl+K) offers exactly four targets:
| Target | Use |
|---|---|
| Existing File or Web Page | Link to a website or a file |
| Place in This Document | Jump to a specific slide |
| Create New Document | Start a new file |
| E-mail Address | Opens a blank mail message |
3.8 Slide-show shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| F5 | Start show from beginning |
| Shift+F5 | Start show from current slide |
| Esc | End show |
| B | Black screen (toggle) |
| W | White screen (toggle) |
| N, Spacebar, →, Enter, Page Down | Next slide/animation |
| P, Backspace, ←, Page Up | Previous slide/animation |
| number + Enter | Jump to that slide number |
| Ctrl+P | Pen (ink) |
| Ctrl+L | Laser pointer |
| Ctrl+E | Eraser |
| Ctrl+A | Arrow — the default pointer |
3.9 Delivering, exporting, recording
| Feature | Where / what it does |
|---|---|
| Rehearse Timings | Slide Show → Rehearse Timings. Records the time spent on each slide and can save those timings for automatic advance. |
| Presenter View | Slide Show → Use Presenter View. Presenter sees current slide, next slide, speaker notes, timer and pen/laser tools on their own screen; the audience sees only the slide. |
| Export to PDF | File → Export → Create PDF/XPS Document |
| Export to video | File → Export → Create a Video (choose resolution and whether to use recorded timings/narration) |
| Record a presentation | Slide Show → Record Slide Show (or the Record tab). You can toggle camera and microphone on/off, and edit or clear the recording afterwards. |
4. Must-memorise block
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Effect between slides | Transition |
| Effect on an object | Animation |
| Four animation categories | Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, Motion Paths |
| Status-bar view button order (1→4) | Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show |
| View for reordering slides in bulk | Slide Sorter |
| View for editing one master for all slides | Slide Master |
| Handout slide counts | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 |
| Is "Animations" a layout section? | No — it is a ribbon tab |
| Start options | On Click, With Previous, After Previous |
| Animation trigger | An object that starts an animation when clicked |
| Start from beginning / current slide | F5 / Shift+F5 |
| End show | Esc |
| Black / white screen | B / W |
| Next / previous | N, Space, → / P, Backspace, ← |
| Pen / laser / eraser / arrow | Ctrl+P / Ctrl+L / Ctrl+E / Ctrl+A |
| Jump to slide | Type number + Enter |
| Four hyperlink targets | Web page, Place in this document, New document, E-mail address |
| Record slide show toggles | Camera, microphone |
5. Worked examples
Example 1 — Starting a show from the current slide
You are on slide 7 of 20 and want the audience to see only from slide 7 onward. Which keyboard shortcut starts the slide show from slide 7?
Reasoning:
- F5 starts the slide show from the beginning (slide 1).
- Shift+F5 starts the slide show from the current slide.
- In the Slide Show ribbon tab, these correspond to "From Beginning" and "From Current Slide".
Answer: Shift+F5.
Example 2 — Transition or animation?
During a show, slide 3 dissolves into slide 4. Then the title on slide 4 flies in from the left when the presenter clicks. Identify each effect type.
Reasoning:
- A transition happens between slides — the dissolve occurs as slide 3 gives way to slide 4, so it is a transition.
- An animation applies to objects on a slide — the title is an object on slide 4, so its fly-in is an animation.
- The two live on different ribbon tabs: Transitions and Animations.
Answer: Dissolve = transition; title fly-in = animation.
Example 3 — Animation trigger vs action button
A shape must play a sound only when clicked. A separate button must jump to slide 10 both when clicked and when the mouse hovers over it. Which PowerPoint features are needed?
Reasoning:
- An animation trigger is an on-slide item that runs an animation when clicked — use this for the shape/sound.
- An action button can be set to act on click and on mouse-over — use this for the jump.
- A plain hyperlink navigates to a destination but does not inherently respond to mouse-over.
Answer: Animation trigger for the shape; action button with its Mouse Over setting for the jump.
Example 4 — Status bar view buttons
Left to right, what are the four view buttons on the PowerPoint status bar?
Reasoning:
- The status bar buttons are in a fixed order.
- The order is Normal, then Slide Sorter, then Reading View, then Slide Show.
- Slide Show is the fourth button, not the first.
Answer: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show.
Example 5 — Slide Master scope and screen blanking
(a) You change the font of the title placeholder on the Slide Master. To which slides does this apply? (b) During a slide show, which keys blank the screen to white and to black, and what is the default pointer?
Reasoning:
- Slide Master edits apply to all slides that use that master/layout; an individual slide can still carry its own override.
- W shows a white screen; B shows a black screen; pressing the same key again restores the slide.
- The default pointer in Slide Show view is the Arrow pointer.
Answer: (a) all slides using that master/layout; (b) W = white, B = black, default pointer = Arrow.
6. Traps and gotchas
| Trap | Why it catches people | How to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Swapping F5 and Shift+F5 | Both start a show, so the difference is easy to blur under time pressure. | F5 = from the beginning; Shift+F5 = from the current slide. |
| Calling an animation a transition | Both involve motion, so candidates label by visual effect instead of location. | Transition = between slides; animation = objects on a slide. Check the ribbon tab. |
| Treating Animations as a slide-layout area | The word "animation" sounds like a layout property. | Animations is a ribbon TAB. Layouts are chosen from the Home tab. |
| Assuming action buttons only work on click | Click is the default, so the mouse-over option is forgotten. | In Action Settings, check the Mouse Over tab as well as the Mouse Click tab. |
| Thinking W and B advance or exit the show | They are single-letter keys, so they look like navigation shortcuts. | W and B blank the screen; press the same key to restore, Esc to exit. |
| Believing Slide Master edits affect only the current slide | The master looks like just another slide in the thumbnail pane. | Master changes apply to all slides using that master; per-slide overrides still win. |
| Mis-ordering the status-bar view buttons | Candidates remember Slide Show as the "main" view and put it first. | Memorize the order: Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show. |
| Limiting hyperlinks to same-presentation slides | Most practice questions only show slide-to-slide links. | A hyperlink can also go to another presentation, a web page, a place in this document, or a new document. |
| Assuming the default pointer is the pen or laser | Presenter tools promote the pen, so the default is misremembered. | Default pointer is Arrow; Ctrl+P selects the pen, Ctrl+A returns to the arrow. |
7. Practice questions
1. Which shortcut key starts the slide show from the currently selected slide? [Easy] (A3 — slide show shortcuts) (a) Alt+F5 (b) F5 (c) Ctrl+F5 (d) Shift+F5
2. Animation effects such as Entrance, Emphasis and Exit are applied from which ribbon tab? [Easy] (A3 — Animations tab) (a) Home (b) Insert (c) Animations (d) Transitions
3. During a slide show, which key turns the screen black? [Easy] (A3 — slide show screen keys) (a) N (b) W (c) Esc (d) B
4. Which view displays every slide as a small thumbnail so slides can be reordered in bulk? [Easy] (A3 — views) (a) Slide Sorter (b) Notes Page (c) Reading View (d) Normal
5. A transition in PowerPoint is an effect that occurs: [Easy] (A3 — transitions) (a) between one slide and the next (b) on individual objects placed on a slide (c) only on the Slide Master (d) only inside a text placeholder
5. (a) between one slide and the next — Transitions fire as the deck moves from slide to slide.
- (b) Effects on individual objects are animations, not transitions.
- (c) The Slide Master controls layout and theme, not slide-to-slide effects.
- (d) Effects inside a placeholder are object animations.
6. To change the title font on every slide in one operation, you edit the: [Easy] (A3 — Slide Master) (a) Normal view (b) Slide Master (c) Slide Sorter view (d) Notes Master
6. (b) Slide Master — A change made on the Slide Master propagates to all slides using that layout.
- (a) Normal view edits only the slide currently open.
- (c) Slide Sorter reorders slides but does not restyle text.
- (d) Notes Master formats speaker notes, not slide titles.
7. In PowerPoint, an animation trigger is: [Medium] (A3 — animations) (a) a key pressed to begin the slide show (b) an on-slide item that runs an animation when clicked (c) the delay set before an animation starts (d) the transition applied between two slides
7. (b) an on-slide item that runs an animation when clicked — The trigger is the object you click to fire the effect.
- (a) That describes a show shortcut such as F5.
- (c) That describes a delay, set under Start timing.
- (d) That describes a transition, which is not an animation.
8. An action button inserted on a slide can be set to run its action on: [Medium] (A3 — action buttons) (a) a click only (b) a mouse-over only (c) either a click or a mouse-over (d) a keyboard shortcut only
8. (c) either a click or a mouse-over — Action buttons support both a Click and a Mouse Over tab.
- (a) Click is one option but not the only one.
- (b) Mouse Over is one option but not the only one.
- (d) Action buttons respond to mouse actions, not to keys.
9. On the status bar, the view buttons appear in which order, left to right? [Medium] (A3 — views) (a) Normal, Reading View, Slide Sorter, Slide Show (b) Slide Sorter, Normal, Slide Show, Reading View (c) Reading View, Normal, Slide Sorter, Slide Show (d) Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show
9. (d) Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show — That is the fixed left-to-right order on the status bar.
- (b) Slide Sorter is the second button, not the first.
- (c) Reading View is the third button, not the first.
- (a) Reading View and Slide Sorter are swapped in this option.
10. While presenting in Slide Show view, pressing W does which of the following? [Medium] (A3 — slide show screen keys) (a) closes the slide show (b) shows a black screen (c) shows a white screen (d) moves to the next slide
10. (c) shows a white screen — W gives a white screen; press W again to resume.
- (a) Esc closes the slide show.
- (b) B, not W, gives a black screen.
- (d) N or Space moves to the next slide.
11. Which of the following is a valid hyperlink destination for an object on a slide? [Medium] (A3 — hyperlinks) (a) A web page (b) All of the above (c) A place in the same presentation (d) A new document
11. (b) All of the above — An object can link to a web page, a place in this document, or a new document.
- (a) A web page is valid but not the only valid target.
- (c) A place in the same presentation is valid but not the only target.
- (d) A new document is valid but not the only target.
12. Which statement is correct? [Hard] (A3 — mixed concepts) (a) Shift+F5 begins the slide show from the currently selected slide. (b) Editing the Slide Master affects only the slide currently on screen. (c) The Animations tab holds the transition gallery for the deck. (d) Transitions apply to objects on a slide, while animations run between slides.
12. (a) Shift+F5 begins the slide show from the currently selected slide. — Correct shortcut behaviour for starting mid-deck.
- (d) Reversed: transitions run between slides, animations apply to objects.
- (b) Slide Master edits apply to all slides, not the current one alone.
- (c) The transition gallery sits on the Transitions tab, not Animations.
8. Resources
| Resource | Type | Link | Free/Paid | Time | Why this one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PrepInsta — Common Application and MS Office | Practice set | https://prepinsta.com/accenture/technical-assessment/common-application-and-ms-office/ | Free | 25 min | Company-specific; covers themes, layouts, Speaker Notes and delivery modes |
| Microsoft — Keyboard shortcuts in Word | Official docs | https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-in-word-95ef89dd-7142-4b50-afb2-f762f663ceb2 | Free | 15 min | Office-wide shortcuts overlap heavily; use for the shared Ctrl set |
question-banks/QB-T02-A3-powerpoint-views-animations.md |
Question bank | (this library) | Free | 25 min | 30 original questions, shortcut- and terminology-heavy |
All external links verified resolving 2026-09-16.
9. Self-check
- [ ] I can name all the views including the three Master views
- [ ] I know the status-bar view buttons in order and can answer a numbered-icon question
- [ ] I know
F5,Shift+F5,Esc,B,W,Ctrl+PandCtrl+L - [ ] I can state the difference between a transition and an animation in one sentence
- [ ] I can name the four animation categories
- [ ] I can define an animation trigger
- [ ] I know what a slide layout can and cannot contain
- [ ] I know the four things an object can be hyperlinked to
- [ ] I scored 10/12 or better on the practice questions
10. Sources
| Evidence | What it contributed |
|---|---|
| 2020–22 coaching deck, 11 PowerPoint items | Shift+F5 presenter view, W key white screen, default Arrow pointer, Animations not a layout section, action button click and mouse-over, hyperlink for slide navigation, object link targets, slide sorter view button, recording toggles, MS-PowerPoint for formal presentations, save as PDF |
extracted_questions.md item 111 |
MS PowerPoint bullet animation — the recent-cycle item |
| PrepInsta MS Office page | Confirms themes, slide layouts, text effects, Speaker Notes, delivery modes |
data/weightage.json → subtopic A3 |
est_qs 1.03 · ROI 1.030 · Tier 1 · High confidence |