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MS PowerPoint

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medium importance⚡ 7 shortcuts3 subtopics
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Slides, placeholders and file types

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⏱ 4 min read🧩 5 question types🎯 16 practice Q
The idea in one minute

MS PowerPoint is a presentation program. A file is a presentation made of slides. A slide holds text, pictures, tables and charts in boxes called placeholders. The layout decides where the boxes sit, and the theme decides colours and fonts.

01

What PowerPoint is

PowerPoint is a presentation program from the Microsoft Office suite. It makes slide shows for classes, meetings and talks. A file is a presentation. It is made of slides.

02

Parts of the window

PartWhat it does
Slide paneThe large centre area where you edit one slide
Thumbnail paneThe left strip that lists all slides
Notes paneThe area below the slide for speaker notes
RibbonTabs of commands
Status barShows slide number and the view buttons

The Ribbon tabs are File, Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review, View.

03

Slide parts

  • A placeholder is a dotted box that holds a title, text, a picture or a chart.
  • A layout is the arrangement of placeholders on a slide. Title Slide, Title and Content and Blank are layouts.
  • A theme is a set of colours, fonts and effects for the whole deck. It is on the Design tab.
  • A template is a saved file that carries a theme, layouts and sample content. Its extension is .potx.

Rule: Layout is about where things sit. Theme is about how they look. Template is a saved package of both.

04

Slide Master

The Slide Master is the top slide that controls every other slide. Change the font, logo or background on the master and all slides follow. It is on the View tab. Use it to put a logo on every slide in one step.

05

What you can add to a slide

  • Text boxes, shapes, pictures, clip art and icons.
  • Tables, charts and SmartArt diagrams.
  • Audio, video and screen recordings.
  • Hyperlinks and action buttons. They jump to another slide or file.
  • Header, footer, slide number and date.
06

Files

ExtensionType
.pptxDefault presentation from PowerPoint 2007
.pptOld 97-2003 presentation
.ppsxSlide show. It opens straight in show mode
.potxTemplate
.pptmMacro-enabled presentation

Tip: Double-click a .ppsx file and it opens directly as a slide show. A .pptx opens for editing.

07

Working with slides

  • New Slide adds a slide after the selected one. The key is Ctrl+M.
  • Duplicate Slide copies the selected slide. The key is Ctrl+D.
  • Delete removes the selected slide.
  • Sections group slides under named headings in a long deck.
  • Reuse Slides brings slides in from another file.
08

Handouts and printing

A handout prints several slides on one page. The choices are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 slides per page. The 3-slide layout adds lines for notes. A Notes Page prints one slide with its speaker notes below.

Note: Speaker notes are seen by the speaker only. The audience does not see them.

09

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

Layout vs theme vs template

How to spot it:

The question describes a job, such as setting colours, or arranging boxes, or saving a whole design.

Method

  1. Arrangement of boxes is a layout.

  2. Colours and fonts make up a theme.

  3. A saved package of both is a template (.potx).

Why it works:

The three words sound alike, but each has one job.

Try this

The set of colours, fonts and effects applied to a whole presentation is called a:

Show solution

  1. The set covers the whole deck.

  2. It covers looks, not box positions.

  3. That is a theme.

Answer

Theme

Type 2very common3 practice Q

Slide Master

How to spot it:

The question asks how to change all slides at once, or where the logo goes.

Method

  1. Open the View tab and choose Slide Master.

  2. Edit the font, logo or background on it.

  3. All slides based on it follow.

Why it works:

One master controls the whole deck.

Try this

Which slide controls the look of all other slides?

Show solution

  1. One top-level slide sets the look.

  2. It is the Slide Master.

Answer

Slide Master

Type 3common2 practice Q

PowerPoint file extensions

How to spot it:

The question gives a type of file and asks for its extension.

Method

  1. .pptx is the default since 2007.

  2. .ppt is the old format.

  3. .ppsx opens as a show. .potx is a template. .pptm has macros.

Why it works:

The letters carry the meaning: s is show, t is template, m is macro.

Try this

A PowerPoint file that opens directly in slide show mode has the extension:

Show solution

  1. It must open as a show.

  2. The s stands for show.

Answer

.ppsx

Type 4common3 practice Q

Handouts and notes

How to spot it:

The question asks how many slides a handout holds, or what speaker notes are.

Method

  1. Handouts print 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 slides per page.

  2. Notes Page prints one slide with notes below.

  3. Only the speaker sees speaker notes.

Why it works:

These are short fixed facts.

Try this

Which is NOT a valid number of slides per page for a PowerPoint handout: 3, 4, 5 or 6?

Show solution

  1. The valid values are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9.

  2. 5 is not in the list.

Answer

5

Type 5occasional

Inserting objects

How to spot it:

The question asks what can be placed on a slide or where to find it.

Method

  1. Insert tab holds pictures, shapes, tables, charts, SmartArt, audio and video.

  2. Hyperlinks and action buttons also sit there.

  3. Design tab holds themes.

Why it works:

Objects are on the Insert tab and design on the Design tab.

Try this

Which tab holds the SmartArt command in PowerPoint?

Show solution

  1. SmartArt is an object added to a slide.

  2. Objects are added on the Insert tab.

Answer

Insert

10

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Layout, theme, template

Layout arranges boxes. Theme sets colours and fonts. Template packages a theme and layouts in one file, .potx.

⚡ One change for all slides

To change all slides at once, edit the Slide Master on the View tab.

Example

How can a logo be added to every slide in one step?

Show solution

  1. A single slide controls all others.

  2. That slide is the Slide Master.

  3. Place the logo on the master.

Answer

Add the logo on the Slide Master

11

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Calling a whole file a slide.

The file is a presentation. A slide is one page of it.

Mistake 02

Confusing theme with layout.

A theme sets colours and fonts. A layout sets box positions.

Mistake 03

Adding the logo to each slide by hand.

Place it once on the Slide Master.

Mistake 04

Saying .ppsx is a template.

.ppsx is a slide show. A template is .potx.

Mistake 05

Thinking handouts can hold any number of slides per page.

Handouts hold 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 slides per page.

12

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

  • PowerPoint is a presentation program. A file is a presentation and a page is a slide.

  • Tabs: File, Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review, View.

  • Layout places the boxes. Theme sets colours and fonts. Template is .potx.

  • The Slide Master is on the View tab and controls every slide.

  • Extensions: .pptx default, .ppt old, .ppsx show, .potx template, .pptm macro.

  • Handouts print 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 slides per page.

13

Practice: 16 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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