MS Word

high importance⚡ 10 shortcuts4 subtopics

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Mail merge, references, review and macros

⏱ 4 min read🧩 5 question types🎯 18 practice Q

The idea in one minute

This subtopic covers four Word tools. Mail merge makes many personal letters from one. The References tab builds a table of contents, footnotes and endnotes. The Review tab checks spelling and records changes. Macros replay recorded steps.

Mail merge

Mail merge makes many personalised copies of one document. Each receiver gets their own name and address. The body text is typed only once. The tool is on the Mailings tab.

Mail merge has three parts.

Main document: the letter, envelope or label with fixed text and empty slots.
Data source: the list of receivers. It can be an Excel sheet, an Access table or Outlook contacts. Each column holds one detail, such as Name or City.
Merged document: the final output, with one finished copy per record.

Follow these steps.

Write the main document.
Connect the data source (Start Mail Merge, Select Recipients).
Insert merge fields where details should appear. A field looks like <<Name>>.
Preview Results.
Finish & Merge. You can print, make a new document or send e-mails.

Example: Admission letters, result letters, certificates, envelopes and address labels are all mail merge jobs.

References tab

Table of Contents (TOC): an automatic chapter list with page numbers. It is built from heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2). Apply the styles first, then insert the TOC. Press F9 to update it.
Footnote: a note at the bottom of the page. Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+F.
Endnote: a note at the end of the document. Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+D.
Citations and bibliography: tools that record sources and build the reference list.

Watch: Text made bold by hand is not a heading style. A TOC cannot find it.

Review tab

Tool	Shortcut	Job
Spelling & Grammar	F7	Checks mistakes
Thesaurus	Shift+F7	Suggests synonyms
Word Count	Ctrl+Shift+G	Counts words and characters
Track Changes	Ctrl+Shift+E	Marks every edit
New Comment	Ctrl+Alt+M	Adds a note on selected text

Track Changes and Comments let two people edit one file safely. Compare shows the differences between two versions.

Tables and formulas

A table is made of rows and columns of cells. Insert it from the Insert tab. Word tables can calculate. The Formula tool on the Layout tab accepts formulas such as =SUM(ABOVE) and =AVERAGE(LEFT).

Macros

A macro is a recorded series of commands. Word replays it with one click or one key. You run macros with Alt+F8.

Macros are useful for repeated jobs.
A macro-enabled document is saved as .docm.
Macro viruses spread through such files. So Word warns you before it enables macros.

Tip: Open a macro file only if you trust its sender.

Other tools worth knowing

Find is Ctrl+F. Replace is Ctrl+H.
Header and footer text repeats on every page. Page Number is on the Insert tab.
Watermark puts faint text behind the page text. It is on the Design tab.

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

Mail-merge components and steps

How to spot it:

One letter must go to many people with a different name each time.

Method

Name the three parts: main document, data source, merged document.
Recall the order: write, connect data, insert fields, preview, merge.
Remember that the tool is on the Mailings tab.

Why it works:

The word merge always points to a main document plus a data list.

Try this

To send the same offer letter to 300 applicants with each name filled in, the Word feature used is:

Show solution

One letter body is needed.
300 different names come from a list.
That combination is mail merge.

Answer

Mail merge (Mailings tab)

Type 2very common4 practice Q

Footnote vs endnote vs TOC

How to spot it:

The question describes where a note appears, or how a chapter list is made.

Method

Footnote sits at the page bottom (Ctrl+Alt+F).
Endnote sits at the document end (Ctrl+Alt+D).
TOC is built from heading styles and refreshed with F9.
All three are on the References tab.

Why it works:

The two note types differ only in where they print.

Try this

In MS Word, a note printed at the bottom of the same page is called a:

Show solution

The note is on the same page.
It is at the bottom.
Notes at the document end are endnotes.

Answer

Footnote

Type 3very common3 practice Q

Review-tab tools and shortcuts

How to spot it:

The question asks for a Review shortcut such as spelling, thesaurus or Track Changes.

Method

F7 is Spelling and Grammar.
Shift+F7 is Thesaurus.
Ctrl+Shift+G is Word Count. Ctrl+Shift+E is Track Changes.
Ctrl+Alt+M adds a comment.

Why it works:

Adding Shift changes the job, so options use near matches.

Try this

In MS Word, the Thesaurus opens with which key?

Show solution

F7 alone is the spelling check.
Thesaurus adds Shift to that key.

Answer

Shift+F7

Type 4common2 practice Q

Macro purpose and macro files

How to spot it:

The question asks what a macro is, or which extension holds one.

Method

A macro is a recorded series of commands.
One click or one key replays it (Alt+F8).
Macro-enabled files carry the letter m: .docm and .dotm.

Why it works:

Macros save time on repeated jobs, and they can also carry viruses.

Try this

A macro in MS Word is best described as:

Show solution

It is recorded once.
It replays many commands at one click.

Answer

A recorded series of commands replayed with one click or key

Type 5occasional

Tables and table formulas

How to spot it:

The question asks how to add rows and columns, or how a table adds numbers.

Method

Insert a table from the Insert tab.
The Formula tool is on the Layout tab.
SUM(ABOVE) adds the cells above. AVERAGE(LEFT) averages the cells on the left.

Why it works:

Word tables support small formulas, and the word inside the brackets gives the direction.

Try this

In a Word table, which formula adds all the numbers above the current cell?

Show solution

Adding means SUM.
Numbers above means the direction is ABOVE.

Answer

=SUM(ABOVE)

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ No style, no TOC

A table of contents is built from heading styles. If headings are only bolded by hand, the TOC comes out empty.

⚡ Footnote is F, Endnote is D

Ctrl+Alt+F is Footnote, at the bottom of the page. Ctrl+Alt+D is enDnote, at the end of the document.

Example

Which shortcut inserts an endnote in MS Word?

Show solution

Footnote is Ctrl+Alt+F.
Endnote is the D key.

Answer

Ctrl+Alt+D

⚡ Merge field marks

Placeholders look like <<Name>>. The data comes from the data source. The layout lives in the main document.

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Building a TOC from lines made bold by hand.

Apply Heading 1, Heading 2 styles first, then insert the TOC.

Mistake 02

Swapping footnote and endnote.

Footnote is at the bottom of the page. Endnote is at the end of the document.

Mistake 03

Using Ctrl+Shift+G for the thesaurus.

Ctrl+Shift+G is Word Count. The thesaurus is Shift+F7.

Mistake 04

Saying mail merge needs no data source.

It always needs a main document and a data source.

Mistake 05

Saving a macro file as .docx.

Macro-enabled documents use .docm.

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

Mail merge parts: main document, data source, merged document. It is on the Mailings tab.
A merge field looks like <<Name>>.
TOC needs heading styles. Update it with F9.
Footnote is Ctrl+Alt+F (page bottom). Endnote is Ctrl+Alt+D (document end).
F7 spelling, Shift+F7 thesaurus, Ctrl+Shift+E Track Changes, Ctrl+Alt+M comment.
A macro is a recorded series of commands. Alt+F8 runs it. Macro files are .docm.

Practice: 18 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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