MS Office and Shortcut Keys
MS Office and Shortcut Keys
NTPC asks practical office questions: which menu has a feature in MS Word, how a formula or cell reference works in Excel, how to start a slide show in PowerPoint, and what a common shortcut does. A shortcut-matching question appeared in the September 2025 UG CBT-1, and an Excel formula question in the 2017 CBT-2.
1. MS Word
| Feature | Fact |
|---|---|
| File extension | .docx (older .doc) |
| Mail merge | Sends one letter to many addresses (Mailings tab) |
| Page orientation and margins | Layout (Page Layout) tab |
| Header and footer, tables, pictures | Insert tab |
| Spelling and grammar | Review tab; F7 |
| Thesaurus | Shift + F7 |
| Format Painter | Copies formatting from one text to another |
| Default alignment | Left |
| Word wrap | Text moves to the next line automatically |
2. MS Excel and PowerPoint
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Excel file extension | .xlsx |
| Cell address | Column letter + row number, such as B3 |
| Formula | Always begins with = |
| Common functions | SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT, IF, VLOOKUP |
| Absolute reference | ＄A＄1 (the dollar key, Shift + 4) does not change when copied |
| Relative reference | A1 changes when copied |
| Size of a sheet | 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns (last column XFD) |
| PowerPoint extension | .pptx |
| Start slide show | F5 from the first slide; Shift + F5 from the current slide |
| Transition vs animation | Transition: between slides; animation: on objects within a slide |
| Slide Sorter view | Shows all slides as thumbnails to rearrange |
3. Shortcut Keys
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + C, Ctrl + X, Ctrl + V | Copy, cut, paste |
| Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + Y | Undo, redo |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| Ctrl + S, Ctrl + P | Save, print |
| Ctrl + F, Ctrl + H | Find, replace (in MS Word; Ctrl + H opens History in browsers) |
| Ctrl + N, Ctrl + O | New, open |
| Ctrl + B, Ctrl + I, Ctrl + U | Bold, italic, underline |
| F2 | Rename a file (Windows); edit cell (Excel) |
| F5 | Refresh (browser and desktop); slide show (PowerPoint) |
| Alt + F4 | Close the active window |
| Windows + D | Show desktop |
| Windows + L | Lock the computer |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager |
✗ An Excel formula begins with + | ✓ An Excel formula begins with the equals sign =
✗ Ctrl + Y means undo | ✓ Ctrl + Z is undo; Ctrl + Y is redo
हिंदी नोट: एक्सेल में सूत्र हमेशा = से शुरू होता है और ＄A＄1 निरपेक्ष संदर्भ है। पावरपॉइंट में F5 से स्लाइड शो पहली स्लाइड से शुरू होता है। Ctrl + Z पूर्ववत (अंडू) और Ctrl + Y पुनः करें (रीडू) है। वर्ड में मेल मर्ज एक पत्र को कई पतों पर भेजने के लिए है।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: the symbol that starts an Excel formula (January 2017 CBT-2) and matching Ctrl shortcuts with functions (September 2025 UG CBT-1). Word and PowerPoint questions are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Excel formulas and references
[PYQ: NTPC CBT-2 17-Jan-2017 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Cells A1 to A4 contain 10, 20, 30 and 40. What does =AVERAGE(A1:A4) return?
(10 + 20 + 30 + 40)/4 = 25.
Answer: 25
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. The formula =A1+＄B＄1 in C1 is copied to C2. What does it become? With the values above in A1 to A4, what does =MAX(A1:A4)-MIN(A1:A4) give?
A1 is relative and becomes A2; ＄B＄1 is absolute and stays, so the formula becomes =A2+＄B＄1. MAX − MIN = 40 − 10 = 30.
Answer: =A2+＄B＄1; 30
Pattern 2: Keyboard shortcuts
[PYQ: NTPC UG CBT-1 3-Sep-2025 Shift-1]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which shortcut selects all the content in a document?
Ctrl + A.
Answer: Ctrl + A
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Match the shortcut with its action: Ctrl + H, Alt + F4, Windows + L, Ctrl + Y.
Ctrl + H opens Find and Replace, Alt + F4 closes the active window, Windows + L locks the computer and Ctrl + Y redoes the last undone action.
Answer: Replace; close window; lock; redo
Pattern 3: MS Word features
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which Word feature is used to send the same letter to many people with their own names and addresses?
Mail merge.
Answer: Mail merge
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Under which tab do you change page orientation in Word, which key starts the spell check, and what does Format Painter do?
Page orientation is under the Layout tab. F7 starts the spelling and grammar check. Format Painter copies formatting from selected text to other text.
Answer: Layout; F7; copies formatting
Pattern 4: PowerPoint basics
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which key starts a PowerPoint slide show from the first slide?
F5.
Answer: F5
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. How do you start the show from the current slide, and what is the difference between a transition and an animation? Which view helps rearrange slides?
Shift + F5 starts from the current slide. A transition is the effect when moving from one slide to the next; an animation is an effect on an object within a slide. Slide Sorter view helps rearrange slides.
Answer: Shift + F5; between slides vs within a slide; Slide Sorter
60-Second Revision
- Excel: formula starts with =; ＄A＄1 absolute; SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, COUNT.
- Word: mail merge, Layout tab orientation, F7 spelling, Format Painter.
- PowerPoint: F5 from start, Shift + F5 from current slide.
- Ctrl + Z undo, Ctrl + Y redo, Ctrl + H replace, Alt + F4 close, Windows + L lock.