Multiple Choice Questions

[tom raffetto]

I am considering Nisus Writer Pro as a candidate to replace the beast. One of my main needs is to make multiple choice tests, e.g., 1. a, b, c, d 2. a, b, c, d etc. I cannot not figure out how to format a list so I can get a line space between questions 1 and 2 and no lines spaces between the multiple choices. Help please before the trial version expires or I am am condemned to live with the beast.

[martin]

Hi Tom,

List styles don't have any line spacing associated with them. You'll want to start with a paragraph style and then apply the list style and spacing as you need.

In your case you might add a new paragraph style called "Answers". In the stylesheet view select this paragraph style and apply the "Lettered List" style and adjust the line spacing to zero (or whatever you like). Now, when you're in the main document, just apply the "Answers" paragraph style and both the list and line spacing should appear as you've configured.

[tom raffetto]

Forgive me, but I can't figure out what you are trying to tell me to do. Is this hard to do? It seems like it should be so simple to make test questions.
1. question
a.
b.
space
2. question
a
b

[martin]

I think my post above was probably a little more complicated than what you're looking for. It is easy to change the spacing between paragraphs. To adjust the space between paragraphs you use the Paragraph palette, which is located in the tool drawer. The Paragraph palette may not be visible- by default it is located in the formatting palette group (the one with the "T" icon).

For example:

1. Place the caret/selection in the second question, eg: "2. question".
2. Use the Paragraph palette to increase the "before" spacing to 6 pts.

Let me know if you have any trouble.

[tom raffetto]

Martin
You probably think I am dense but I don't get it at all. I didn't get it the first time and the second reply just has me in a knot. If you would please start over step by step. I need to have a question and four possible answers - no line spaces, then a line space followed by the next question and on and on to 100.

[martin]

Hi Tom- it's no problem to go over everything step by step. But first let's make sure I understand what it is you're after. When you say "line space" do you simply mean an empty paragraph? Or do you want to adjust the vertical whitespace that occurs between the two paragraphs? Also, assuming it's the latter, have you been able to locate the Paragraph palette?

[tom raffetto]

Martin
How its accomplished in Nisus Writer I don't know. What I would like to do is finish my last answer choice, e.g. d., press the return key twice and start the next question. Between the last choice of the previous question and the following question there should be a blank line or a suitable white space. And since I want everything, the questions should auto number and the answer choice should restart a the letter a.
I'm sure you've taken these tests before and are familiar with what I am trying to accomplish. Whatever way Nisus does this chore I'm open to learn.

[tom raffetto]

Martin
Sorry to not have addressed your direct question. I do know where the paragraph pallet is located as well as how to access the new list function located in the Insert, New Style menu
Tom

[xiamenese]

Martin
How its accomplished in Nisus Writer I don't know. What I would like to do is finish my last answer choice, e.g. d., press the return key twice and start the next question. Between the last choice of the previous question and the following question there should be a blank line or a suitable white space. And since I want everything, the questions should auto number and the answer choice should restart a the letter a.
I'm sure you've taken these tests before and are familiar with what I am trying to accomplish. Whatever way Nisus does this chore I'm open to learn.

If you send me an email to mark.xiamen@gmail.com, I can send you a template already set up to do precisely what you want. I also have an alternative template where the answer choices have a tick-box rather than a letter designation, for completion in place, rather than on a separate answer sheet.

Mark

[greenmorpher]

Hiya Tom

The problem is that you want to press the return key twice. What you need to do is take a few minutes to set up two Paragraph Styles utilizing the "Number List" from the Lists Palette.

The first will be the Style for the parts of questions, the alpha bits. These are the second level of the Number list in the Lists palette.

You might call it "Question Part" or something like that. It will have pretty simple layout, and part of that will be assigning it Level 2 in the number list -- from the Lists Palette (not the lists as listed in the leftr hand column of the Style Sheet view). You will also apply font information and whatnot here too. You will set "Nesxt Stykle" as "Question Part" -- i.e. itself.

Next you will set up another Paragraph Style for the numbers questions, the primary questions. Let's call it "New question". You will give that Level 1 from the Lists Palette and add as much "space before" as you want from the Paragraph palette -- in fact, the equivalent of of a whole line of space before if you wish. You will specify "Question Part" as the next Style (i.e. the Style which will kick in when you hit return at the end of the paragraph) so that when you do a numbered questions, your return automatically moves you to part (a) of that question. You will assign a keyboard shortcut to the "New Question" style too -- e.g. command-q-q.

Now save the empty document with these two Paragraph Styles as your default new file -- Nisus New File.dot (.dot is the suffix you get when you choose to save in Document Template format) to User/Library/Application Support/Nisus Writer/. It will ask you whether you want to overwrite the existing file, and you will reply with a powerfully enunciated "My Colonial Oath!" (that means "yes").

Now your process will be:

Start in "New question" style.
Type the first question, which will be autoamtically n ubmers 1., then do a return.
That takes you to the autoamtically alpha-ed part (a) of that question, you type that and hit return.
That takes you to part (b) of that question, etc.

When you wish to type a "New Question" again, with a number, you hit return at the end of the last part question, then hit command-q-q so the new line is in "New Question" style, which has space before it to separate it from the previous question and will be automatically numbered 2.

And so on.

Cheers, Geoff

Geoffrey Heard, Business Writer & Publisher

"Type & Layout: Are you communicating or just making pretty shapes" -- Revealed! The secrets of how you can use type and layout to turbocharge your messages in print. See the book at http://www.worsleypress.com

Voila -- you never have to type another number or alpha identifier at the beginning of a question part.

You can mess with the indenting of the List items to your heart's content.

[xiamenese]

Now save the empty document with these two Paragraph Styles as your default new file -- Nisus New File.dot (.dot is the suffix you get when you choose to save in Document Template format) to User/Library/Application Support/Nisus Writer/. It will ask you whether you want to overwrite the existing file, and you will reply with a powerfully enunciated "My Colonial Oath!" (that means "yes").

Apart from slightly different names, and the fact that I haven't set keyboard shortcuts, my template does precisely what precisely what Greenmorpher describes ... but you don't have to give the answer style a shortcut, as NW automatically switches to that style when you press return at the end of a question.

Apart from that I would not name your template Nisus New File.dot. Keep that default template for general files; you don't want everything you write to be in multiple choice format ... If you create your own, rather than email me for mine, I'd call it something like M-C.dot.

Mark

[martin]

Mark and Geoff have good advice- setting up a template document with the necessary styles will provide the best solution. However, you can also accomplish the same thing manually in one of two ways:

1. Increase the paragraph spacing that exists between the last answer of question 1 and the start of question 2. Rather than typing the return key twice between questions, press it only once. Then use the Paragraph palette to increase the vertical spacing. You do this using the control/field in the Paragraph palette that is marked "Before", under the "Spacing" area.

2. You could also use an empty paragraph between the last answer of question 1 and the start of question 2. In this scenario you do want to press the enter key twice between questions. At this point you have the superfluous empty answer. Select that extra list bullet and choose "Use None" menu from the list style menu (or toolbar button, or palette).

One caveat about the second approach: you'll need to have your list style continue numbering across empty content. To configure that you need to:

1. Go to the stylesheet (menu View > Stylesheet).
2. From the list on the left hand side, select the name of the list style you are using.
3. On the right hand side make sure the "continue numbering across document content" option is checked.

This last set of steps only needs to be done once per document.

[greenmorpher]

Another way to get the double space is to insert a line break, shift-return, then to do an ordinary return.

But the best way is to set up the two Paragraph Styles as I've described -- that minimizes the number of keystrokes and also leaves it open for the user to add or remove space globally simply by altering the space in the Style.

To set up the Styles would take significantly less time than it did to describe them as I did.

But hey, if people want to do it the hard way ...

Cheers, Geoff

Geoffrey Heard, Business Writer & Publisher

"Type & Layout: Are you communicating or just making pretty shapes" -- Revealed! The secrets of how you can use type and layout to turbocharge your messages in print. See the book at http://www.worsleypress.com

[martin]

Another way to get the double space is to insert a line break, shift-return, then to do an ordinary return.

That's clever, I hadn't thought of that.

But the best way is to set up the two Paragraph Styles as I've described -- that minimizes the number of keystrokes and also leaves it open for the user to add or remove space globally simply by altering the space in the Style.

To set up the Styles would take significantly less time than it did to describe them as I did.

Absolutely, styles are the way to go if you're going to do this often. And it's unfortunate that some things take so much longer to describe in text than simply showing someone in person. Especially with all the technical jargon involved.

[martin]

To save poor Tom all the trouble of deciphering our instructions, here's a template file that should do what is desired.

When you open the template there will already be a question started. If you press return after the question you will automatically switch to the Answer style. Once you're done entering answers, just apply the Question paragraph style to start a new question and start the process anew.