MS PowerPoint
🔒 Log in to trackViews, slide master, transitions vs animations
🔒 Log in to trackViews (View tab): Normal (default; edit one slide), Outline (text skeleton), Slide Sorter (all slides as thumbnails - best for reordering/copying), Notes Page (slide + notes for print), Reading View (windowed show), Slide Show (full screen). Slide Master (View -> Slide Master) is the parent design from which every slide inherits - change fonts/logo/placeholders once and the whole deck follows.
Transition = the effect between slides (Fade, Push, Wipe, Morph - when slide A changes to B). Animation = effect on objects within a slide (Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, Motion Path). Both are set from the Transitions/Animations tabs; Effect Options and Duration tune them; Apply To All repeats a transition deck-wide.
Delivery: Rehearse Timings records per-slide durations; Record Slide Show narrates; Set Up Slide Show handles looping/kiosk mode; Presenter View shows current slide, next slide, notes and a timer to the presenter only. Hyperlinks and Action buttons jump between slides or to files/URLs. Print options include Full Page Slides, Notes Pages and Handouts.
Detailed notes
The views of PowerPoint
| View | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Normal | default editing view — one slide large, with slides/outline and notes panes |
| Outline View | the text skeleton — titles and body text as a list, no graphics |
| Slide Sorter | all slides as thumbnails — the best place to reorder, copy or delete slides |
| Notes Page | slide on top, speaker notes below — printed for the presenter |
| Reading View | the show in a small window, for a quick check |
| Slide Show | full-screen delivery, one slide at a time |
Normal is where you build; Slide Sorter is where you arrange; Slide Show is where you deliver. Views are switched from the View tab or the buttons at the bottom-right.
Slide Master — change once, apply everywhere
The Slide Master (View tab) is the design source of the presentation. Put a logo, set the fonts, choose the background colours or insert a page-number box on the master, and every slide based on it updates together. Editing the master is the answer whenever a question says "the same logo should appear on all 40 slides" or "change the font of the whole show in one step". Handout Master and Notes Master similarly control printed handouts and notes pages.
Transitions vs animations — the most repeated distinction
- A transition is the movement between two slides — how slide 4 leaves and slide 5 arrives (Fade, Push, Wipe, Morph).
- An animation is an effect on an object inside one slide — a picture flies in, text dims. Animations come in four types: Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Path.
Memory hook: transition = TRansfer between slides; animation = object acting. "Which effect plays when one slide changes to the next?" — the answer is always a transition.
Handouts and notes
- Speaker notes are written in the notes pane (Normal) or Notes Page view; the audience never sees them on screen.
- Handouts are printed sheets carrying several slide thumbnails per page (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 slides; the 3-slides layout adds lines for audience notes). Print them from File, Print by choosing Handouts.
- Rehearse Timings records how long each slide stays, useful for self-running shows.
Quick revision
- Normal = default build view; Slide Sorter = thumbnail reordering; Notes Page = slide plus speaker notes.
- Slide Master changes every slide at once (logo, font, background).
- Transition = between slides; Animation = on objects (Entrance/Emphasis/Exit/Motion Path).
- Handout = printed page with several slide thumbnails; notes are never shown to the audience.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: View purpose matchingvery common4 practice Q
'To rearrange slides, which view is best?' or 'the default view of PowerPoint is' — views as options with Normal, Outline, Slide Sorter, Notes Page, Reading.
- Normal = default building view (one slide big).
- Slide Sorter = all slides as thumbnails — reorder, copy, delete in seconds.
- Outline = text only; Notes Page = slide plus speaker notes on one printed page; Reading View = small-window show.
- 'Rearrange/organise slides' always points to Slide Sorter.
Example: Which PowerPoint view shows all slides as thumbnails and is best for reordering them?
Slide Sorter view — drag thumbnails into the order you want; Normal shows one slide at a time.
Type 2: Slide Master purposecommon2 practice Q
A statement like 'the logo must repeat on every slide' or 'change the font of the whole show at once' — the tool asked is the Slide Master.
- Edits on the Slide Master (View tab) flow to every slide based on it.
- Master controls background, fonts, logos, footer and page-number boxes.
- Do not confuse: Slide Sorter reorders slides; the master redesigns them.
Example: To change the background design of ALL slides together, edit the —
Slide Master — one change there re-styles every slide that follows it.
Type 3: Transition vs animationvery common4 practice Q
'Which effect plays when one slide changes to the next?' or 'flying in a picture is a ___' — the pair transition/animation is the whole question.
- Transition = between slides (how the next slide arrives: Fade, Push, Wipe).
- Animation = on objects within a slide: Entrance, Emphasis, Exit, Motion Path.
- Match the wording: 'slide changes' = transition; 'picture/text does something' = animation.
Example: The visual effect that occurs when one slide changes to the next is called a —
Transition — effects on objects inside a slide (a picture flying in) are animations, not transitions.
Type 4: Handouts, notes and printingcommon2 practice Q
Questions on what a handout is, how many slides print per page, where speaker notes are written, or which view prepares notes pages.
- Handout = printed sheet with several slide thumbnails per page (up to 9; the 3-per-page layout gives note lines).
- Speaker notes are typed in the notes pane / Notes Page view and are never shown on the projected screen.
- Printing choices live in File, Print (Slides / Handouts / Notes Pages / Outline).
Example: A printed sheet showing several slide thumbnails with space for audience notes is called a —
Handout — the 3-slides-per-page layout leaves ruled lines beside each slide for writing.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ Transition = TRansfer
Transition transfers you between slides; animation acts on atoms (objects) inside one slide. If the question says 'between slides', the answer is transition.
Example: The Fade effect applied as one slide changes to the next is a?
Transition.
⚡ Sorter = order desk
Slide Sorter shows every slide as a thumbnail - the view for rearranging, duplicating and deleting slides quickly. Normal edits content, Sorter edits order.
Example: Best view to rearrange slides?
Slide Sorter.
Where students lose marks
Calling object effects transitions - entrances/emphasis/exits are animations.
Editing the Slide Master expecting one slide to change - the master drives all slides using its layout.
Saying Presenter View shows the audience the notes - the audience sees only the slide; notes stay on the presenter's screen.
Practice sets — 17 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.