MS PowerPoint — Patwari Notes
The basics of MS PowerPoint — the window layout, slide views, the difference between Transition and Animation, and essential keyboard shortcuts — explained here at RSCIT level for the Patwari exam.
- RSCIT-level depth
- 7 min read
What is MS PowerPoint?
MS PowerPoint (Microsoft PowerPoint) is a presentation software that is part of the Microsoft Office suite. It is used to present a topic visually by building a series of Slides — for example, showing a training session, a report presentation, or scheme information in a meeting.
A PowerPoint file is called a Presentation, and each of its 'pages' is called a Slide. Text, pictures, tables, charts or video can be placed on each slide.
Layout of the PowerPoint Window
The Ribbon has tabs such as Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show, Review, View. On the left, a narrow strip shows small thumbnails of all the slides (the Slide Thumbnail Pane), which makes it easy to move quickly between slides and reorder them. The large area in the middle is the editing area for the current slide.
The Design tab is used to choose the slide's theme (colors, font style). The Transitions tab decides how the change from one slide to the next looks (such as a fade or wipe). The Animations tab decides the entry/exit animation of elements within a slide (such as text or a picture) — this is the main difference asked about in exams between Transition and Animation: a Transition is the change from slide to slide, while Animation is the motion of things within a slide.
Main Views in PowerPoint
| View | Function |
|---|---|
| Normal View | For regular editing — the default view, showing one slide at a time |
| Slide Sorter View | Shows all slides together as small thumbnails — convenient for reordering them |
| Slide Show View | Runs the presentation full-screen to show it |
| Notes Page View | For viewing the speaker notes attached to each slide |
| Reading View | Viewing the presentation within the window (without going full-screen) |
Slide Sorter View is the most frequently asked about in exam questions related to reordering slides.
Common MS PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + M | Add a new slide |
| Ctrl + D | Duplicate the selected slide |
| F5 | Run the slide show from the beginning |
| Shift + F5 | Run the slide show from the current slide |
| Esc | Stop the slide show |
| Ctrl + N | Open a new presentation |
| Ctrl + S | Save the presentation |
| Ctrl + P |
Remember the difference between F5 and Shift+F5 — F5 always starts from the first slide, Shift+F5 from the current slide.
Slide Layout and File Format
Every slide has Placeholders — ready-made empty boxes where a title, text or picture can be placed. A picture, table, chart, video or audio can be added to a new slide from the Insert tab.
Modern PowerPoint files are saved by default with the .pptx extension (in PowerPoint 2007 and later versions); older versions used .ppt. A presentation can also be saved/exported as a PDF or as images.
Memory Trick / Exam Tip
Trick to remember Transition vs Animation: Transition = the change at the 'doorway' between two slides, Animation = the movement of things 'inside' one slide. And F5 = starts from the 'first slide', Shift+F5 = starts from the 'same slide' (the current one).
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of software is MS PowerPoint?+
MS PowerPoint is a presentation software used to present a topic visually by building a series of slides.
What is the difference between Transition and Animation?+
A Transition is the change effect when moving from one slide to another, while Animation is the movement of elements (text/picture) present within a single slide.
What is the difference between F5 and Shift+F5?+
Pressing F5 always starts the slide show from the first slide, while pressing Shift+F5 starts it from the current slide (the one you are on).
What is the default extension of a PowerPoint file?+
Modern PowerPoint files are saved with the .pptx extension; versions before PowerPoint 2007 used .ppt.