MS Word — Patwari Notes
The basics of MS Word — the window layout, the ribbon's tabs, the Home tab's groups, essential keyboard shortcuts and how to save a file — explained here at RSCIT level for the Patwari exam.
- RSCIT-level depth
- 8 min read
What is MS Word?
MS Word (Microsoft Word) is a word-processing software that is part of the Microsoft Office suite (which, along with Word, also includes Excel, PowerPoint and others). It is used to type up, edit, format and print documents — such as letters, applications, reports or notices.
In government offices, correspondence, orders and reports are often prepared in MS Word itself, so both the RSCIT syllabus and the Patwari exam ask direct questions on its basic knowledge and practical use.
Layout of the Word Window
At the very top is the Title Bar, which shows the file's name. Right above it or nearby is the Quick Access Toolbar, which keeps the most frequently used buttons — such as Save, Undo, Redo — just one click away.
Below that is the Ribbon — a menu area divided into several tabs: Home (font, paragraph, formatting), Insert (table, picture, header-footer, page number), Layout/Page Layout (margins, orientation, columns), References (footnotes, list/index), Mailings (mail merge), Review (spell-check, track changes), and View (viewing the document in different ways). Within each tab, the related buttons are divided into small Groups.
At the very bottom of the screen is the Status Bar, which shows information such as the page number, total word count and zoom level.
Main Groups in the Home Tab
| Group | What You Find in It |
|---|---|
| Clipboard | Copy, Cut, Paste buttons |
| Font | Font name/size, Bold, Italic, Underline, font color |
| Paragraph | Left/center/right/justify alignment, bullet and numbered lists, line spacing |
| Styles | Ready-made heading/title formats (such as Heading 1, Heading 2) |
| Editing | Find, Replace, Select All |
The Home tab is the most frequently used tab — almost all the buttons for everyday formatting are found here.
Common MS Word Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + N | Open a new document |
| Ctrl + O | Open an existing document |
| Ctrl + S | Save the document |
| F12 | Save As (save under a new name/location) |
| Ctrl + P | |
| Ctrl + Z | Undo the previous action |
| Ctrl + Y | Redo an undone action |
| Ctrl + B / I / U | Apply Bold, Italic, Underline respectively |
| Ctrl + L / E / R / J | Align Left, Center, Right and Justify respectively |
| Ctrl + F | Find text |
| Ctrl + H | Find & Replace text |
| Ctrl + A | Select all text (Select All) |
| Ctrl + K | Insert a hyperlink |
| F7 | Spelling & Grammar Check |
Ctrl+S (Save), Ctrl+P (Print) and Ctrl+Z (Undo) — these three shortcuts are asked most often in exams.
Saving Files and File Formats
Save (Ctrl+S) saves the document again under the same name and location where it was already saved. For saving for the first time, or to save under a new name/location, Save As (F12) is used — it lets you choose the file's name, location and format, all three.
Modern Word documents are saved by default with the .docx extension (in Word 2007 and later versions). Older Word versions used the .doc extension. A document can also be saved from Word as a PDF — by choosing PDF as the file type in Save As.
Memory Trick / Exam Tip
Trick to remember the alignment shortcuts: in order L-E-R-J from left to right — Ctrl+L (Left), Ctrl+E (cEnter — there's an 'E' in the middle, so Center), Ctrl+R (Right), Ctrl+J (Justify). And the Save-Print-Undo trio, Ctrl+S, Ctrl+P, Ctrl+Z, is asked about the most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of software is MS Word?+
MS Word is a word-processing software that is part of the Microsoft Office suite and is used to create, edit and print documents.
What is the difference between Save and Save As?+
Save (Ctrl+S) saves the document again at the same name and location, whereas Save As (F12) lets you save it under a new name, a new location or a new file format.
What is the default file extension of a Word document?+
Modern Word documents are saved with the .docx extension; versions before Word 2007 used .doc.
What are the main groups in the Home tab?+
The Home tab has five main groups — Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing — which contain the buttons for everyday formatting.