Get in the Swing!

This month’s workout, “Colons,” is taken from CMOS 17, paragraphs 6.61–67. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering the questions.

Subscribers to The Chicago Manual of Style Online may click through to the linked sections of the Manual. (We also offer a 30-day free trial of CMOS Online.)

Note: Dictionaries and style guides sometimes disagree. These questions are designed to test knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style, which prefers Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition. Other style guides may follow a different dictionary.

[Editor’s note: This quiz relies on and links to the 17th edition of CMOS.]

Chicago Style Workout 26: Colons

1. A colon introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon. {The watch came with a choice of three bands: stainless steel, plastic, or leather.} 

a.True

b.False

2. Sometimes, between independent clauses, either a semicolon or a colon will do.

a.True

b.False

3. In typeset matter a colon may be followed by no space, one space, or two spaces, depending on its function.

a.True

b.False

4. When a colon is used within a sentence, the first word following the colon is uppercased. 

a.True

b.False

5. When a colon introduces two or more sentences, the first word following it is capitalized.

a.True

b.False

6. A colon is normally used after as follows, the following, and similar expressions. {Kenzie’s results yield the following hypotheses: First, . . . Second, . . . Third, . . .}

a.True

b.False

7. A colon is normally used after namely, for example, and similar expressions. {There are simple alternatives to the stigmatized plastic shopping bag—namely: reusable cloth bags and foldable carts.}

a.True

b.False

8. A colon may be used to introduce a quotation or a direct but unquoted question, especially where the introduction constitutes a grammatically complete sentence. {The question occurred to her at once: What if I can’t do this?}

a.True

b.False

9. A colon is required before a series or a list introduced by the verb includes or included. {The menagerie included: cats, pigeons, newts, and deer ticks.}

a.True

b.False

10. When a word or phrase introduces a series or list and the verb is elided or otherwise understood, a colon is usually required. {Pros: accuracy and water resistance. Cons: cheap-looking exterior, . . .}

a.True

b.False

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Photo: The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, Cincinnati: Strobridge Litho Co., 1900, courtesy Richard Dale McMullan Collection, Boston Public Library, Print Department.