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AP Style Vocab

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. take-home pay
A firearm that reloads automatically after each shot. Note there are differences between fully automatic and semi-automatic firearms. Be specific in usage. The form: a .22-caliber automatic
Take-home pay
Lowercase - because it denotes not a single period but any series of cold periods marked by glaciation alternating with periods of relative warmth. Capitalize the proper nouns in the names of individual ice ages - such as the Wisconsin ice age. The m
Sandwich

2. kilometer
This acronym - drawn from the words American travel by track - may be used in all references to the National Railroad Passenger Corp. Do not use AMTRAK. The corporation was established by Congress in 1970 to take over intercity passenger operations f
Headquarters is in Mississauga - Ontario
Add apostrophe s:p's and q's
The metric term for 1000 meters. (Abbrev.: km) A kilometer is equal to approximately 3 -281 feet - or five-eighths (0.62) of a mile. To convert to miles - multiply by 0.62 (5 kilometers x 0.62 equals 3.1 miles).

3. in

4. automatic
Lowercase use figures and $ sign
A firearm that reloads automatically after each shot. Note there are differences between fully automatic and semi-automatic firearms. Be specific in usage. The form: a .22-caliber automatic
A handgun that can be a single shot or a semi-automatic. It is measured in calibers. The form: a .45-caliber revolver
Acronym for improvised explosive device. IED is acceptable on second reference. Roadside bomb is preferable

5. impel - impelled - impelling
Proper tenses for impel
ASCAP is acceptable on second reference. Headquarters is in New York
An aviator or handbill; pass out those fliers
Lowercase with periods avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning

6. tablecloth
Lowercase spell out cents 5 cents or $2.50
A trademark for a brand of hot pepper sauce
AM is acceptable in all references
Tablecloth

7. American Medical Association
Use only the initials in referring to the previously designed Scholastic Aptitude Test or the Scholastic Assessment Test. Example: The students scored above average on the SAT
The collection of writings that constitute the Jewish civil and religious law
AMA is acceptable on second reference. Also: the medical association - the association. Headquarters is in Chicago
Also: keynote speech

8. kidnap - kidnapped - kidnapping - kidnapper
Homicide without malice or premeditation
Means to guarantee
Yep.
Lowercase with periods. Avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning.

9. Ages
Small lead or steel pellets fired by shotguns. A shotgun shell usually contains 1 to 2 ounces of shot. Do not use shot interchangeable with buckshot - which refers only to the largest shot sizes
Capitalize only when referring to the total collections of events
Always use figures. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or substitute as a noun
A firearm that reloads automatically after each shot. Note there are differences between fully automatic and semi-automatic firearms. Be specific in usage. The form: a .22-caliber automatic

10. ketchup
Ketchup
Describes money - do not capitalize - city where a seat of government is located
Use only the initials in referring to the previously designed Scholastic Aptitude Test or the Scholastic Assessment Test. Example: The students scored above average on the SAT
Lowercase when describing the leader of a prayer in a Muslim mosque. Capitalize before a name when used as the formal title for a Muslim leader or ruler

11. fully automatic
Physical distance
A firearm that fires continuously as long as the trigger is depressed. Examples include machine guns and submachine guns
Noun or verb denotes praise or expression of courtsey
Inasmuch as

12. more than
See John F. Kennedy Space Center
Preferred with numerals
@ sign not used when needed spell them out and provide an explanatory editor's note
Most ending in z or es or s add es: Joneses - Gonzalezes - Charleses

13. tablespoon - tablespoonfuls
Never alright; sometimes all-right as a compound modifier
The city in California stands alone in datelines
Equal to three teaspoons or one-half a fluid ounce. The metric equivalent is approximately 15 milliliters
Plural alumni man who attended a school

14. sacrilegious
Sacrilegious
Use only the initials in referring to the previously designed Scholastic Aptitude Test or the Scholastic Assessment Test. Example: The students scored above average on the SAT
?
Acceptable in all references to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

15. shot
No hyphen when it means not: inaccurate - insufferable Other uses without a hyphen: inbound - indoor - infield - infighting - inpatient A few combinations take a hyphen - however: in-depth - in-group - in-house - in-law Follow Webster's New World Col
Always use figures. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or substitute as a noun
A carriage-mounted cannon
Small lead or steel pellets fired by shotguns. A shotgun shell usually contains 1 to 2 ounces of shot. Do not use shot interchangeable with buckshot - which refers only to the largest shot sizes

16. sanitarium - sanitariums
DON'T USE IN PRINT
Sanitarium - sanitariums
Uses periods in most two letter words; CIA - FBI - GOP; Never use organizations full name then an acronym;
When someone is the object of a verb or preposition

17. SARS
A measurement of the diameter of a gun barrel except for most shotguns. Measurement is in either millimeters or decimal fractions of an inch. The word caliber is not used when giving the metric measurement. The forms: a 9 mm pistol - a .22-caliber ri
Take up (v.) takeup (n. and adj.)
Formerly a trademark - now a generic term
Acceptable in all references for severe acute respiratory syndrome - but it should be spelled out somewhere in the story

18. carbine
Bulk or quantity; I had less than $50 in my pocket
Not amuck
A short - lightweight rifle - usually having a barrel length of less than 20 inches. The form: an M-3 carbine
Use figures EXCEPT for zero spell out minus and degrees; temperatures get higher & lower

19. Sacagawea
Sacagawea
This organization is limited to the five boroughs of New York City and neighboring Suffolk County in providing animal adoption services - although it has offices elsewhere that offer legal advice and other services to other animal welfare organizatio
Physical distance
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)

20. Percent
The amount of electrical energy consumed when 1000 watts are used for one hour. The abbreviation kwh is acceptable on second reference.
To stand still
Always spell out and use figures and decimals NOT fractions
Acceptable as first reference for International Business Machines Corp. Headquarters is in Armonk - NY

21. San Antonio
Headquarters is in Seoul - South Korea
The city in Texas stands alone in datelines
Lowercase use figures and $ sign
The metric term for 1000 grams. A kilogram is equal to approximately 2.2 pounds or 35 ounces. To convert to pounds - multiply by 2.2 (9 kilograms x 2.2 equals 19.8 pounds)

22. Single Letter

23. teen - teenager (n.) teenage (adj.)
Do NOT use teenaged
Contain - include all - or embrace
Lowercase (without quotation marks) the bugle call for 'lights out -' also sounded at military funerals
Lowercase spell out numbers less than 10

24. television program titles
Twice a year
Spell out and capitalize first through ninth use figures for others Ave. Blvd. St. only ones allowed to be abbreviated when numbered address is present. Do Not abbreviate compass points if number is omitted
Follow the guidelines in composition titles. Put quotation marks around show only if it is part of the formal name. The word show may be dropped when it would be cumbersome - such as in a set of listings. In text or listing - treat programs named aft
A compact - relatively inexpensive handgun

25. Kelvin scale
A scale of temperature based on - but different from - the Celsius scale. It is used primarily in science to record very high and very low temperatures. The Kelvin scale starts at zero and indicates the total absence of heat (absolute zero). Zero on
Plural alumni man who attended a school
AM is acceptable in all references
Inasmuch as

26. K
The '90s - 1920s
Contain - include all - or embrace
In indicates location: He was in the room. Into indicates motion: She walked into the room
Use K in references to modern transmission speeds - in keeping with standard usage: a 56K modem (no space after numeral). The abbreviation should not be used to mean 1000 or $1000

27. All right
Contraction for Who is NOT POSSESSIVE
Formerly Safeway Stores. Headquarters is in Pleasanton - Calif.
Never alright; sometimes all-right as a compound modifier
The projectile fired by a rifle - pistol or machine gun. Together with metal casing - primer and propellant - it forms a cartridge

28. kilowatt-hour
Means to guarantee
Capitalize them
Individual items;fewer than 10 applicants called. I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket
The amount of electrical energy consumed when 1000 watts are used for one hour. The abbreviation kwh is acceptable on second reference.

29. dollars
Verb to gaze intently or steadily
Lowercase use figures and $ sign
No s
Not anchor or co-anchor

30. amok
The city in Texas stands alone in datelines
Not amuck
Contain - include all - or embrace
Plural alumnae woman

31. stationary
Only used in a direct quote or part of a title
To stand still
Physical distance
The maxim that between introduces two items and among introduces more than two covers most questions about how to use these words: The funds were divided among Ford - Carter and McCarthy. However - between is the correct word when expressing the rela

32. inasmuch as
Inasmuch as
Headquarters is in Seoul - South Korea
A carriage-mounted cannon
Noun or verb denotes praise or expression of courtsey

33. alumnus
To flow in a continuous stream
This organization is limited to the five boroughs of New York City and neighboring Suffolk County in providing animal adoption services - although it has offices elsewhere that offer legal advice and other services to other animal welfare organizatio
These and similar combinations of a letter and figure(s) designate rifles used by the military. The forms: an M-1 rifle - an M-16 rifle
Plural alumni man who attended a school

34. Academic Degrees

35. among - between
The maxim that between introduces two items and among introduces more than two covers most questions about how to use these words: The funds were divided among Ford - Carter and McCarthy. However - between is the correct word when expressing the rela
Santa Claus
Use Saddam in second reference to Iraq's Saddam Hussein
Lowercase with periods avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning

36. Compound Plurals
Most significant word is made plural: daughters-in-law - assistant attorneys general - major generals
APT is acceptable on second reference. Headquarters is in Reston - Va.
Wastebasket
Always spell out and use figures and decimals NOT fractions

37. submachine gun
LEARN SPELLING
Weak-kneed
Freight railroad - with headquarters in Kansas City - Mo. It is the parent of Kansas City Southern Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern de Mexico SA and it holds a 50 percent stake in Panama Canal Railway Co.
A lightweight fully automatic gun firing handgun ammunition

38. kilocycles
Acceptable on first reference for intercontinental ballistic missile(s) - but the term should be defines in the body of a story. Avoid the redundant ICBM missiles
Is pronoun that is always a subject
A unit of measurement for digital data storage. In the metric system - a kilobyte is 1000 bytes; in computer binary terms - it is 1 -024 bytes. Thus - 64KB means 64 times 1 -024 bytes - or 65 -536 bytes (not 64000). Abbrev.: KB. (similarly - MB for m
The new term is kilohertz

39. take off (v.) takeoff (n. and adj.)
The new term is kilohertz
See shot
Take off - takeoff
Abbreviate Kan. in datelines or stories. Postal code: KS

40. teleprompter
It has become a generic term - no longer a trademark - for a type of television cuing device
Once limited to accepting deposits and making home mortgage loans - they are not banks. Since enactment of the Financial Institutions Reform Recovery Act in 1989
No O
Use K in references to modern transmission speeds - in keeping with standard usage: a 56K modem (no space after numeral). The abbreviation should not be used to mean 1000 or $1000

41. amnesty
Exceptions may be made to the normal rules for abbreviations - as necessary to make material fit. But make any abbreviations as clear as possible
Titles when used before a full name; Junior and senior after individual's name
See pardon - parole - probation
@ sign not used when needed spell them out and provide an explanatory editor's note

42. insure
Insurance
A unit of power - mostly associated with electricity. Electrical energy is measured in watt-hours (or kilowatt-hours or mega-watt hours). Do not use 'megawatts Per hours.' Abbrev.: W - kW - MW.
See AT&T Inc.
Capitalize them

43. Amtrak
Tattletale
This acronym - drawn from the words American travel by track - may be used in all references to the National Railroad Passenger Corp. Do not use AMTRAK. The corporation was established by Congress in 1970 to take over intercity passenger operations f
One who leaves a country emigrates from it
Acceptable on first reference for The Russian government's news agency that is officially ITAR-Tass. ITAR is an acronym for Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. Copy from other parts of the former Soviet Union should carry the logo of the local ag

44. kindergarten
Kindergarten
Freight railroad - with headquarters in Kansas City - Mo. It is the parent of Kansas City Southern Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern de Mexico SA and it holds a 50 percent stake in Panama Canal Railway Co.
The city in California stands alone in datelines
Acceptable in all references for severe acute respiratory syndrome - but it should be spelled out somewhere in the story

45. tabular matter
Exceptions may be made to the normal rules for abbreviations - as necessary to make material fit. But make any abbreviations as clear as possible
Take-home pay
A cannon or other weapon designed for defense against air attack. The form: a 105 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Always use figures. Use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or substitute as a noun

46. assault weapon
Not anchor or co-anchor
A semi-automatic firearm similar in appearance to a fully automatic firearm or military weapon. Not synonymous with assault rifle - which can be used in fully automatic mode. Wherever possible - be specific about the type of weapon: semi-automatic ri
The new term is kilohertz
One who comes into a country immigrates

47. Magnum
A firearm designed or made to be fired from the shoulder and having a rifled bored. It uses bullets and cartridges for ammunition. Its size is measured in calibers. The form: a .22-caliber rifle
A trademark for a type of high-powered cartridge with a larger case and a larger powder charge than other cartridges of approximately the same caliber. The form: a .357 Magnum - a .44 Magnum
Do NOT use teenaged
Use days of the week not today or tonight in print avoid saying next Monday or last Monday

48. handgun
Headquarters is in Seoul - South Korea
Handgun
Spell out when standing alone; when with a city - town - village or military base abbreviate unless Alaska - Hawaii - Idaho -Iowa - Maine - Ohio - Texas and Utah.
Take-home pay

49. sandwich
Sandwich
Lowercase with periods. Avoid the redundant 10 a.m. this morning.
A firearm that reloads automatically after each shot. Note there are differences between fully automatic and semi-automatic firearms. Be specific in usage. The form: a .22-caliber automatic
A firearm designed or made to be fired from the shoulder and having a rifled bored. It uses bullets and cartridges for ammunition. Its size is measured in calibers. The form: a .22-caliber rifle

50. times
Use figures except for noon and midnight
Take over (v.) takeover (n. and adj)
Means in a hopeful manner; never use
The city in Utah stands alone in datelines