Your issues are caused by a number of factors. First and foremost, you changed the table's wrap format from 'None' to 'Around'. That means it won't respect the document's column structure.



You've coupled that with a Section break after the table which, combined with the change in wrap format, accounts for it moving around when you add more rows.

All you needed to do to create the instructions row was to tell Word to insert a new row above the first row, then merge the cells on that row. You would then have a cell into which you could insert the instructions. Since I don't have Mac Word, I can't tell you which sequence of commands to use for this. However, see attached. I've also inserted another merged row between a dummy Question 3 (merely a replica of Question 2) and a new Question 4.

An alternative approach for the instructions would be to have a Section breaks before the table, and format that section as a single column. That way the instructions could occupy the full page width and would occur visually above any of the questions. To do that, simply split the table, select the first row, then change the selection's layout to one column and adjust the table's column width for that Section. I'll leave it to you to decide which format you prefer.

Attached Files

attachment.docx (296.1 KB, 12 views)

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Hey macropod, thanks for all the help! The format is working perfectly. This week I put together two 80-90 question worksheets, and there's no way I could have done that without your help.

I attached a sample of the format. I kept the column format for the instruction tables. I split the table for the instruction box so I can format it separately. Also splitting the table gave me pretty much the exact spacing that I wanted between the instruction boxes and the questions, so that's one fewer thing to worry about. I've recently discovered that you can format individual cells separately from the rest of the table, and I've successfully changed the margins of just one cell. Can you also outline just one cell/ merged row?

To be honest, though, I have found some inconveniences of splitting off the header. For one, is there a way to put a table back together once you split it?

Also what's your general take on splitting the table for the instructions vs. keeping everything in the same table?

I used your format to construct a "Wrong Answer" form, which is also attached. The format is, again, ideal, but there is one small issue. If you take a look, you'll see that the text is not lining up with the question # (on this form I'm typing in text, rather than dragging in jpgs.) I'm sure it's a simple fix, but can you tell what's happening?

This format is so much better than any format I could have come up with on my own. I can create, add, or delete questions with no problem. It's fairly easy to reorganize questions (although I could use a tip or two on how to move whole sections/ tables around.) And the best thing is that the numbering happens automatically correctly every time. Thanks again! I would recommend this to anyone looking to format a worksheet.

Attached Files

	wrong answer form.docx (166.0 KB, 10 views)
	best effort_sample.docx (408.2 KB, 10 views)

I'm not sure what you mean by outlining here. Certainly, you can apply whatever borders you want to a single cell or row - including only around a row as a whole (i.e. no internal borders).

When you split a table, Word inserts a paragraph break between the two parts. Deleting that paragraph break re-joins the table.
My personal preference would be to have the instructions span the full page width above the two columns containing the questions. IMHO that gives a more pleasing layout. Makes little difference as far as Word is concerned.
Indeed, it's quite simple - your numbers have a paragraph format that includes a 6pt-before spacing, whereas the second column doesn't. Make them both the same and they'll align.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]