Cursive Handwriting — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which cursive letter is formed using an overcurve, a slant, and a loop below the baseline?
A) t
B) j
C) i
D) e
The cursive letter j is formed with an overcurve stroke, a slant downward, and a loop that extends below the baseline.
2. What makes cursive writing legible?
A) Writing as fast as you can
B) Consistent size, slant, and spacing
C) Making every letter the same height
D) Using only lowercase letters throughout
Legible cursive writing has consistent letter size, a uniform slant, and proper spacing between words.
3. Which pair of cursive letters is most often confused because they look similar?
A) b and d
B) n and m
C) e and l
D) a and o
The cursive letters e and l can look very similar because they both use loop-like strokes, making them easy to confuse.
4. How should the spacing between cursive words compare to the spacing between letters in a word?
A) Word spacing should be smaller than letter spacing.
B) Word spacing and letter spacing should be the same.
C) Word spacing should be about the width of a lowercase o.
D) There should be no space between words in cursive.
A good rule is to leave about the width of a lowercase cursive o between words, while letters within a word stay connected.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The four keys to legible cursive are size, shape, slant, and spacing.
The four keys to legible cursive writing are size, shape, slant, and spacing.
2. An overcurve stroke curves upward and over to the right before slanting down.
The overcurve stroke curves upward and to the right before slanting back down, forming the start of letters like n and m.
3. The cursive capital letter Q looks very different from its printed version and has a large loop.
The cursive capital Q looks very different from its printed form and features a large decorative loop.
4. Short letters like a, c, and o should all reach the midline and no higher.
Short cursive letters should reach the midline but not extend above it, keeping a consistent height.
5. When two letters with descenders appear in a row, the writer must be careful not to let the tails overlap.
When descender letters appear consecutively, the writer must space them carefully so the descending tails do not overlap and become hard to read.