Editing basics – selecting text with the mouse In common word processors and text editors, dragging the mouse pointer across characters so they appear with a shaded background is commonly called what?

Introduction / Context:
Basic editing skills improve productivity in documents, emails, and code editors. One of the first interactions users learn is selecting text by dragging the mouse, which enables formatting, copy, cut, and delete operations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The user interface shows selected text with an inverse color or shaded background.
• We are naming the action performed by dragging across text.
• Terminology should match common software usage.

Concept / Approach:
The action is called highlighting (or selecting). Once text is highlighted, commands like Ctrl+C (copy), Ctrl+X (cut), or formatting actions can be applied to the selection. “Clip art” refers to ready-made graphics, not text selection. “Fetch” and “decode” are unrelated operations.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the UI behavior: shaded/colored region indicates selection.Recall common menu labels: “Select All,” “Highlight,” “Copy,” etc.Choose “To highlight.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Most help guides (Word, Google Docs, VS Code) refer to “selecting (highlighting) text” for drag operations with the mouse.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Clip art: graphic assets, not selection.
• To fetch / To decode: networking or data-processing terms, not editor actions.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing “highlight” with “highlight color” formatting (yellow marker style). In many apps, “highlight” colloquially means “select”; visual emphasis formatting is a separate feature.

Final Answer:
To highlight