1. What is the current status of CSS?
  
CSS  is the       language for describing the presentation of       Web  pages, including colors, layout, and       fonts. It allows to adapt the  presentation       to different types of devices, such as       large  screens, small screens, or       printers. CSS is independent of HTML  and       can be used with any XML-based markup       language. The  separation of HTML from CSS       makes it easier to maintain sites,  share       style sheets across pages, and tailor pages       to  different environments. The current status of CSS is at level  3.0, also known as CSS3, and there has been 4.0 releases proceeding to  this version which are the version 1.0, version 2.0, and version 2.1.  below are the CSS work current and upcoming specification. 
•  Ruby – CR  • Media Queries - CR• Color – CR • User Interface – CR • TV  Profile – CR • Selectors – LC • Fonts – LC • Pages Media – LC • Print  Profile – LC • Web Fonts - LC
  2. What is the current status of XSL?
XSL  allows the author to apply formatting operations to XML elements. XSL   is a language in which the author can indicate that the 'footer' element  should be displayed as a paragraph, in blue  and in italic using Arial.  XSL is not the only way to display XML data.  However, it provides you  with a simple declarative solution. Also, because XSL  syntax is XML  itself, you don't have to learn a whole new syntax to  begin writing XSL  stylesheets.The current state release of XSL was the version 2.0, whereas X- Query version is 1.0 and X- Path version is also 2.0. 
3. What are the relative merits of CSS and XSL?
The  uses of style sheet languages have opened new possibilities and  opportunities for web designers in terms of freedom in designing and  maintainability of web sites. Currently, there are two kinds of style  sheet languages used by many web designers today. These are cascading  style sheet CSS and extensible style sheet language (XSL). While they  are both called style sheet languages, they have very different purposes  and ways of going about their tasks.
4. What are the implications of the concept of the document tree ?
The document tree – it’s a family thing
All  HTML documents are trees. Each level of the tree is described in the  same manner as a human family tree, with ancestors, descendants,  parents, children and siblings. CSS rules are based on the document  tree. If you understand the document tree concept, then CSS selectors  will be easy to understand and apply. 
Let’s  start with a sample of HTML. This sample doesn’t include the head or  title, as we are focussing on what is inside the body: 
<body>      <div id="content">            <h1>Heading here</h1>            <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.</p>            <p>Lorem ipsum dolor <em>sit</em> amet.</p>            <hr>      </div>      <div id="nav">            <ul>                  <li>item 1</li>                  <li>item 2</li>                  <li>item 3</li>            </ul>      </div></body>The document tree diagram for the sample above would be: 
Ancestor
An  ancestor refers to any element that is connected but further up the  document tree – no matter how many levels higher. In the diagram below,  the <body> element is the ancestor of all other elements on the  page. 
Descendant
A  descendant refers to any element that is connected but lower down the  document tree – no matter how many levels lower. In the diagram below,  all elements that are connected below the <div> element are  descendants of that <div>. 
Parent
A parent is an element that is directly above and connected to an element in the document tree. In the diagram below, the <div> is a parent to the <ul>. 
Child
A child is an element that is directly below and connected to an element in the document tree. In the diagram above, the <ul> is a child to the <div>. 
Sibling
A sibling is an element that shares the same parent with another element. In the diagram below, the <li>’s are siblings as they all share the same parent – the <ul>. 
Links for more detailed information can be found on this website http://www.maxdesign.com.au/articles/workshop/
