diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/apt.py b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/apt.py
index cabe2777d80fce..ec7edda796fc8a 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/apt.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/apt.py
@@ -141,23 +141,33 @@
     name: foo
     update_cache: yes
 
-- name: Install apache service but avoid starting it immediately
-  apt: name=apache2 state=present
+- name: Install apache httpd but avoid starting it immediately (state=present is optional)
+  apt:
+    name: apache2
+    state: present
   environment:
     RUNLEVEL: 1
 
 - name: Remove "foo" package
-  apt: name=foo state=absent
+  apt:
+    name: foo
+    state: absent
 
 - name: Install the package "foo"
   apt:
     name: foo
-    state: present
+
+- name: Install a list of packages
+  apt:
+    name: "{{ packages }}"
+  vars:
+    packages:
+    - foo
+    - foo-tools
 
 - name: Install the version '1.00' of package "foo"
   apt:
     name: foo=1.00
-    state: present
 
 - name: Update the repository cache and update package "nginx" to latest version using default release squeeze-backport
   apt:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/yum.py b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/yum.py
index 814595061f78a5..9c1f3602a675dd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/yum.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os/yum.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 options:
   name:
     description:
-      - A package name , or package specifier with version, like C(name-1.0).
+      - A package name or package specifier with version, like C(name-1.0).
       - If a previous version is specified, the task also needs to turn C(allow_downgrade) on.
         See the C(allow_downgrade) documentation for caveats with downgrading packages.
       - When using state=latest, this can be '*' which means run C(yum -y update).
@@ -180,6 +180,14 @@
     name: httpd
     state: latest
 
+- name: ensure a list of packages installed
+  yum:
+    name: "{{ packages }}"
+  vars:
+    packages:
+    - httpd
+    - httpd-tools
+
 - name: remove the Apache package
   yum:
     name: httpd