CODES & STANDARDS
The primary purpose of lettering on a technical drawing is to:
A. Make the drawing look artistic
B. Provide dimensions, notes, and specifications clearly
C. Fill up empty space
D. Hide mistakes in the linework
What is provide dimensions, notes, and specifications clearly?
Which drafting tool is used specifically to draw consistent guidelines for lettering?
A. T-Square
B. Ames Lettering Guide
C. French Curve
D. Compass
What is the Ames Lettering Guide?
Stability" in lettering refers to the practice of:
A. Making the bottom of letters slightly heavier or wider, so they don't look top-heavy
B. Pressing very hard on the pencil
C. Using a ruler for every stroke
D. Drawing only on flat surfaces
What is making the bottom of letters slightly heavier or wider, so they don't look top-heavy?
What is the recommended spacing between two words in a technical note?
A. No space
B. Equal to the width of the letter "O"
C. Exactly 1 inch
D. The width of the pencil lead
What is equal to the width of the letter "O"?
Which standard organization defines the rules for technical lettering in the United States?
A. NASA
B. ASME (formerly ANSI)
C. ISO
D. FDA
What is ASME (formerly ANSI)?
In 2026, most engineering firms use "Single-stroke Gothic" lettering because it is:
A. The most decorative
B. The only font available in CAD
C. Required by law for all 3D prints
D. Easy to read and fast to execute
What is easy to read and fast to execute?
A "Note" that applies to the entire drawing rather than a specific part is called a:
A. Local Note
B. Specific Note
C. General Note
D. Legend
What is a General Note?
The "O" and "Q" in Gothic lettering are based on the shape of a:
A. Square
B. Circle
C. Triangle
D. Hexagon
What is a circle?
What happens if lettering is spaced too closely?
A. It becomes more professional
B. It becomes difficult to read, especially when the drawing is reduced in size
C. The pencil lead breaks
D. The CAD file crashes
What is: it becomes difficult to read, especially when the drawing is reduced in size?
The term "Single-stroke" in lettering refers to:
A. Writing a whole word without lifting the pen
B. The width of the line being equal to the width of the pencil stroke
C. Only using one hand to write
D. Drawing only one letter per minute
What is the width of the line being equal to the width of the pencil stroke?
Which type of pencil lead is typically used for lettering to ensure dark, legible lines that do not smudge easily?
A. 6H
B. 4H
C. H or HB
D. 9H
What is H or HB?
When lettering by hand, what is the purpose of a "Lead Pointer" or "Sandpaper Pad"?
A. To erase mistakes
B. To keep a consistent conical point on the lead
C. To clean the drafting board
D. To measure the height of letters
What is: To keep a consistent conical point on the lead?
The stroke sequence (the order in which you draw the lines of a letter) is called:
A. Lettering flow
B. Stroke weight
C. Ductus
D. Character mapping
What is Ductus?
"Composition" in lettering refers to:
A. The chemical makeup of the lead
B. The arrangement and spacing of letters, words, and lines
C. The brand of the paper
D. The gender of the drafter
What is the arrangement and spacing of letters, words, and lines?
Technical lettering should always be executed using:
A. All lowercase letters
B. All uppercase (capital) letters
C. Cursive handwriting
D. A mix of fonts
What is all uppercase (capital) letters?
Legibility is the most important factor in lettering. This means the letters must be:
A. Colorful
B. Decorated with shadows
C. Easy to distinguish from one another
D. Extremely small
What is easy to distinguish from one another?
The crossbar of a fraction should always be:
A. Slanted at 45 degrees
B. Horizontal
C. Vertical
D. Omitted
What is Horizontal?
Which letter has the widest character width in the Gothic alphabet?
A. I
B. E
C. W
D. L
What is W?
The space between two lines of text (the vertical distance) should be:
A. Zero
B. Between half the height and the full height of the letters
C. 2 inches
D. Exactly the width of a thumb
What is: between half the height and the full height of the letters?
Lettering is considered a "Functional" part of the drawing because:
A. It tells the machinist or builder exactly what to do
B. It makes the paper stronger
C. It shows the artist's signature
D. It is required for the patent office only
What is it tells the machinist or builder exactly what to do?
Why is it important to use "Uniformity" in lettering?
A. To make the drawing look like it was done by multiple people
B. To ensure a professional appearance and prevent confusion
C. To save lead
D. To fill the page faster
What is to ensure a professional appearance and prevent confusion?
If you make a mistake while lettering by hand, you should use an "Erasing Shield" to:
A. Cover the whole drawing
B. Protect surrounding lines while erasing only the error
C. Sharpen your pencil
D. Measure the letter height
What is protect surrounding lines while erasing only the error?
Which letter has the narrowest character width?
A. M
B. I
C. O
D. H
What is I?
"Pica" and "Points" are units used in typography; however, Engineers use:
A. Inches or Millimeters
B. Cubits
C. Meters only
D. Liters
What is inches or millimeters?
Why should lowercase letters be avoided on most engineering drawings?
A. They are harder to draw by hand
B. They can be easily misread (e.g., 'b' vs 'd' or 'l' vs 'i')
C. They take up too much room
D. There is no standard for them
What is they can be easily misread?