22 Measurement & Blueprint Reading Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A print calls for a tolerance of 0.010 in on a shaft diameter. Under the 10-to-1 rule used in manufacturing, what resolution should the measuring instrument have?

   • A.About 0.010 in, equal to the stated tolerance
   • B.About 0.005 in, one half of the tolerance
   • C.About 0.001 in, one tenth of the tolerance✓ Answer
   • D.About 0.100 in, ten times the tolerance

   The rule of ten says the instrument should be roughly ten times more precise than the tolerance being checked, so one tenth of 0.010 in is 0.001 in. Keeping the instrument's own error small compared with the tolerance band is what makes the accept-or-reject decision trustworthy.

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2. 2. On an inch outside micrometer the sleeve shows the 0.200 numbered mark plus three more 0.025 graduations fully exposed, and the thimble reads 8. What is the measurement?

   • A.0.283 in✓ Answer
   • B.0.2083 in
   • C.0.208 in
   • D.0.275 in

   A micrometer reading adds the numbered sleeve value, the exposed 0.025 in increments and the thimble thousandths: 0.200 + 0.075 + 0.008 = 0.283 in. Forgetting the 0.025 in steps between numbered marks is the most common reading error, and a plain micrometer reads to 0.001 in, not 0.0001 in.

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3. 3. On a vernier caliper, how is the fractional part of a main-scale division determined?

   • A.By the vernier line that aligns exactly with a main-scale line✓ Answer
   • B.By counting every vernier line up to the zero of the main scale
   • C.By estimating by eye the position between two main-scale lines
   • D.By multiplying the main-scale reading by the number of vernier lines

   A vernier works because its divisions are slightly shorter than the main-scale divisions, so exactly one vernier line coincides with a main-scale line and that line number gives the fraction. Nothing is estimated by eye, which is why a vernier resolves far finer than a plain rule.

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4. 4. An inch dial caliper advances 0.100 in for one full revolution of the dial. What is its smallest graduation?

   • A.0.005 in
   • B.0.001 in✓ Answer
   • C.0.0001 in
   • D.0.01 in

   The dial face carries 100 graduations spread over one 0.100 in revolution, so each graduation equals 0.001 in. Study decks that claim a dial caliper reads to the nearest 0.01 in are wrong, and only a vernier micrometer resolves 0.0001 in.

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5. 5. On a metric outside micrometer the thimble carries 50 graduations of 0.01 mm each. How far does the spindle advance in one full turn?

   • A.5.00 mm
   • B.0.50 mm✓ Answer
   • C.1.00 mm
   • D.0.05 mm

   Fifty graduations of 0.01 mm multiply out to 0.50 mm, which is the thread pitch of a metric micrometer spindle. The same logic applies in inch units, where 25 thimble divisions of 0.001 in give the 0.025 in sleeve step.

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6. 6. A print dimension reads 31.75 mm. Using 1 in = 25.4 mm exactly, what is the equivalent inch dimension?

   • A.12.50 in
   • B.0.125 in
   • C.1.250 in✓ Answer
   • D.3.175 in

   Millimetres convert to inches by dividing by 25.4, and 31.75 divided by 25.4 equals 1.250. Multiplying instead of dividing, or slipping a decimal place, produces every one of the wrong answers offered.

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7. 7. A dial indicator is mounted on a stand and swept across a machined surface. What does the reading actually tell the inspector?

   • A.The surface roughness left by the machining operation
   • B.The absolute overall size of the part being checked
   • C.Whether the part passes or fails, with no number given
   • D.The amount a surface deviates from a set reference zero✓ Answer

   An indicator is a comparison instrument: it is first mastered to zero against a gauge block or master part, and afterwards it displays only how far the surface departs from that reference. Because it never reads absolute size, the zero setting must be verified before any part is judged.

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8. 8. An inspector uses a telescoping gauge to check a bore. What must be done to obtain a numerical size?

   • A.Convert the gauge's dial reading into inch units
   • B.Read the locked contacts with an outside micrometer✓ Answer
   • C.Read the size directly from the gauge's own scale
   • D.Compare the gauge against a go/no-go ring gauge

   A telescoping gauge is a transfer tool with no scale of its own: the spring-loaded contacts are expanded in the bore, locked, withdrawn and then measured with an outside micrometer. Small-hole gauges work the same way, so the accuracy of the result depends on the micrometer, not the transfer gauge.

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9. 9. A hole is checked with a go/no-go plug gauge. The part is accepted when which condition is met?

   • A.The GO member enters and the NO-GO member does not✓ Answer
   • B.The NO-GO member enters and the GO member does not
   • C.Both the GO and the NO-GO members enter the hole
   • D.Neither the GO nor the NO-GO member enters the hole

   The GO member is made to the maximum material limit and must enter, while the NO-GO member is made to the opposite limit and must be stopped, so passing both checks proves the hole lies between its limits. An attribute gauge like this returns accept or reject only and never reports an actual dimension.

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10. 10. Which tool is intended for checking the width of a narrow gap between two mating surfaces?

    • A.A depth micrometer
    • B.A telescoping gauge
    • C.A radius gauge
    • D.A feeler gauge✓ Answer

    A feeler gauge is a set of blades of known thickness, and the blade that slides through the gap with light drag reports the clearance. A radius gauge checks fillet and round contours, while depth and telescoping tools measure depths and bores instead of gaps.

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11. 11. A micrometer used on production all week is found to be out of calibration. Besides tagging it and removing it from service, what must happen?

    • A.Only the parts measured on the day it failed are re-checked
    • B.The tool is zeroed against a standard and returned to service
    • C.The calibration interval is shortened and production continues
    • D.Parts measured since its last good calibration are re-inspected✓ Answer

    Every reading taken since the instrument last passed calibration is suspect, so that product has to be identified and re-inspected with a known-good tool. Shortening the interval or simply re-zeroing does nothing about parts that may already have shipped with bad measurements.

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12. 12. Calibration of a measuring instrument means comparing that instrument against what?

    • A.A production part that has already passed final inspection
    • B.A higher-accuracy standard traceable to a national standard✓ Answer
    • C.The nominal dimension printed in the drawing title block
    • D.Another shop instrument of the same type and resolution

    Calibration is a comparison against a standard of known, higher accuracy whose value is traceable through an unbroken chain to the national measurement standards held by NIST. A shop tool or a good part carries no traceable value, so neither can establish whether an instrument is telling the truth.

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13. 13. A steel part is measured with a micrometer right after being held in a bare hand for several minutes. How does the handling affect the reading?

    • A.It reads slightly smaller, because the part contracted
    • B.It is unchanged, because the tool warms by as much
    • C.It reads slightly larger, because the part expanded✓ Answer
    • D.It is unchanged, because hand heat cannot affect steel

    Metal expands as it warms, so body heat makes the part measure larger than it will at the standard reference temperature of 20 degrees C (68 degrees F). On close-tolerance work the part and the instrument are allowed to normalise to room temperature and are handled with a cloth or by the insulated frame pads.

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14. 14. Why is an outside micrometer fitted with a ratchet or friction thimble?

    • A.To apply the same measuring force on every reading✓ Answer
    • B.To convert the reading from inch to metric units
    • C.To lock the spindle so the part can be removed
    • D.To advance the spindle faster toward the workpiece

    Measuring force changes the reading, because too much torque springs the frame and compresses the contact, so the ratchet slips at a fixed force and makes results repeatable between operators. A micrometer is never used as a clamp or forced onto a part for the same reason.

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15. 15. During in-process inspection a technician finds a machined part measures outside the print limits. What is the correct first action?

    • A.Re-measure it with a less precise tool to confirm
    • B.Store it with good stock until the end of the shift
    • C.Adjust the machine and keep running the remaining parts
    • D.Tag the part, segregate it, and notify the supervisor✓ Answer

    Nonconforming product is identified and physically separated first so it cannot mix with good stock, and the supervisor is notified so the material can be routed for a disposition decision. Containment comes before any root-cause work or machine adjustment, and a suspect part is never left where it could be shipped.

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16. 16. On a drawing made in third-angle projection, where is the right-side view placed?

    • A.Directly below the front view and in line with it
    • B.Directly above the front view and in line with it
    • C.To the left of the front view, at the same height
    • D.To the right of the front view, at the same height✓ Answer

    Third-angle projection is the United States convention: each view is folded out to the side it is seen from, so the right-side view sits at the right and the top view sits above. First-angle projection reverses those positions, which is why the projection symbol near the title block must be checked before reading a drawing.

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17. 17. A line drawn as a series of short dashes on a multi-view drawing represents what?

    • A.An edge or surface hidden behind the visible material✓ Answer
    • B.The axis of symmetry of a hole or round feature
    • C.The plane along which a section view has been taken
    • D.An alternate position that a moving part can occupy

    The alphabet of lines assigns evenly spaced short dashes to the hidden line, which shows features such as a counterbore that cannot be seen from outside. A centre line alternates long and short dashes, a phantom line uses long dashes with two short ones, and a cutting-plane line is heavy with arrowheads.

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18. 18. A drawing is noted SCALE 1:2 and one feature carries no dimension. What should the technician do?

    • A.Measure the feature on the print with a rule and halve the result
    • B.Use the nearest dimension shown on a neighbouring feature instead
    • C.Request the missing dimension from engineering, never scale a print✓ Answer
    • D.Measure the feature on the print with a rule and double the result

    Prints are never measured, because reproduction, printing and paper changes distort the drawn length, and the scale note only describes the proportion used for drawing. A missing or unclear dimension is a drawing problem that engineering resolves, and the corrected print is what the shop works from.

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19. 19. A dimension on a print appears as 2.75 with no tolerance shown beside it. Which tolerance applies to that dimension?

    • A.The title-block default for two-place decimal dimensions✓ Answer
    • B.Whatever tolerance the machine operator judges reasonable
    • C.The tightest tolerance used anywhere else on the drawing
    • D.No tolerance applies, so the dimension must be held exact

    An untoleranced dimension inherits the general tolerance block in the title block, and the number of decimal places selects which line of that block applies. No dimension can be produced exactly, which is why every drawing carries default tolerances for two-place, three-place and angular dimensions.

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20. 20. A shaft is dimensioned 1.250 in with a tolerance of plus 0.003 in and minus 0.001 in. What are its limits and total tolerance?

    • A.1.253 in and 1.249 in, a total tolerance of 0.004 in✓ Answer
    • B.1.251 in and 1.249 in, a total tolerance of 0.002 in
    • C.1.250 in and 1.249 in, a total tolerance of 0.001 in
    • D.1.253 in and 1.247 in, a total tolerance of 0.006 in

    The upper limit is 1.250 plus 0.003, the lower limit is 1.250 minus 0.001, and the total tolerance is the difference between those limits, 1.253 minus 1.249 equals 0.004 in. Unequal plus and minus values make this a bilateral tolerance; a unilateral tolerance would allow variation in one direction only.

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21. 21. In a mating shaft-and-hole assembly, allowance is defined as which value?

    • A.The total spread between the upper and lower limits
    • B.The difference between the two parts' nominal sizes
    • C.The loosest, or maximum, clearance between the parts
    • D.The tightest, or minimum, clearance between the parts✓ Answer

    Allowance is the intentional minimum clearance, calculated from the largest shaft and the smallest hole, and it defines the tightest condition the fit can reach. Tolerance is a different quantity entirely, being the permitted variation on one part, and a negative allowance produces an interference fit.

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22. 22. Which geometric characteristic appears in a feature control frame with no datum reference at all?

    • A.Total runout, because it controls a rotating surface
    • B.Perpendicularity, because it controls a squareness relation
    • C.Flatness, because it controls the form of one surface✓ Answer
    • D.Position, because it locates a feature on the part

    Form controls such as flatness, straightness, circularity and cylindricity describe a single feature by itself, so there is nothing to relate them to and no datum is listed. Orientation, location and runout controls all compare a feature to a datum, and the frame reads symbol, then tolerance zone, then any material modifier, then the datums.

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Practice questions based on the MSSC Production Standards and the published content of the Certified Production Technician modules, together with federal OSHA general-industry requirements and standard manufacturing practice. MSSC and CPT are marks of the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by MSSC. Questions here never depend on recalling a regulatory limit, a citation number or a machine specification — always follow your own facility's written programs and the manufacturer's documentation for the equipment you run, and confirm current requirements before testing. About the CPT certification →