These eight original questions use millimetres and mix the skills from the lessons. Work each one out on paper before you open the answer.
Go back to SPM subjects and learning resources for other subjects. To practise under exam-like conditions, use the timed practice session builder.
Questions
Question 1. A front view is an outline 40 wide and 25 high. A top view of the same solid is 40 wide.
The side view is 30 wide and 25 high. What is the depth of the solid?
Answer
The side view shows depth and height, so its width is the depth: 30.
The front and side heights both read 25, so they agree. The width 40 is shared by the front and top views, so the top view should be 40 wide by 30 deep. The depth is 30.
Question 2. A front view shows an outline 60 wide and 45 high with a horizontal line 15 from the bottom. What does the line tell you about the solid?
Answer
A line inside a view marks an edge or a change of surface. A horizontal line at 15 up means the solid changes level or depth at that height, for example a step or the top of a base. You cannot tell which from this view alone, so you need the top and side views to confirm.
Question 3. A part is drawn as orthographic views with dimensions for a workshop. Give one reason this choice suits the workshop and one limitation.
Answer
Reason: the workshop needs true lengths and hole positions, and orthographic views with dimensions show these without distortion. Limitation: the worker must combine several views to picture the shape, which takes more effort than one pictorial view.
Question 4. A student writes: “I used isometric because it is nicer.” Rewrite the reason so it earns credit for a part being shown to a customer.
Answer
“The customer needs to see the overall shape at a glance, and an isometric drawing shows several faces in one view. The trade-off is that some lengths are not at true size, so it is not used for manufacturing.” It now names a reader, a purpose and a trade-off.
Question 5. The views of a block are: front 55 wide and 30 high; top 50 wide and 20 deep; side 20 wide and 30 high. Which rule fails?
Answer
Width is shared by the front and top views. The front says 55 and the top says 50, so rule 1 fails.
Height matches (30 and 30), and depth matches (top depth 20, side width 20). One of the two width values needs correcting.
Question 6. The top view of a solid shows a circle of diameter 12. In the front view, you see two dashed vertical lines 12 apart. Are the views consistent, and why?
Answer
Yes. A vertical hole looks like a circle from above.
From the front the hole is hidden inside the solid, so its edges appear as dashed lines. The spacing of 12 matches the diameter, so the views agree on this feature.
Question 7. An overall width of 90 is dimensioned as a chain of 20, 35 and 30. Does the chain pass the totals check? What should the student do?
Answer
20 + 35 + 30 = 85, which is 5 short of 90. The chain fails.
The student should re-measure from the original brief to find which part is wrong. For example, if the middle part is 40, the chain becomes 20 + 40 + 30 = 90 and passes.
Question 8. A drawing shows the same 25 mm slot width dimensioned in both the front and the top view. Which check does this break, and how do you repair it?
Answer
It breaks the once-only check. Keep the dimension in the view where the slot shape is clearest and delete the other. If both stay and one is later changed, the drawing will contradict itself.
If you got these wrong
Questions 1, 2 and 6 test view reading. Go back to reading spatial information from views.
Questions 3 and 4 test representation choice, covered in explaining a representation choice. Questions 5 and 6 need checking consistency between views, and questions 7 and 8 need reviewing dimensions in your own drawing.
If the harder questions stall you and you want a teacher to go through them with you, see online one-to-one Technical Communication Graphics tuition.