Auto & Shop Information · Practice test 2

25 questions · 11 minutes

Answer every question, then tap Check results to see your score and the method behind each answer.

Question 1Not answered

A table saw is best suited to
1. drilling holes of a precise diameter
2. making repeated straight cuts in wood with the workpiece guided along a fence
3. sanding a rough wooden surface smooth
4. cutting tight curves in thin plywood
Correct answer: making repeated straight cuts in wood with the workpiece guided along a fence

With the blade fixed in the table and a fence to guide the material, a table saw excels at ripping boards to width or making repeated straight cuts accurately.

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Question 2Not answered

A brake pedal that pulses up and down under hard braking usually indicates
1. worn brake pads down to the backing plate
2. a warped brake rotor
3. a leaking wheel bearing seal
4. air in the brake lines
Correct answer: a warped brake rotor

An out-of-round or warped rotor creates a repeating high spot that the caliper pistons feel with each revolution, transmitting a pulsing sensation back through the pedal.

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Question 3Not answered

An adjustable wrench is most useful when
1. a fastener is recessed deep inside a housing
2. maximum torque must be applied without slipping
3. the exact size of open-end or box-end wrench needed is not available
4. threading a new bolt into a tapped hole
Correct answer: the exact size of open-end or box-end wrench needed is not available

Its movable jaw lets it fit a range of fastener sizes, which is handy in a pinch, though it grips less securely than a properly sized fixed wrench and can round off a fastener's corners.

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Question 4Not answered

An angle grinder fitted with a cutting wheel is commonly used to
1. cut through metal stock or rusted bolts
2. apply a torque-specified amount of force to a nut
3. sand a wooden tabletop smooth
4. drill precise holes in sheet metal
Correct answer: cut through metal stock or rusted bolts

A thin abrasive cutting wheel spinning at high speed lets an angle grinder slice through steel, rebar, or a seized fastener quickly, though it throws sparks and demands care.

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Question 5Not answered

A feeler gauge is used to measure
1. the tension in a drive belt
2. the width of a small gap or clearance
3. the pressure inside an engine cylinder
4. the depth of a drilled hole
Correct answer: the width of a small gap or clearance

It is a fan of thin steel blades of known thickness; you find the one that just slides through the gap. Spark plug gaps and valve clearances are set this way.

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Question 6Not answered

An engine's displacement refers to
1. the total volume swept by all the pistons
2. the maximum power the engine can produce
3. the quantity of oil the crankcase holds
4. the distance the vehicle travels per litre
Correct answer: the total volume swept by all the pistons

Displacement is bore area times stroke length times the number of cylinders, quoted in litres or cubic inches. It describes size, not output: a small engine with a turbocharger can beat a larger one for power.

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Question 7Not answered

A fuel injector that is partially clogged on one cylinder typically causes
1. the alternator to stop charging
2. a rough idle and a misfire on that cylinder
3. the brakes to feel spongy
4. the whole engine to overheat
Correct answer: a rough idle and a misfire on that cylinder

A restricted injector starves just its own cylinder of fuel, so that cylinder fires weakly or not at all while the others run normally, producing a rough, uneven idle.

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Question 8Not answered

Pliers with jaws that can be adjusted to several different widths by moving a pivot pin are called
1. needle-nose pliers
2. slip-joint pliers
3. diagonal cutting pliers
4. locking pliers
Correct answer: slip-joint pliers

Slip-joint pliers have a pivot that slides between a couple of positions, widening the jaw opening to grip both small and larger objects with one tool.

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Question 9Not answered

The air filter's main job is to
1. keep dust and debris out of the engine's intake air
2. cool the incoming air
3. measure how much air enters the engine
4. increase the pressure of intake air
Correct answer: keep dust and debris out of the engine's intake air

Abrasive dust would quickly wear cylinder walls and rings, so the filter's pleated paper or foam element traps particles before the air reaches the engine.

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Question 10Not answered

A glued wood joint reaches its full strength when it is
1. left loose so the glue can expand
2. heated immediately after assembly
3. coated with as much glue as possible
4. clamped tightly while the glue cures
Correct answer: clamped tightly while the glue cures

Clamping squeezes out the excess and holds the surfaces in close contact, and a thin glue line is a strong one. Flooding the joint with glue leaves a thick layer that is weaker, not stronger.

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Question 11Not answered

In a manual transmission vehicle, what does the clutch do?
1. lets the driver break and restore the link to the gearbox
2. changes the gear ratio automatically
3. slows the vehicle when the brake is applied
4. transfers power between the two axles
Correct answer: lets the driver break and restore the link to the gearbox

Pressing the pedal separates the clutch disc from the flywheel so the engine keeps running while the gearbox is free to change gear. Releasing it re-engages the drive smoothly.

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Question 12Not answered

A ripsaw is designed for which kind of cut?
1. Cutting across the grain of the wood
2. Cutting curves in thin panels
3. Cutting along the grain of the wood
4. Cutting sheet metal and pipe
Correct answer: Cutting along the grain of the wood

Rip teeth are shaped like tiny chisels that pare the fibres lengthwise. A crosscut saw has knife-like teeth that sever the fibres instead, which is what cutting across the grain needs.

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Question 13Not answered

When cutting an internal thread with a tap by hand, the correct technique is to
1. turn the tap continuously forward without ever reversing
2. heat the hole red hot before threading
3. hammer the tap straight into the hole
4. turn the tap forward partway, then back it off slightly to break the chips before continuing
Correct answer: turn the tap forward partway, then back it off slightly to break the chips before continuing

Backing the tap off periodically breaks up the curl of metal being cut so it does not jam and snap the tap, a technique especially important in harder metals.

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Question 14Not answered

Plywood is made by
1. pressing sawdust and resin into sheets
2. joining solid boards edge to edge
3. soaking timber in preservative under pressure
4. gluing thin layers with the grain alternating
Correct answer: gluing thin layers with the grain alternating

Crossing the grain of each layer makes the sheet strong in both directions and resistant to warping, which solid timber is not. Pressed sawdust and resin describes particle board.

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Question 15Not answered

In an oil grade such as 10W-30, the two numbers describe
1. the minimum and maximum pressure it withstands
2. the range of engine sizes it suits
3. how the oil flows when cold and when hot
4. the months between recommended changes
Correct answer: how the oil flows when cold and when hot

The first number with the W, for winter, is the cold rating and the second is the rating at operating temperature. A multigrade oil stays thin enough to circulate on a cold start yet thick enough to protect when hot.

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Question 16Not answered

Which tool is designed to grip round stock such as pipe?
1. An open-end wrench
2. A pipe wrench
3. A socket wrench
4. A box-end wrench
Correct answer: A pipe wrench

A pipe wrench has hardened serrated jaws that bite harder the more you pull, which is what a smooth round surface needs. The other three are shaped for the flats of a hexagonal nut and would simply slip.

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Question 17Not answered

Bore refers to
1. the ratio of compressed to uncompressed volume
2. the total swept volume of all cylinders
3. the distance a piston travels top to bottom
4. the diameter of the cylinder
Correct answer: the diameter of the cylinder

Bore is the cylinder's inside diameter. Combined with stroke, the distance the piston travels, it determines the swept volume of each cylinder.

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Question 18Not answered

The exhaust manifold
1. collects exhaust from the cylinders into one pipe
2. distributes the air and fuel to the cylinders
3. reduces the noise of the escaping gas
4. converts harmful gases into safer ones
Correct answer: collects exhaust from the cylinders into one pipe

It bolts to the head and merges the individual exhaust ports into a single flow. The intake manifold is its mirror image, splitting one flow into several.

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Question 19Not answered

Most modern gasoline engines meter their fuel using
1. a carburettor
2. a gravity-fed float bowl
3. electronic fuel injection
4. a mechanical governor
Correct answer: electronic fuel injection

Injection sprays a measured amount of fuel under computer control, which is more precise and cleaner than a carburettor. Carburettors were standard until the 1980s and survive mainly on small engines.

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Question 20Not answered

The fence on a table saw is used to
1. tilt the blade for angled cuts
2. guide the workpiece in a straight line parallel to the blade
3. catch sawdust as it is produced
4. raise and lower the blade height
Correct answer: guide the workpiece in a straight line parallel to the blade

Clamped parallel to the blade at a set distance, the fence keeps the workpiece tracking straight, ensuring a consistent width on every cut.

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Question 21Not answered

When using an adjustable wrench, it should be positioned so that
1. the pulling force is taken by the fixed jaw
2. the pulling force is taken by the movable jaw
3. both jaws are loose enough to rock slightly
4. the handle points toward the operator's body
Correct answer: the pulling force is taken by the fixed jaw

The movable jaw is the weaker half and will spread under load, rounding the nut or letting the wrench slip. Turning so the load falls on the solid jaw is the whole trick to using one safely.

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Question 22Not answered

The thermostat in a cooling system
1. pumps the coolant around the engine block
2. warns the driver when the engine is too hot
3. controls coolant flow to hold the engine at operating temperature
4. pressurises the coolant to raise its boiling point
Correct answer: controls coolant flow to hold the engine at operating temperature

The thermostat stays shut when the engine is cold so it warms up quickly, then opens to let coolant reach the radiator. A thermostat stuck shut causes overheating; one stuck open leaves the engine running too cool. Pressurising is the radiator cap's job.

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Question 23Not answered

A cold chisel is designed to cut
1. metal
2. wood
3. glass
4. plastic pipe
Correct answer: metal

The word cold means the metal is cut without being heated first, which is why the tool is hardened and struck with a hammer. A wood chisel is thinner, sharper, and pushed rather than hammered hard.

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Question 24Not answered

The cylindrical chamber in which a piston travels up and down is called the
1. valve seat
2. crankcase web
3. wrist pin bushing
4. cylinder bore
Correct answer: cylinder bore

The bore is the machined circular passage in the block that the piston slides through. Its diameter, paired with stroke length, sets the engine's displacement.

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Question 25Not answered

The pin that connects a piston to its connecting rod is called the
1. dowel pin
2. cotter pin
3. wrist pin
4. kingpin
Correct answer: wrist pin

Also called a gudgeon pin, it passes through the piston and the small end of the connecting rod, letting the rod pivot as the piston moves.

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The ASVAB has no pass mark. Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge make up your AFQT percentile.

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