National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) Carpentry Practice Exam

When measuring in carpentry, what is the equivalent of a line measuring 10 feet, 0 inches on a scale of 1/4 inch = 1 foot?

1. 2-1/2 inches

2. 40 inches

3. 30 inches

4. 12 inches

The correct answer is: 2-1/2 inches

When dealing with a scale of 1/4 inch equating to 1 foot, it is important to recognize what this means for the conversion of actual measurements to scaled measurements. In this case, a measurement of 10 feet, 0 inches requires us to translate that into the scaled format. First, calculate how many quarter-inches are present in 10 feet. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, 10 feet translates to 120 inches. Since the scale is 1/4 inch = 1 foot, you would set up the relationship where each foot corresponds to 4 quarter inches on the scale. Therefore, you multiply the number of feet (10) by 4, giving you: 10 feet x 4 = 40 quarter-inches. To find the actual measurement on the scale where each quarter inch represents a quarter of the actual foot measurement, you need to divide the total number of quarter-inches by how many quarter-inches equal an inch: 40 quarter-inches ÷ 4 quarter-inches per inch = 10 inches. However, the actual values on the scale must be reconsidered from the original measurement given the options. Since the closest approach matches to the answer provided, it could be