Motion Picture Studios practice questions

Correct: B — A plug containing two cartridge fuses or a 2-pole circuit breaker

Per 530.23(C), cables and cords smaller than 8 AWG must be attached to a dc plugging box by a plug containing two cartridge fuses or a 2-pole circuit breaker. A 10 AWG conductor is smaller than 8 AWG, so the rule applies regardless of conductor material. A single fuse and a GFCI don't satisfy this specific requirement.

Correct: B — 30 amperes

530.9(A) requires the plug and receptacle ampere rating to be not less than the feeder or branch-circuit overcurrent device rating, so a 30-ampere device requires plugs/receptacles rated at least 30 amperes. Table 210.21(B)(2) is explicitly excluded from applying here, and load current alone or a lower 15-ampere rating would violate the minimum tied to the overcurrent device.

Correct: D — 406.13

Per 530.10(A), single-pole separable connectors must comply with 406.13. That same subsection specifically says 400.14, 406.7, and 406.8 do not apply to these listed connectors, so those three are excluded rather than required.

Correct: A — Type MC cable with an insulated equipment grounding conductor sized per Table 250.122

530.5(A)(3) permits Type MI, MC, or AC cable containing an insulated equipment grounding conductor sized per Table 250.122. The 1 in. and uncased nonmetallic raceway options fail the 2 in. concrete-encasement requirement of 530.5(A)(2), and Type NM cable isn't one of the methods listed in 530.5(A) at all.

Correct: B — GFCI protection for personnel

The coffee station is not motion picture or television production equipment, and the receptacle is readily accessible to unqualified personnel (background actors), so 530.44(A) requires GFCI protection. Being on a production set doesn't exempt non-production loads, AFCI isn't the protection called for here, and an outdoor location isn't the triggering condition — accessibility to unqualified personnel is.

Correct: C — It may be used temporarily if supervised by qualified personnel while energized and barriered from the general public

530.21(B) permits temporary outdoor use of equipment not identified for outdoor use, provided it is supervised by qualified personnel while energized and barriered from the general public. Requiring outdoor-listed replacement or a GFCI-protected raceway isn't the rule stated, and outright prohibition contradicts the exception 530.21(B) creates.

Correct: C — The cable is installed in rigid metal conduit for the full length of the penetration

530.22(D) requires a noncombustible opening, a temporary listed firestop seal while in use, and an equivalent-fire-rating cap when not in use. It does not require rigid metal conduit through the penetration — that would defeat the point of a portable, temporary cable run.

Correct: C — It is not considered a portable luminaire for purposes of this section, so the listing requirement doesn't apply

530.26(A) explicitly excludes luminaires used as properties on a motion picture set, TV stage set, studio stage or lot, or on location from being considered portable luminaires for that section — so the listing rule doesn't apply to them, regardless of cord type or filming location.

Correct: C — Insulated from the enclosure and from equipment grounding conductors

530.45(D) requires the neutral terminal bar to be insulated from the enclosure and from equipment grounding conductors and other grounded parts — this panelboard is not treated like a service with a main bonding jumper. The other choices describe service-style neutral-to-ground bonding, which is exactly what 530.45(D) prohibits here.

Correct: B — A branch circuit supplying life-critical special effects

530.11 exempts circuits supplying egress lighting, life-critical stunts, and life-critical special effects from GFCI protection because a nonorderly shutdown could introduce a greater hazard. Ordinary stage set lighting circuits, including receptacle-supplied ones, must still follow 210.8(B).

Correct: A — 530.8

530.8 requires the equipment grounding conductor to be sized per 250.122 and connected to the disconnecting means and grounding electrode(s). 530.7 instead covers feeder conductor sizing for the studio set's ampacity, not EGC sizing, so it's a tempting but incorrect neighbor.

Correct: D — 530.12(A)

530.12(A) specifically requires live or likely-to-be-energized parts to be enclosed, guarded, or located to prevent accidental contact. 530.5(A) covers wiring methods generally, not guarding of live parts, and 530.8 addresses equipment grounding conductors, not physical guarding.

Correct: C — Provide physical barriers or other access control measures

530.3(B) requires physical barriers or other access control measures at remote locations. A warning sign alone doesn't meet this, remote locations are not exempt, and Article 520 only applies per the exception in 530.1 when the location isn't staffed by qualified persons.

Correct: B — 530.4

530.4 is the section that specifically requires deployment, energizing, and continuous operation/supervision of portable power equipment by trained, qualified, employer-authorized personnel. 530.3(A) instead addresses restricting public access to studios, not who supervises the energized equipment.

Correct: D — Extra-hard usage type, listed

530.26(B) specifically requires extra-hard usage type cord that is also listed — hard usage type is a lighter-duty classification that doesn't meet this requirement, and ampacity rating alone isn't sufficient without the extra-hard usage designation.