Theaters and Performance Areas practice questions

Correct: B — The cord is listed for extra-hard usage rather than hard usage

520.68(A)(2) permits junior hard-usage cord itself (not extra-hard usage) when all three listed conditions are met: physical protection over its entire length, overcurrent protection not over 20 A, and a 30 m (100 ft) length cap. Requiring extra-hard usage cord would contradict the whole point of this exception, which is to allow the lighter-duty junior hard-usage cord under protected conditions.

Correct: D — 2 AWG

520.54(C) sets the floor for single-conductor portable supply cable sets at 2 AWG. The 6 AWG value is the minimum for the equipment grounding conductor, not the supply conductors, and 4 AWG and 8 AWG are not the specified minimums.

Correct: D — Article 725

Per 520.5(B)(3), Class 2 and Class 3 remote control and signaling circuits are wired per Part III of Article 725. Article 760 governs fire alarm circuits, Article 800 governs communications systems, and Article 640 governs audio equipment — all separate references within the same section.

Correct: C — No — the two-fer's receptacle and cable must match the plug's rating exactly, and it can't be used on a circuit with a greater rating

520.69(A) requires the receptacle and cable to carry the same current and voltage rating as the supply plug, and bars using the device on a stage circuit with a greater rating. A 15 A two-fer doesn't match a 20 A plug's rating, so it's not permitted — even though the measured load stays under 15 A. There's no exception in this section for keeping the load low, adding supplemental protection, or a blanket 10 A cutoff.

Correct: A — The 60°C ampacity

520.42 specifically states that the ampacity of the 125°C conductors shall be that of 60°C conductors, not the 125°C or any intermediate value, despite the higher insulation rating.

Correct: A — No, extra-hard-usage cords and cables may only be used where flexible conductors are necessary

520.44(C)(1) permits extra-hard-usage cords and cables for border lights, drop boxes, and connector strips only where flexible conductors are necessary — not as a routing convenience. A merely-hard-usage listing doesn't meet the extra-hard-usage requirement, and cords are permitted when flexibility is actually needed, so a blanket ban is also wrong.

Correct: A — The dimmer is listed specifically for higher voltage operation

520.25(C) permits a solid-state dimmer's supply to exceed 150 volts between conductors only when the dimmer is listed specifically for higher voltage operation. The 'never' option ignores this listed exception, and chassis bonding is a separate, unrelated requirement under the same section that is not optional.

Correct: A — A receptacle installed adjacent to the makeup mirror

520.73 requires wall-switch control only for luminaires, lampholders, and receptacles adjacent to the mirror or above the makeup counter. The general-purpose wall receptacle, the floor receptacle, and the closet receptacle are all 'other outlets' in the room, which 520.73 explicitly does not require to be switched.

Correct: C — Only if the plug is connecting into a 20-ampere T-slot receptacle of the same voltage rating

520.67 generally requires connectors to be designed so differently rated devices cannot connect, but it carves out one specific exception: a 20-ampere T-slot receptacle is permitted to accept a 15-ampere attachment plug of the same voltage rating. There's no adapter provision or GFCI-based exception in this section, and it isn't an absolute never — the T-slot exception exists.

Correct: B — 520.68(B)

520.68(B) sets the default ampacity rule of 400.5 for portable conductors and carves out the exception permitting extra-hard usage multiconductor cords to use Table 520.44(C)(2)(1). 520.68(A)(2) covers protected-application conductor types, and 520.68(A)(5) covers alternate conductors for high-temperature use, not ampacity determination.

Correct: D — Border lights and proscenium sidelights

520.64 requires portable strips to be built to the same construction requirements as border lights and proscenium sidelights in 520.44(A). Footlights and connector strips are separate equipment categories with their own provisions elsewhere in Article 520, not the ones 520.64 points to.

Correct: C — The 6 m (20 ft) rule, since the run exceeds 3 m but not 6 m

520.54(E) governs runs up to 6 m (20 ft); a 4 m run exceeds the 3 m (10 ft) threshold in 520.54(D) but qualifies under the 20 ft rule, which requires ampacity of at least one-half the supply OCPD rating, not one-quarter. The rules aren't interchangeable by choice — each has its own length ceiling and minimum ampacity fraction.

Correct: B — Within the road show connection panel

520.50(C) states each supplementary circuit shall be protected by branch-circuit overcurrent protective devices installed within the road show connection panel — protection at the service, the portable switchboard alone, or the outlet doesn't satisfy this in-panel requirement.

Correct: D — Normally closed, so the ventilator releases on loss of circuit continuity

520.49 requires the circuit operating the release device to be normally closed, a fail-safe design so a circuit fault or power loss releases the ventilator rather than preventing release. A normally open arrangement would fail unsafe, and the section does not mention dimmer interlocks or Class 2 signaling line supervision.

Correct: B — 20 amperes, 150 volts to ground

520.68(D)(1) caps each branch circuit in a special-purpose multicircuit cable system at not more than 20 amperes and not more than 150 volts to ground. The 300-volt option confuses this with general wiring methods, the 30-ampere option exceeds the stated cap, and 15 A/120 V is more restrictive than the code actually requires.

Correct: D — Multiple feeders from unrelated systems combined at a single primary stage switchboard without individual disconnects

520.27(A) permits exactly three arrangements: a single feeder (520.27(A)(1)), multiple feeders to an intermediate patch panel provided they're part of a single system (520.27(A)(2)), and separate feeders to a primary switchboard each with its own disconnect (520.27(A)(3)). Combining unrelated systems without individual disconnects fits none of these.

Correct: C — As a current-carrying conductor

520.27(B)(1) requires the neutral of a feeder supplying a solid-state, phase-control 3-phase, 4-wire dimming system to be considered current-carrying, with no load-percentage exception. It also isn't functioning as a grounding conductor here.

Correct: D — The switchboard must contain overcurrent protective devices for all branch circuits it supplies

520.21(3) requires a fixed stage switchboard to contain overcurrent protective devices for all branch circuits supplied by that switchboard — there's no carve-out for circuits fused elsewhere, for nonstage-only coverage, or tied to accessibility.

Correct: B — Four types, and they may be combined

520.26 states a stage switchboard shall be either one or a combination of the types specified in (A) manual, (B) remotely controlled, (C) intermediate, and (D) constant power — four types total, and combining them is explicitly permitted.

Correct: A — 4

Per 520.54(H), the base allowance is 3 interconnections for the first 30 m (100 ft), plus one additional interconnection for each additional 30 m (100 ft) or portion thereof. A 45 m run exceeds the first 30 m increment, adding one more interconnection for a total of 4. The base-only count of 3 ignores the additional length, and 5 or 6 overcounts the additional increments.

Correct: B — As a non-current-carrying conductor

520.54(B) distinguishes dimmer types: with only solid-state sine wave dimmers, the neutral is considered non-current-carrying for ampacity adjustment. Treating it as current-carrying is the rule for phase control dimmers, not sine wave; there's no load-based threshold and the neutral can't simply be dropped from consideration.

Correct: A — The connectors must comply with 406.13, and 400.14, 406.7, and 406.8 do not apply to them

Per 520.53(C), listed single-pole separable connectors must comply with 406.13, while 400.14, 406.7, and 406.8 specifically do not apply to them or to single-conductor cable assemblies using them. Requiring 400.14 in addition, exempting 406.13, or applying 406.7/406.8 instead all misstate which sections apply.

Correct: A — At least twice the ampacity of the largest ungrounded supply terminal

520.53(B) requires the supply neutral terminal, busbar, and wiring to have ampacity at least twice the largest ungrounded supply terminal for standard 3-phase, 4-wire with ground portable switchboards. The 'equal to' rule only applies after a unit has been field-converted to single-phase, 3-wire per the second paragraph of 520.53(B); the other ratios don't appear in this section.

Correct: D — 520.6

520.6 sets the 20 percent fill limit for conductors in an auxiliary gutter or wireway on stage circuits and also references Table 1 of Chapter 9 for raceway fill. 520.27(C) instead addresses supply capacity of stage switchboard feeders, not conductor fill, so it doesn't answer a fill-limit question.

Correct: B — 520.81

520.81 is the section that requires metal raceways, metal-sheathed cables, and the metal frames/enclosures of equipment (including border lights and portable luminaires) to connect to an equipment grounding conductor. 520.68(C) only addresses overcurrent protection for portable conductors, not grounding.

Correct: B — 520.5(A)

520.5(A) lists the approved fixed wiring methods — metal raceways, nonmetallic raceways encased in 2 in. of concrete, or MI/MC/AC cable with a sized equipment grounding conductor. 520.5(B) only covers communications/signaling/low-voltage systems, not the fixed power wiring method.

Correct: D — 520.5(D)

520.5(D) specifically permits NM cable, AC cable, ENT, and rigid nonmetallic conduit in buildings or portions not required to be fire-rated construction. 520.5(A) is the general wiring methods rule tied to fire-rated construction, 520.5(B) covers low-voltage/signal systems, and 520.5(C) covers portable equipment — none address the nonrated-construction exception.