Lesson 13

Question 1

Cedar trees are not used for poles because they are a soft wood.

Select one:
True
False

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Two common preservatives used for treating wood poles are tar and creosote.

Select one:
True
False

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The minimum circumference at the top of a Class 4 Douglas fir pole is larger than the minimum circumference at the top of a Class 1 Douglas fir pole.

Select one:
True
False

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Preservative treatments increase the service life of cedar poles from ? to more than ? .

Select one:

a. 10 / 25 years
b. 15 / 30 years
c. 25 / 40 years
d. 30 / 50 years

Answer 4

b. 15 / 30 years

Question 5

As poles dry, they lose moisture from the surface, but the poles shrink only when the moisture content drops below ? .

Select one:

a. 30%
b. 40%
c. 50%
d. 60%

Answer 5

a. 30%

Question 6

Because wood shrinks more along than across the growth rings, numerous small, ? checks form on the surface of poles.

Select one:

a. A-shaped
b. L-shaped
c. V-shaped
d. straight line

Answer 6

c. V-shaped

Question 7

Some poles are treated with preservatives and put into service while they still have high internal moisture content. As checks on these poles continue to deepen, they expose untreated wood to attack by wood destroying organisms, so the poles decay internally.

Select one:

True

False

Answer 7

True

Question 8

The structural integrity of wood may be destroyed by ? or plants that feed on wood.

Select one:

a. creeping vines
b. decaying fungi
c. kudzu
d. ragweed

Answer 8

b. decaying fungi

Question 9

The word “ ? ” describes wood in all stages of fungal attack, from the initial penetration of hyphae into the cell wall, to the complete destruction of the wood.

Select one:

a. brash
b. browning
c. decay
d. dry rot

Answer 9

c. decay

Question 10

Wood that is visibly decayed, greatly weakened, and conspicuously brash or soft, is in the advanced stage of decay called ? .

Select one:

a. composition
b. divination
c. rot
d. toll

Answer 10

c. rot

Question 11

Insects, woodpeckers, and marine boring organisms can damage wood structures in some areas, although decay and fungi are by far the most destructive organisms.

Select one:

True

False

Answer 11

True

Question 12

Wood poles, in or above ground, may be attacked by termites, carpenter ants, or ? .

Select one:

a. army ants
b. beetles
c. earthworms
d. woodpeckers

Answer 12

b. beetles

Question 13

Unlike termites that eat wood, ? hollow out wood only for shelter, forming piles of sawdust at the base of the poles that attest to their presence.

Select one:

a. beetles
b. carpenter ants
c. woodpeckers
d. worms

Answer 13

b. carpenter ants

Question 14

Mud tunnels on the surface of a pole indicate the presence of subterranean ? .

Select one:

a. borers
b. decay
c. moisture
d. termites

Answer 14

d. termites

Question 15

A woodpecker will nest in poles, drum on them as part of a mating ritual, use poles as a location to feed on insects, store acorns in small holes as a future food source, and make holes for other ? .

Select one:

a. animals
b. birds
c. mineral sources
d. unknown reasons

Answer 15

d. unknown reasons

Question 16

Untreated wood piles and poles in coastal waters are attacked rapidly by marine ? .

Select one:

a. bacteria
b. barnacles
c. borers
d. termites

Answer 16

c. borers

Question 17

Sound wood has a fibrous structure and splinters when broken across the grain, whereas rotted wood is ? and breaks abruptly across the grain, or crumbles into small particles.

Select one:

a. brash
b. brittle
c. soft
d. spongy

Answer 17

a. brash

Question 18

Lift a small sliver of wood with a pick or pocketknife and notice whether it splinters (sound) or breaks abruptly (rotted).

This describes how to do a ? test.

Select one:

a. below grade
b. breaking
c. field
d. pick

Answer 18

d. pick

Question 19

When sounding a pole to detect decay, a lightweight hammer should be used.

Select one:

True

False

Answer 19

True

Question 20

When sounding a pole, start at ground level and work upward.

Select one:

True

False

Answer 20

False

Question 21

Preservative treatments can save human lives and increase the ? of the poles.

Select one:

a. insect infestation
b. moisture content
c. service life
d. softness

Answer 21

c. service life

Question 22

The minimum circumference at the top of a Class 2 Douglas fir pole is ? .

Select one:

a. 15”
b. 25”
c. 35”
d. 40”

Answer 22

b. 25”