Adobe Illustrator Working with the Pen Tool 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Curvature tool (a Pen-tool relative) lets you create curves by:
- Clicking points and having Illustrator auto-calculate the curve (Correct answer)
- Dragging direction handles manually
- Painting freehand strokes
- Tracing a raster image automatically
Correct answer: Clicking points and having Illustrator auto-calculate the curve
The Curvature tool builds smooth curves automatically from clicked points without managing handles.
Question 2: To make an existing corner point smooth without redrawing, you can use the:
- Anchor Point tool (Convert) (Correct answer)
- Scissors tool
- Knife tool
- Width tool
Correct answer: Anchor Point tool (Convert)
The Anchor Point (Convert) tool drags out direction handles to turn a corner into a smooth point.
Question 3: In the Control panel, the 'Convert selected anchor points to smooth' button requires you to first select points with which tool?
- Direct Selection tool (Correct answer)
- Selection tool
- Lasso tool
- Magic Wand tool
Correct answer: Direct Selection tool
Individual anchor points must be selected with the Direct Selection tool before converting them.
Question 4: What happens to direction handles when you drag a smooth anchor point's handle with no modifier key?
- Both handles move symmetrically (Correct answer)
- Only one handle moves
- The handles are deleted
- The point becomes a corner
Correct answer: Both handles move symmetrically
On a smooth point, the two direction handles move together symmetrically by default.
Question 5: The Join command (Ctrl/Cmd+J) on two selected open endpoints will:
- Connect them with a segment or merge coincident points (Correct answer)
- Delete both points
- Smooth the entire path
- Create a compound path
Correct answer: Connect them with a segment or merge coincident points
Join links two open endpoints, either adding a segment or merging them if they overlap.
Question 6: When tracing a complex shape, fewer anchor points generally produce:
- Smoother, cleaner curves (Correct answer)
- More jagged edges
- Larger file errors
- Automatic gradients
Correct answer: Smoother, cleaner curves
Using fewer, well-placed anchor points yields smoother and more editable paths.
Question 7: Which tool cuts a path at a single anchor point or segment, creating two open endpoints?
- Scissors tool (Correct answer)
- Knife tool
- Eraser tool
- Delete Anchor Point tool
Correct answer: Scissors tool
The Scissors tool splits a path at a clicked point, producing two endpoints.
Adobe Illustrator Working with the Pen Tool 3
The Curvature tool (a Pen-tool relative) lets you create curves by: