ISA Utility Specialist Exam (Vocab)Pre
Questions with All Correct/Verified
Answers 2026-2027 Edition.
Accident - Answer discredited term for unplanned, undesirable event that could result in
unintentional injury/property damage attributed to fate/bad luck
Accident Pyramid - Answer illustration of Herbert Heinrich principles of accident
prevention-----bottom has thousands of unsafe acts/conditions, led to 300 close calls, 29 minor
injuries & ultimately one major fatality/injury at top
Accrual Accounting - Answer accounting methodology that records revenues & costs when
they occur
ACSR - Answer aluminum conductor steel reinforced
Action Threshold - Answer point at which the level of incompatible plant species, density,
height, location, condition threatens the stated management objectives & requires
implementation of control method
Active Listening - Answer structured face to face communication technique that improves
performance & increases understanding btwn people
-use persons name
-paraphrase their message
Acute Toxicity - Answer adverse effects resulting from exposure to a single dose or exposure to
multiple doses of a substance over short time frame
Aerial Application - Answer VM application of herbicide using aircraft(helicopters/fixed wing)
Aerial LIft - Answer truck, logging skidder or vehicle mounted w hydraulic boom supported
bucket or semi-enclosed working platform used to elevate workers
AHAS Inhibitors - Answer chemical class of commonly IVM herbicides in which the mode of
action inhibits key botanical enzyme
-acetohdroxycacid synthase(AHAS)----biosynthesis of critical amino acids
,Airbrake Switch - Answer manually operated switch----deployed where two circuits meet or
circuit portion from an energized feeder
-not designed to auto interrupt electrical load or be used as line protection from overload, short
circuit or fault
Allelopathy - Answer ability of some plants including certain grasses, to release chems that
suppress other plant species growing around them
ALS Inhibitors - Answer chemical class of commonly used IVM herbicides in which the mode of
action inhibits a key enzyme
-acetolactate synthase
Alternating Current(AC) - Answer electric current that reverses its direction many times per
second at regular intervals typically used in power supplies
Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced Cable(ACSR) - Answer energize cable constructed from
aluminum wire stranded around a steel core
-lightweight, low cost
-tendency to stretch when heated----high electrical load or high temp
-to minimize stretch/add strength----steel core is added
Ampere(amp, A) - Answer measure of current
- 1 A = charge carried by 6.25 x 10^18 electrons moving past a given point in one second
-ANSI A300(Part 7) - Answer American National Standard for Tree Care
Operations----Tree/Shrub/Wood Plant Maintenance
-IVM---utility ROW
ANSI Z133 - Answer ANSI Arboricultural Operations----Safety Reqs
-safety standard of practice for tree care
Approach Distance - Answer minimum distance that must be kept btwn conductors/energized
equipment & qualified line clearance personnel & non-qualified & bodies/tools
-approach distance vary w qualifications of personnel & voltages
Automatic Line Recloser - Answer circuit breaker equipped w mechanism that auto close the
breaker after it has been opened due to a. fault
-designed to reset quickly to give the cause of a fault opp to clear
,-may immediately recharge the circuit several times at adjustable time delay----2/3 operations
within seconds before they open permanently
Auxin - Answer plant growth regulator or substance that promotes/influences the growth &
development of plants
-produced at sites where cells are dividing primarily in the shoot tips
-auxin like compounds may be produced synthetically
Auxin Transport Inhibitors - Answer class of selective herbicides that disrupt auxin transport
-auxin transport obstruction causes unnatural concentration of auxin in meristematic shoots &
roots, disturbing the auxin tolerances req for normal plant growth
Back Feed - Answer electric flow in an unintended direction thru a process whereby de-
energized lines become energized from an external source----home generator
Bargaining Unit - Answer group of workers rep by a union local
Basal Application - Answer herbicide application made at the bottom 12 in of stem & root
collar with an herbicide in an oil carrier
Behavior-Based - Answer theory of industrial accident prevention pioneered by Herbert
Heinrich that considers the overwhelming majority of incidents to be caused by unsafe acts
Biological Methods - Answer management of vegetation by establishment & control of
compatible stable plant communities using plant competition, allelopathy, animals, insects,
pathogens
-cover-type conversion is a type of biological control
Border Zone - Answer section of a transmission/pipeline ROW that extends from wire/pipe
zone to the ROW edge
-managed to promote a low growing plant community of forms, tall shrubs & low growing trees
below a specified height(25 ft)
Branch Bark Ridge - Answer raised strip of bark at the top of a branch union where the growth
& expansion of trunk + parent stem & adjoining branch push the bark into the ridge
Branch Collar - Answer area where a subdominant branch joins another branch or trunk that is
created by overlapping vascular tissue from both the branch & trunk
-typically enlarged at the base of the branch
, Branch Removal Cut - Answer pruning cut the removes the smaller of two branches at a union
or parent stem, w/o cutting into the branch bark ridge or branch collar or leaving stub
Branch Union - Answer point where a branch originates from the trunk or another branch
Brand - Answer name/service/trademark/color or attribute that distinguishes a prod or service
from competitors
Brush Cutter - Answer machine used to remove & grind saplings, small trees, incompatible
vegetation
Budget - Answer means to justify the allocation of resources, set priorities & make decisions
regarding what can/can't be accomplished
Bus Work - Answer rigid conductor----usually rectangular or hollow tube design
Business Continuity - Answer ability of an org to maintain essential function during & after
disaster
Capacitor - Answer electrical device used to correct power factors
-temporarily stores charge of electricity & returns it to restore a line balance
Capacitive Reactance - Answer charge that builds up btwn long parallel conductors
-portion of load slighly impedes current
Capital Budget - Answer monetary outlay for relatively large sums of money invested over
multiple years
Cascading Outage - Answer series of power interruptions on a transmission sys----one
interruption increases vulnerabilities & causes additional interruptions----causing further
interruptions-----results in widespread blackouts
Chain of Command - Answer series of administrative ranks, positions, etc
-each has direct authority over the one immediately below
Chemical Control Method - Answer control of undesirable vegetation thru the use of
herbicides & TGR
Questions with All Correct/Verified
Answers 2026-2027 Edition.
Accident - Answer discredited term for unplanned, undesirable event that could result in
unintentional injury/property damage attributed to fate/bad luck
Accident Pyramid - Answer illustration of Herbert Heinrich principles of accident
prevention-----bottom has thousands of unsafe acts/conditions, led to 300 close calls, 29 minor
injuries & ultimately one major fatality/injury at top
Accrual Accounting - Answer accounting methodology that records revenues & costs when
they occur
ACSR - Answer aluminum conductor steel reinforced
Action Threshold - Answer point at which the level of incompatible plant species, density,
height, location, condition threatens the stated management objectives & requires
implementation of control method
Active Listening - Answer structured face to face communication technique that improves
performance & increases understanding btwn people
-use persons name
-paraphrase their message
Acute Toxicity - Answer adverse effects resulting from exposure to a single dose or exposure to
multiple doses of a substance over short time frame
Aerial Application - Answer VM application of herbicide using aircraft(helicopters/fixed wing)
Aerial LIft - Answer truck, logging skidder or vehicle mounted w hydraulic boom supported
bucket or semi-enclosed working platform used to elevate workers
AHAS Inhibitors - Answer chemical class of commonly IVM herbicides in which the mode of
action inhibits key botanical enzyme
-acetohdroxycacid synthase(AHAS)----biosynthesis of critical amino acids
,Airbrake Switch - Answer manually operated switch----deployed where two circuits meet or
circuit portion from an energized feeder
-not designed to auto interrupt electrical load or be used as line protection from overload, short
circuit or fault
Allelopathy - Answer ability of some plants including certain grasses, to release chems that
suppress other plant species growing around them
ALS Inhibitors - Answer chemical class of commonly used IVM herbicides in which the mode of
action inhibits a key enzyme
-acetolactate synthase
Alternating Current(AC) - Answer electric current that reverses its direction many times per
second at regular intervals typically used in power supplies
Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced Cable(ACSR) - Answer energize cable constructed from
aluminum wire stranded around a steel core
-lightweight, low cost
-tendency to stretch when heated----high electrical load or high temp
-to minimize stretch/add strength----steel core is added
Ampere(amp, A) - Answer measure of current
- 1 A = charge carried by 6.25 x 10^18 electrons moving past a given point in one second
-ANSI A300(Part 7) - Answer American National Standard for Tree Care
Operations----Tree/Shrub/Wood Plant Maintenance
-IVM---utility ROW
ANSI Z133 - Answer ANSI Arboricultural Operations----Safety Reqs
-safety standard of practice for tree care
Approach Distance - Answer minimum distance that must be kept btwn conductors/energized
equipment & qualified line clearance personnel & non-qualified & bodies/tools
-approach distance vary w qualifications of personnel & voltages
Automatic Line Recloser - Answer circuit breaker equipped w mechanism that auto close the
breaker after it has been opened due to a. fault
-designed to reset quickly to give the cause of a fault opp to clear
,-may immediately recharge the circuit several times at adjustable time delay----2/3 operations
within seconds before they open permanently
Auxin - Answer plant growth regulator or substance that promotes/influences the growth &
development of plants
-produced at sites where cells are dividing primarily in the shoot tips
-auxin like compounds may be produced synthetically
Auxin Transport Inhibitors - Answer class of selective herbicides that disrupt auxin transport
-auxin transport obstruction causes unnatural concentration of auxin in meristematic shoots &
roots, disturbing the auxin tolerances req for normal plant growth
Back Feed - Answer electric flow in an unintended direction thru a process whereby de-
energized lines become energized from an external source----home generator
Bargaining Unit - Answer group of workers rep by a union local
Basal Application - Answer herbicide application made at the bottom 12 in of stem & root
collar with an herbicide in an oil carrier
Behavior-Based - Answer theory of industrial accident prevention pioneered by Herbert
Heinrich that considers the overwhelming majority of incidents to be caused by unsafe acts
Biological Methods - Answer management of vegetation by establishment & control of
compatible stable plant communities using plant competition, allelopathy, animals, insects,
pathogens
-cover-type conversion is a type of biological control
Border Zone - Answer section of a transmission/pipeline ROW that extends from wire/pipe
zone to the ROW edge
-managed to promote a low growing plant community of forms, tall shrubs & low growing trees
below a specified height(25 ft)
Branch Bark Ridge - Answer raised strip of bark at the top of a branch union where the growth
& expansion of trunk + parent stem & adjoining branch push the bark into the ridge
Branch Collar - Answer area where a subdominant branch joins another branch or trunk that is
created by overlapping vascular tissue from both the branch & trunk
-typically enlarged at the base of the branch
, Branch Removal Cut - Answer pruning cut the removes the smaller of two branches at a union
or parent stem, w/o cutting into the branch bark ridge or branch collar or leaving stub
Branch Union - Answer point where a branch originates from the trunk or another branch
Brand - Answer name/service/trademark/color or attribute that distinguishes a prod or service
from competitors
Brush Cutter - Answer machine used to remove & grind saplings, small trees, incompatible
vegetation
Budget - Answer means to justify the allocation of resources, set priorities & make decisions
regarding what can/can't be accomplished
Bus Work - Answer rigid conductor----usually rectangular or hollow tube design
Business Continuity - Answer ability of an org to maintain essential function during & after
disaster
Capacitor - Answer electrical device used to correct power factors
-temporarily stores charge of electricity & returns it to restore a line balance
Capacitive Reactance - Answer charge that builds up btwn long parallel conductors
-portion of load slighly impedes current
Capital Budget - Answer monetary outlay for relatively large sums of money invested over
multiple years
Cascading Outage - Answer series of power interruptions on a transmission sys----one
interruption increases vulnerabilities & causes additional interruptions----causing further
interruptions-----results in widespread blackouts
Chain of Command - Answer series of administrative ranks, positions, etc
-each has direct authority over the one immediately below
Chemical Control Method - Answer control of undesirable vegetation thru the use of
herbicides & TGR
