In a drawing that has a horizontal scale of 1" = 50' and a vertical scale of 1" = 5', the vertical exaggeration is:

• A. 10
• B. 5
• C. 2
• D. 50

Answer: (A)

Vertical exaggeration shows how much vertical distances are stretched compared to horizontal distances when the two axes use different scales. Here, the horizontal scale is 1" = 50', and the vertical scale is 1" = 5'. Convert to a consistent comparison: horizontal magnification is 50 feet per inch, vertical magnification is 5 feet per inch. The vertical exaggeration is the ratio of the horizontal scale to the vertical scale: 50' / 5' = 10. Therefore, vertical exaggeration is 10, meaning vertical features appear ten times more pronounced than they would if both axes used the same scale.