Which instrument is an X-shaped divider used for enlargement and reduction?

• A. Light Table
• B. Pantograph
• C. Map Compilation
• D. Proportional divider

Answer: (D)

An X-shaped divider used for enlargement and reduction is the pantograph. Its distinctive X-shaped linkage lets you trace a drawing at one size and reproduce it at a different size on the drawing surface. The linked bars create a consistent scale factor, so the copied image is automatically enlarged or reduced according to that ratio while preserving the original’s proportions.

A proportional divider, in contrast, is a measuring tool that transfers lengths at a fixed ratio between two parts of a drawing. It doesn’t produce a scaled copy of an entire image, just proportional lengths. Light tables are for tracing, and map compilation is the process of assembling maps, but neither is the instrument that automatically scales drawings like a pantograph does.