Which instrument is used for measuring the area on a map?

• A. Photolithography
• B. Photostat
• C. Planimeter
• D. Squeeze

Answer: (C)

A planimeter is used to measure areas on a map. It works by tracing the boundary of the region you want to measure with a movable pointer or tracing arm; as you move around the outline, the instrument’s mechanism computes the enclosed area and displays it on a dial or digital readout. This makes it ideal for irregular shapes where simple geometric formulas don’t apply. The other options aren’t for measuring map areas—photolithography is a fabrication process, photostat is a copying camera, and squeeze doesn’t serve this purpose—so the planimeter is the correct choice.