POSTAL EXAM 473 Mail Sorting & Distribution 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of mail is typically NOT processed through automated sorting equipment at USPS facilities?
- Standard-sized letters with barcodes
- Odd-shaped parcels and tubes (Correct answer)
- Letter-size flats with correct postage
- Business reply envelopes
Correct answer: Odd-shaped parcels and tubes
Odd-shaped or irregularly sized pieces such as tubes and bulky items cannot pass through automated letter and flat sorting machines.
Question 2: What does a carrier's 'case' refer to in postal distribution?
- A locked box for storing certified mail
- A physical sorting frame where mail is organized by delivery stop (Correct answer)
- A computer file tracking delivered packages
- A report filed for damaged mail
Correct answer: A physical sorting frame where mail is organized by delivery stop
A case is a physical sorting framework at the post office where carriers manually sort mail into slots representing each delivery stop on their route.
Question 3: Mail that has postage paid but was not picked up from a blue collection box is referred to as:
- Delayed mail
- Collected mail
- Originated mail (Correct answer)
- Withdrawn mail
Correct answer: Originated mail
Mail deposited by customers into collection boxes or at the post office is called 'originated mail,' as it originates from that collection point.
Question 4: When a mail carrier finds that a customer's mailbox is too full to accept new mail, what is the correct procedure?
- Leave the mail on the doorstep
- Return all mail to the post office and leave a notice (Correct answer)
- Force the mail into the box
- Deliver only the smallest pieces
Correct answer: Return all mail to the post office and leave a notice
If a mailbox is full, carriers return the mail to the post office and leave a notice informing the customer to pick up their mail.
Question 5: The ZIP+4 code extends the basic 5-digit ZIP code by adding 4 more digits. What do the extra 4 digits typically identify?
- The state and county of the recipient
- A specific delivery segment such as a block face or building floor (Correct answer)
- The postal worker's employee ID
- The class of mail being sent
Correct answer: A specific delivery segment such as a block face or building floor
The ZIP+4 add-on digits identify a specific delivery segment, such as one side of a city block, a floor of a building, or a postal carrier route.
Question 6: Which of the following mail classes requires the sender to pay based on the distance the piece travels?
- First-Class Mail
- Marketing Mail (Standard)
- Priority Mail Express
- Parcel Select Ground (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Parcel Select Ground
Parcel Select Ground (formerly Standard Post) is a distance-based rate product where postage varies depending on how far the parcel must travel.
Question 7: A 'nixie' in postal terminology refers to:
- A small parcel that fits in a P.O. Box
- A mailpiece that cannot be delivered or returned (Correct answer)
- A certified letter awaiting pickup
- A forwarded piece of mail
Correct answer: A mailpiece that cannot be delivered or returned
A nixie is an undeliverable mailpiece that cannot be returned to the sender either, often because both addresses are missing or invalid.
POSTAL EXAM 473 Mail Sorting & Distribution 2
Which type of mail is typically NOT processed through automated sorting equipment at USPS facilities?