Which of the following is an ungrounded conductor?

• A. Hot ungrounded conductor
• B. Neutral conductor
• C. Equipment grounding conductor
• D. Grounding electrode conductor

Answer: (A)

We’re looking at the difference between conductors that are part of the grounding system and those that aren’t. An ungrounded conductor is not bonded to earth or to the equipment grounding conductor in normal operation, so it doesn’t carry current back through the grounding path. The hot conductor is the live path that delivers power to the load and, in normal operation, isn’t connected to ground, making it ungrounded. In contrast, the neutral is bonded to the grounding system at the service, and the equipment grounding conductor is a dedicated ground path, with the grounding electrode conductor tying the system to Earth. So the hot conductor is the ungrounded one.