Autodesk Certified Professional in AutoCAD for Design and Drafting Practice Exam

What action should be taken to prevent a palette from docking when moving it to the left side of the screen?

1. Press and hold the Shift key and click the left mouse button

2. Press and hold the Control key and release the left mouse button

3. Press and hold the Alt key and drag the palette

4. Double-click the palette to undock it

The correct answer is: Press and hold the Control key and release the left mouse button

To prevent a palette from docking when moving it to the left side of the screen, holding down the Control key while dragging is the correct approach. This action disengages the docking feature, allowing you to place the palette freely without it snapping to the edges of the workspace. When you drag a palette in AutoCAD, it automatically tries to dock to any edge of the application window as a way of facilitating a more organized workspace. By holding the Control key while dragging, you override this behavior, thus preventing the palette from docking. In contrast, other methods, such as pressing the Shift key or Alt key while dragging, do not influence the docking functionality in the same way. Additionally, double-clicking the palette generally leads to undocking it, but it would not directly manage the docking behavior while actively dragging the palette. Therefore, utilizing the Control key is the specific action needed to ensure smooth movement of the palette without the risk of it docking unintentionally.