When destroying classified information with a shredder, which statement about shred size is correct?

• A. 1/32 inch by 1/2 inch or smaller
• B. 1/16 inch by 1/4 inch or smaller
• C. 1/8 inch by 3/8 inch or smaller
• D. No size limit

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is ensuring shredded material cannot be reconstructed. For classified destruction, the fragments must be tiny enough to make reassembly impractical. A size of 1/32 inch in width by 1/2 inch in length (or smaller) achieves a very fine cut, dramatically increasing the number of pieces and limiting how much can be recovered or read. This strict dimension helps prevent someone from piecing together text or data from the shreds. Other options allow larger pieces, which could potentially be reassembled, or have no size limit at all, which would fail to meet the security requirement. So the correct standard is 1/32 inch by 1/2 inch or smaller.