The purpose of bonding a steel basket to a grounded phase conductor is to:

• A. Increase voltage
• B. Equalize voltage create equal potential
• C. Short circuit
• D. Reduce resistance

Answer: (B)

Keeping exposed metal parts at the same electrical potential as the system grounding is the main idea. Bonding the steel basket to a grounded conductor creates an equipotential surface so that, if a fault causes the basket to be energized, the fault current has a low-impedance path back to the source. This keeps the basket near ground potential, reducing the shock risk to anyone who might touch it and allowing the protective device to trip quickly to clear the fault.

This isn’t about increasing voltage, nor is it about intentionally creating a short circuit. It also isn’t primarily about changing the resistance of a circuit during normal operation. The purpose is safety through a reliable fault path and maintaining equal potential between the basket and the grounding system.