Question E1E02:
[97.523] Who is tasked by Part 97 with maintaining the pools of questions for all US amateur license examinations?  

Choices:  
A: The VEs  
B: The FCC  
C: The VECs  
D: The ARRL    

Correct Answer is  C: The VECs  

Correct answer: C — The VECs

Why C is correct:
- 47 CFR §97.523 states that the Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) are responsible for maintaining the question pools for all amateur license exam elements and making them publicly available.

Why the others are incorrect:
- A: The VEs (Volunteer Examiners) administer exams and assemble tests from the current pool, but they do not create or maintain the pools.
- B: The FCC sets the rules and accredits VECs but does not maintain the question pools.
- D: The ARRL is just one VEC. Part 97 assigns this task to the VECs collectively, not to the ARRL specifically.

Useful rules of thumb:
- Responsibility mapping: FCC = rules/oversight; VECs = maintain pools/coordinate; VEs = administer tests.
- Minimum pool size (per Part 97 practice):
  $$\text{Question pool size} \ge 10 \times \text{number of questions on a single exam}$$
  Example: Extra exam has 50 questions, so the pool must have at least 500 questions.