Printed circuit boards (PCBs) in electronic drafting: PCBs are widely adopted in modern electronics and, in most applications, they have replaced earlier hand-wiring methods such as point-to-point wiring on terminal strips or perfboard. Evaluate this statement for general engineering practice.

Introduction / Context:
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the foundational interconnect technology used to mount and wire electronic components. This question checks whether you recognize that PCBs have replaced most legacy hand-wiring approaches in professional design and manufacturing, particularly within the scope of electronic diagrams and technical drafting.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are considering mainstream commercial, industrial, and consumer electronics.
• Hand-wiring refers to point-to-point wiring, wire-wrap, and ad-hoc prototyping methods.
• Engineering priorities include reliability, repeatability, manufacturability, and automated assembly.

Concept / Approach:
The industry moved from hand-wired assemblies to PCBs because copper traces on rigid or flexible substrates provide controlled interconnect geometry, repeatable impedance, automated assembly (e.g., pick-and-place plus reflow), testability, and lower error rates. PCBs also support multilayer routing, ground planes, and thermal management features that are impractical with hand-wiring for complex designs.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Survey typical products (phones, computers, appliances, automotive modules). All employ PCBs or flex-rigid circuits. Hand-wiring appears mainly in hobby, repair, or very low-volume lab fixtures.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Hand-wiring as dominant (option B) contradicts modern manufacturing.
• Limiting truth to >1 kW power (option C) misunderstands scope; low-power devices also rely on PCBs.
• Schematic standards (option D) do not decide interconnect technology.
• PCBs are universal across consumer and military sectors (option E), with appropriate standards.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing breadboard/prototype techniques with production; assuming wire harnesses in electromechanical products replace PCBs (they often complement them).

Final Answer:
Correct: PCBs have largely replaced hand-wiring in most applications