Which statement describes how clipping masks work?

Which statement describes how clipping masks work?

• A. The clipping mask affects only the stroke attributes of masked objects
• B. The top object clips only the fill, not the strokes
• C. A clipping mask rasterizes all clipped objects
• D. Only the areas inside the top shape are visible; the top shape acts as a mask

Answer: (D)

Clipping masks work by using the top object as a stencil that defines what part of the artwork beneath will be visible. Only the areas inside that top shape are shown; anything outside is hidden, and the top shape acts as the mask boundary. This affects both fills and strokes of the clipped objects, not just the fill. Clipping masks don’t rasterize the artwork—they keep the vectors intact until you export or rasterize separately.

Clipping masks work by using the top object as a stencil that defines what part of the artwork beneath will be visible. Only the areas inside that top shape are shown; anything outside is hidden, and the top shape acts as the mask boundary. This affects both fills and strokes of the clipped objects, not just the fill. Clipping masks don’t rasterize the artwork—they keep the vectors intact until you export or rasterize separately.