I agree with Flyer-PE (as usual ... he's awesome). Unless otherwise told for 3-phase problems, the given voltage is the line voltage. However, on the test, unless it can be deduced from what's given in the problem, it's not really fair to make the test-taker assume what the voltage is supposed to indicate. Just because we're familiar with the lingo by being in the industry and knowing how people talk about it doesn't make it fair. Just like when talk about transformers, they say "That's a 480 volt transformer"...but what they're really saying is "That's a 480/277V transformer".
Another way to think about it is by being familiar with common voltages. If they give you 208 V, and you are wondering if it's line or phase, it would help to consider the options:
If it's phase voltage, that means the line voltage is 360. 360/208 is a very weird combo in the real world. On the other hand, if you assume 208 is the line, then 120 is the phase voltage, and 208/120 is very common combination. This is just a helpful way to think about it. The test or question shouldn't make you assume these things, and I on the actual PE, they review the questions for this sort of thing.
Josh
Complex Imaginary
The best Power PE Exam available
http://www.compleximaginary.com
