The Logic of Architecture

Arts and Music · 10 questions

The invisible ideas that keep a building standing up.

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1. What is the main advantage an arch gives a stone structure?

   1. It uses noticeably less stone
   2. It redirects the load sideways
   3. It is much faster to build
   4. It simply looks more elegant
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   B) It redirects the load sideways

2. What let Gothic cathedrals have thin walls and huge windows?

   1. Flying buttresses
   2. A central dome
   3. Ornate column capitals
   4. The barrel vault
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   A) Flying buttresses

3. A dome is designed to work under which kind of force?

   1. Tension
   2. Torsion
   3. Shear
   4. Compression
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   D) Compression

4. Why are buildings in earthquake zones designed to flex?

   1. To reduce construction costs
   2. To make the structure lighter
   3. To absorb the shaking energy instead of snapping
   4. To resist strong winds
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   C) To absorb the shaking energy instead of snapping

5. What is credited with making Roman concrete durable in seawater?

   1. Iron reinforcement bars
   2. Pouring it very thick
   3. Adding crushed marble
   4. Volcanic ash in the mix
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   D) Volcanic ash in the mix

6. Which two inventions made skyscrapers possible?

   1. Glass facades and concrete
   2. The steel frame and the lift
   3. The crane and air conditioning
   4. Electricity and the telephone
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   B) The steel frame and the lift

7. What does a 'non-load-bearing wall' mean in a building?

   1. The outermost wall of the structure
   2. A wall clad entirely in glass
   3. A wall that only divides space, carrying no load
   4. A wall built unusually thin
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   C) A wall that only divides space, carrying no load

8. Columns on ancient Greek temples were built with a slight bulge rather than perfectly straight.

   1. True
   2. False
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   A) True

9. Domed structures were completely unknown before Rome.

   1. True
   2. False
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   B) False

10. Foundation depth varies with the type of ground beneath a building.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True