Bridges quiz

More questions about Bridges

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   Which wedge-shaped stone at the summit of a masonry arch locks the entire bridge together?

   Answer: Keystone

   Why: Until the keystone is lowered into place, an arch cannot support itself and must rest on temporary wooden scaffolding.

2. 2 Medium

   What process around bridge piers is the leading cause of bridge collapse?

   Answer: Scour

   Why: River currents create vortex eddies around pier bases that dig away supporting sediment until the foundation fails.

3. 3 Hard

   What temporary enclosure is pumped dry to build bridge piers in water?

   Answer: Cofferdam

   Why: Unlike permanent caissons, a cofferdam is dismantled and removed once workers finish pouring concrete in the dry space.

4. 4 Easy

   What condition plagued workers building deep bridge foundations?

   Answer: The bends

   Why: Working inside pressurized caissons forced nitrogen into workers' blood, creating painful gas bubbles if they decompressed too fast.

5. 5 Medium

   How are suspension bridge main cables usually built on site?

   Answer: Aerial spinning

   Why: A traveling wheel lays the wire loop by loop, and each Golden Gate main cable ended up holding 27,572 of them.

6. 6 Hard

   What method tensions steel tendons after bridge concrete has hardened?

   Answer: Post-tensioning

   Why: In contrast to pre-tensioning where wires are stretched before pouring, post-tensioning pulls tendons through ducts after curing.