Structural Engineering (SE) Licensure Exam:
Verified Questions and Answers | Instant PDF
Study Guide
1. A reinforced concrete beam is designed as a singly
reinforced rectangular section. Which failure mode is generally
considered the most desirable because it provides significant
warning before failure?
A. Concrete crushing before steel yielding
B. Tension-controlled failure with yielding of the tensile
reinforcement
C. Shear failure of the web
D. Bond failure between steel and concrete
Rationale: A tension-controlled section allows the tensile
reinforcement to yield before the concrete in compression
reaches its limiting strain. This produces substantial deflection
and cracking, providing warning before collapse. A
compression-controlled or brittle failure can occur with little
warning.
,2. For a simply supported beam subjected to a uniformly
distributed load over its entire span, where does the
maximum positive bending moment occur?
A. At either support
B. At one-quarter of the span
C. At midspan
D. At three-quarters of the span
Rationale: For a simply supported beam with a symmetric
uniformly distributed load, the reactions are equal and the
shear force becomes zero at midspan. Since maximum bending
moment occurs where shear is zero, the maximum positive
moment occurs at the center of the span.
3. A steel column is pinned at both ends and has an effective
length factor of 1.0. If its unsupported length is 20 ft, what is
its effective length?
A. 10 ft
B. 20 ft
C. 30 ft
D. 40 ft
Rationale: Effective length is calculated as (KL), where (K) is the
effective length factor. For a pin-ended column, (K=1.0).
Therefore, (KL=(1.0)(20)=20) ft.
,4. Which structural behavior is directly associated with
second-order P-Δ effects?
A. Material shrinkage
B. Thermal expansion
C. Additional moment caused by axial load acting through
lateral displacement
D. Local buckling of a flange
Rationale: P-Δ effects occur when an axial force P acts through a
laterally displaced geometry. The displacement creates an
additional moment approximately equal to (P\Delta), which can
increase lateral deformation and internal forces.
5. A steel beam has adequate flexural strength but insufficient
lateral-torsional stability. Which failure mode should be
investigated?
A. Punching shear
B. Bearing failure
C. Lateral-torsional buckling
D. Concrete crushing
Rationale: A laterally unsupported compression flange can
move laterally while the beam twists, producing lateral-
torsional buckling. This phenomenon can reduce the usable
, flexural strength of steel beams even when the section has
sufficient plastic or elastic moment capacity.
6. What is the primary purpose of stirrups in a reinforced
concrete beam?
A. Increase concrete cover
B. Resist shrinkage only
C. Provide resistance to shear and help confine the
longitudinal reinforcement
D. Eliminate flexural cracking
Rationale: Stirrups are primarily used to resist diagonal tension
and shear forces in reinforced concrete beams. They also help
hold longitudinal bars in position and can contribute to
confinement in certain regions.
7. In structural analysis, a statically determinate structure is
one for which:
A. Deflections are always zero
B. No loads can be applied
C. All reactions and internal forces can be determined using
equilibrium equations alone
D. The structure has no supports
Verified Questions and Answers | Instant PDF
Study Guide
1. A reinforced concrete beam is designed as a singly
reinforced rectangular section. Which failure mode is generally
considered the most desirable because it provides significant
warning before failure?
A. Concrete crushing before steel yielding
B. Tension-controlled failure with yielding of the tensile
reinforcement
C. Shear failure of the web
D. Bond failure between steel and concrete
Rationale: A tension-controlled section allows the tensile
reinforcement to yield before the concrete in compression
reaches its limiting strain. This produces substantial deflection
and cracking, providing warning before collapse. A
compression-controlled or brittle failure can occur with little
warning.
,2. For a simply supported beam subjected to a uniformly
distributed load over its entire span, where does the
maximum positive bending moment occur?
A. At either support
B. At one-quarter of the span
C. At midspan
D. At three-quarters of the span
Rationale: For a simply supported beam with a symmetric
uniformly distributed load, the reactions are equal and the
shear force becomes zero at midspan. Since maximum bending
moment occurs where shear is zero, the maximum positive
moment occurs at the center of the span.
3. A steel column is pinned at both ends and has an effective
length factor of 1.0. If its unsupported length is 20 ft, what is
its effective length?
A. 10 ft
B. 20 ft
C. 30 ft
D. 40 ft
Rationale: Effective length is calculated as (KL), where (K) is the
effective length factor. For a pin-ended column, (K=1.0).
Therefore, (KL=(1.0)(20)=20) ft.
,4. Which structural behavior is directly associated with
second-order P-Δ effects?
A. Material shrinkage
B. Thermal expansion
C. Additional moment caused by axial load acting through
lateral displacement
D. Local buckling of a flange
Rationale: P-Δ effects occur when an axial force P acts through a
laterally displaced geometry. The displacement creates an
additional moment approximately equal to (P\Delta), which can
increase lateral deformation and internal forces.
5. A steel beam has adequate flexural strength but insufficient
lateral-torsional stability. Which failure mode should be
investigated?
A. Punching shear
B. Bearing failure
C. Lateral-torsional buckling
D. Concrete crushing
Rationale: A laterally unsupported compression flange can
move laterally while the beam twists, producing lateral-
torsional buckling. This phenomenon can reduce the usable
, flexural strength of steel beams even when the section has
sufficient plastic or elastic moment capacity.
6. What is the primary purpose of stirrups in a reinforced
concrete beam?
A. Increase concrete cover
B. Resist shrinkage only
C. Provide resistance to shear and help confine the
longitudinal reinforcement
D. Eliminate flexural cracking
Rationale: Stirrups are primarily used to resist diagonal tension
and shear forces in reinforced concrete beams. They also help
hold longitudinal bars in position and can contribute to
confinement in certain regions.
7. In structural analysis, a statically determinate structure is
one for which:
A. Deflections are always zero
B. No loads can be applied
C. All reactions and internal forces can be determined using
equilibrium equations alone
D. The structure has no supports
