A load-bearing wall is a structural element of a building that supports the weight of the elements above it. They are made from resistant materials like stone, steel, concrete, or brick.  Load-bearing walls: Carry their own weight Support the weight of a roof or floor structure above it Transfer both vertical and horizontal loads to the foundation Need to be a little stronger than a non-load-bearing wall Need extra support under it, usually an additional foundation trench Should remain in position and should never be dismantled  You can check if a wall is load-bearing by looking... Show more

A load-bearing wall is a structural element of a building that supports the weight of the elements above it. They are made from resistant materials like stone, steel, concrete, or brick. 

Load-bearing walls:
Carry their own weight
Support the weight of a roof or floor structure above it
Transfer both vertical and horizontal loads to the foundation
Need to be a little stronger than a non-load-bearing wall
Need extra support under it, usually an additional foundation trench
Should remain in position and should never be dismantled 

You can check if a wall is load-bearing by looking for:
Joists, or horizontal beams that support the floor under your home
Walls that run perpendicular to the ceiling joists 

Load Bearing Walls topics include: Walls types and design, lateral support, walls effective height, length and thickness, structural design of walls and mortar selection.

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Building & Construction Practice Test: Load Bearing Walls

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25 Questions

1. The design of calculated walls is determined using the method called as ________

Calculated methodCalculated masonry methodNumerical methodAnalytical method

2. In which of the following types of load-bearing walls, the facing is attached to the backing but not bonded?

Panel wallVeneered wallFaced wallCavity wall

3. ___________ masonry gives high basic compressive stress.

BrickRubbleStoneAshlar

4. In a masonry wall, the strength of the mortar should be __________ that of the masonry unit.

Equal toGreater thanLesser thanGreater than or equal to

5. A separating wall is defined as a wall that separates _________ residencies within the _________ building.

Same, sameDifferent, sameSame, differentDifferent, different

6. There are __________ reference lines in a nomogram.

OneFourThreeTwo

7. The design of non-calculated walls is based on certain regulations and not on calculations.

MaybeDon't KnowTrueFalse

8. A faced wall is that type of load-bearing wall in which facing and backing are made of the same material.

Don't KnowTrueFalseMaybe

9. A wall can be laterally supported at a vertical level by __________

Roof/FloorLoad bearing wallButtressPier

10. The anchors provided for timber floors and roofs should be at intervals of less than __________ meters in two-storeyed buildings.

ThreeOneTwoFour

11. Effective length of a wall when it is supported by a buttress only at one end is __________

0.5L2.0L1.0L1.5L

12. A mortar with good water retentivity readily loses water.

FalseMaybeTrueDon't Know

13. Effective height of a masonry wall is calculated using equation h = ρH where ρ represents __________

Slenderness ratioExpansion factorBasic compressive stressReduction factor

14. A cavity wall is a wall that consists of _________ leaves.

ZeroFourOnly one leafTwo

15. Which type of mortar has the lowest strength?

Type MType SType OType N

16. Which of the following is not a type of load-bearing wall?

Cavity wallPanel wallSolid masonry wallFaced wall

17. Which line, starting from the left takes care of all the openings provided in the wall?

Line 4Line 6Line 8Line 7

18. A wall may be defined as that component of a building, whose width is _________ times its thickness.

FourTwoEightSixteen

19. Effective length of a continuous wall supported by piers is ___________

1.0L1.5L0.8L2.0L

20. In the formula for calculating the total load supported by a lintel in which total load is given by the expression 0.44 L² x t x W /100, W represents _________

Unit weight of the loadTotal weight of masonryTotal weight of the loadUnit weight of masonry

21. Stability problem results when slenderness ratio is more than __________

60403050

22. A in the figure below represents __________

ButtressCross wallsWallPier

23. Load-bearing walls are defined as those walls which carry their own weight only whereas non-load bearing walls are defined as those walls which can carry superimposed loads in addition to their own weight.

TrueFalseDon't KnowMaybe

24. Lateral support to a wall limits the slenderness and provides stability to the structure.

Don't KnowTrueFalseMaybe

25. Effective height of a wall is the function of __________ of the wall.

MassActual heightWeightThickness