Which of the following terms means to cut off as by two equal opposed forces?

• A. Shear
• B. Tension
• C. Compression
• D. Bending

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how internal forces cause different ways a material can fail. Shear is the action that tends to slide one portion of a material past another along a plane. When two equal forces push in opposite directions parallel to that plane, the material is sheared, which can resemble a cutting or slicing action across the section. That sound-alike description—cutting as if by opposing forces—fits the term perfectly.

This is different from tension, which pulls ends of the member apart along its length; compression, which pushes ends together along its length; and bending, which creates opposing tensile and compressive stresses across a cross-section as the member curves. In practice, recognizing shear is crucial because it describes how layers slide under parallel shear forces, a common failure mode that design aims to resist.