REFRESHER COURSE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS – MAESTRO REVIEW CENTER

Prepared by AG Arlanza

1. Which HVAC system would be the most appropriate choice for hospital?
a. Multizone
b. High velocity dual duct
c. Variable air volume
d. Fan coil with supplementary air exhaust.

2. Which of the following contributors to indoor air quality can be controlled by HVAC system?
a. Outgassing
b. Air change effectiveness
c. VOC content of building
d. Carbon dioxide level
e. Humidity
f. Mold growth

3. Which of the following have significant effect on heat gain?

a. Motor
b. Sunlight
c. People
d. Artificial lighting
e. Humidity

4. Which of the following statement is Incorrect?

a. Relative humidity is the best measure of thermal comfort
b. People feel more comfortable in winter or cold season if the mean radiant temperature is
high
c. There are differences in comfort level among different cultural groups.
d. The range of comfortable dry bulb temperature is dependent on air movement.

5. A start up developer is planning to build a small shopping center for rental. A one-story mall will
consist of 4000 sqm rentable area surrounding a small courtyard. Existing utilities adjacent to
the site includes water, sanitary, storm sewer, and electricity. Which of the following factors
would be important in the selection and design of HVAC system?
a. Flexibility
b. Climatic zone
c. Economics
d. Tenant’s preference
e. Building scale.

6. A main trunk duct is to be placed in the interstitial space above a suspended ceiling and below
the structural framing. Which of the following shapes of duct would be best use?
a. Rectangular with long dimension horizontal
b. Rectangular with long dimension vertical
c. Square
d. Round

7. Air curtain are design to stop infiltration and exfiltration caused by the following except?
a. Wind pressure
b. Stack pressure
c. HVAC fan pressure
d. Vapor pressure

8. A power distribution is to be specified for an open office area, Which of the following is the
most flexible and economical alternative?
a. Access floor system
b. Under floor raceway system
 c. Cellular floor raceway
d. Ceiling raceway with pole raceway

9. Which would be the best location of transformer for an office building in CBD area?
a. On a power pole outside the building
b. In a separate room near exterior wall at ground floor
c. Outside on a transformer pad close to the main switch gear
d. In a protective shed

10. An architect is designing a geriatric/nursing home with 150 beds. The patients have varying
levels of mobility and independence. The building manager request an HVAC system that
permits each patient to control the temperature in his own room. That is quiet and requires
minimal maintenance. Which type of system is most appropriate?
a. Package terminal units
b. Fan coil units
c. Variable air volume
d. Single duct constant air volume

11. In tropical hot humid climate, where do you placed the vapor barrier in relation to the insulation
materials of a drywall partition?
a. Exterior side of the wall assembly
b. Interior side of wall assembly
c. Sandwich with insulation material
d. vapor barrier is optional

12. Weather stripping affects

a. Effective temperature
b. Thermodynamics
c. Ventilation
d. Infiltration
`
13. In the event of an emergency, which of the following elevator safety mechanism will activate
first in an elevator?
a. Spring buffers
b. Safety rail clamps
c. Centrifugal governor
d. Final limit switch

14. Which material has the greatest specific heat?

a. Concrete
b. Water
c. Adobe
d. Gypsum

15. What is the typical speed of an escalator?

a. 50 fpm
b. 75 fpm
c. 100 fpm
d. 150 fpm

16. Which of the following statements regarding escalator is true?

a. An escalator can be counted as a means of egress
b. Structural support is required at both ends and at intermediate bracing points.
c. Emergency power is required for all escalators.
d. Escalators are installed at an angle 30 degrees from the horizontal
17. Assuming that the capacity of each type of plant is the same, which type of HVAC system
occupies the most space in buildings?
a. Forced air
b. Radiant
 c. Hydronic
d. Unitary

18. Installing a sprinkler system in new constructions increases the total construction cost by
approximately ____ base on NFPA?
a. 1.5%
b. 5%
c. 9%
d. 15%
19. Which elevator operating system would be most appropriate choice for a four-storey luxury
hotel with 3 passenger elevator?
a. Selective collective operation
b. Computerized system control
c. Single automatic push button control
d. Collective control.

20. An architect is planning a 10,000 sqm hospital building. The mechanical engineer estimates that
the total floor area required for mechanical room for both chilled water plant and boiler room is
300 sqm. Which of the following criteria should be kept in mind when determining the locations
and design of mechanical room? (choose three that apply)
a. Each mechanical room should have at least one exterior wall.
b. Boiler room should be adjacent to chiller room
c. Room must be square as possible
d. Ceiling should be at least 3.7m
e. Mechanical rooms must be place at the ground floor
f. Mechanical rooms should be equal in size

21. Which of the following are expected results of a properly designed and implemented building
commissioning plan? Choose 4 that apply.
a. Increased in energy efficiency
b. A comprehensive training for maintenance
c. Verification of 100% building systems by the commissioning agent
d. Operation and maintenance manual delivered to the owner in useful and organized format
e. Record drawings for all HVAC and electrical components
f. Improved indoor air quality.

22. Which percentage most accurately represents the distribution of energy used for large
buildings?
a. 33.33% lighting, 33.33% HVAC, 33.33% others
b. 50% lighting, 40% HVAC, 10% others
c. 50% HVAC, 40% lighting, 10% others
d. 50% lighting, 35% HVAC, 15% others

23. Which of the following is not an effective remedy for sick building syndrome?
a. Increase quantity of outdoor or fresh air in HVAC system
b. Design areas accessible to daylight
c. Incorporate live plants into interior design of building.
d. Clean entire HVAC system

24. Which of the following building types would have the highest percentage of total construction
allotted for HVAC system?
a. Hospital
b. BPO data centers
 c. Climate controlled warehouse
d. Basement Parking garage.

25. In case of fire, which of the following can be activated by building occupants? Choose three that
apply.
a. Fire extinguishers
b. Dry stand pipes
c. Wet stand pipes
d. Fusible links
e. Annunciators
f. Manual pull stations

26. Which type of fire extinguisher should be provided in electrical rooms?

a. Class A
b. Class B
c. Class C
d. Class D

27. Which type of HVAC system would be best choice for large buildings where a need of
simultaneous heating and cooling is expected?
a. Direct expansion
b. Variable air volume
c. Dual duct
d. Multi-zone system

28. Which of the following would not be appropriate for the fire protection in hotel suites?
a. Temperature rise detector
b. Ionization detector
c. Photoelectric detector
d. Air sampling detector

29. A photoelectric detector will warn of a fire when the fire reaches the
a. Smoldering stage
b. Incipient stage
c. Flame stage
d. Flashover stage

30. An architect is designing a new furniture gallery to be housed within an old building. The store
will feature modern furniture and artwork and the display is approximately 300million pesos
worth of inventory. Which type of sprinkler systems would be the most appropriate choice?
a. Preaction automatic sprinkler system
b. Wet pipe automatic sprinkler system
c. Dry pipe automatic sprinkler system
d. Deluge Automatic Sprinkler system

31. Which of the following statement is true for ordinary/common temperature rated of sprinkler
heads?
a. Sprinkler heads will activate at 57 degrees Celsius
b. This sprinkler heads is appropriate in kitchen areas
c. Sprinkler head bulb color is red
d. This sprinkler head type may be only used in 1/2" diameter piping system.

32. What is the chance that a sprinkler will be falsely activated?

a. 1:16,000,000
b. 1:1,600,000
c. 1:160,000
 d. 1:16,000

33. Buildings more than ___ meter high must have an automatic sprinkler system throughout the
building.
a. 16
b. 10
c. 21
d. 25

34. The standards for fire protection in the Philippines is referenced to

a. RA 9514 and its IRR
b. PD1096 and its IRR
c. NFPA
d. Local ordinances

35. Which of the following building features usually inhibit fire protection efforts?
a. Escalators and atria
b. High ceilings
c. Thermal mass of building
d. Partitioning

36. Sprinkler and smoke removal systems are sometimes at cross-purposes because:
a. the buoyancy of smoke is reduced by cooling water
b. the smoke removal systems can be damaged by water
c. acrid smoke can damage sprinkler systems
d. activated sprinklers distribute smoke into unwanted areas with their swirling

37. The advantage of using inert gas and clean-agent fire-suppression chemicals over water is that:
a. they can protect a building’s contents, not just the structure
b. they do not harm the environment
c. they do not deprive the air of oxygen required to breathe
d. they require no special storage conditions

38. The available fire extinguisher can only be used for a duration of:
a. 30-40secs
b. 60-90secs
c. 15 secs
d. 2 mins

39. Fire dampers installed in HVAC ducts to prevent the spread of fire from one compartment to
another is triggered to activate by______.
a. Smoke detector
b. Heat detector
c. Central fire alarm system
d. Smoke damper

40. For automotive facility, hangars, and refining plants; what is the fire suppression system should
be used in this type of occupancy hazard?
a. Foam fire suppression system
b. Carbon dioxide fire suppression system
c. Water mist automatic fire sprinkler system
d. Clean agent fire suppression system

41. What type of smoke detectors for kitchens areas?

a. Ionization
b. Photoelectric
c. Temperature rise (heat detector)
 d. Air sampling smoke detection

42. Moving ramps shall have an inclination angle not exceeding_____

a. 15 degrees
b. 5 degrees
c. 10 degrees
d. 20 degress

43. Under NBC, the clearance between the underside of the car and the bottom of the pit shall not
be less than ___.
a. 300mm
b. 600mm
c. 900mm
d. 1200mm

44. The criteria in the selection of an elevator other than interval and average waiting time
a. Round trip time
b. Travel length
c. Power consumption
d. Technology
e. Brand

45. Maximum width of the escalator steps

a. 330mm
b. 300mm
c. 270mm
d. 380mm

46. Which of the following statement and provisions is/are not true for elevator?
a. Minimum number of elevator car in a single hoistway is 4.
b. Hoistway shall have pits with depth clearance of not less than 600mm.
c. Minimum number of hoisting ropes or cable shall be (2) for traction type elevators and (3)
for drum elevators.
d. The minimum diameter of hoisting and counter weight cable shall be 30mm.

47. This lift is most frequently found in public and institutional buildings because it is particularly
applicable to short rise, heavy load, frequent-duty applications, and requires minimal
maintenance.
a. Gearless traction
b. Geared traction
c. Machine room less
d. Hydraulic elevator

48. In tropical hot humid climate, where do you placed the vapor barrier in relation to the insulation
materials of a drywall partition?
a. Exterior side of the wall assembly
b. Interior side of wall assembly
c. Sandwich with insulation material
d. vapor barrier is optional

49. Which of the following is the most important consideration in detailing laminated flooring?
a. Flame spread rating
b. Nailing method
c. Moisture protection
Occupancy traffic

50. Which type of glass for curtain wall would not be recommended for medium to high rise
building?
a. Tempered
 b. Annealed
c. Heat strength
d. Laminated

51. What would be the best passive cooling strategy during summer in hot humid climate?
a. Design series of pools and fountains to cool by evaporation
b. Include broad overhangs to shield glass and outdoor activities to the sun.
c. Orient building to catch summer breezes
d. Use light colored surface to reflect sunlight and reduce solar heat gain

52. Which would be the best location of transformer for an office building in CBD area?
a. On power pole outside the building
b. In a separate room near exterior wall at ground floor
c. Outside on a transformer pad close to the main switch gear
d. In a protective shed

53. Which three of the following would an architect be most concerned about designing lighting for
an office space with computer workstations and standard desk?
a. Colo rendering index
b. Visual comfort probability
c. Veiling reflection
d. Glare
e. Brightness ratio

54.An architect is designing an art school at a major university. Which combination of daylighting
and electric lighting would be the most appropriate choice?
a. South facing window and incandescent lights
b. North facing window, transom window and lighting fixtures of high CRI fluorescent
c. Windows to the West and East with cove lighting
d. North facing skylights and LED lightings

55. What combination of lighting would be most appropriate in women’s boutique and apparel
store?
a. Mercury lamps general lighting with metal halide accent lighting
b. Limited daylight, warm-white fluorescent for general lighting and tungsten halogen for
accent lighting.
c. Incandescent general lighting with led lighting on displays
d. Daylight for general illumination and incandescent fixtures for display

56. Which of the following is not an advantage of a geared traction machine over a gearless
machine?
a. A geared machine is smaller
b. A geared machine is cheaper
c. A geared machine is faster
d. A geared machine requires less maintenance

57. Elevators can account for as much ___ of a building construction cost.
a. 1%
b. 5%
c. 10%
d. 12%
e. 15%

58. Which of the following occupancy types exhibits the highest air-conditioning load?
a. Art Gallery
b. School Classroom
c. Auditorium
 d. Offices

59. Which of the following fire types should be counteracted with a Class C fire extinguisher?
a. Grease fires
b. Wood fires
c. Live electrical wires
d. Plastic fires
e. Reactive metals

60. Which of the following are considered "high-grade" recyclable resources?

a. Glass
b. Gray water
c. Wood
d. Electrical wires
e. Electronic hardwares

61. Which of the following light sources has the highest luminous efficacy?
a. Incandescent lamp
b. Low pressure sodium lamp
c. Mercury discharge lamp
d. Fluorescent lamp
e. Metal halide lamp

62. Which of the following is a requirement of electrical receptacles to be installed in a residential

bathroom?
a. Locate adjacent to light switches
b. Install above the level of toilet or lavatory fixtures
c. Locate receptacles a minimum of 1.80 meters from a tub or shower.
d. Use receptacles with ground fault circuit interrupter protection
e. Use receptacles with moisture protection cover.

63. Which of the following can be used most effectively to limit low-frequency sounds in an HVAC
system?
a. Turning vanes
b. Duct lining
c. Mufflers
d. Dampers
e. Resonator

64. Which piping material has the highest coefficient of thermal expansion?
a. Plastic
b. Steel
c. Cast iron
d. Copper
 65. The diagram above schematically illustrates a typical chiller and cooling tower cycle. At which
point is the compressor located?

a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D

66. Which of the following is the term for the persistence of sound reflected from surfaces of
enclosed spaces?
a. Creep
b. Echo
c. Reverberation
d. Vibration

67. In the drawing below of a refrigeration system for a large building, what is the term for E ?

a. Air handling unit

b. Cooling Tower
c. Chilled water plant
d. Fan Coil Unit

68. When a jurisdiction is governed by national, state, and local building codes, and provisions in at
least two of these codes conflict, which code takes precedence?
a. Local code
b. National code
c. Most restrictive code
d. International reference code
69. The diagrams below represent outlet connections from blowers to ductwork in a forced-air
system. Which one illustrates the connection with the least discharge resistance?

A B

C D

70. Which of the following HVAC systems would have the highest operating cost for a large office
building?
a. Single zone constant air volume
b. Variable air volume
c. Double duct constant air volume
d. Multizone variable refrigerant flow

71. In calculations of lighting levels, the coefficient of utilization is defined as the percentage of total
lamp lumens that
a. Leave the luminaire
b. Reach the work plane
c. Are lost because of lamp age
d. Are lost because of total reflectance value of surfaces.

72. Single-duct, variable air volume systems are more energy efficient than constant air volume
systems because in variable air volume systems?
a. the use of variable-pitch blades or variable-speed fans allows air volume to be
modulated from zero to the required demand
b. fans run at their most efficient speed at all times and air volume is controlled by manual
dampers
c. duct sizes can be reduced, thus saving initial and finance costs
d. lower-voltage equipment is needed

73. The diagram above indicates the use of which of the following devices to control lighting from
two locations?

a. Two single-pole, single-throw switches

b. Two single-pole, double-throw switches
c. Two double-pole, double-throw switches
d. Two three-pole, double-throw switches
74. An Automatic transfer switch (ATS) is device that automatically transfer the power from the
standby generator to the building circuitry during electrical power failure. What type of switch is
an ATS?
a. Single-pole, single throw-switch
b. Single-pole, double throw switch
c. Two-pole, double throw switch
d. Three-pole, double throw switch

75. Noise generated within a space can be most effectively controlled by

a. Absorption
b. Reflection
c. Diffusion
d. Attenuation
e. Higher STC rating of wall assembly

76. Given an existing building, which of the following factors are relevant to life-cycle costing?
Choose four that apply.
a. Maintenance cost
b. Land cost
c. Salvage value
d. Estimated lifespan
e. Commissioning
f. Repair cost

77. What is the term for Z in the drawing below?

a. Resilient hanger
b. Flexible coupling
c. Vibration isolator
d. Resilient pad
78. The diagram above shows a typical overhead electric service to a multiple residence. What is the
name of item C?

A. Ground rod
B. Disconnect switch
C. Lightning arrester
D. Neutral Line rod

79. A four-pipe fan-coil system functions as which of the following?

a. Heating and cooling system
b. Evaporative cooling system
c. A domestic hot-water recirculation system
d. A high rise fire-safety system

80. In contrast to wet-pipe sprinkler systems, dry-pipe sprinkler systems are used because they
A. Are lighter and less expensive to install
B. Have fewer valves and fittings
C. Contains compress air and pipes will not corrode fast
D. Will not freeze in unheated space.

81. The psychrometric chart plots which of the following factors? Check the three that apply.
a. Relative humidity
b. Air velocity
c. Mean radiant temperature
d. Air temperature
e. Dew point
f. Air pressure

82. The equation (U) x (area) x (temperature difference) = heat gain often underestimates summer
heat gain through a building roof because heat flow through the roof is also affected by (Check
the three that apply).
A. Entropy
B. Roof color
C. Roof mass
D. Roof texture
E. Time of the day
F. Mean radiant temperature

83. During elevator emergency, to rescue passengers, this part of the elevator is used to open the
doors from the outside.
 A. Knife switch
B. Disconnect switch
C. Outside door latch
D. Panic door
E. Governor

84. What is the recommended low humidity limit for the ASHRAE comfort zone?
a. 10 % relative humidity
b. 20% relative humidity
c. 30% relative humidity
d. 40% relative humidity
e. None of the above

85. The type of heat that results in a change in moisture content is called:
a. Sensible heat
b. Latent heat
c. Heat of refrigeration
d. All of the above

86. The highest rate of heat gain or loss in a building today is usually a result of:
a. Occupant load
b. Building use
c. outside air infiltration.
d. Mechanical equipment and lighting fixtures
e. Building Shell assembly
f. Window to wall ratio

87. Which thermal comfort determinant can usually not be accomplished without mechanical
assistance?
a. Air quality
b. Air temperature
c. Humidity
d. Air velocity
e. All of the above

88. What is the advantage of a distribution tree that flows from rooftop of central air-handling
units:
a. Reduces duct size on lower floors.
b. Reduces the airflow volume capacity of air handling unit
c. Increase efficiency due to low friction loss
d. Reduces size of Air handling Unit room
e. All of the above

89. What type light bulb is most widely used in accent and display lighting applications.
a. A type lamp
b. G type lamp
c. Multifaceted reflector lamp
d. Parabolic reflector lamp
e. Bulge reflector lamp

90. Which type of Centralized HVAC system best serves the interior, always-hot zones of internal
load-dominated buildings?
a. Single duct VAV Variable air Volume
b. Double Duct CAV Constant Air volume
c. Single Zone
d. Multi-Zone
91. Which type of light ballast is inefficient?
a. Magnetic
 b. Hybrid
c. Electronic
d. Multi level

92. Which of the following is does not exemplify the disadvantages of using no CFC refrigerant?
a. constitute a high threat to environment
b. Machines that use CFC refrigerants are cheaper, far efficient and thus involve low
energy consumption
c. some of these refrigerants contain harmful chemicals,
d. natural hydrocarbon refrigerants are flammable and explosive.
e. None of the above

93. When a light source produces energy over the entire visible spectrum in approximately equal
quantities, the light appears as:
a. Yellowish
b. Bluish
c. White
d. Light color is dependent on temperature.

94. Which of the following material use as reflectors has the best reflectance?
a. Mirror Stainless steel
b. Silver coated reflectors
c. Zinc coated reflectors
d. Ceramic