Technology · Unit 17
Engineering and Design
How new technology is designed and built
Engineering is design under constraint. Anything can be built with unlimited time and money, and no useful project has either.
The unit covers the design process, problem solving, systems and components, prototyping and testing, and materials and manufacturing.
This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 23
- Questions
- 120
- Difficulty
- 1-5
What this unit covers
- The Design Process
- Materials and Manufacturing
- Systems and Components
- Problem Solving
- Prototyping and Testing
Where this fits
Pairs with Science's Engineering and Design.
Where people slip
Requirements gathering is where most projects fail. Building the wrong thing well is more expensive than building the right thing badly.
How the unit is structured
Engineering and Design runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.
Materials and Manufacturing
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
1. Which material is usually chosen for a window because you can see through it?
- Glasscorrect
- Wood
- Brick
- Steel
Glass is transparent, so light passes through and you can see out.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are properties we might look at when choosing a material? Choose all that apply.
- How strong it iscorrect
- How heavy it iscorrect
- How much it costscorrect
- What day of the week it is
Strength, weight, and cost are all important properties for choosing materials.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
3. A material that bends easily without breaking is called ____.
- flexiblecorrect
- brittle
- heavy
- shiny
Flexible materials can bend and spring back instead of snapping.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
4. Match each object to a material it is often made from.
Answer: Window = Glass; Table = Wood; Drink can = Metal; Plastic bottle = Plastic
Each object is usually made from the material that suits its job.
- Odd one outLevel 3
5. Three of these are ways to shape or make parts in a factory. Which one is NOT?
- Downloadingcorrect
- Moulding
- Cutting
- 3D printing
Downloading is a computer action, not a way to make physical parts; the others shape materials.
- Sort into groupsLevel 4
6. Sort each process as either additive manufacturing or subtractive manufacturing.
Answer: 3D printing = Additive; Laser sintering = Additive; Milling = Subtractive; Drilling = Subtractive
Additive processes add material to build up a shape, while subtractive processes remove material.
Problem Solving
- Fill the blankLevel 2
7. Limits like how much time, money, or material you have are called ____.
- constraintscorrect
- colours
- prizes
- labels
Constraints are the limits a designer must work within.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
8. What is a helpful first step when a problem feels too big to solve?
- Break it into smaller partscorrect
- Make it even bigger
- Ignore it and hope
- Solve a different problem instead
Breaking a big problem into smaller parts makes it easier to solve one piece at a time.
- Odd one outLevel 2
9. Three of these help you solve a problem well. Which one does NOT help?
- Giving up at the first small mistakecorrect
- Trying more than one idea
- Learning from what went wrong
- Asking for help when stuck
Giving up at the first try stops you from finding a solution; the others move you forward.
- Sort into groupsLevel 2
10. Sort each item into whether it describes the problem or a possible solution.
Answer: My bag is too heavy to carry = Problem; The door keeps banging shut = Problem; Add wheels to the bag = Solution; Put a soft stopper on the door = Solution
The problem is what needs fixing; a solution is an idea that fixes it.
- Guess the numberLevel 3
11. How many main goals can you fully maximise at the same time when they are in direct trade-off with each other?
Answer: 1
With a direct trade-off, improving one goal costs another, so you can fully maximise only one at a time.
- Choose all that applyLevel 5
12. Which of these are typical trade-offs engineers must balance? Choose all that apply.
- Cost against qualitycorrect
- Weight against strengthcorrect
- Speed against safetycorrect
- The day of the week against the colour blue
Cost against quality, weight against strength, and speed against safety are classic engineering trade-offs.
Prototyping and Testing
- Fill the blankLevel 1
13. Trying out a prototype to find its problems is called ____.
- testingcorrect
- hiding
- painting
- selling
Testing means using the prototype to see what works and what does not.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
14. A prototype is best described as which of these?
- An early model built to test an ideacorrect
- The finished product in a shop
- A drawing you throw away
- A list of prices
A prototype is an early model built to try out and test an idea.
- Odd one outLevel 2
15. Which of these is NOT a good reason to test a prototype?
- To hide any mistakes from everyonecorrect
- To see if it works
- To find problems
- To get feedback
Hiding mistakes is the opposite of testing; the others help improve the design.
- True or falseLevel 2
16. The very first prototype is usually perfect and never needs changing.
Answer: False
First prototypes almost always have problems, so engineers improve them.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
17. Which of these are good things a prototype can help you find out? Choose all that apply.
- Whether the idea actually workscorrect
- Whether it is easy for people to usecorrect
- What problems need fixingcorrect
- The exact price of milk
Prototypes reveal whether it works, whether it is easy to use, and what to fix.
- Put in orderLevel 3
18. Put these steps of one prototype cycle in order.
Answer: Build a prototype -> Test it -> Gather feedback -> Improve the design
You build the prototype, test it, gather feedback, then improve it.
Systems and Components
- Fill the blankLevel 2
19. The result a system produces, like the toast from a toaster, is called the ____.
- outputcorrect
- input
- button
- plug
The output is what comes out of a system after it does its job.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
20. The smaller parts that make up a bigger system, like wheels and a chain on a bike, are called what?
- Componentscorrect
- Outputs
- Colours
- Rules
Components are the individual parts that work together in a system.
- Odd one outLevel 2
21. Three of these are components of a bicycle. Which one is NOT?
- Keyboardcorrect
- Wheel
- Chain
- Pedal
A keyboard belongs to a computer, not a bicycle; the others are bike parts.
- Put in orderLevel 2
22. Put the three basic parts of a simple system in the right order.
Answer: Input -> Process -> Output
A system takes an input, does some process, then gives an output.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
23. A simple feedback system usually has which of these parts? Choose all that apply.
- An inputcorrect
- A processcorrect
- An outputcorrect
- A magic spell
Feedback systems have inputs, a process, outputs, and a way to sense and adjust.
- Sort into groupsLevel 3
24. For a toaster, sort each item as an input, the process, or an output.
Answer: Slice of bread = Input; Electricity = Input; Heating the bread = Process; Toast = Output
Bread goes in, heating is the process, and toast comes out.
The Design Process
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. The engineering design process is a set of steps engineers follow to solve a problem. What do they usually do first?
- Understand the problem they need to solvecorrect
- Build the final product right away
- Throw the first idea in the bin
- Sell it in a shop
Engineers start by understanding the problem so they know exactly what they need to solve.
- True or falseLevel 1
26. Engineers often draw or sketch their ideas before they build anything.
Answer: True
Sketching helps engineers see and share their ideas before spending time building.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
27. Which of these are steps in the engineering design process? Choose all that apply.
- Plan the ideacorrect
- Test the designcorrect
- Improve the designcorrect
- Guess the lottery numbers
Planning, testing, and improving are all real design steps.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
28. Thinking up lots of possible ideas without judging them yet is called ____.
- brainstormingcorrect
- building
- testing
- selling
Brainstorming means listing many ideas first, then picking the best ones later.
- Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which one is NOT a step in designing something new?
- Ignore the problem completelycorrect
- Imagine ideas
- Make a plan
- Test the result
Ignoring the problem is the opposite of good design; the others are real steps.
- Put in orderLevel 2
30. Put these engineering design steps in the order engineers usually follow them.
Answer: Ask -> Imagine -> Plan -> Create -> Improve
A common order is ask, imagine, plan, create, then improve.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Choose all that apply
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Engineering and Design
120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Engineering and Design
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
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- The InternetWebsites, email, searching and going online
- Staying Safe OnlinePasswords, privacy and being kind and careful online
- Computer HardwareThe physical parts that make a computer work
- SoftwareOperating systems, apps, files and updates
- Networks and the InternetHow devices connect and talk to each other