If a building is 40 meters tall, the normal collapse zone is approximately how many meters?

• A. 20 meters
• B. 40 meters
• C. 60 meters
• D. 80 meters

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is the typical rule of thumb for the collapse zone, which is about one and a half times the building’s height. This safety margin accounts for how far debris can travel when a collapse occurs, helping keep crews and bystanders out of harm’s way.

For a building that is 40 meters tall, applying that guideline gives 1.5 × 40 = 60 meters. So the normal collapse zone is approximately 60 meters.

The other options don’t fit the standard safety margin: 20 meters is too short to clear falling debris, 40 meters only covers the building height without the extra margin, and 80 meters is larger than the typical guideline.