Practice 3.4 Computer-aided design (CAD) with authentic IB Design Technology (DT) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 structure, covering key topics like materials and processes, product design, and sustainability. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
Paper
Level
Question 1
HLPaper 1
Which type of analysis would you use to simulate unknown factors, such as stresses within a joint, in products?
Question 2
SLPaper 1
Which of the following types of modelling involves using software to create and modify design representations?
Question 3
SLPaper 1
Which of the following is a primary advantage of using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software in the design process?
Question 4
SLPaper 2
Drones have become more widespread and can be used for leisure, business or militarypurposes. A drone is operated using a handset, see Figure 1.
Figure 1: A drone and its handset
1.[2]
List two reasons why temporary joining techniques are used when a droneis assembled.
2.[3]
Explain why finite element analysis (FEA) would be used in the development ofthe drone.
3.[6]
Explain two ways that drones can become obsolete.
4.[9]
Explain how the study of human factors can be used to improve the comfort, safety and performance of the handset that controls the drone.
Question 5
SLPaper 1
Designing parts of a product individually then assembling them together later is known as...
Question 6
SLPaper 1
Virtual reality is becoming more commonly employed in design and development to simulate how users interact with products. This often involves tools that enable designers and testers to "experience" the virtual environment through touch.
Which of the following best identifies a technology that replicates the sensation of touch?
Question 7
SLPaper 1
Which of the following would enable a designer to understand the structural forces acting on a bridge support?
Question 8
SLPaper 1
Which of the following processes, commonly used in video games and animated movies, uses magnetic markers or LEDs to create a digital image of a person?
Question 9
SLPaper 2
It is estimated that shipping is responsible for between 2 and 3 percent of the world’stotal greenhouse gas emissions. The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization(UNIMO) has set targets for shipping companies to reduce their current emissions by atleast 50 percent by 2050. In response to this requirement, designers are working on cleantechnologies to power large ships.
Rotor sails made from carbon glass fibre are one example of a clean technology. Rotor sails were first developed in the 1920s but interest in them was not revived until the early21st century.
Electricity powers a mechanism within the cylindrical rotor sail which provides the thrust to move the ship.
1.[2]
Outline one driver for the use of clean technology to develop the rotor sail.
2.[6]
Suggest two reasons why the original rotor sail was a shelved technology in the 1920s.
3.[9]
Explain the role of rapid prototyping, instrumented physical models and computeraided design (CAD) in the design of the modern rotor sail.
Question 10
SLPaper 1
In computer-aided design (CAD), when a model is created that has no interior material and is just a visual representation of the final product, this is considered as a…