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WorksheetsAutumn 24
Total questions: 27
Worksheet time: 9mins
Define the term continuous professional development (CPD).
The learning activities that professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities, skills, and knowledge.
The annual performance review conducted by employers.
A one-time certification achieved at the start of a career.
Mandatory unpaid volunteering unrelated to a profession.
Which of the following are health and safety responsibilities of employees in an engineering workplace? Select all that apply.
Work safely so as not to cause injury to self or others.
Do not attempt any work task unless trained or authorised to do so.
Co-operate with the employer to enable duties placed on the employer to be performed.
Ignore statutory requirements imposed upon the employer.
Wear any PPE provided.
Define the term comparator in reference to control systems.
A system that compares a received signal with a reference signal to determine which is larger or smaller.
A device that amplifies a signal without comparison.
A sensor that measures temperature.
A mechanical actuator that moves a load.
Which of the following are steps of the iterative design process? Select all that apply.
Analysing requirements.
Planning.
Prototyping/producing design ideas.
Testing/evaluating.
Final product disposal.
Which of the following are benefits of the mass production of products in terms of how this has contributed to economic development? Select all that apply.
Reduced prices for consumers due to lower unit production costs
Improved profits for manufacturers through economies of scale
Reduced labour costs from higher levels of production automation
Increased economic growth through higher wages, consumption, and investment
Greater reliance on artisanal craftsmanship raising per‑unit costs
Which of the following are valid applications of CAD software in Engineering? Select all that apply.
Producing orthographic or assembly drawings of products/parts/components to aid machining, manufacture, or maintenance
Producing virtual models of products that can be simulated to test functionality and performance against design criteria or user requirements
Collaboration with others because electronic files can be easily shared
Increasing the time needed for manual drafting to ensure accuracy
How does health and safety legislation affect the frequency of accidents in an engineering workplace? Select all that apply.
It reduces accidents and mitigates risks by establishing statutory/legal requirements for employers and employees
It requires measures such as wearing PPE
It enables enforcement of non‑compliance by regulatory bodies
It encourages adoption of safer working practices and training
It eliminates the need for employee training entirely
What is the purpose of stock and inventory management? Select all that apply.
Ensuring enough materials/stock are available to meet demand
Avoiding overstock/excess inventory
Keeping track of stock to ensure traceability in case of quality issues
Reducing the amount of cash required by the business
Maximising overproduction to keep machines running
Which of the following are advantages of manufacturing resource planning? Select all that apply.
Improves capacity management
Maximises production output
Maximises use of the resources available
Reduces the chance of bottlenecks or production slowdown
Provides a common understanding of task requirements between all workers
Which of the following illustrate how cyber-physical systems could influence manufacturing? Select all that apply.
Smart sensors and data recording
Predictive maintenance
Intelligent robotic systems
Increased levels of automation
High initial set-up costs
Which of the following are reasons why commissioning activities are undertaken by engineers with specialist skills in maintenance? Select all that apply.
To ensure the maintained equipment is installed and functioning correctly so that it meets the client’s requirements
To ensure the client understands future maintenance requirements so the equipment can be kept in working order
To ensure the client understands future training needs so the equipment can be operated and maintained safely
A company produces one-off car body parts made from metal, including designing, manufacturing and finishing operations completed largely by hand. Which two pieces of environmental legislation are most relevant to the company’s activities? Select all that apply.
Environmental Protection Act
Clean Air Act
Hazardous Waste Regulations
Road Traffic Act
Designers plan to show new design ideas to potential clients with no engineering knowledge using a series of freehand sketches. Which two reasons best explain why this method is appropriate for this audience? Select all that apply.
Freehand sketches are easy to understand without formal engineering conventions
Freehand sketches can be quickly modified in response to client feedback
Freehand sketches require specialised CAD software to interpret
Freehand sketches reduce the need to discuss aesthetics
The freehand sketches will be presented to potential clients in a meeting room at the engineer’s normal place of work. Which two behaviours should the engineer display during the presentation because they are important for the clients? Select all that apply.
Give clear and honest information so clients are not misled
Respect client confidentiality to build trust
Use complex technical jargon to demonstrate expertise
Arrive casually dressed to appear relaxed
The company has decided to change to batch manufacturing of its car body part designs. How would this change affect the level of manufacturing automation required?
Automation would need to increase to ensure consistent quality and higher output
Automation would need to decrease because batch work relies on manual skills
Automation would remain unchanged compared to one-off work
Automation would be eliminated to maximise flexibility
An engineer has been hired by a company to design a control system that will measure the height of cube‑shaped boxes moving along a conveyor belt. Select all input sensor types that would be suitable for detecting the height of the boxes in this application.
Laser sensor
Vision system
Infrared sensor
Photoelectric sensor
Temperature sensor
An engineer has been hired by a company to design a control system that will measure the height of cube‑shaped boxes moving along a conveyor belt. Which description best explains how a suitable sensor would function for this application?
A sensor mounted above the belt emits a beam toward the box, measures the distance to the top surface as it passes, and compares this to the known belt level to calculate height.
A load cell under the conveyor measures the overall weight of the passing box to infer height.
A color sensor detects the shade of the box to estimate its size.
A simple proximity switch detects only the presence of a box and assumes all boxes are the same height.
Any boxes found to be above a certain height will be automatically picked up and removed from the conveyor belt using a robotic arm. Which statement best explains how actuators could be used in this part of the system?
Actuators convert electrical control signals into motion at the arm’s joints and gripper, moving the base into position and lifting/removing the box.
Sensors alone identify the tall boxes; no actuators are required for movement.
A database entry is updated to flag tall boxes while the conveyor continues unchanged.
A fan positioned beside the conveyor blows tall boxes off the line, avoiding mechanical motion.
The company manufactures and sells the boxes in the United Kingdom only, employs 175 people, and has made an annual profit of approximately £1 million for the last few years. Select all ways taxes could influence the operation of the company.
Corporation tax will be payable on profits, reducing retained earnings available for operations and investment.
Value Added Tax (VAT) on appropriate sales can affect selling price and demand, impacting revenue.
Taxes paid may reduce funds available for new tools and equipment, constraining reinvestment.
Ignoring taxes has no operational impact if profits are stable.
Specialist staff (e.g., accountant/finance manager) may be needed to manage tax liabilities and compliance.
An engineer is planning a maintenance project on a machine. To avoid unnecessary shutdown time, the maintenance must be completed within a strict timescale. The project will involve: shutting down the machine, servicing the machine, and repairing any faults discovered. The engineer has decided to use the project evaluation review technique (PERT) to plan the project. Which of the following are benefits of using PERT to plan this maintenance project? Select all that apply.
Provides an overview of activities, their sequencing and dependencies, distinguishing sequential from concurrent tasks.
Uses a clear node-and-arrow visual format that is hard to read.
Incorporates optimistic, pessimistic, and expected time estimates and complements critical path analysis to determine the shortest completion time.
Requires knowing all exact details of every activity before scheduling can begin.
Helps identify key milestones, bottlenecks, and resource availability such as tools and equipment.
The Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are two examples of engineering bodies. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of engineering bodies with regards to quality management in the manufacturing sector. Which actions by engineering bodies directly support quality management in the manufacturing sector? Select all that apply.
Setting, reviewing, updating and managing compliance with quality standards
Providing CPD, professional training and qualifications/certifications/accreditation
Publishing journals, articles, case studies and examples of best practice
Establishing networks for organisations and workers to share best practice and ideas
Issuing building permits for new facilities
The Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are two examples of engineering bodies. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of engineering bodies with regards to quality management in the manufacturing sector. What is a likely impact of engineering bodies issuing codes of conduct for behaviour?
Workers with the correct attitudes and behaviours are more likely to be better at their job, improving the outcomes they produce
It eliminates the need for any staff training
It reduces competition between companies by law
It guarantees zero manufacturing defects
The Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are two examples of engineering bodies. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of engineering bodies with regards to quality management in the manufacturing sector. Which statement describes a potential drawback of membership of engineering bodies for manufacturing companies?
Membership can be expensive, potentially taking funds away from other activities that may improve product quality
Membership is mandatory for every manufacturer by national law
Membership automatically shares all company data with competitors
Membership removes the need for internal quality audits
The Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are two examples of engineering bodies. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of engineering bodies with regards to quality management in the manufacturing sector. Why might some organisations be unwilling to share best practice in networks facilitated by engineering bodies?
Due to competition
Because most companies lack internet access
Because sharing is legally prohibited in all sectors
Because engineering bodies ban inter-company communication
The Engineering Council and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are two examples of engineering bodies. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of engineering bodies with regards to quality management in the manufacturing sector. What is the intended effect when engineering bodies set high expectations and requirements for quality and noncompliance is rectified?
Improve the quality of products produced by manufacturing companies
Increase production time only, with no quality change
Reduce employee skills requirements
Eliminate the need for accreditation or certification
An engineering company manufactures gears of varying types and sizes from different materials and is planning to introduce a programme of single minute exchange of dies (SMED) activities. Which statement best evaluates the benefits and limitations to the company of implementing SMED within their manufacturing operations?
SMED would reduce changeover times, improve efficiency, quality, flexibility and inventory use, but it also requires investment, worker retraining and careful management of potential health and safety risks during faster changeovers.
SMED would primarily increase downtime and overall costs, with little impact on changeover times, flexibility, or quality.
SMED would dramatically improve quality and reduce costs with no significant new training needs, risks, or implementation costs.
SMED would have no meaningful effect on setup times, inventory, or productivity because changeovers are unaffected by process improvements.
An engineering company produces electrical control systems that are fitted within protective plastic casings. Which actions illustrate how the 6Rs of sustainability could influence the design and manufacture of these products?
Rethinking the design so products are easy to disassemble and parts can be re-used for different products at end of life
Refusing to use unsustainable power supplies or non-recyclable components and materials
Reducing the number of discrete components by using a programmable device to allow for a smaller casing and less plastic
Building the use of recycled and reused materials and components into the design and manufacture
Repairing products that fail quality control where possible rather than scrapping and re-manufacturing from scratch
