Compressive failure occurs when the weight of the building’s dead and live loads exceeds which of the following?

• A. Elastic rebound
• B. Shear failure
• C. Compressive failure
• D. Torsion

Answer: (C)

When loads push on a structure, the critical factor is how much compression the material can safely bear. Compressive failure occurs when the combined dead and live loads create compressive stress that exceeds the material’s compressive strength (its crushing or bearing capacity). At that point the member crushes or buckles, leading to failure. So the option describing failure caused by excessive compression best fits. The other possibilities describe different failure modes: elastic rebound is about reversible deformation after unloading, shear failure involves sliding along a plane under shear stress, and torsion is twisting from applied moments.