Lesson T3.4.2

T3.4.2 Responsibilities of designers and engineers Quiz: KS3 Design & Technology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T3.4.2, Responsibilities of designers and engineers: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Design & Technology (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Evaluate, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is a key responsibility of a designer when creating a new product?

    • Ignoring feedback from users once the product has launched and is being sold in shops across the country
    • Choosing the cheapest materials available on the market, whatever the long-term effect may be on users
    • Making sure the product is safe for users and does not cause them any harm in normal use
    • Keeping every design decision secret from the public so that competitors have no way to copy the product

  2. What does sustainability mean in product design?

    • Making every product from brand-new raw materials so that each item looks unique to the buyer who purchases it
    • Designing products that are only sold in one country so that the stock and supply chain are easy to control
    • Designing products that can be used only once so that customers are encouraged to buy replacements very often
    • Designing products that meet today's needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs

  3. What is the purpose of a life cycle assessment of a product?

    • To estimate how many years a product will remain fashionable before a new model replaces it in the shops
    • To examine the environmental impact of a product from raw material extraction through to its final disposal
    • To compare the prices of the same product sold by different retailers across a single calendar year
    • To record how many workers are needed to make each separate part on the production line each day

  4. Which principle means designing a product so it can be taken apart and its parts reused or recycled at the end of its life?

    • Designing for mass production, so that the same parts can be made quickly by one large machine in one process
    • Designing for maximum shelf appeal, so that the product stands out visually among the other items on display
    • Designing for disassembly, so that parts can be separated and reused or recycled when the product is retired
    • Designing for low manufacturing skill, so that the product can be assembled by workers with little training

  5. What is meant by ethical sourcing of materials?

    • Purchasing materials in very large bulk quantities so that the factory can store them for a longer period
    • Obtaining materials in ways that respect workers' rights, local communities and the natural environment
    • Buying materials only from the cheapest supplier available in the market, whatever the conditions of production
    • Using only materials that have been tested and approved by the designer's own team before purchase

  6. Why do designers consult intended users and other interested groups when testing their ideas?

    • To reduce the total number of tests the design team has to carry out during the development stage
    • To find out whether the product meets real needs and is acceptable to the people who will actually use it
    • To persuade users to buy the finished product before a working prototype has actually been made by the team
    • To decide which member of the design team will receive the credit for the original idea in the final report

  7. What is a hazard in product design?

    • Something with the potential to cause harm to a person, such as a sharp edge or a short circuit
    • The total cost of making a product, including the wages that are paid to every worker in the factory
    • The weight of a finished product when it is compared with the weight of its protective packaging
    • The colour or pattern that is chosen to attract buyers when the product is on display in a shop window

  8. What is planned obsolescence?

    • Designing a product so that the owner can repair it easily at home with basic tools and standard spare parts
    • Deliberately designing a product to wear out or become outdated sooner so that people buy replacements
    • Testing a product's strength against a recognised safety standard before the product is allowed to be sold
    • Designing a product so that it can be adjusted to suit different users and different tasks during its life

  9. A toy designer chooses paint containing lead because it is cheap. Which responsibility does this decision break?

    • The duty to keep the product's packaging attractive to buyers so that it sells well in the shop
    • The duty to finish the product within the planned budget and the agreed timescale for launch
    • The duty to keep children safe from harmful substances in the products they play with and put in their mouths
    • The duty to include a printed warranty card with every single toy that is sold in the shop

  10. A phone charger overheats during testing. What should the designers do first?

    • Release the charger anyway and hope the problem does not affect many customers who buy it in the shops
    • Lower the price of the charger in order to offset the complaints that users are making about it online
    • Investigate the cause, redesign the faulty part and retest it against the safety specification before release
    • Remove the safety label from the packaging so that customers do not worry about the overheating

  11. A school wants a chair that lasts for many years and can be repaired. Which design approach best meets this need?

    • Using durable materials and joints that can be taken apart and replaced if they wear out over time
    • Making every part from one single piece so that there are no joints at all for inspection later
    • Covering the chair in a finish that hides scratches but cannot be cleaned without damaging the surface
    • Using the cheapest glue available so that the chair can be assembled quickly on the factory floor each day

  12. A bottle manufacturer switches from plastic to aluminium. Which factor should the designer weigh up?

    • The environmental impact of extracting, making and recycling each material over the whole life of the bottle
    • The price of the bottle cap compared with the price of the printed label on the same bottle
    • How many colours can be printed on the label of each bottle in a single production run at the factory
    • How quickly the bottles can be delivered to shops during the first week after the product launch

  13. Which action shows a designer taking account of the views of intended users?

    • Selling the product in shops before any users have seen a prototype or a working model of the design
    • Running a trial with future users and changing the design in response to their feedback and comments
    • Writing the final specification without speaking to anyone outside the design team at any point in the project
    • Choosing a bright colour for the product because the designer personally likes that colour the best

  14. A furniture company uses wood from forests that are not replanted. What is the main concern?

    • Wood is being used faster than forests can regrow, which damages the environment and future supply of timber
    • Wood needs too many screws to join, which slows down the assembly process on the factory floor
    • Wood is too heavy to transport by lorry, so shops cannot stock the furniture easily in their stores
    • Wood cannot be painted or varnished, so customers have no way to choose colours to match their homes

  15. A designer chooses between a rare metal and a common recycled plastic. Which factor best supports choosing the recycled plastic?

    • Rare metals are always cheaper to buy than recycled plastic in every country of the world at any time
    • Metals cannot be recycled at all, so they always produce more waste than plastic when thrown away
    • Plastic products are never damaged by heat or wear, so they never need to be tested in the lab
    • It reduces the need to mine scarce resources and cuts the energy needed to make new material from raw ingredients

  16. Why might a designer choose a modular design for a product?

    • So that the whole product must be thrown away if one small part becomes faulty during normal use
    • So that individual parts can be replaced or upgraded separately, which extends the useful life of the product
    • So that every part can be made by the same machine in a single continuous process at the factory
    • So that the product can only be repaired by the original manufacturer, which keeps repair costs high

  17. A designer adds a sensor that collects users' location data without telling them. Which responsibility is most clearly broken?

    • Respecting users' privacy and being open with them about the data that the product collects and why
    • Making the product available in as many different colours as possible to appeal to the widest group
    • Keeping the product's internal processor as small as possible so that it saves space inside the casing
    • Reducing the number of buttons so that the interface looks simple, modern and attractive to buyers

  18. Which trade-off is a designer most likely to face when balancing cost against sustainability?

    • A lower cost always means that fewer people will be harmed by the product while it is in use
    • Sustainable materials cannot be used in any product that is sold to the general public in shops
    • A cheaper material always lasts longer than a dearer one, so it is always the better choice for buyers
    • A more durable material may cost more at first but reduce replacements and waste over the life of the product

  19. Engineers designing a footbridge must consider many factors. Which is most directly a responsibility to the public?

    • Choosing a colour for the bridge that matches the buildings in the nearby town centre as closely as possible
    • Keeping the design drawings private so that rival firms cannot use similar methods on their own projects
    • Ensuring the structure is strong enough to carry expected loads and remains safe for everyone who uses it
    • Completing the bridge in the shortest possible time so that the contractor earns a larger fee overall

  20. Why is it important for designers to investigate new and emerging technologies?

    • To make sure the company can stop buying any materials that were used in older products made before
    • To replace every existing product with a newer model as quickly as possible each year in the market
    • To make sure older designs are never taught to students in schools and colleges across the country
    • To find better ways of meeting user needs and to understand how new products might affect society

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