Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Theory of Architecture Sample Questionnaire

1. A form or space may dominate an architectural composition by being significantly different

in size from all the other elements in the composition. Normally, this dominance is made

visible by the sheer size of an element. In some cases, an element can dominate by being

significantly smaller than the other elements in the organization, but placed in a well-

defined setting. What is this type of hierarchy?

a. Hierarchy by Shape

b. Hierarchy by Size

c. Hierarchy by Placement

d. Hierarchy by Role

2. A line established by two points in space, about which forms and spaces can be arranged

in a symmetrical or balanced manner.

a. Symmetry

b. Space

c. Datum

d. Axis

3. What do you call the traditional Japanese unit of measure, the shaku, was originally

imported from China? It is almost equivalent to the English foot and divisible into decimal

units.

a. Ken

b. Tatami

c. Tokonoma

d. Zen

4. Paths may be related to the spaces they link in the following ways, except?

a. Relationship between Spaces

b. Pass by Spaces

c. Pass through Spaces

d. Terminate in a Space

5. A form can be transformed by altering one or more of its dimensions and still retain its

identity as a member of a family of forms. A cube, for example, can be transformed into

similar prismatic forms through discrete changes in height, width, or length. It can be

compressed into a planar form or be stretched out into a linear one. What is this type of

transformation?

a. Repititive

b. Dimensional

c. Subtractive

d. Additive

6. This type of relationship requires that the two forms have corresponding planar surfaces

which are parallel to each other.

a. Spatial Tension

b. Edge-to-Edge Contact

c. Face-to-Face Contact

d. Interlocking Volumes

7. This refers to the manner in which the surfaces of a form come together to define its shape

and volume.

a. Edges and Corners

b. Articulated form

c. Transformation of Form

d. Cumulative Composition

8. A horizontal plane depressed into the ground plane utilizes the vertical surfaces of the

lowered area to define a volume of space.

a. Elevated Base Plane

b. Base Plane

c. Overhead Plane

Page 2 of 6
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Department of Architecture

d. Depressed Base Plane

9. Identify the following type of opening at corners. Shown in

Figure 1.

a. Turning a corner

b. Along one edge

c. Grouped
Figure 1

d. Skylight

10. This type of relationship shows two spaces that may rely on an intermediary space for their

relationship.

a. Spaces Linked by a Common Space

b. Adjacent Spaces

c. Interlocking Spaces

d. Space within a Space

11. A ________________ leads directly to the entrance of a building along a straight, axial

path. The visual goal that terminates the approach is clear; it may be the entire front facade

of a building or an elaborated entrance within the plane.

a. Oblique Approach

b. Frontal approach

c. Spiral Approach

d. Direct Approach

12. The following are Theories of Perception except:

a. Ergonomics

b. Golden Section

c. Classical orders

d. Renaissance theories

13. A rectangle whose sides are proportioned according to the Golden Section is known as a

________________.

Page 3 of 6
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Department of Architecture

a. Modulor

b. Euclidean

c. Pythagorean Theorem

d. Golden Rectangle

14. This refers to any movement characterized by a patterned recurrence of elements or motifs

at regular or irregular intervals.

a. Repetition

b. Rhythm

c. Principle

d. Transformation

15. A _____ refers to a line, plane, or volume of reference to which other elements in a

composition can relate. It organizes a random pattern of elements through its regularity,

continuity, and constant presence.

a. Datum

b. Axis

c. Line

d. Volume

16. The ___________ of a line affects its role in a visual construction. While a vertical line can

express a state of equilibrium with the force of gravity, symbolize the human condition, or

mark a position in space, a horizontal line can represent stability, the ground plane, the

horizon, or a body at rest.

a. Transformation

b. Repetition

c. Visual Inertia

d. Orientation

17. A plane extended in a direction other than its intrinsic direction becomes a what?

Conceptually, it has three dimensions: length, width, and height.

Page 4 of 6
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Department of Architecture

a. Form

b. Volume

c. Mass

d. Edge

18. It is a centralized, introverted figure that is normally stable and self-centering in its

environment.

a. Rectangle

b. Rhombus

c. Square

d. Circle

19. A solid generated by the revolution of a semicircle about its diameter, whose surface is at

all points equidistant from the center.

a. Sphere

b. Cylinder

c. Cone

d. Pyramid

20. The Unite d’Habitation by Le Corbusier is of what type of transformation of form?

a. Additive

b. Subtractive

c. Dimensional

d. Proportional

References
Ching, F. D. (2012). A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.
Ching, F. D. (2015). Architecture: form, space, & order (4th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley
& Sons, Inc.

Page 5 of 6
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Architecture, Design, and the Built Environment
Department of Architecture

Prepared by:

John Paul C. Macatdon

Page 6 of 6