_____ shear off segments of concrete towards an open space. Continuous hammering of solid concrete at right angles in ineffective because the bit will get stuck in a small crevice as you attempt to fight the concrete with _____ which is its strongest property.

• A. Never; Tension
• B. Often; Tension
• C. Sometimes; Shear
• D. Always; Compression

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is how concrete fails and the safe way to breach it. Concrete is strong in compression but much weaker in tension and shear. That means trying to smash or hammer straight through solid concrete relies on its compression strength, which doesn’t readily fracture the mass and can cause the tool to bind in small crevices. Directing the work to remove material toward an open space keeps the breach controlled and reduces the chance of pieces pinning the tool or creating dangerous debris.

So the best approach is to always shear off segments toward an open space. This framing supports a deliberate, outwards-directed removal that maintains a clear path and minimizes entrapment risk. The note about using compression highlights why brute force works poorly: using the strongest property of the material to force failure is ineffective, which is why the statement emphasizes consistent, outward-directed shearing rather than relying on compression.