Which term means a material that breaks into sharp shards when broken?

• A. Tough
• B. Ductile
• C. Flexible
• D. Brittle

Answer: (D)

This question is about how materials fail when stressed, specifically fracture behavior. When a material breaks into sharp shards with little or no plastic deformation, it’s exhibiting brittle fracture. Brittle materials crack and shatter suddenly because their internal structure doesn’t allow much permanent shape change before failure; cracks propagate quickly, producing those sharp fragments. Glass and ceramics are classic examples. By contrast, ductile materials deform a lot before breaking, bending or necking as they absorb energy. Flexible describes the ability to bend rather than crack, which isn’t the same as breaking into shards. So the term that means a material breaks into sharp shards is brittle.