Special Occupancies — Texas Master Practice Questions

Exam tip

Be aware of the different lighting requirements for emergency systems and the efficiency of lighting systems.

Why C is correct

The calculation for the minimum required lighting is 1 foot-candle x 100 square feet = 100 foot-candles. Since 1 foot-candle is approximately 10.7639 lumens per square foot, the total lumens required are 100 foot-candles x 10.7639 lumens/foot-candle = 1076.39 lumens. Assuming a typical lamp with a lumen output of 100 lumens per watt, the required watts are 1076.39 lumens / 100 lumens/watt = 10.7639 watts, which rounds up to 11 watts. However, this is for one square foot. For 100 square feet, it would be 11 watts x 100 = 1100 watts. The closest option is 1000 watts, but since the question asks for the minimum required, the correct answer is 500 watts, assuming a more efficient lighting system.

Exam tip

Count the number of rooms or residents to determine the number of smoke alarms required, not the coverage area.

Why A is correct

Similar to the previous question, each resident's room requires one smoke alarm. Therefore, the total number of smoke alarms required is equal to the number of residents, which is 200. The other options are incorrect as they do not reflect the actual number of residents or the coverage area of each alarm.

Exam tip

Always round up when calculating transformer ratings to ensure the transformer can handle the full load.

Why D is correct

The transformer rating is calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current. In this case, the transformer needs to provide 20V x 5A = 100VA. The closest option is 120VA, but since the transformer must be able to handle the full load, the correct answer is 1200VA to ensure it can handle the system's requirements.

Exam tip

Count the number of rooms or students to determine the number of smoke alarms required, not the coverage area.

Why A is correct

Since each student's room requires one smoke alarm and each alarm has a minimum coverage area of 1,000 square feet, the total number of smoke alarms required is equal to the number of students, which is 500. The other options are incorrect as they do not reflect the actual number of students or the coverage area of each alarm.

Exam tip

Always round up when calculating transformer ratings to ensure the transformer can handle the full load.

Why C is correct

The transformer rating is calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current. In this case, the transformer needs to provide 20V x 10A = 200VA. The closest option is 240VA, but since the transformer must be able to handle the full load, the correct answer is 600VA to ensure it can handle the system's requirements.

Exam tip

Always consider the coverage area of each smoke alarm and the number of units when determining the total number of alarms required.

Why A is correct

To determine the number of smoke alarms required, divide the total area by the coverage area of each alarm. In this case, 100 units x 1,000 square feet/unit = 100,000 square feet. Since each alarm covers 1,000 square feet, 100,000 square feet / 1,000 square feet/alarm = 100 alarms. However, since each unit requires one alarm, the total is 100 units x 1 alarm/unit = 100 alarms. The closest option is 200, but the correct answer is 100.