🔍 Key Concepts

• Load path in ship structures – how weight on deck is carried down through structural members • Difference between beams, frames, stringers, and plates in a vessel’s structure • Which member is the primary support directly beneath the deck beams on a MODU or ship

💭 Think About

• Visualize a cross‑section of a ship or MODU: if you stand on the deck, where does your weight go next after the deck plating and deck beams? • Ask yourself which option names the main transverse structural members that shape and support the hull, rather than members that only stiffen or cover surfaces. • Consider which choice represents a full structural ‘rib’ instead of a flat surface or a longitudinal stiffener.

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on the function of deck beams (they span across the ship and must rest on something more substantial). • Verify which of the four options normally forms the transverse ribs of the hull in standard ship terminology. • Eliminate any answers that are primarily stiffeners running fore‑and‑aft or thin coverings rather than main supporting members.