Question

Shown below on the left are two views of a bent wire. Which option is the top view of the wire? 

• A. A
• B. B
• C. C
• D. D

Hint:

For problems involving 3D objects, carefully visualize the transformation from one view to another and cross-check each option to match the given perspectives.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The front and side views both show the same bent wire stepping down in a staircase where each segment is shorter than the one before it.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Tracing a three-dimensional staircase of shrinking, right-angled bends from directly above produces a nested pattern of progressively smaller shapes turning in the same direction, not a spiral of even-sized loops or crossing lines.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Option B's turns stay roughly the same size as they spiral inward, which does not match a shrinking staircase. Option C introduces a diagonal that the strictly right-angled front and side views do not support. Option D shows paths crossing rather than nesting neatly inside one another. Option A shows exactly the shrinking, nested shape that tracing the staircase from above should produce.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Option A is the correct top view of the bent wire.

Answer 2

Counting the number of bends shown in the front view and the side view, and comparing that count with the number of corners in each option's top view, gives another way to check the options without needing to fully visualise the wire in three dimensions.

1. Option A: The number of nested corners here matches the number of bends counted in the front and side views.
2. Option B: The square spiral has extra turns beyond the number of bends actually shown in the front and side views.
3. Option C: The diagonal cut adds a bend type that is not present in either the front or side view.
4. Option D: The crossing paths effectively add extra corners beyond what the bend count from the front and side views supports.

Matching the bend count confirms option A as the top view consistent with both given views.

So the correct answer is Option A.