Which glass is hardened glass designed to shatter into small pieces?

• A. Plastic-coated
• B. Tempered
• C. Shock-resistant
• D. Laminated

Answer: (B)

Tempered glass is heat-treated to create strong surface compression, so it becomes much tougher than ordinary glass. When it fails, it does so in a controlled way, breaking into many small, dull fragments rather than sharp, dangerous shards. This safety design is why tempered glass is used where people might come into contact with glass, like doors and shower enclosures. Other glass types behave differently: laminated glass holds shards together with an interlayer, so it doesn’t spill into small pieces; shock-resistant glass is engineered to resist breaking rather than fragmenting; plastic-coated glass relies on the coating for safety, not the same small-piece breakage behavior.