You are lifting a one-ton weight with a swinging boom. When comparing the stresses on the rig with the boom at 20° to the horizontal to the stresses when the boom is at 60° to the horizontal, which statement is TRUE?

Correct Answer: Option D — The thrust on the boom is greater at 60°.

Compressive thrust along the longitudinal axis of a cargo boom increases significantly as the boom is raised toward the vertical (60° compared to 20°). At steeper angles, a greater vector of the suspended load acts directly downward along the boom length, maximizing the axial compression thrust.