A means of egress consists of three distinct components.

• A. exit, exit access, and enclosed hallway.
• B. exit access, exit, and exit discharge.
• C. exit discharge, passageway, and ramp.
• D. escalator, fire escape, and stairs.

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is that a means of egress is made up of three distinct segments that carry you from inside a building to the outside. The best answer identifies those three parts: exit access, the exit, and exit discharge. Exit access is the portion that leads from the occupied space to the entrance of the exit. The exit is the protected, typically fire-resistance-rated part that provides safe travel to the outside. Exit discharge is the segment from the end of the exit to the exterior or to a safe area just outside the building.

The other options mix in components that aren’t the formal three parts of means of egress. A hallway isn’t a separate segment on its own; it’s part of the path within exit access or the exit. Features like passageways or ramps appear within the segments but don’t constitute the three-part framework themselves. Escalators or fire escapes aren’t the defined trio of components used to describe means of egress.