Which architectural feature is associated especially with Gothic architecture?

• A. Flying buttresses and large stained-glass windows.
• B. Rounded arches and thick walls.
• C. Dome-supported vaults.
• D. Flying buttresses were used in both styles equally.

Answer: (D)

Gothic architecture is defined by height, light, and the structural solutions that make both possible. Flying buttresses are the external arches that transfer the weight and thrust of tall vaults away from the walls to external supports. This system allows walls to be thinner and taller and to be pierced by large windows filled with stained glass. That combination—external flying buttresses paired with expansive stained-glass windows—captures the Gothic move toward verticality and illumination.

Rounded arches and thick walls belong to Romanesque buildings, which emphasize heavy, solid mass over height. Dome-supported vaults are characteristic of other traditions, such as Byzantine or certain Renaissance contexts. The idea that flying buttresses were used equally in both styles doesn’t reflect Gothic architecture’s distinctive reliance on that feature.