GPWS warnings are categorized as soft or hard depending on which factors?

• A. Seriousness of the situation and speed of the required corrective action
• B. Altitude and airspeed
• C. Weather and wind
• D. Aircraft weight and configuration

Answer: (A)

GPWS alerts are all about urgency: how serious the threat is and how quickly you must act to avoid it. A soft warning signals a lower level of immediacy—there’s time to assess and plan a corrective action without rushing. A hard warning signals an imminent danger and calls for immediate, decisive action to prevent a collision or other serious outcome. This staging helps you prioritize quickly under pressure and apply the right level of response.

Alt, airspeed, weather, wind, and aircraft weight or configuration affect how the aircraft behaves and what might trigger a warning, but they don’t determine the soft versus hard categorization. That categorization is specifically about the urgency of the required action.