What type of valves can be opened or closed by rotating a handle a quarter turn?

The correct choice is a type of valve that is commonly designed to offer quick operation. When you rotate the handle a quarter turn, you are typically engaging or disengaging a mechanism that allows for the rapid opening or closing of the valve. In this case, butterfly valves and ball valves are both known for this feature.

Butterfly valves consist of a disc that pivots around a central axis, and by turning the handle a quarter turn, the disc either allows fluid to flow through or shuts off the flow completely. This design is effective for controlling flow because it provides a good seal when closed and can handle large volumes of fluid quickly.

While ball valves also operate on the same principle of a quarter-turn action, the prompt specifically points to butterfly valves as the answer. However, it’s noteworthy that gate valves, on the other hand, do not operate with a quarter-turn but instead require multiple turns of the handle to either lift or drop the gate, which is more cumbersome. Check valves, as a different mechanism, rely on the flow of fluid to open or close and do not have a handle for manual operation.