November 2024 CE Board Exam Refresher PDF

# REVIEW INNOVATIONS ## NOVEMBER 2024 CE BOARD EXAM REFRESHER ### INTRODUCTION TO SOIL MECHANICS 1. Dispersed type of soil structure is an arrangement comprising particles having - Face to face or parallel orientation - Edge to edge orientation - Edge to face orientation - All...

# REVIEW INNOVATIONS ## NOVEMBER 2024 CE BOARD EXAM REFRESHER ### INTRODUCTION TO SOIL MECHANICS 1. Dispersed type of soil structure is an arrangement comprising particles having - Face to face or parallel orientation - Edge to edge orientation - Edge to face orientation - All of the above 2. The soil moisture driven off by heat, is called - Free water - Hydroscopic water - Gravity water - None of these 3. Residual soils are formed by - Glaciers - Wind - Water - None of the above 4. "Talus" is the soil transported by - Wind - Water - Glacier - Gravitational force 5. Chemical weathering of soil is caused due to - Oxidation - Carbonation - Hydration - All the above 6. Which of the following types of soil is transported by gravitational forces? - Loess - Talus - Drift - Dune sand 7. Geologic cycle for the formation of soil, is - Upheaval → Deposition → Weathering - Weathering → Transportation → Upheaval → Deposition - Transportation → Transportation → Upheaval → Deposition - Weathering → Deposition → Upheaval → Transportation 8. The inventor of the term soil mechanics, was - Kayro Policarpio - Dr. Karl Terzaghi - Leygue - Fellenius 9. Water formed transported soil is - Alluvial - Marine - Lacustrine - Loess ### GEO COMPILATION OF TERMS 10. "Drift" is the material picked up, mixed, disintegrated, transported and redeposited by - Wind - Gravitational force - Glaciated water - All the above 11. "Loess" is silty clay formed by the action of - Water - Glacier - Wind - Gravitational force 12. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The rise of the ground surface due to frost action is called frost heave - The freezing of water is accompanied by a volume increase of 9% - Below freezing point, higher soil suction develops - All the above 13. Transporting and re-depositing soils, is done by - Water - Glacier - Gravity - All the above 14. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - Soil is the substance existing on the earth's surface, which grows and develops plants - Soil is the material in a relatively thin surface zone within which roots occur, and rest of the crust is termed as rock irrespective of hardness - Soil is the unaggregated and un cemented deposits of minerals and organic particles covering the earth's crust - All the above # NOVEMBER 2024 CE BOARD EXAM REFRESHER ### PROPERTIES OF SOIL 15. Buoyant unit weight equals the saturated density - Multiplied by unit weight of water - Divided by unit weight of water - Plus unit weight of water - Minus unit weight of water 16. You are given a sample of soil containing coarse grains to determine its water content, you will use - Pycnometer - Oven-drying method - Calcium carbide method - Alcohol method 17. Select the correct statement. - Unit weight of dry soil is greater than unit weight of wet soil - For dry soils, dry unit weight is less than total unit weight - Unit weight of soil increases due to submergence in water - Unit weight of soil decreases due to submergence in water 18. Fundamental relationship between dry density (γd), bulk density (γ) and water content (ω), is: - γ = γd/(1 + ω) - γd = γ / (1 + ω) - ω = γ / (1 + γd) - ω = γ / (1 - γd) 19. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The void ratio in soils is defined as the ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of solids - The bulk density of a soil is defined as weight of solids to the total volume of the soil - The dry density of a soil is defined as weight of solids to the total volume of the soil - All the above 20. If the water content of a fully saturated soil mass is 100%, then the voids ratio of the sample is - Less than specific gravity of soil - Equal to specific gravity of soil - Greater than specific gravity of soil - Independent of specific gravity of soil 21. When the seepage pressure becomes equal to the pressure due to submerged weight of a soil, the effective pressure is reduced to zero and the soil particles have a tendency to move up in the direction of flow. This phenomenon is generally known - Quick condition - Boiling condition - Quick sand - All the above 22. Which of the following methods is most accurate for the determination of the water content of soil? - Oven drying method - Sand bath method - Calcium carbide method - Pycnometer method 23. Fundamental relationship between dry density (γd), specific gravity (G), water content (ω) and percentage of air voids (na) is: - γd=(1-na) Gγω/(1+ωG) - γd=(1+na) Gγω/(1+ωG) - γd=(1+na) Gγω/(1-ωG) - γd=(1-na) Gγω/(1-ωG) 24. The ratio of the weight of water to the weight of solids in a given mass of soil, is known - Porosity - Specific gravity - Void ratio - Water content 25. If "G" is specific gravity of sand particles, "e" is void, the critical hydraulic gradient is - ic (G + 1)/(1 - e) - ic (G + 1)/(1 + e) - ic = (G - 1)/(1 + e) - ic (G - 1)/(1 - e) 26. The weight of a container is W₁ and that of container with soil sample, is W₂. If the weight of the container and oven dried soil sample is W₃, the moisture content of the soil is - [(W₂ - W₃)/(W₃-W₁)] × 100 - [(W₃ - W₂)/(W₁-W₂)] × 100 - [(W₁ - W₂)/(W₂ - W₃)] × 100 - [(W₂ - W₁)/(W₁-W₃)] × 100 27. Water content of soil can - Never be greater than 100% - Take values only from 0% to 100% - Be less than 0% - Be greater than 100% 28. If the voids of a soil mass are full of air only, the soil is termed as - Air entrained soil - Partially saturated soil - Dry soil - Dehydrated soil 29. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The void space between the soil grains, is filled partly with air and partly with water - In perfectly saturated soil, the voids are completely filled with water - In dry soil, the voids are completely filled with air - All the above 30. If the bulk density "p" of the soil is and water content "ω", then dry density of the soil, is - 1+ (ω/ρ) - (1+ρ)/ω - ρ/ (1+ω) - ω/(1+p) 31. When the degree of saturation is zero, the soil mass under consideration represents - One phase system - Two phase system with soil and air - Two phase system with soil and water - Three phase system 32. For proper field control, which of the following methods is best suited for quick determination of water content of a soil mass? - Oven drying method - Sand bath method - Alcohol method - Calcium carbide method 33. The water content of soil is defined as the ratio of - Volume of water to volume of given soil - Volume of water to volume of voids in soil - Weight of water to weight of air in voids - Weight of water to weight of solids of given mass of soil 34. The ratio of the volume of water present in a given soil mass to the total volume of its voids, is known - Porosity - Void ratio - Percentage voids - Degree of saturation 35. The ratio of the volume of voids to the total volume of the given soil mass, is known - Porosity - Specific gravity - Void ratio - Water content 36. A fully saturated soil is said to be - One phase system - Two phase system with soil and air - Two phase system with soil and water - Three phase system 37. A pycnometer is used to determine - Voids ratio - Dry density - Water content - Density index 38. The specific yield of soil depends upon - Compaction of stratum - Distribution of pores - Shape and size of particles - All the above 39. Sedimentation analysis is based on the assumption: - Soil particles are spherical - Particles settle independent of other particles - Walls of the jar do not affect the settlement - All the above 40. A pycnometer is used to determine - Water content and voids ratio - Specific gravity and dry density - Water content and specific gravity - Voids ratio and dry density 41. Valid range for S, the degree of saturation of soil in percentage is - S > 0 - S < 0 - 0 < S < 100 - 0 ≤ S ≤ 100 42. The ratio of volume of voids to the total volume of soil mass is called - Air content - Porosity - Percentage air voids - Voids ratio 43. The ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of soil solids in a given soil mass, is known - Porosity - Specific gravity - Void ratio - Water content 44. The hydrometer method of sedimentation analysis differs from the pipette analysis mainly in - The principle of test - The method of taking observations - The method of preparation of soil suspension - All of the above 45. The ratio of the weight of given volume of soil solids to the weight of an equal volume of distilled water at the given temperature, is known - Porosity - Specific gravity - Void ratio - Water content 46. A partially saturated soil is classified as - One phase soil - Two phase soil - Three phase soil - Four phase soil 47. The general relationship between specific gravity (G), weight of water (Yw), degree of saturation (S), void ratio (e) and bulk density (γ), is - γ = (S*e*S) Yw / (1 + e) - γ = (G + e*S) Yw / (1 + e) - γ = (1 + e) Yw / (G + S) - γ = (1*S)e / (G + S) 48. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - In hydrometer method, weight Wa per ml of suspension is found directly - In pipette analysis, weight Wa per ml of suspension is found indirectly - In pipette analysis, weight Wa per ml of suspension is found directly - None of these 49. Valid range for n, the percentage voids, is - 0 < n < 100 - 0 ≤ n ≤ 100 - n > 0 - n < 0 50. Voids ratio of a soil mass can - Never be greater than unity - Be zero - Take any value greater than zero - Take values between 0 and 1 only 51. The relationship between void ratio (e) and porosity ratio (n) is: - n=(1+e)/(1-e) - e=(1+n)/(1-e) - n=e/(1-e) - e=n/(1-n) 52. W is the weight of soil having a moisture content ω. If V is the volume of proctor's mould, the dry density of the soil is - WV / (1+ω) - V/W (1+ω) - W/V (1+ω) - V (1+ω)/W 53. The specific gravity of quartz, is - 2.65 - 2.72 - 2.85 - 2.90 54. In hydrometer analysis for a soil mass, - Both meniscus correction and dispersing agent correction are additive - Both meniscus correction and dispersing agent correction are subtractive - Meniscus correction is additive and dispersing agent correction is subtractive - Meniscus correction is subtractive and dispersing agent correction is additive 55. The fundamental equation of specific gravity (G), dry density (γd), unit weight of water (Yw) and void ratio (e), is - e = Gyw/(1 + γd) - G = γdYw/(1 + e) - γd = Gyw/(1 + e) - Yw = Gγd/(1 + e) 56. Accurate determination of water content, is made by - Calcium carbide method - Sand bath method - Alcohol method - Oven-drying method 57. A fundamental equation of void ratio (e), specific gravity (G), water content (ω) and degree of saturation (S) is - e = G/S - ω = eG/S - G*e*ω/S - S*e*ω/G 58. Water content of a soil sample is the difference of the weight of the given sample at the given temperature and the weight determined after drying it for 24 hours at temperature ranging from - 80° to 90°C - 90° to 95°C - 103° to 105°C - 105° to 110°C 59. Determination of water content of a soil sample suspected to contain gypsum is made by drying the sample for longer period at a temperature not more than - 60°C - 80°C - 100°C - 110°C 60. The specific gravity of sands, is approximately - 1.6 - 2.0 - 2.2 - 2.6 # NOVEMBER 2024 CE BOARD EXAM REFRESHER ### COMPACTION 61. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The dry density reduces by addition of water after attaining optimum moisture content - The line joining the peak of three moisture content graphs obtained by using three compactive energies, is called line of optimum - Well graded coarse grained soils can be compacted to a very high density as compared to fine grained soils - All the above 62. Hydrometer readings are corrected for: - Temperature correction - Meniscus correction - Dispersing agent correction - Temperature, meniscus and dispersing agent corrections 63. With the increase in the amount of compaction energy - Optimum water content increases but maximum dry density decreases - Optimum water content decreases but maximum dry density increases - Both optimum water content and maximum dry density increase - Both optimum water content and maximum dry density decrease 64. The density of soil can be increased - By reducing the space occupied by air - By elastic compression of soil grains - By expelling water from pores - All the above 65. Select the correct statement. - A uniform soil has more strength and stability than a nonuniform soil - A uniform soil has less strength and stability than a nonuniform soil - Uniformity coefficient does not affect strength and stability - Uniformity coefficient of a poorly graded soil is more than that of a well graded soil 66. Select the correct range of density index, ID - ID > 0 - ID < 0 - 0 < ID < 1 - 0 ≤ ID ≤ 1 67. The ratio of emax and emin of silty sand, is - 2.0 - 2.5 - 3.0 - 3.5 68. Which of the following statements is correct? - Uniformity coefficient represents the shape of the particle size distribution curve. - For a well graded soil, both uniformity coefficient and coefficient of curvature are nearly unity. - A soil is said to be well graded if it has most of the particles of about the same size - None of the above 69. The ratio of the difference between the void ratio of the soil in its loosest state and its natural void ratio (e) to the difference between the void ratios in the loosest and fully dense state, is generally termed as - Degree of density - Relativity - Density index - All the above 70. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - A maximum value of dry density is obtained at optimum water content - At low value of water content most soils tend to be stiff - At high water content, the dry density decreases with an increase of water content - All the above 71. Compression of soil occurs rapidly if voids are filled with - Air - Water - Partly with air and partly with water - None of these 72. For better strength and stability, the fine grained soils and coarse grained soils are compacted respectively as - Dry of OMC and wet of OMC - Wet of OMC and dry of OMC - Wet of OMC and wet of OMC - Dry of OMC and dry of OMC (OMC is optimum moisture content) 73. Which of the following is a measure of particle size range? - Effective size - Uniformity coefficient - Coefficient of curvature - None of the above 74. The maximum dry density up to which any soil can be compacted depends upon - Moisture content only - Amount of compaction energy only - Both moisture content and amount of compaction energy - None of the above 75. Pick up the incorrect statement from the following:: - Compaction has no effect on the structure of a soil - Permeability decreases with increase in the dry density of a compacted soil - A wet side compacted soil is more compressible than a dry side compacted soil - Dry side compaction soils swell more when given access to moisture 76. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - OMC refers to the moisture corresponding to the maximum point on the moisture content dry density curve - The line which shows moisture content dry density relation for soil containing a constant percentage of air voids, is known as air void line - The free fall of hammer for compaction is 30.5 cm - All the above 77. If the sand in-situ is in its densest state, then the relative density of sand is - Zero - 1 - Between 0 and 1 - Greater than 1 78. The factor which affects the compaction, is - Moisture content - Compacting content - Method of compaction - All the above 79. The effective size of particles of soil is denoted by - D₁₀ - D₂₀ - D₃₀ - D₆₀ 80. Uniformity coefficient of a soil is - Always less than 1 - Always equal to 1 - Equal to or less than 1 - Equal to or greater than 1 81. Relative density of a compacted dense sand is approximately equal to - 0.4 - 0.6 - 0.95 - 1.20 82. Coarse grained soils are best compacted by a - Drum roller - Rubber tyred roller - Sheep's foot roller - Vibratory roller 83. The coefficient of curvature for a well graded soil, must be between - 0.5 to 1.0 - 1.0 to 3.0 - 3.0 to 4.0 - 4.0 to 5.0 84. The coefficient of curvature is defined - D₆₀/D₁₀ - D₁₀/D₆₀ - D₃₀²/D₆₀D₁₀ - D₁₀²/D₃₀D₆₀ 85. If the material of the base of the Casagrande liquid limit device on which the cup containing soil paste drops is softer than the standard hard rubber, then: - The liquid limit of soil always increases - The liquid limit of soil always decreases - The liquid limit of soil may increase - The liquid limit of soil may decrease 86. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The range of water content between the liquid limit and plastic limit is called plasticity index - The ratio of the liquid limit minus the natural water content to the plasticity index of soils, is called consistency index - The ratio of natural water content minus its plastic limit to its plasticity index is called liquidity index - All the above 87. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - In soils, the flow index indicates variation in shear strength with water content - Liquid limit minus plastic limit, is known as plasticity index of the soil - Plastic limit minus shrinkage limit, is known as shrinkage index of the soil - All the above 88. The property of a soil which allows it to be deformed rapidly without rupture, elastic rebound and also a volume change, is known - Porosity - Plasticity - Permeability - Ductility 89. Plasticity index is defined as the range of water content between - Liquid and plastic limit - Plastic limit and semi solid limit - Semi-solid limit and liquid limit - Liquid limit and solid limit 90. The admixture of coarser particles like sand or silt to clay causes - Decrease in liquid limit and increase in plasticity index - Decrease in liquid limit and no change in plasticity index - Decrease in both liquid limit and plasticity index - Increase in both liquid limit and plasticity index 91. The water content in a soil sample when it continues to loose weight without loosing the volume, is called - Shrinkage limit - Plastic limit - Liquid limit - Semi-solid limit 92. Pick up the incorrect definition from the following: - Ratio of the compressive strength of unconfined undisturbed soil to that of remoulded soil, is known as the sensitivity of the soil sample - The rotation of soil particles into stable state while remoulding, is known as the thiostropy of soil - The water content at which a soil flows, is known plastic limit of the soil - None of these 93. If the natural water content of soil mass lies between its liquid limit and plastic limit, the soil mass is said to be in - Liquid state - Plastic state - Semisolid state - Solid state 94. The plasticity of fine soils may be assessed by means of - Dry strength test - Toughness test - Dilatancy test - All of these 95. The water content of soil, which represents the boundary between plastic state and liquid state, is known as - Liquid limit - Plastic limit - Shrinkage limit - Plasticity index 96. The consistency index of a soil is defined as the ratio of - Liquid limit plus the natural water content to the plasticity index of the soil - Liquid limit minus the natural water content to the plasticity index of the soil - Natural water content of a soil minus plastic limit to the plasticity index of the soil - Natural water content of a soil plus its plastic limit to the plasticity index of the soil 97. When the plastic limit of a soil is greater than the liquid limit, then the plasticity index is reported as - Negative - Zero - Non-plastic (NP) - 1 98. Inorganic soils with low compressibility are represented by - MH - SL - ML - CH 99. The minimum water content at which the soil just begins to crumble when rolled into threads 3 mm in diameter, is known - Liquid limit - Plastic limit - Shrinkage limit - Permeability limit 100. The minimum water content at which the soil retains its liquid state and also possesses a small shearing strength against flowing, is known - Liquid limit - Plastic limit - Shrinkage limit - Permeability limit 101. A decrease in water content results in a reduction of the volume of a soil in - Liquid state - Plastic state - Semi solid state - All of these 102. Toughness index is defined as the ratio of - Plasticity index to consistency index - Plasticity index to flow index - Liquidity index to flow index - Consistency index to liquidity index 103. The maximum water content at which a reduction in water content does not cause a decrease in volume of a soil mass, is known - Liquid limit - Plastic limit - Shrinkage limit - Permeability limit 104. If the plasticity index of a soil mass is zero, the soil is - Sand - Silt - Clay - Clayey silt 105. According to Atterberg, the soil is said to be of medium plasticity if the plasticity index PI is - 0 < PI < 7 - 7 < PI < 17 - 17 < PI < 27 - PI ≥ 27 106. Which of the following soils has more plasticity index? - Sand - Silt - Clay - Gravel # NOVEMBER 2024 CE BOARD EXAM REFRESHER ### CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL 110. For general engineering purposes, soils are classified by - Particle size classification system - Textural classification system - AASHTO soil classification system - Unified soil classification system 111. Soils containing organic matters - Are of spongy nature - Swell with decrease of moisture - Shrink with increase of moisture content - None of these 112. Soil classification of composite soils, exclusively based on the particle size distribution, is known - Particle classification - Textural classification - AASHTO classification - Unified soil classification 113. Maximum size of clay particles is: - 0.002 mm - 0.04 mm - 0.06 mm - 0.08 mm 114. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The object of classifying soils is to arrange them into groups according to their properties and behaviour - A soil classification system is meant to provide an accepted and systematic method of describing the various types of soils eliminating personal factors - The first category of soil classification is based on grain size of the soil - All the above 115. The soil which contains finest grain particles, is - Coarse sand - Fine sand - Silt - Clay 116. Minimum size of the particles of silt soil, is - 0.002 mm - 0.04 mm - 0.06 mm - 0.08 mm 117. AASHTO classification of soils is based on - Particle size composition - Plasticity characteristics - Both particle size composition and plasticity characteristics - None of the above ### GEO COMPILATION OF TERMS ### FLOW OF WATER THRU SOIL 118. The average coefficient of permeability of natural deposits is - Parallel to stratification is always greater than that perpendicular to stratification - Parallel to stratification is always less than that perpendicular to stratification - Is always same in both directions - Parallel to stratification may or may not be greater than that perpendicular to stratification 119. Physical properties of a permeant which influence permeability are - Viscosity only - Unit weight only - Both viscosity and unit weight - None of the above 120. Coefficient of permeability of soil - Does not depend upon temperature - Increases with the increase in temperature - Increases with the decrease in temperature - None of the above 121. During seepage through a soil, direction of seepage is always - Parallel to equipotential lines - Perpendicular to stream lines - Perpendicular to equipotential lines - None of these 122. The seepage force in a soil, is - Perpendicular to the equipotential lines - Proportional to the exit gradient - Proportional to the head loss - All the above 123. Stoke's law is valid only if the size of particle is - Less than 0.0002 mm - Greater than 0.2 mm - Between 0.2 mm and 0.0002 mm - All of the above 124. Pick up the correct statement from the following: - The permeability of the coarse-grained soils may be reduced by grouting - The process of injecting fluids (i.e. grouts) into the pores space of the soil is called grouting - The grouting increases the soil strength - All the above 125. Select the correct statement. - The greater the viscosity, the greater is permeability - The greater the unit weight, the greater is permeability - The greater the unit weight, the smaller is permeability - Unit weight does not affect permeability - 126. The quantity of seepage of water through soils is proportional to - Coefficient of permeability of soil - Total head loss through the soil - Neither A nor B - Both A and B 127. The critical exist gradient of seepage water in soils, increases with - An increase in specific gravity - A decrease in specific gravity - A decrease in void ratio - Both A and C 128. Stoke's law states that the velocity at which a grain settles out of suspension, the other factors remaining constant, is dependent upon - Shape of grain - Weight of grain - Size of grain - Shape, size and weight of grain 129. The phreatic line in an earth dam may be - Circular - Elliptical - Parabolic - A straight line 130. In a flow net - Flow lines and equipotential lines cross each other at right angles - Fields are rectangles whose length is twice the breadth - Smaller the dimensions of the field, smaller will be the hydraulic gradient and velocity of flow through it - For homogeneous soil, the curves are smooth and circular 131. Which of the following methods is more suitable for the determination of permeability of clayey soil? - Constant head method - Falling head method - Horizontal permeability test - None of the above 132. If Nƒ, Na and H are total number flow channels, total number of potential drops and total hydraulic head differences respectively, the discharge q through the complete flow is given by (where K is a constant) - q = H (Nƒ/Nd) - q = KH (Na/Nƒ) - q = KH (Nƒ/Na) - q = KH √(Nƒ/Na) 133. A critical hydraulic gradient may occur when - Flow is in upward direction - Seepage pressure is in upward direction - Effective pressure is zero - All the above 134. Which of the following methods is best suited for determination of permeability of coarse-grained soils? - Constant head method - Falling head method - Both the above - None of the above 135. If there is no impervious boundary at the bottom of a hydraulic structure, stream lines tend to follow: - A straight line - A parabola - A semi-ellipse - A semi-circle 136. Flow net is used for the determination of - Quantity of seepage - Hydrostatic pressure - Seepage pressure - All the above 137. Stoke's law does not hold good if the size of particle is smaller than - 0.0002 mm - 0.002 mm - 0.02 mm - 0.2 mm 138. Quick sand is a - Type of sand - Flow condition occurring in cohesive soils - Flow condition occurring in cohesionless soils - Flow condition occurring in both cohesive and cohesionless soils 139. The total discharge from two wells situated near to each other is - Sum of the discharges from individual wells - Less than the sum of the discharges from individual wells - Greater than the sum of the discharges from individual wells - Equal to larger of the two discharges from individual wells 140. The property of a soil which permits water to percolate