GeoTechnical Engineering MCQs practice Set

1. The soil transported by running water is called

• Aeolian soil
• Marine soil
• Alluvial soil (correct)
• Lacustrine soil

2. The soil transported by wind is called

• Aeolian soil (correct)
• Marine soil
• Alluvial soil
• Lacustrine soil

5. Lacustrine soils are those soils which are

4.Glacial soils are those soils which are

• Deposited in sea water
• Deposited at the bottom of the lakes
• Transported by running water
• None of these (correct)

5.For engineering purposes, soil is defined as

• The loose mantle at the surface of the earth which favours the growth of plant
• A natural aggregate of mineral grains, loose or moderately cohesive, inorganic or organic in nature (correct)
• A disintegrated rock
• All of the above

6.Which of the following soil is transported by wind ?

• Talus
• Loess (Ans)
• Drift

7.”talus” is a soil transported by glacial water.

• Right
• Wrong (Ans)

8.Soils are derived from

• Igneous rocks
• Sedimentary rocks
• Metamorphic rocks
• Any one of these (Ans)

9.Chemical weathering of soil is caused due to

• Oxidation
• Hydration
• Carbonation and leaching
• All of these (Ans)

10.The soil transported by glaciers either by ice ir water is called

• Talus
• Loess
• Drift (Ans)
• None of these

11.Mechanical weathering of soils is caused by

• Periodical temperature changes
• Splitting action of flowing water
• Splitting action of ice
• All of these (Ans)

12.When the soils are carried away by force of gravity, they are known as…………..soils.

• Transported (Ans)
• Residual

13.Residual soils are

• Sands
• Silts
• Clays
• All of these (Ans)

14.A civil engineer is concerned mainly with…………………top mantle of soil in dealing with small and medium sized projects.

• 2 to 5 m
• 5 to 8 m
• 8 to 10 m
• 10 to 1 m (Ans)

15.Cohesionless soils are

• Sands (Ans)
• Clays
• Silts
• Silts and clays

16.The maximum size of grains of silts is about

• 06 mm (Ans)
• 2 mm
• 5 mm
• 1 mm

17.Silt is a

• Material deposited by a glacier
• Soil composed of two different soils
• Fine grained soil with little or no plasticity (Ans)
• Clay with a high percentage of the clay mineral

18.Black cotton soil

• Is inorganic in nature
• Contains large percentage of clay mineral
• Exhibits high compressibility
• All of these (Ans)
• Black cotton soils are ……………soils
• Expensive (Ans)
• Residual

20.A fine grained soil

• Has low permeability
• Has high compressibility
• May or may not be plastic
• All of these (Ans)

21.Consolidation and compressibility of soil

• Is a measure of the ability of soil to allow the water to pass through its pores
• Is a measure of the ability of soil to bear stresses without failure
• Deals with changes in volume of pores in a soil under load (Ans)
• Any one of the above

22.The maximum size of grains of silts is about

• 0002 mm (Ans)
• 002 mm (Ans)
• 02 mm
• 2 mm

23.The property of a soil which is of great importance in finding settlement of structures, is

• Permeability
• Shear strength
• Consolidation (Ans)
• Compressibility

24.Sand is almost non-compressible.

• Correct (Ans)
• Incorrect
• The maximum size of the particles of clay is about
• 0002 mm
• 002 mm (Ans)
• 02 mm
• 2 mm

26.If the pores of a soil are completely full of air only, the soil is said to be

• Wet soil
• Dry soil (Ans)
• Fully saturated soil
• Partially saturated soil

27.The moist soil is…………….saturated soil.

• Fully
• Partially (Ans)

28.The ratio of the volume of voids to the total volune of soil mass is called

• Water content ratio
• Porosity (Ans)
• Void ratio
• Degree of saturation

29.The ratio of the unit weight of soil solids to that of water is called

• Void ratio
• Porosity
• Specific gravity (Ans)
• Degree of saturation
• The unit weight of a soil at zero air voids depends upon
• Unit weight of water
• Water content
• Specific gravity
• All of these (Ans)

31.The relation between void ratio (e), degree of saturation (s), water content (w) and specific gravity of solids (G) is given by

• A

• The relation between the air content (a_c) and the degree of saturation (s) is
• a_c = s
• a_c = 1 – s (Ans)
• a_c = 1 + s
• a_c = 1/s

33.The degree of saturation for fully saturated soil is

• 25
• 50
• 75
• 1 (Ans)

34.The void ratio for saturated soil is equal to the…………………of water content and specific gravity of solids.

• Sum
• Difference
• Product (Ans)
• Ratio

35.The ratio of the volume of air voids to the volume of voids, is called

• Void ratio
• Air content (Ans)
• Degree of saturation
• Porosity

36.The difference between maximum void ratio and minimum void ratio of a sand sample is 0.30. I f the relative density of this sample is 66.6% at a void ratio of 0.40, then the void ratio of this sample at its loosest state will be

• 40
• 60 (Ans)
• 70
• 75

37.The dry density of a soil is 1.5 g / cm³ . If the saturation water content is 50%, then its saturated density and submerged density will respectively be

• 5 g / cm³ and 1.0 g / cm³
• 0 g / cm³ and 1 g / cm³
• 25 g / cm³ and 1.25 g / cm³ (Ans)
• 50 g / cm³ and 1.50 g / cm³

38.The water content is the ratio of weight of water to the weoght of solids

• Yes (Ans)
• No

39.The degree of saturation for the moist soil is about

• 0%
• 1 to 25%
• 25 to 50%
• 50 to 75% (Ans)

40.The approximate void ratio in sandy soils is

• 2
• 6 (Ans)
• 8
• 2

41.Which of the following clay mineral gives maximum swelling?

• Kalonite
• Monotmorillonite (Ans)
• Illite
• All of these

42.Gravel and sand is a

• Cohesive coarse grained soil
• Cohesive fine grained soil
• Non- Cohesive coarse grained soil (Ans)
• Non- Cohesive fine grained soil

43.The specific gravity of sandy soils is

• 2
• 8
• 2
• 7 (Ans)

44.A soil sample is having a specific gravity of 2.60 and a void ratio of 0.78. The water content in percentage required to fully saturate the soil at the void ratio will be

• 10
• 30 (Ans)
• 50
• 70

45.The specific gravity of a soil is the ratio of unit weight of soil solids to that of water at a temperature of

• 4^oC
• 17^oC
• 27^oC (Ans)
• 36^oC

46.A dry soil sample weighing 100 g has volume of 60 ml and specific gravity 2.5. Its void ratio is

• 4
• 5 (Ans)
• 6
• 8

47.For a given soil mass,the void ratio is 0.60, water content is 18 % and specific gravity of the soil particles is 2.6. The degree of saturation of the soil is

• 30 %
• 50 %
• 78 % (Ans)
• 5 %

48.The ratio of the difference between the void ratio in its loosest state and its natural void ratio to the difference between the voids ratio is the loosest and the densest state, is called

• Density index
• Relative density
• Degree of density
• Any one of these (Ans)

49.The submerged or buoyant unit weight of soil is equal to the………………of unit weight of saturated soil and unit weight of water

• Sum
• Difference (Ans)
• Product
• Ratio

50.The void ratio of a soil is defined as the ratio of the

• Weight of water to the weight of solids
• Volume of water to the volume of voids in the soil mass
• Total volume of voids to the volume of soil solids (Ans)
• Total volume of voids to the total volume of soil

51.The water content ratio of a soil is defined as the ratio of the

• Weight of water to the weight of solids (Ans)
• Volume of water to the volume of voids in the soil mass
• Total volume of voids to the volume of soil solids
• Total volume of voids to the total volume of soil

52.Which of the following gives the correct decreasing order of the densities of a soil sample?

• Saturated, submerged, wet, dry
• Saturated, wet ,submerged, dry
• Saturated, wet, dry, submerged (Ans)
• Wet, Saturated, submerged, wet, dry

53.Bulk density of a soil is defined as the ratio of

• Total mass of soil to the total volume of soil (Ans)
• Weight of water to the weight of solids
• Unit weight of solids to the unit weight of water
• Weight of solid grains to the volume of solids

54.The unit weight of soil mass is expressed in

• Kg / m²
• Kg / m³
• N / m²
• N / m³ (Ans)

55.The dry density of a soil is same as the unit weight of solids.

• True
• False (Ans)

56.submerged soils are…………..saturated soils.

• Partially
• Fully (Ans)

57.The density of soil mass is expressed in

• Kg / m²
• Kg / m³ (Ans)
• N / m²
• N / m³

58.If the volume to voids is equal to the volume of soil solids, then the values of porosity and void ratio are respectively

• 0 and 0.5
• 0 and 1
• 5 and 1 (Ans)
• 1 and 0.5

59.The water content of soils can be accurately determined by

• Sand bath method
• Calcium carbide method
• Oven drying method (Ans)
• Pycnometer method

60.The specific gravity of soil solids is determined by

• Pycnometer method (Ans)
• Hydrometer analysis
• Sieve analysis
• All of these

61.Stoke’s law is used to determine the

• Specific gravity of soil solids
• Density of soil suspension
• Grain size distribution of those soils whose grain size is finer than 0.075 mm (Ans)
• All of the above

62.The standard temperature at which the hydrometer is calibrated is

• 10^oC
• 15^oC
• 20^oC
• 27^oC (Ans)

63.When the hydrometer analysis is performed, it requires correction for

• Temperature only
• Meniscus only
• Dispersing agent only
• All of these (Ans)

64.According to stoke’s law, the velocity at which grains settle out of suspension, all other factors being equal, is dependent upon

• Shape of the grain
• Weight of the grain
• Size of the grain
• All of these (Ans)

65.The smallest sieve size according to Indian standard is

• 0045 mm
• 045 mm (Ans)
• 45 mm
• 154 mm

66.According to Indian standards, in a 2 mm sieve

• There are two holes
• Each sieve is circular and its diameter is 2 mm
• Each hole is a square and its side is 2 mm (Ans)
• There are two holes per cm length of the mesh

67.Sieving is not practicable for grain sizes smaller than about

• 075 mm (Ans)
• 095 mm
• 15 mm
• 2 mm

68.The effective size of a soil is

• D₁₀(Ans)
• D₂₀
• D₄₀
• D₆₀

69.The uniformity co-efficient of soil is defined as the ratio of

• D₄₀ to D₁₀
• D₄₀ to D₂₀
• D₅₀ to D₁₀
• D₆₀ to D₁₀ (Ans)

70.The particle size range is measured by

• Effective size
• Curvature coefficient
• Uniformity coefficient (Ans)
• None of these

71.A soil having particles of nearly the same size is known as

• Uniform soil (Ans)
• Poor soil
• Well graded soil
• Coarse soil
• A soil having Uniformity coefficient more than 10, is called
• Uniform soil
• Poor soil
• Well graded soil (Ans)
• Coarse soil

73.The Uniformity coefficient for a uniformly graded soil is nearly unity.

• Agree (Ans)
• Disagree

74.Stoke’s law is applicable to particles upto ………………effective diameter.

• 0002 mm (Ans)
• 002 mm
• 02 mm
• 2 mm

75.Sieve analysis is done if all particles do not pass through square opening of 0.075 mm.

• Correct (Ans)
• Incorrect

76.The ratio of the unconfined compressive strength of undisturbed soil to the unconfined compressive strength of soil in a remoulded state, is called

• Sensitivity (Ans)
• Thixotropy
• Relative density
• Bulk density

77.The property of a soil which enables to regain its strength lost on remoulding in a short time, without change of moisture content, is called

• Unconfined compressive strength
• Sensitivity
• Thixotropy (Ans)
• Relative density

78.The unconfined compressive strength of a very soft clay is

• 10 to 25 kN/m² (Ans)
• 25 to 150 kN/m²
• 150 to 400 kN/m²
• Above 400 kN/m²

79.The unconfined compressive strength of a hard clay is

• 10 to 25 kN/m²
• 25 to 150 kN/m²
• 150 to 400 kN/m²
• Above 400 kN/m² (Ans)

80.The sensitivity of a normal clay is about

• 2 to 4 (Ans)
• 4 to 8
• 8 to 15
• 15 to 20

81.The maximum water content of a saturated soil at which a reduction in its moisture does not cause a decrease in volume of the soil, is called

• Liquid limit
• Plastic limit
• Elastic limit
• Shrinkage limit (Ans)

82.When water content in a soil is reduced beyond the shrinkage limit, the soil will be in a

• Solid state (Ans)
• Liquid state
• Semi-solid state
• Plastic state

83.The water content in a soil at which just shear strength develops is called

• Liquid limit (Ans)
• Plastic limit
• Elastic limit
• Shrinkage limit

84.The plastic limit of a soil is defined as the

• Limit of water that makes the soil to flow
• Amount of water content which makes the soil to go into the liquid state
• Amount of water content which makes the soil to go into the solid state from the liquid state
• Minimum amount of water content which makes the soil to be rolled into 3 mm diameter threads (Ans)

85.The consistency index is also known as relative consistency

• True (Ans)
• False

86.When the consistency index is zero, then the soil is at its

• Elastic limit
• Plastic limit
• Liquid limit (Ans)
• Semi-solid state

87.A soil is in a Semi-solid state, if the consistency index is

• Zero
• One
• More than unity (Ans)
• None of these

88.A soil with consistency equal to one is at its ……………. Limit

• Liquid
• Plastic (Ans)

89.Toughness index is the ratio of

• Flow index and plasticity index
• plasticity index and Flow index (Ans)
• liquidity index and flow index
• flow index and liquidity index

90.A sample of soil has liquid limit 45 %, plastic limit 25 %, shrinkage limit 17 % and natural moisture content 30 %. The consistency index of the soil is

• 15/20 (Ans)
• 13/20
• 8/20
• 5/20

91.The shear strength of a soil in the plastic limit is ………………….than that in the liquid limit.

• Higher (Ans)
• Lower

92.The liquid limit exists in

• Sandy soils
• Gravel soils
• Silty soils
• Clays (Ans)

93.The plastic limit exists in

• Sandy soils
• Gravel soils
• Silty soils
• Clays (Ans)

94.The liquid limit minus plastic limit is termed as

• Flow index
• Plasticity index (Ans)
• Shrinkage index
• Liquidity index

95.When the plastic limit is equal to or greater than the liquid limit, then the plasticity index is

• Negative
• Zero (Ans)
• One
• More than one

96.The shrinkage index is equal to

• liquid limit + plastic limit
• plastic limit – liquid limit
• liquid limit – shrinkage limit (Ans)
• shrinkage limit – liquid limit

97.The flow index in soils indicates the

• ratio of liquid limit to plastic limit
• variation of liquid limit
• variation of plastic limit
• shear strength variation with water content (Ans)

98.The moisture contents of a clayey soil is gradually decreased from a large value. The correct sequence of the occurrence of the limits will be

• liquid limit, plastic limit and shrinkage limit (Ans)
• plastic limit, liquid limit and shrinkage limit
• shrinkage limit, plastic limit and liquid limit
• plastic limit, shrinkage limit and liquid limit

99.The clays which exhibit high activity

• contain montmorillonite
• have high plasticity index
• both (a) and (b) (Ans)
• none of these

100.The activity of clay is defined as the ratio of

• liquid limit to plastic limit
• liquidity index to plasticity index
• plasticity index to clay fraction (Ans)
• plasticity index to shrinkage index

101.The plasticity index is the ratio of liquidity index and flow index.

• Right
• Wrong (Ans)

102.The ratio of the liquid limit minus the natural content of a soil to its plasticity index, is known as

• Toughness index
• Liquidity index
• Flow index
• Relative consistency (Ans)

103.When the particles of soil are oriented ‘ edge to edge ’ or ‘ edge to face ’ with respect to one another, the soil is said to have

• Single grained structure
• Double grained structure
• Honey-combed structure
• Flocculent structure (Ans)

104.A soil containing continuous voids is called ………………… soil.

• Permeable (Ans)
• Impermeable

105.Which of the following is highly permeable?

• Gravel (Ans)
• Sand mixture
• Coarse sand
• Clay
• Which of the following is practically impermeable?
• Gravel
• Sand mixture
• Coarse sand
• Clay (Ans)

107.A sample of clay and a sample of sand have the same specific gravity and void ratio. Their permeabilities will differ because

• Their porosities will be different
• Their densities will be different
• Their degrees of saturation will be different
• The size ranges of their voids will be different (Ans)

108.The property of the soil mass which permits the seepage of water through its interconnecting voids, is called

• Capillarity
• Permeability (Ans)
• Porosity
• None of these

109.The unit of coefficient of permeability is same as that of velocity.

• Yes (Ans)
• No

110.When applying Darcy’s law to soils, it is assumed that the

• Soil is incompressible
• Soil is homogeneous and isotropic
• Flow conditions are laminar
• All of these (Ans)

111.The value of permeability …………… the direction of flow of water through the soil mass.

• Depends upon (Ans)
• Does not depend upon

112.Which of the following have an influence on the value of permeability?

• Grain size
• Void ratio
• Degree of saturation
• All of these (Ans)

113.If the direction of flow of water is parallel to the planes of stratification, then the permeability is …………. Times more than in a direction perpendicular to them.

• 2 to 10
• 2 to 15
• 2 to 20
• 2 to 30 (Ans)

114.The permeability of a given soil is

• Directly proportional to the average grain size
• Inversely proportional to the average grain size
• Directly proportional to the square of the average grain size (Ans)
• Inversely proportional to the square of the average grain size

115.The coefficient of permeability of slit is ………….. that of clay.

• Same as
• Less than (Ans)
• More than
• The coefficient of permeability ……………… with the increase in temperature.
• Decreases
• Increases (Ans)

117.The quantity of seepage of water in a soil medium is

• Directly proportional to the head of water at upstream
• Inversely proportional to the head of water at upstream
• Directly proportional to the coefficient of permeability (Ans)
• Inversely proportional to the coefficient of permeability

118.The average velocity of flow that will take place through the total cross-sectional area of soil under unit hydraulic gradient is called

• Uniformity coefficient
• Darcy’s coefficient
• Coefficient of permeability (Ans)
• Terminal velocity

119.The pressure exerted by water on the soil through which it percolates, is known as

• Hydrostatic pressure
• Effective pressure
• Seepage pressure (Ans)
• None of these

120.A flow line in seepage through a soil medium is defined as the

• Path of particles of water through a saturated soil mass (Ans)
• Line connecting points of equal head of water
• Flow of movement of fine particles of soil
• Direction of the flow particle

121.The equipotential line in a seepage through a soil medium is defined as the

• Path of particles of water through a saturated soil mass
• Line connecting points of equal head of water (Ans)
• Flow of movement of fine particles of soil
• Direction of the flow particle

122.The seepage pressure always acts in the direction of flow.

• Right (Ans)
• Wrong

123.Quick sand is a

• Moist sand containing small particles
• Condition which occurs in coarse sand
• Condition in which a cohesionless soil loses all its strength because of upward flow of water (Ans)
• None of the above

124.Flow lines and equi-potential lines are

• Perpendicular to each other
• Parallel to each other
• Intersecting lines at 90^o to each other (Ans)
• Intersecting lines at 45^o to each other

125.The flow net in the seepage of water through a soil medium is a network of

• Flow lines
• equi-potential lines
• Flow lines and equi-potential lines (Ans)
• Water particles and their movement in the soil

126.A flow net is used to determine the

• Seepage flow
• Seepage pressure
• Exit gradient
• All of these (Ans)

127.Which of the following statement is correct?

• The flow lines are perpendicular to equipotential lines
• No two flow lines or equipotential lines start from the same point.
• No two flow lines cross each other
• All of the above (Ans)

128.The exit gradient of the seepage of water through a soil medium is the

• Slope of the flow line
• Slope of the equi-potential line
• Ratio of total head to the length of seepage
• Ratio of total head loss to the length of seepage (Ans)

129.The hydraulic gradient provided at the downstream side of a hydraulic structure such as a dam, is called

• Downstream gradient
• Tail water gradient
• Exit gradient
• Any one of these (Ans)

130.The direction of seepage of always …… to the equipotential lines.

• Parallel
• Perpendicular (Ans)

131.The critical gradient of the seepage of water

• Directly proportional to void ratio
• Increases with the decrease void ratio (Ans)
• Inversely proportional to specific gravity
• Increases with the decrease in specific gravity of soil

132.The critical gradient of the seepage of water ………….. with the increase in specific gravity of soil.

• Increases (Ans)
• Decreases
• Does not change

133.The seepage force in soils is

• Proportional to head loss
• Proportional to exit gradient
• Perpendicular to the equi-potential lines
• All of these (Ans)

134.The seepage pressure is independent of the coefficient of permeability.

• Correct (Ans)
• Incorrect

135.The critical gradient for all soils is normally

• 5
• 1 (Ans)
• 5
• 5

136.The maximum permissible exit gradient is the critical gradient divided by a factor of safety.

• True (Ans)
• False

137.A flow net constructed to determine the seepage through an earth dam which is homogeneous but anisotropic, gave 4 flow channels and 16 equipotential drops. The coefficient of permeability in the horizontal and vertical directions are 4 * 10 ^-7 m/s and  1 * 10^-7 m/s respectively. If the storage head is 20 m, then the seepage per unit length of the dam in m³/s, will be

• 5*10^-7
• 10*10^-7 (Ans)
• 20*10^-7
• 40*10^-7

138.The permissible exit gradient for safety against piping which endanger the stability of a hydraulic structure, should be

• 2 (Ans)
• 4
• 6
• 8

139.The piping failure in a hydraulic structure can be prevented by

• Diverting the seepage water into filter wells
• Increasing the creep length of flow of water
• Increasing the stress due to weight of the structure
• All of the above (Ans)

140.The effective stress on the soil is due to the

• External load acting on the soil
• Weight of the soil particles
• Weight of water present in soil pores
• Both (a) and (b) (Ans)
• The neutral stress on the soil is due to the
• External load acting on the soil
• Weight of the soil particles
• Weight of water present in soil pores (Ans)
• Both (a) and (b)

142.The effective stress is also called pore-water pressure.

• Agree
• Disagree (Ans)
• The effective stress on the soil mass ………….. void ratio
• Increases
• Decreases (Ans)

144.The neutral stress is

• Transmitted through the points of contacts of the interconnected particles of soil
• Transmitted to the soil base through the pore water (Ans)
• Independent of the depth of water above the soil mass
• Due to weight of soil particles

145.The total stress is equal to the sum of the effective stress and pore water pressure

• True (Ans)
• False

146.The effective stress is …………. If the water is flowing from upward on the soil mass

• Increased (Ans)
• Decreased

147.The neutral stress is ……………. If the water is flowing from downward on the soil mass

• Increased
• Decreased (Ans)

148.The consolidation of a soil is defined as the

• Process of compression by gradual reduction of pore space under steady load
• Process which gives gradual decrease of water content at constant load
• Change in volume of soil due to expulsion of pure water under an applied load
• Any one of the above (Ans)

149.The vertical deformation of soil mass consists of

• Deformation of soil grains
• Compression of pore fluid
• Reduction of pore space
• All of these (Ans)

150.The rate of expulsion of pore fluid is directly dependent on the …………. Of the soil

• Shear strength
• Void ratio
• Permeability (Ans)

151.In case of coarse grained sand having high permeability and low plasticity, 95 % of consolidation occurs within …….. after application of load

• 1 minute (Ans)
• 30 minutes
• 1 hour
• 2 hour

152.The coefficient of compressibility …………….. with increase in pressure.

• Increases
• Decreases (Ans)
• Does not change

153.The decrease in voids ratio per unit increase of pressure is called

• Coefficient of permeability
• Coefficient of compressibility (Ans)
• Coefficient of volume compressibility
• Coefficient of curvature

154.The coefficient of consolidation is measured in

• Cm²/g
• Cm²/s (Ans)
• g/Cm²/s
• Cm²/g/s
• The coefficient of consolidation is used for evaluating
• Stress in the soil
• Total settlement
• Over consolidation ratio
• Time rate of settlement (Ans)

156.The rate of consolidation …………. With the increase in temperature.

• Increases (Ans)
• Decreases
• Does not change

157.The degree of consolidation is proportional directly

• To time and inversely to drainage path
• To drainage path and inversely to time
• To time and inversely to the square of drainage path (Ans)
• To square of drainage path and inversely to time

158.The time factor for a clay layer is

• A dimensionless parameter
• Directly proportional to permeability (Ans)
• Directly proportional to drainage path
• None of these

159.The ratio of settlement at any time (t) to the final settlement is known as

• Compression index
• Coefficient of consolidation
• Degree of consolidation (Ans)
• None of these

160.The coefficient of consolidation of a soil is affected by

• Compressibility
• Permeability
• Both (a) and (b) (Ans)
• None of these

161.The change in volume of soil in per unit of initial volume due to a given unit increase in pressure is called

• Coefficient of permeability
• Coefficient of compressibility
• Coefficient of volume compressibility (Ans)
• Coefficient of curvature
• Coefficient of volume compressibility is
• Directly proportional to the void ratio
• Inversely proportional to the void ratio
• Directly proportional to the Coefficient of compressibility
• Inversely proportional to the Coefficient of compressibility

163.The Coefficient of volume compressibility ……………………. With the increase in pressure

• Increases
• Decreases (Ans)
• Does not change

164.The compression index of the soil

• Increases with the increase in liquid limit (Ans)
• Decreases with the increase in liquid limit
• Increases with the decrease in plastic limit
• Decreases with the increase in plastic limit

165.The ultimate settlement of a soil

• Is directly proportional to the compression index
• Decreases with an increase in the initial void ratio
• Is directly proportional to the depth of the compressible soil mass
• All of the above (Ans)

166.The strength of a soil is usually identified by

• Directly tensile stress
• Direct compressive stress
• Ultimate shear stress (Ans)
• Effective stress

167.The shear strength of a soil

• Is proportional to the cohesion of the soil
• Is proportional to the tangent of the angle of internal friction
• All of the above (Ans)

168.The expansion of soil due to shear at a constant value of pressure is called

• Apparent cohesion
• True cohesion
• Dilatancy (Ans)
• Consistency

169.If a shear stress is applied on a dense sand, the shear strain caused will ……………. The volume of sand.

• Increase (Ans)
• Decrease
• Not effect

170.The density of sand at which there is no change in volume under the influence of shearing strain produced due to shear stress, is called

• Relative density
• Apparent density
• Critical density (Ans)
• Any one of these

171.The angle of internal friction

• Varies with the density of sand
• Depends upon the amount of interlocking
• Depends upon the particle shape and roughness
• All of the above (Ans)

172.Which one of the following parameters can be used to estimate the angle of friction of a sandy soil?

• Particle size
• Roughness of particle
• Density index (Ans)
• Particle size distribution

173.The angle of internal friction of round-grained loose sand is about

• 5^o to 25^o
• 25^o to 30^o (Ans)
• 30^o to 35^o
• 32^o to 37^o
• The angle of internal friction of round-grained dense sand is about
• 5^o to 25^o
• 25^o to 30^o (Ans)
• 30^o to 35^o
• 32^o to 37^o (Ans)

175.The angle of shearing resistance for dry loose sand is same as that of angle of internal friction.

• Right (Ans)
• Wrong

176.The frictional resistance of clayey soil is …………… sandy soil

• Less than (Ans)
• More than
• Same as

177.The frictional resistance offered by sand is

• Sliding friction
• Rolling test
• Resistance due to interlocking
• All of these (Ans)

178.The useful method of finding the shear strength of very plastic cohesive soils is by means of

• Cone test
• Penetration test
• Vane shear test (Ans)
• Torsional shear test
• A Saturation line (Ans)
• Zero air void line
• Liquid limit line

None of line showing the dry density as a function of water content for soil containing no air voids, is called

• these

180.The earth pressure at rest is defined as the lateral pressure exerted by soil

• When it is at rest
• When the retaining wall has no movement relative to the back fill (Ans)
• When the retaining wall tends to move away from the back fill
• When the retaining wall moves into the soil

181.The active earth pressure of a soil is defined as the lateral pressure exerted by soil

• When it is at rest
• When the retaining wall has no movement relative to the back fill
• When the retaining wall tends to move away from the back fill (Ans)
• When the retaining wall moves into the soil

182.The effect of cohesion on a soil is to

• Reduce both active and passive earth pressure intensities
• Increase both active and passive earth pressure intensities
• Reduce active earth pressure intensity but to increase passive earth pressure intensity (Ans)
• Increase active earth pressure intensity but to reduce passive earth pressure intensity

183.The lateral earth pressure exerted by the soil when the retaining wall moves into the soil, is known as

• Earth pressure at rest
• Active earth pressure
• Passive earth pressure (Ans)
• Total earth pressure

184.The earth pressure at rest is calculated by using

• Euler’s theory
• Rankine’s theory
• Bending theory
• Theory of elasticity (Ans)

185.The coefficient of earth pressure at rest for loose sand is ………. That of dense sand.

More than

Less than (Ans)

Same as

186. The coefficient of earth pressure at rest for stiff clay is about

• 4
• 5
• 6
• 8 (Ans)

187. The coefficient of earth pressure at rest for sand compacted in layers is about the same as for stiff clay

• Yes (Ans)
• No

188.If the coefficient of passive earth pressure is 1/3, then the coefficient of active earth pressure is

• 1/3
• 1
• 3/2 (Ans)
• 3

189. The coefficient of active earth pressure for a loose sand having an angle of internal friction of 30^o, is

• ½
• 1/3 (Ans)
• 1
• 3

190.If k_o is the coefficient of earth pressure at rest, k_a is the coefficient of active earth pressure, u is poisons ratio, then the value of (1-u) k_p is the coefficient of passive earth pressure and

• k_a / k_p
• k_o / k_a
• k_p / k_o
• 1 / k_o (Ans)

191.The effect of cohesion is to …………… the active earth pressure all along the height of a retaining wall.

• Decrease (Ans)
• Increase

192.The net ultimate bearing capacity is the maximum net pressure intensity causing shear failure of soil

• True (Ans)
• False

193.The lateral earth pressure is

• Directly proportional to the depth of soil
• Inversely proportional to the depth of soil
• Directly proportional to the square of the depth of soil (Ans)
• Inversely proportional to the square of the depth of soil

194.The maximum unit pressure that a soil can withstand without rupture in shear or without excessive settlement of the structure, is called

• Allowable bearing pressure
• Safe bearing capacity (Ans)
• Ultimate bearing capacity
• Bearing capacity

195.The bearing capacity of a soil depends upon

• Grain size of the soil
• Size of the footing
• Shape of the footing
• All of these (Ans)

196. The bearing capacity of a soil …………………. With the decrease in the area of the footing.

• Increases (Ans)
• Decreases
• Does not change

197.The coefficient of passive earth pressure …………………… with the increase of angle of shearing resistance

• Increases (Ans)
• Decreases
• Does not change

198.The ultimate net bearing capacity of clays depends upon the value of cohesion.

• Agree (Ans)
• Degree

199.The dense sands have …………… bearing capacity.

• Greater (Ans)
• Lesser

200.The unit bearing capacity of footing in sand

• Decreases with depth of footing
• Decreases with width of footing
• Increases with depth of footing (Ans)
• Increases with width of footing (Ans)

201.A sand with greater relative density exhibits ……………… angle of internal friction.

• Smaller
• Larger (Ans)

202.In the design of footings on sand, if the angle of internal friction is equal to 36^o, the bearing capacity factors for …….. shear failure are used.

• General (Ans)
• Local

203.When the water table is close to the ground surface, the bearing capacity of a soil is reduced to

• One-fourth
• One-half (Ans)
• Two-third
• Three-fourth

204.The net soil pressure is obtained by multiplying the net ultimate bearing capacity of soil to the factor of safety.

• Right
• Wrong (Ans)

205.If the soil below the base of the footing is dry or moist, the confining pressure is approximately ……………. The confining pressure available when the water table is at the base of the footing.

• Equal to
• Double (Ans)
• Three times
• Four times

206.The settlement of a footing in sand depends upon the

• Stress deformation characteristics of sand
• Relative density of the sand
• Width of the footing
• All of these (Ans)

207.In case of footings in sand, if the soil pressure distribution is triangular, the maximum soil pressure is ………… the average soil pressure.

• Equal to
• Double (Ans)
• Three times
• Four times

208.The contact pressure of flexible footing on non-cohesive soils is

• More in the centre than at the edges (Ans)
• Less in the centre than at the edges
• Uniform throughout
• None of these

209. The contact pressure of rigid footing on cohesive soils is

• More in the centre than at the edges
• Less in the centre than at the edges (Ans)
• Uniform throughout
• None of these

210.The process of obtaining increased density of soil in a fill by reduction of its pore space by the expulsion of air, is known as

• Soil exploration
• Soil stabilisation
• Soil compaction (Ans)
• Consolidation

211.The process of maintaining or improving the performance of a soil as a constructional material, usually by the use of admixtures, is known as

• Soil exploration
• Soil stabilisation (Ans)
• Soil compaction
• Consolidation

212.The high density of the soil placed in a fill is desired in order to

• Increase its shear resistance
• Reduce future settlements
• Reduce percolation through the fill
• All of these (Ans)

213.The critical height in the stability of soil is the

• Minimum height at which it is possible for the sloped bank of soil to be stable
• Maximum height at which it is possible for the sloped bank of soil to be stable (Ans)
• Minimum vertical height of the soil in an open excavation
• Maximum vertical height of the soil in an open excavation

214.The degree of saturation of a soil is

215.If W is the total weight of the soil mass and W_s is the weight of solids, then water content is equal to

• 1+ W/W_s
• 1 – W/ W_s
• W/ W_s – 1(Ans)
• W/ W_s+1

 

216. The relation between void ratio (e), degree of saturation (s), water content (w), and specific gravity (G) is

• e+s = w+G
• e X s = w X G (Ans)
• e/s = w/G
• s+e/w = G+e/s

217. The consistency index is given by

• w_p-w/I_p
• w_L-w/I_p (Ans)
• w_L-w_p/I_p
• w-wp/Ip

w_p = plastic limit

w_L = Liquid  limit

I_p = plasticity Index

w = natural water content of soil

218. Liquidity index is given by,

• w_p-w/I_p
• w_L-w/I_p
• w_L-w_p/I_p
• w-wp/Ip (Ans)

219. The critical gradient of the seepage of water in a soil medium is

• 1-G/1+e
• G-1/1+e (Ans)
• 1+e/1-G
• 1+e/G-1

220. According to Terzaghi’s , net ultimate bearing capacity of clay is given by,

• cN_c
• cN_y
• cN_c (Ans)
• 3cN_c

221. The bearing capacity factors N_{c ,} N_q and N_y are functions of

• Friction of angle
• Cohesion of the soil
• Internal frictional angle (Ans)
• Both (a) and (b)

222. The relation between co efficient of consolidation (C_v)

Time factor (T_v)

Drainage path (d)

Time (t)

• C_v=d². T_v/ t (Ans)
• C_v=d². t/ T_v
• C_v=t. T_v/ d²
• C_v= T_v/ t.d²

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