SOIL MECHANICS AND FOUNDATION

ENGINEERING

1. Compaction equipment can be used for sand or clay material as following

a) Roller for sand & clay

b) Foot-shape for sand & clay
c) Foot-shape for sand
d) Roller for sand

2. What is a sedimentation rock?

a) Granite
b) Marble
c) Sand rock
d) Clay

3. When earth quake happens what acceleration type happens under building:

a) Settlement acceleration
b) Collapsible acceleration
c) Peak ground acceleration
d) None of the above

4. Foundations are placed below ground level to increase:

a) Strength
b) Workability
c) Stability of structure
d) All of the above

5. Compaction to backfill is used to

a) Reduce w/c in backfill material

b) Reduce air content in backfill material
c) Crushing of stones in fill material
d) None of the above

 
 

6. RQD-100 represent:

a) Intact Rock
b) Factual Rock
c) Gravel
d) None of the above
Note: RQD = Rock Quality Designation
RQD = Sum Lengths of Pieces greater than 10 cm / Total Core
Length

7. If liquid limit of clay is 50, the plasticity index is 30, then plastic limit is:
a) 20
b) 30
c) 50
d) 80
Note: (PI = L.L – P.L)

8. Undrained shear strength of clay is equal to:

a) Half of unconfined compressive strength of clay
b) Twice of unconfined compressive strength of clay
c) 1 ½ of unconfined compressive strength of clay
d) None of the above

9. Dense sand, number of blows from standard penetration test “SPT” is:
a) 0 – 10
b) 20 – 40
c) 50
d) 100

10. Very Dense sand, number of blows from standard penetration test “SPT” is:
a) 0 – 10
b) 20 – 40
c) more than 50
d) more than 100
Note : 1. Very Loose 0 – 4
2. Loose 5-10
3. Medium 11-30
4. Dense 31-50
5. Very Dense More Than 50

 
 

11. For better rock sampling we should use:

a) Double sleeve barrel
b) Single sleeve barrel
c) Main barrel
d) None of the above

12. In “ SPT”. N34 refers to :

a) Soil bearing
b) Shear capacity
c) Degree of compaction
d) None of the above

13. Sand drain used to:

a) Help in compacting sand layers
b) Increase B/C of dry backfills
c) Enhance permeability of rock masses
d) Accelerate consolidation process

13. Bearing Capacity of soil is function of:

a) Soil shear strength
b) Unit weight of soil
c) Foundation dimensions
d) All of the above

14. Raft foundations are generally preferred to when the area required for
individual footing is more than:
a) 25% to total area
b) 30% of total area
c) 40% to total area
d) 50% of total area

 
 

15. What is proctor compaction test:

a) Check max dry density
b) Check min dry density
c) Check normal dry density
d) None of the above

Note:
- Proctor compaction test determine optimum moisture content
- Achieve most dense and achieve its max density

16. The foundation which consists of a thick reinforced concrete slab covering
whole area to support heavy concentrated loads is known as:

a) Combined footing
b) Strap footing
c) Raft footing
d) None of the above

17. Raft foundations are used for:

a) Providing increased area of foundation over poor B/C of soil

b) Spanning over small soft or loose pockets
c) Counter acting the hydrostatic effect
d) All of the above

18. If an isolated footing with an area of 2.25 m2 needed to carry

0.25m x 0.8 m column, best footing would be:

a) Square with 1.5 m width

b) Rectangular with dim 1.25m x 1.80 m
c) Rectangular with dim 1.00m x 2.25 m
d) Circular with dim 1.7m

 
 

19. Pick up the incorrect statement from the following:

a) The retaining wall should be structurally capable to resist the applied earth
pressure
b) The section of the retaining wall should be proportioned that if may not
overturn by lateral pressure
c) The retaining wall should be safe against sliding
d) The foundation of the retaining wall should not be stressed beyond safe B/C
due to its weight and the force resulting from the earth pressure
e) To drain off water from the earth retained , weep holes are provided near
the top of the retaining wall

20. For providing a raft foundation, the following activities are involved:
1- Ramming the foundation bed
2- Excavation of the soil up to required level
3- Laying reinforcement over the foundation bed
4- Curing the concrete placed over raft
5- Pouring the concrete over raft

Correct Sequence is:

a) 1,2,3,4,5
b) 5,4,3,2,1
c) 2,1,3,5,4
d) 3,2,5,1,4

21. Four columns of a building are to be located within a plot size

10m*10m.The expected load of each column is 4000 KN. Allowable bearing
capacity of soil is 100 KPa. The suitable type of foundation is:
a) Isolated footing
b) Raft footing
c) Pile foundation
d) Combined footing

22. The following is very critical to structure:

a) Settlement
b) Differential settlement
c) Settlement rate
d) None of the above

 
 

22. Factors affecting bearing capacity while design of foundation:

a) Shear
b) Specific weight of soil
c) Dimensions of foundation
d) All of above

23. A 5-m high retaining wall is backfilled with sand (unit weight (γ) = 19
0 0
KN/m3 with angle (∅) of 30 with angle of friction (δ) of 15
Calculate lateral earth pressure and lateral earth force

a) 31, 79
b) 35, 72
c) 37, 75
d) None of above

24. Two columns 50cm*50cm & 60cm*60cm carry 80 tonnes & 120 tons of
loads respectively. The center to center distance between columns is
5m.The permissible bearing capacity of the soil is 20 t/m2. If the footing is
not to project more than 25 cm beyond the outside of the smaller column,
pick up the correct design parameters of the footing from the following:

a) Distance of C.G. of the loads from the smaller column = 3m

b) The length of the foundation slab = 7m
c) Area of the footing = 11 m2
d) Width of the footing = 1.57 m
e) All of the above

25. Consideration of long pile in Rock

a) Rock
b) Buckling
c) Strength of concrete
d) All of the above

 
 

26. The loose pockets in soil mass can be bridged safely by providing a raft
foundation provided the soft area is smaller than

a) The column spacing

b) One – third the column spacing
c) Half the column spacing
d) Three-fourth the column spacing
e) None of the above

27. Required compaction for soil?

a) 98 →99 %
b) 100 →101 %
c) 94→ 96 %
d) 92 →94 %

28. During percussion drilling:

a) Ground water observation are hindered due to the entry of the slurry in
b) below the bottom of the hole
c) Caving or mixing od strata is caused in soft soils or cohesion less soil
d) The soil to a considerable depth below the bottom of the hole gets
distributed
e) All of the above

29. For a wall carrying heavy load on low bearing capacity soil
a) Lean concrete bed is provided
b) Thick concrete bed is provided
c) Reinforced concrete bed is provided
d) (a) & (c) of the above
e) (b) & (c) of the above

30. The bearing capacity of water logged soil, may be improved by

a) Grouting
b) Chemical action
c) Drainage
d) Compaction

 
 

31. Pick up the correct statement from the following:

a) Isolated footing is provided under column to transfer the load
safely to the soil bed
b) Column footings may have steps or projections in the concrete
base
c) Heavily loaded column base must be provided steel
reinforcement in both directions
d) The concrete offset should be at least 15 cm on all sides
e) All of the above

32. What is the quantity of embankment if 100000 m3 of backfilling is used

with shrinkage & swell factors of backfilling are known (shrink factor =
10%) (Swell Factor = 25 %)
a) 100000 m3
b) 110000 m3
c) 125000 m3
d) 135000 m3

33. Which of the following factors are associated with the behavior of sand
mass during earthquake to cause liquefaction?
1. Number of stress cycles
2. The frequency, and amplitude of vibration of waves generated by an
earthquake
3. Characteristics of sand
4. Relative density
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
a) 1, 2 and 3
b) 1, 2, 3 and 4
c) 2 and 4
d) 3 and 4

34. Ratio of bearing capacity of double Under Reamed (U.R.) pile to that of
single U.R. pile is nearly
a) 2
b) 1.5
c) 1.2

 
 

d) 1.7

35. For designing end bearing piles of square cross-section in clays having
average un- confined compressive strength of 6 t/m2, the net ultimate
bearing capacity may be taken as
a) 15 t/m2
b) 18 t/m2
c) 20 t/m2
d) 27 t/m2

36. A soil has a bulk density of 1.80 g/cm3 at water content of 5%. If the void
ratio remains constant, then its bulk density for a water content of 10% will
be
a) 1.88 g/cm3
b) 1.80 g/cm3
c) 1.98 g/cm3
d) 1.70 g/cm3

37. The base width of a soil gravity dam is 25 m. The material of the dam has
a specific gravity of 2.56 and the dam is designed as an elementary profile
ignoring uplift. What is the approximate allowable height of the dam?
a) 64 m
b) 40 m
c) 164 m
d) 80 m

38. What does the confining pressure used in tri-axial compression tests on an
undisturbed soil sample represent?
a) The in-situ total normal stress
b) The in-situ total lateral stress
c) The in-situ effective average principal stress
d) The in-situ shear stress

 
 

39. The upstream slope of an earth dam under steady seepage condition is
a) equipotential line
b) phreatic line
c) flow-line
d) seepage line

40. Which one of the following is considered to be an advantage of the

heading and benching method of tunnel construction?
a) It is suitable for construction in unstable rocks
b) In this method, it is easy to install timber support
c) Tunneling can be continuous and the work can be expedited
d) In case of excessive water, it is easy to take corrective steps

41. A constant angle arch dam when compared to a constant radius arch dam
utilizes concrete quantity of about
a) 33%
b) 43%
c) 73%
d) 143%

42. The bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and Nr are functions of:
a) width and depth of footing
b) density of soil
c) cohesion of soil
d) angle of internal friction of soil

43. Consider the following factors pertaining to flow through soil:

1. Hydraulic gradient
2. Grain size
3. Void ratio
4. Cross-sectional area of the sample.
Of these, the factors affecting permeability include
a) 1 and 4
b) 2 and 3
c) 1, 2 and 3

 
 

d) 2, 3 and 4

44. The ultimate compression capacity of a pile in clay is given by

Qs=9ApC+αC(πDL), where C= cohesion, Ap=cross-sectional area at the
pile top, α = skin friction, D=pile diameter & L=pile length C=60KN/m3
, α = 0.7 , D=0.4m
a) 595 KN
b) 651 KN
c) 528 KN
d) 461 KN

45. This question about the method for in-situ test of rock?
a)Coring
b)Textile
c)Cutting
d)Breaking

46. Clayish
a) Good for usage in road
b) Bad for usage in road
c) Used in road
d) None of the above

47. Laterite is an
a) volcanic rock
b) argillaceous rock
c) calcareous rock
d) None of these

48. Uplifting of slab on grade will happen because?

a) Differences of shear at the slab ends
b) Un balanced moments
c) Soil resistance
d) None of these

 
 

49. In case of Raymond pile:

a) Lengths vary from 6 m to 12m
b) Diameter of top of piles varies from 40cm to 60 cm
c) Diameter of pile at bottom varies from 20 cm to 28 cm
d) Thickness of outer shell depends upon pile diameter
e) All of the above

50. How to calculate the stress at a point under any foundation, with depth (z)
due to a load (P) load at column 1000KN and area of foundation 4mx3m
size and what the stress at a 5m below foundation.

a) 13.88 KN/m2
b) 12.88 KN/m2
c) 12.78 KN/m2
d) 12.92 KN/m2

a) If rectangular with dimensions (B * L)

b) If circular footing with diameter (D)

51. The resultant of the active earth pressures on a 5 meter-high wall

retaining sand with unit weight and friction angle of 19 kN/m3 and 30
degrees is:

a) 102 KN/m
b) 55 KN/m
c) 79 KN/m
d) None of the above
e)
52. In a three-layered soil, water flows parallel to stratification. The

 
 

thickness of the middle layer is twice that of top and bottom layer. The
coefficient of permeability of middle layer (2K) is twice that of top and
bottom layer (K). What is the average coefficient of permeability for
this flow?

a) K
b) 1.33 K
c) 1.5 K
d) 0.66 K

53. A partially saturated sample of soil has a unit weight of 2.0 g/cm3 and
specific gravity of soil particles is 2.6. if the moisture content is the soil is
20%, the degree of saturation is

a) 20%
b) 77%
c) 92%
d) None of above

54. A mat foundation will be placed in an excavation to support a building as

shown below. The mat foundation dimensions are 100 ft × 200 ft. The
building load are as follows:
Dead load of mat foundation 400 psf
Dead load of building walls, columns, floors, roof, etc. 40,000 kips
Permanent live load 1,500 kips.
(psf) at the bearing elevation of the mat is most nearly:-

a) 875
b) 1,100
c) 1,275
d) 2,475

 
 

55. The total material required for an embankment is 100,000 CCY. The
borrow material will be obtained from a pit that has a swell factor of 20%
and a shrinkage factor of 15%.
SW stands for swell factor and S8 for shrinkage factor

Bank volume = Loose volume / (1 + SW/100)

Bank volume = Compact volume /(1-Sh/100)

Loose Volume =Bank volume (1 + SW/100)

Loose Volume = Compact Volume (1+SW/100)/ (1-SB/100)

Compact Volume = Bank volume (1 – Sh/100)

Compact Volume = Loose Volume (1 – Sh/100)/ (1 + Sw/100)

How much material must be excavated?

a) 115,000 CY
b) 117,647 CY
c) 120,000 CY
d) 125,000 CY

56. What is the difference between normally consolidated soils and over
consolidated soils?

a) Normally consolidated soils are saturated and over consolidated soils are
unsaturated.
b) Normally consolidated are suitable for geotechnical work while over
consolidated soils are not.
c) Normally consolidated have been subjected to large stresses in the past
while over consolidated soil have not.
d) Normally consolidated have been subjected to large stresses in the past
while over consolidated soil have.

57. Which of the following statements regarding lateral earth pressure is

correct?

 
 

a) The lateral strain required to fully mobilize the soil passive pressure is
considerably smaller than the lateral strain required to fully mobilize
the soil active pressure.
b) The lateral strain required to fully mobilize the soil passive pressure is
slightly smaller than the lateral strain required to fully mobilize the
soil active pressure.
c) The lateral strain required to fully mobilize the soil passive pressure is
slightly greater than the lateral strain required to fully mobilize the
soil active.
d) The lateral strain required to fully mobilize the soil passive pressure is
considerably greater than the lateral strain required to fully mobilize
the soil active pressure.

58. .A Saturated soil has a void ratio e= 0.65 and a specific gravity of soil
solids GS = 2.69. The unit weight (Saturated) of this soil (kN/m3) is:

a) 16.5KN/m3
b) 19.85 KN/m3
c) 17.3 KN/m3
d) 18.2 KN/m3

59. Structural fill is required to support a slab-on-grade in an area with a deep

frost line. To avoid potential problems with frost heave, the best material
for structural fill will be:

a) Low plasticity cohesive soil compacted by optimum (CL)

b) Inelastic Silt (ML)
c) Silty Sand (SM)
d) Well Graded Sand (SW)

 
 

60. Mechanism of Secondary compression of clay soil is best described

a) Secondary Compression is caused by expulsion of air particles due to

applied load.
b) Secondary Compression is caused by water particles due to applied load.
c) Secondary Compression is caused by rearranging of soil particles due to
applied load.
d) Due to combination of above (a) and (b)

61. For construction of a building on soil that predominantly consists of sand

and gravel, the best in-situ test is:

a) Standard Penetration Test

b) Vane Shear Test
c) Shear Box Test
d) Triaxial Test

62. What is Proctor Compaction test

a) To Check maximum dry Density

b) To Check Minimum dry Density
c) To Check normal dry density
d) To Check High Density

63. The earth pressure that is developed behind a retaining structure depends
on the movement of the structure relative to the soil. The active earth
pressure developed when:

a) The structure moves towards the soil

b) The structure does not move
c) The structure moves away from the soil
d) The structure and the soil move away from each other

64. Consolidation is a term used to describe the volume reduction of

a) Saturated Clay
b) Dry Clay
c) Saturated Sand
d) Fissured Rock

 
 

65. Cohesionless backfill is usually compacted in layers with thickness of

a) 100cm
b) 30cm
c) 50cm
d) 150cm

66. Soil Samples extracted from the standard penetration test (SPT) can be
used in
a) Liquid limit test
b) Sieve analysis
c) Hydrometer test
d) All of the above

67. The safe design load for a long concrete pile drilled in rock in generally
controlled by:
a) The strength of the rock
b) The crushing stress of the concrete
c) The buckling capacity of the pile
d) The tensile strength of the concrete

68. The modulus of elasticity for rock mass is usually:

a) Less than that of the rock substance
b) Higher than that of the rock substance
c) Equal to that of the rock substance
d) Not correlated to that of the rock substance

69. Soil compaction is usually achieved through:

a) Crushing of soil particles
b) Reduction of water content
c) Reduction of Air content
d) All of the above

70. When making calculations, the most critical aspect affecting dewatering
time is the
a) Head pipe diameter
b) Radius of influence
c) Capacity of the well point system
d) Soil permeability

 
 

71. Geosynthetics are used for different application in Geotechnical

Engineering. Geotextiles are types of these materials that can be used for:
a) Only Soil reinforcement
b) Soil reinforcement and as soil filter
c) Soil reinforcement and to prevent movement of water in soil
d) Only to prevent movement of water in soil

72. The compaction equipment used in the field depends on the soil type. It is
correct to say that:
a) Dynamic rollers are suitable for both sands and clays
b) Sheep Foot Rollers are suitable for the both sands and clays
c) Sheep foot rollers are suitable for sands
d) Dynamic rollers are suitable for sands

73. Consider the construction of a shallow foundation for the structure. The
soil at the site consists of expansive soil. It was decided to excavate portion
of the expansive soil and replace it with a selected fill. The selected fill
must be.
a) A dense well graded sand that will provide high strength soil strength
soil under the footing and also it will provide good drainage of water.
b) A dense sand with sufficient amount fines (i. e more than 30% fines)
that will provide high strength soil under the footing and also it will
prevent the flow of water.
c) The same expansive soil, but compacted, because it is cheaper than
hauling soils from other areas.
d) None of the above.

74. What is a richter scale?

a) A scale for measuring the mass of an object.

b) A logarithmic scale for measuring seismic energy of an earthquake
c) A scale for making angle measurement
d) A scale used to measure linear distances of structure and other large project