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EXcellence in Professional Engineering

Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following problems and answer the questions, choosing
the best answer among the choices provided. Shade the letter of your choices
on the answer sheet provided. Shade letter E if your answer is not among the
choices provided. Strictly no erasures.

Situation 1 - A soil sample is 40 mm in diameter and 100 mm long. In its

natural condition, it weighs 175 grams. When dried completely, it weighs 120
grams only. Use Gs = 2.69.
1. What is its moist unit weight (kN/m3)?
A. 13.661 C. 9.368
B. 15.696 D. 18.276

2. What is the porosity?

A. 1.817 C. 0.645
B. 1.775 D. 0.679

3. What is the degree of saturation?

A. 0.645 C. 1.817
B. 0.679 D. 0.458

4. Hydraulic jump occurs in a trapezoidal channel with side slopes of 1:1

and base of 4 m. If the upstream depth before the jump is 1.0 m. and
downstream depth is 2 m., what is the discharge?
A. 10.76 m3/s C. 21.52 m3/s
B. 26.48 m3/s D. 16.89 m3/s

5. If a container containing water 0.68 m. deep is carried inside an

elevator that accelerates at 5.1 m/s2, evaluate the pressure in kPa
exerted by the water at the base of the container if the elevator is
traveling downward.
A. 1.639 C. 5.777
B. 3.203 D. 2.487

Situation 2 - A layer of clay 9.15 meters thick is overlain by a deposit of

sand 17.9 meters thick to ground surface. When the water table is at ground
surface level, the saturated unit weight of the sand was determined to be
22.6 kN/m3, for which its dry unit weight is 18.9 kN/m3. The saturated unit
weight of clay is 19.16 kN/m3. When the ground water table lowered by 10.16
meters, the degree of saturation of the sand above the water table was lowered
to 44 %. At the mid-height of the clay layer,
6. Compute the effective stress before lowering of the water table.
A. 314.49 C. 350.34
B. 271.72 D. 393.11

7. Compute the effective stress after lowering of the water table.

A. 350.34 C. 271.72
B. 314.49 D. 393.11
 Page 2
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

8. Compute the effective stress when there is no water in the sand layer
but remain in moist condition at the same degree of saturation.
A. 350.34 C. 453.00
B. 271.72 D. 410.23

9. A flow net for a weir is shown. Compute the rate of seepage under the
weir. Use K = 0.014 m/day

A. 0.04 m3/day/m C. 0.0373 m3/day/m

B. 0.0317 m3/day/m D. 0.034 m3/day/m

10. A V-notch weir is located or cut at one end of a tank having a

horizontal square section 10 m x 10 m. If the initial head on the weir
is 1.20 m and it takes 377 sec. to discharge 100 cu. m. of water and C
= 0.60. Compute the vertex angle of the weir.
A. 52.43 C. 1.71
B. 104.86 D. 3.42

11. A nozzle of 50mm diameter delivers a stream of water at a velocity of

65 m/s perpendicular to a fixed plate. Calculate the force on the
plate.
A. 1.25 N C. 8295.77 N
B. 127.63 N D. 81.38 N

12. The initial void ratio of a layer of soft clay that is 5.5 m. thick is
0.4. Under a pressure of surcharge load above it, the void ratio
decreased by one-half. Evaluate the reduction in the thickness of the
clay layer, in meters.
A. 0.786 C. 0.547
B. 0.881 D. 0.610
 Page 3
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

13. A sand cone equipment is used to perform a field density test on a

compacted earth fill.
Soil sample dug from
22.60 N
test hole
Dry weight of soil
18.10 N
sample
Ottawa sand used to
17.92 N
fill the hole
Ottowa sand
calibrated dry 16 kN/m3
density
What is the percent compaction of the earth fill if the dry unit
weight at optimum moisture content is 17 kN/m3?
A. 94.12 % C. 84.06 %
B. 118.71 % D. 95.06 %

14. An open cylindrical tank having a radius of 0.30 m. and a height of

1.20 m. is filled with water at a depth of 0.90 m. How fast will it be
rotated about its vertical axis to produce a zero pressure with 0.20
m. from the center of the tank?
A. 12.09 rpm C. 21.70 rad/s
B. 115.48 rpm D. 207.22 rad/s

Situation 3 - A consolidated-drained triaxial test was conducted on a

normally consolidated clay. The results are as follows: Minor principal stress
= 276 kPa, Deviator stress at failure = 276 kPa.
15. Determine the major principal stress.
A. 508 C. 552
B. 468 D. 414
16. Determine the normal stress at the point on the failure plane.
A. 370.372 C. 283.078
B. 368.003 D. 283.891

17. A clay is normally consolidated. A laboratory consolidation test on

the clay using oedometer gave the following results:
Pressure, Void
kPa Ratio
120 1.15
330 0.86
Find the void ratio for a pressure of 515 kPa.
A. 0.805 C. 0.871
B. 0.699 D. 0.732

18. A line on a weather map connecting points of equal atmospheric

pressure is called:
A. Isobar C. Isotherm
B. Isotach D. Isopleth
 Page 4
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

Situation 4 - A tank 1 meter square in cross section is 4 m. high. A standard

sharp-edged orifice 100 mm in diameter is placed 300 mm above the bottom of
the tank on one of its sides. When at rest, the water in the tank is 3 m.
deep. If the volume of the water in the tank is kept constant and C = 0.60,
19. Compute the discharge in the orifice when the tank was moved with a
constant velocity of 6 m/s in a direction opposite that of the jet in
liters/sec.
A. 0.036 C. 0.042
B. 36.154 D. 41.747

20. Compute the discharge in m3/s in the orifice when the tank has a
constant acceleration of 4.905 m/s 2 in a direction opposite that of the
jet.
A. 0.0346 C. 0.0376
B. 0.0361 D. 0.0419

21. A 600-mm non-rigid pipe takes water from a large reservoir. The
velocity of flow in the pipe is 2.5 m/s. The flow is suddenly stopped
by a quick-closing valve situated 400 m from the reservoir. The pipe
is 20-mm thick and modulus of elasticity of pipe material is 1.4 x
10^11 Pa. Bulk modulus of elasticity of water is 2.2 x 10^9 Pa.
Compute for the time for the pressure wave to travel round trip along
the pipe.
A. 2.955 sec C. 0.645 sec
B. 0.539 sec D. 0.068 sec

Situation 5 - Footing A (1.3 x 1.3 m.) and Footing B (B x B m.) rest in a

layer of sand 2.7 m. thick. The bottoms of the footings are 0.90 m. below the
ground surface. Beneath the sand layer is a 1.8 m thick clay layer. Underneath
the clay layer is solid rock. Water table is at a depth of 1.8 m below the
ground surface. Additional information about the footings are below:
For sand layer:
γdry = 18.5 kN/m3 γsat = 20.8 kN/m3
For clay layer:
γsat = 18.8 kN/m3
e = 1.03
Cc = 0.30
Load on Footing A: 450 kN Load on Footing B: 900 kN
22. Compute the stress increase in kPa below footing A at the center of the
clay layer. Assume that the pressure beneath footing A is spread at an
angle of 2V:1H.
A. 18.742 C. 46.826
B. 28.125 D. 16.020

23. Determine the size of footing B so that the settlement in the clay layer
is the same beneath footings A and B.
A. 2.96 x 2.96 C. 0.78 x 0.78
B. 4.40 x 4.40 D. 5.13 x 5.13
 Page 5
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

24. Determine the settlement beneath footing A (in mm).

A. 50.514 C. 51.282
B. 74.945 D. 35.986

25. Three pipes are connected in series. The first pipe has a diameter of
500 mm and a length of 600 m. The second pipe has a diameter of 400 mm
and a length of 500 m. The third pipe has a diameter of 300 mm and a
length of 200 m. Use f = 0.02 for all pipes. If Q=0.8 m^3/s, what is
the equivalent diameter of a single pipe having the same properties
that could replace the three pipes?
A. 331 mm C. 319 mm
B. 266 mm D. 387 mm

26. An open tank contains a liquid 5 m. deep of unit weight 7 kN/m3. Water
is poured over the liquid and the total depth of both liquids is 8 m.
Obtain the gage pressure in kPa at the bottom of the tank.
A. 70.05 kPa C. 64.43 kPa
B. 113.48 kPa D. 105.05 kPa

27. A closed cylindrical vessel 1.2 m in diameter, 1.8 m high and 2/3 full
of water has a small hole at the center of the top cover. If it is
rotated at 90 rpm, determine the discharge (m^3/s) through a 25-mm
sharp edged orifice at the bottom of the vessel located 300 mm from
the vertical axis of the cylindrical vessel. C = 0.60
A. 0.0019 C. 0.0008
B. 0.0014 D. 0.0012

Situation 6 - The results of the sieve analysis for three soils are given in
the table below. It is required to classify these soils according to the
AASHTO soil classification system.
Percent Passing
Sieve No. Diameter(mm)
Soil A Soil B Soil C
4 4.760 90 100 100
8 2.380 64 90 100
10 2.000 54 77 92
20 0.850 34 58 84
40 0.425 22 51 79
60 0.250 17 41 78
100 0.150 9 35 70
200 0.074 5 33 63
Characteristics of No. 40 Fraction
LL - 46 47
PL - 29 24
28. Which of the following gives the classification of Soil A?
A. A-1-a(0) C. A-2-5(0)
B. A-1-b(0) D. A-3(0)
 Page 6
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

29. Which of the following gives the classification of Soil B?

A. A-2-4(1) C. A-2-6(1)
B. A-2-5(1) D. A-2-7(1)

30. Which of the following gives the classification of Soil C?

A. A-5(13) C. A-7-5(13)
B. A-6(13) D. A-7-6(13)

Situation 7 - The pump draws water from the large reservoir A and discharges
it at 0.2 m3/s at C.

31. Neglect friction losses. If the diameter of the pipe is 200 mm, determine
the head of the pump needed for the flow to occur.
A. 7.066 m. C. 6.534 m.
B. 5.644 m. D. 5.113 m.

32. Consider the head loss of the system to be 0.5 m. plus an additional 1
m. for every 5 m. of the total length of the pipe. Given that the pipe
extends 3 m. from the reservoir to B, then 12 m. from B to C, determine
the power of the pump in kW. Diameter of the pipe is 200 mm.
A. 13.863 C. 20.730
B. 11.074 D. 10.032

33. The fluid pressure exerted by mercury if roughly how many times
greater than that by water?
A. 1.0 C. 13.6
B. 8.0 D. 6.8

34. An irrigation canal with trapezoidal cross-section has the following

dimensions: bottom width = 2.50 m., depth of water = 0.90 m., side slope
= 1.5H to 1V, slope of the canal bed = 0.001, coefficient of roughness
= 0.025. The canal will serve clay-loam Riverland for which the duty of
water per hectare is 3 liters/sec. Using Manning’s formula: Determine
the number of hectares served by the irrigation canal.
A. 1042.965 C. 1301.685
B. 1815.66 D. 1526.91
 Page 7
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

Situation 8 - A container holds two layers of different liquids, one having

specific gravity of 1.65 and the other having a specific gravity of 1.89. A
solid spherical metal having a diameter of 350 mm and specific gravity of 8.8
is submerged in such a manner that half of the sphere is on the top layer,
and the other half in the bottom layer of liquid.
35. Evaluate the buoyant force acting on the sphere, in N.
A. 208.115 C. 181.688
B. 389.803 D. 355.714

36. Determine the tension in the cable attached to the sphere to normal
position, in N.
A. 1666.0 C. 1808.6
B. 1548.2 D. 1447.7

37. If both liquids are water, evaluate the buoyant force acting on the
sphere, in N.
A. 150.747 C. 220.228
B. 200.119 D. 188.633

38. The following are results of a field unit weight determination test
using sand cone method:
Volume of hole = 0.0014 m3
Mass of moist soil from hole = 3 kg
Water content = 12 %
Max. dry unit weight from a laboratory compaction test = 19 kN/m3
Determine the relative compaction (%).
A. 98.78 C. 107.83
B. 102.35 D. 110.64

Situation 9 - A parabolic channel has a top width of 5 meters and depth of

3.6 meters. The flow in the channel is 4.8 m3/s. Assume n = 0.012.
39. Determine the nearest value of the critical depth.
A. 2.679 m. C. 1.034 m.
B. 1.846 m. D. 2.599 m.
40. Determine the nearest value of the critical velocity.
A. 3.521 m/s C. 2.679 m/s
B. 2.600 m/s D. 1.846 m/s
41. Determine the nearest value of the critical slope.
A. 0.002302 C. 0.003333
B. 0.003022 D. 0.002222

42. NSCP Sec 302.2 Cuts

Unless otherwise recommended in the approved geotechnical engineering
report or engineering report, cuts shall conform to the provisions of
this section. In the absence of an approved geotechnical engineering
report, these provisions may be waived for cuts ___ meters or less in
height, involving intact rock or hard soil, that are not intended to
support structures.
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EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

A. 1 C. 3
B. 2 D. 4

43. A mercury barometer at the base of the mountain reads 620 mm. At the
same time, another barometer at the top of the mountain reads 450 mm.
Assuming the unit weight of air to be constant at 10 N/m^3, what is
the approximate height of the mountain?
A. 2.27 m. C. 2.72 m.
B. 2268.07 m. D. 2286.07 m.

44. An open tank 2.52 m. square weighs 3505 N and contains 1.15 m. of
water. It is acted by an unbalanced force of 11500 N parallel to a
pair of sides. What is the force (N) acting in the side with the
greatest depth?
A. 22288.27 C. 23457.00
B. 11324.66 D. 14897.18

45. To provide water from a nearby spring, a triangular flume of efficient

cross section was provided on a slope of 0.15%. Assuming the roughness
coefficient of the channel equal to 0.020, obtain the depth of flow in
meters of the water in the flume if it is discharging at the rate of 2
m3/s.
A. 1.69 C. 1.85
B. 1.31 D. 1.77

Situation 10 - A square footing 3 m. on a side is founded 1.2 m. below the

ground surface from which the bulk unit weight of the soil is 20 kN/m3,
cohesion strength is 10 kPa, and the angle of internal friction is 20° (Nc =
17.69, Nq = 7.44 Nγ = 3.64). The ground water table is at a level where it
does not affect the condition of the footing. Using Terzaghi’s bearing
capacity formula, evaluate the contribution of the following to the ultimate
bearing capacity:
46. Cohesion strength, kPa
A. 87.36 C. 229.97
B. 178.56 D. 495.89
47. Soil overburden, kPa
A. 178.56 C. 495.89
B. 229.97 D. 87.36
48. Footing dimension, kPa
A. 229.97 C. 495.89
B. 87.36 D. 178.56

49. A permeability test is conducted on a soil sample with a length of 200

mm and diameter of 20 mm. Under constant head of 45 cm, the mass of
water collected in 98 seconds is 407 grams. What is the permeability
of the soil in mm/s?
A. 3.16 C. 4.72
B. 5.88 D. 6.09
 Page 9
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

50. NSCP Sec 305.4. Stepped Foundations. Foundations for all buildings
where the surface of the ground slopes more than 1-unit vertical in
___ units horizontal shall be level or shall be stepped so that both
top and bottom of such foundation are level.
A. 10 C. 20
B. 30 D. 40

--- END ---

WARNING: Failure to submit your Test Questions (Complete) set will cause
the cancellation of your Test Results for the subject.
 Page 1
EXcellence in Professional Engineering
Review and Training Solutions
Civil Engineering 1st Preboard Examination: Nov 2021
SET A

General Silt-clay Materials

Classification (35% or less of total sample passing No. 200)

Group A-1 A-2

A-3
Classification A-1-a A-1-b A-2-4 A-2-5 A-2-6 A-2-7
Sieve Analysis
(Percent
Analysis)
No. 10 50 max
No. 40 30 max 50 max 51 min
35 35 35 35
No. 200 15 max 25 max 10 max
max max max max
Characteristics of Fraction Passing No. 40
40 41 40 41
Liquid Limit
max min max min
Plasticity 10 10 11 11
6 max NP
Index max max min min
Usual types of
significant Stone fragments, Fine
Silty or clayey gravel and sand
constituent gravel, and sand sand
materials
General
Excellent to Good
subgrade rating

Silt-clay Materials
General Classification
(More than 35% of total sample passing No. 200)
A-7
Group Classification A-4 A-5 A-6 A-7-5
A-7-6
Sieve Analysis
(Percent Analysis)
No. 10
No. 40
No. 200 36 min 36 min 36 min 36 min
Characteristics of Fraction Passing No. 40
Liquid Limit 40 max 41 min 40 max 41 min
Plasticity Index 10 max 10 max 11 min 11 min
Usual types of
significant constituent Silty Soils Clayey Soils
materials
General subgrade rating Fair to Poor
For A-7-5, PI ≤ LL - 30
For A-7-6, PI > LL - 30