Explore topic-wise MCQs in Civil Engineering.

This section includes 46 Mcqs, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your Civil Engineering knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.

1.

A soil sample is having a specific gravity of 2.60 and void ratio 0.78, the moisture content in % required to fully saturate the soil at that void ratio would be

A. 10
B. 30
C. 50
D. 70
Answer» C. 50
Discussion
2.

If e represents the void ratio of the soil and G is its specific gravity, the critical gradient is:

A. G +1 / 1 - e
B. G + 1 / 1 + e
C. G - 1 / 1 - e
D. G - 1 / 1 + e
Answer» E.
Discussion
3.

A saturated sand sample has a dry unit weight of 18 kN/m3 and a specific gravity of 2.65. If γw = 9.81 kN/m3, then, what is the water content of the soil?

A. 0.166
B. 0.3
C. 0.189
D. 0.277
Answer» B. 0.3
Discussion
4.

A project engineer receives a laboratory report of a sample of soil having a moist unit weight of soil is 20.5 KN/m3, water content available is 25 % and the specific gravity of the solid of the soil is 3.35. Find the dry unit weight of the soil.

A. 16.8 kN/m3
B. 18.4 kN/m3
C. 18.8 kN/m3
D. 16.4 kN/m3
Answer» E.
Discussion
5.

A soil sample has a porosity of 40% and the specific gravity of solid is 2.70. If the soil is 50% saturated, the unit weight will be nearly

A. 22 kN/m3
B. 20 kN/m3
C. 18 kN/m3
D. 16 kN/m3
Answer» D. 16 kN/m3
Discussion
6.

For a given soil mass with water content of 15 % the void ratio is 0.55 and specific gravity of soil particles is 2.6. The degree of saturation of soil is

A. 45.6
B. 70.9
C. 55.8
D. 90.2
Answer» C. 55.8
Discussion
7.

Consider the following effects as indicative of complete saturation of a soil sample:1. Pore water pressure is positive.2. Volume of water to volume of voids is equal to 1.3. Relative density is equal to 1.Which of the above statements are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1 and 3 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer» B. 1 and 3 only
Discussion
8.

A soil sample taken from the field has specific gravity of 2.5 and void ratio of 0.75. The water content required to fully saturate the soil at that void ratio is:

A. 25%
B. 40%
C. 55%
D. 30%
Answer» E.
Discussion
9.

Consider the following statements:1. Knowledge about moisture content is necessary to determine permeability.2. Some typical marine clay may have moisture content as high as 400%.3. Sand bath method of moisture content determination is not suitable for soils containing organic matter.Which of the above statements an correct?

A. 1, 2 and 3
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1 and 3 only
Answer» B. 1 and 2 only
Discussion
10.

A unit phase diagram is normally divided into three parts. What does the top, middle and bottom part represent?

A. Air, water and solid respectively
B. Air, solid and water respectively
C. Water, air and solid respectively
D. Solid, water and air respectively
Answer» B. Air, solid and water respectively
Discussion
11.

Pressuremeter test is performed on the site to measure which property of the soil?

A. Skin Friction
B. Shear Modulus
C. Modulus of subgrade reaction
D. Relative density
Answer» C. Modulus of subgrade reaction
Discussion
12.

For perfectly dry soil, degree of saturation is: _______.

A. Zero
B. 0 to 1
C. 1
D. Infinite
Answer» B. 0 to 1
Discussion
13.

Consider the following statements in the context of aeolian soils:1. The soil has low density and low compressibility.2. The soil is deposited by wind.3. The soil has large permeability.Which of these statements are correct?

A. 1, 2 and 3
B. 2 and 3
C. 1 and 3
D. 1 and 2
Answer» C. 1 and 3
Discussion
14.

A dry soil has mass specific gravity of 1.35. If the specific gravity of solids is 2.7, then the void ratio will be:

A. 0.5
B. 1
C. 1.5
D. 2
Answer» C. 1.5
Discussion
15.

A borrow area soil material is sampled and weighs 1100 g. It is then over-dried in the lab till constant weight is achieved. This constant weight is 1000 g. If 1000000 MT of this soil is to be completed at 15% moisture content, then the quantity of water (in m3) required to be added to this soil will be

A. 15000
B. 100000
C. 50000
D. 1500
E. 5000
Answer» D. 1500
Discussion
16.

Match List-I with List-II and choose the correct answer from the options given below. List-I List-IIA. Porositya. Volume of air voids / volume of voidsB. Air contentb. Weight of water / weight of solidsC. Water contentc. Unit weight of Soil solids / unit weight of water D. Specific gravity d. Volume of voids / total volume of soil mass

A. A - a, B - b, C - c, D - d
B. A - d, B - c, C - a, D - b
C. A - c, B - b, C - a, D - d
D. A - d, B - a, C - b, D - c
Answer» E.
Discussion
17.

If the gross weight of the soil = W and the weight of solid particles = WS, then the value of water content will be -

A. (W / WS) - 1
B. 1 + (W / WS)
C. 1 - (W / WS)
D. (WS / W) + 1
Answer» B. 1 + (W / WS)
Discussion
18.

A fill having volume of 150000 m3 is to be constructed at a void ratio of 0.8 the borrow pit solid has a void ratio of 1.4. The volume of soil required to be excavated from the borrow pit will be

A. 150000 m3
B. 200000 m3
C. 250000 m3
D. 300000 m3
Answer» C. 250000 m3
Discussion
19.

A partially saturated soil contains:

A. Solids and air only
B. Solids, air, water and clay only
C. Solids and water only
D. Solids, air and water only
Answer» E.
Discussion
20.

A sample of 500 g dry, when poured into a 2 litre capacity cylinder which is partially filled with water, displaces 188 cm3 of water. The density of water is 1 g/cm3. The specific gravity of the sand is

A. 2.72
B. 2.66
C. 2.55
D. 2.52
Answer» C. 2.55
Discussion
21.

If the porosity of soil is close to 33%, then its void ratio will be closer to____.

A. 0.33
B. 0.5
C. 0.8
D. 1
Answer» C. 0.8
Discussion
22.

A soil has a bulk density of 2.3 g/cm3 and water content 15%, the dry density of soil sample is

A. 2.0 g/cm3
B. 1.5 g/cm3
C. 1.0 g/cm3
D. 2.5 g/cm3
Answer» B. 1.5 g/cm3
Discussion
23.

If γsub = unit submerged weight of soil, γsat = unit saturated load of soil and γw = unit weight of water, then their correct formula will be.

A. γsub = γsat × γw
B. γsub = γsat / γw
C. γsub = γsat - γw
D. γsub = γsat + γw
Answer» D. γsub = γsat + γw
Discussion
24.

Bulk unit weight is the:

A. the total weight of a soil mass per unit of its total volume
B. weight of solids per unit of its total volume of the soil mass
C. unit weight of soil solids per unit volume of solids
D. mass of solids per unit of total volume of the soil mass
E. mass of dry solids per unit of total volume of the soil mass
Answer» B. weight of solids per unit of its total volume of the soil mass
Discussion
25.

If the porosity of a soil is 0.5, its void ratio will be: _______.

A. 0.2
B. 0.33
C. 1
D. 0.71
Answer» D. 0.71
Discussion
26.

An embankment of 100 cum volume is to be constructed. A borrow area has a dry density of 17 kN/m3 if the embankment is to be constructed with a dry density of 16 kN/m3, then the volume (m3) of soil required will be

A. 94
B. 106
C. 100
D. 90
E. 96
Answer» B. 106
Discussion
27.

A clay sample has a void ratio of 0.50 in dry state and specific gravity of solids is 2.70. Its shrinkage limit will be

A. 12%
B. 13.5%
C. 18.5%
D. 22.0%
Answer» D. 22.0%
Discussion
28.

______ refers to the amount of empty space within a given material.

A. Strength
B. Viscosity
C. Porosity
D. Softness
Answer» D. Softness
Discussion
29.

A soil sample has shrinkage limit of 6% and the specific gravity of the soil grains is 2.6. The porosity of soil at shrinkage limit is

A. 7.5%
B. 9.5%
C. 13.5%
D. 16.5%
Answer» D. 16.5%
Discussion
30.

A soil sample has a void ratio of 0.5; its porosity will be

A. 50%
B. 66%
C. 100%
D. 33%
Answer» E.
Discussion
31.

A soil deposit has a void ratio of 1.2, if the void ratio is reduced to 0.6 by compaction, find percentage volume loss:

A. 10%
B. 20%
C. 30%
D. 40%
Answer» D. 40%
Discussion
32.

In soil, the value of which of the following can be more than 100%? (i) Air Content (ii) Water Content(iii) Void Ratio (iv) Porosity

A. Only (i)
B. (i) and (ii)
C. (ii) and (iii)
D. (ii), (iii) and (iv)
Answer» D. (ii), (iii) and (iv)
Discussion
33.

Let G be the specific gravity of soil solids, w the water content in the soil sample, γw the unit weight of water, and γd the dry unit weight of the soil. The equation for the zero air voids line in a compaction test plot is

A. \({{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{d}}} = \frac{{{\rm{G}}{{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{w}}}}}{{1 + {\rm{Gw}}}}\)
B. \({{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{d}}} = \frac{{{\rm{G}}{{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{w}}}}}{{{\rm{Gw}}}}\)
C. \({{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{d}}} = \frac{{{{\rm{G}}_{\rm{w}}}}}{{1 + {{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{w}}}}}\)
D. \({{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{d}}} = \frac{{{{\rm{G}}_{\rm{w}}}}}{{1 - {{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{w}}}}}\)
Answer» B. \({{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{d}}} = \frac{{{\rm{G}}{{\rm{\gamma }}_{\rm{w}}}}}{{{\rm{Gw}}}}\)
Discussion
34.

A soil sample has porosity 25%. Calculate its void ratio.

A. 3.00
B. 0.34
C. 0.65
D. 0.46
Answer» C. 0.65
Discussion
35.

A dry soil sample weighing 120 g has a volume of 80 ml and specific gravity 2.7 Its voids ratio is

A. 0.5
B. 0.6
C. 0.7
D. 0.8
Answer» E.
Discussion
36.

A saturated soil sample has water content of 40% and specific gravity of soil particle is 2.7. The void ratio of the soil is

A. 0.4
B. 0.52
C. 1.08
D. 2.0
Answer» D. 2.0
Discussion
37.

A soil sample having a void ratio of 1.3, water content of 50% and a specific gravity of 2.60, is in a state of

A. partial saturation
B. full saturation
C. over saturation
D. under saturation
Answer» C. over saturation
Discussion
38.

A soil sample is required to have degree of saturation 60% at 18% water content. If specific gravity of soil solids is 2.6, the dry weight of the soil required to prepare a cylindrical soil sample of height 60 mm and diameter 30 mm is

A. 0.6076 N
B. 0.7171 N
C. 1.0817 N
D. 1.423 N
Answer» B. 0.7171 N
Discussion
39.

How many cubic meters of soil having a void ratio of 0.7 can be made from 30 m3 of soil with a void ratio of 1.2?

A. 36.6 m3
B. 30.6 m3
C. 25.9 m3
D. 23.2 m3
Answer» E.
Discussion
40.

A cohesive soil yields a maximum dry density of 18 kN/m3 during a standard Proctor Compaction test. If the specific gravity is 2.65, what would be its void ratio?

A. 0.552
B. 0.44
C. 0.712
D. 0.283
Answer» C. 0.712
Discussion
41.

If the water content of fully saturated soil mass is 100%, then the void ratio of the sample is:

A. independent of the specific gravity of soil.
B. equal to the specific gravity of soil
C. greater than the specific gravity of soil
D. less than the specific gravity of soil
Answer» C. greater than the specific gravity of soil
Discussion
42.

A pycnometer is used to determine the:

A. liquid index of soil
B. plastic index of soil
C. shrinkage in soil
D. specific gravity of soil
Answer» E.
Discussion
43.

A sand sample has a porosity of 30% specific gravity of solids as 2.6. What is its degree of saturation at a moisture content of 4.94%?

A. 40%
B. 35%
C. 30%
D. 25%
Answer» D. 25%
Discussion
44.

Partially saturated soil is classified as

A. One-phase soil
B. Two-phase soil
C. Three-phase soil
D. Four-phase soil
Answer» D. Four-phase soil
Discussion
45.

A soil engineer collects a sample of soil having a moist unit weight of a soil of 24.5 kN/m3, water content available is 10 % and the specific gravity of the solid is 2.50. what is the degree of saturation of the soil? (Assume unit weight of water = 9.81 kN/m3)

A. 250 %
B. 225 %
C. 75 %
D. 150 %
Answer» B. 225 %
Discussion
46.

A soil has a bulk density of 20 kN/m3 and water content of 25%. The dry density of the soil would be:

A. 26.7 kN/m3
B. 18.0 kN/m3
C. 16.0 kN/m3
D. 15.0 kN/m3
Answer» D. 15.0 kN/m3
Discussion