300+ Soil Mechanics MCQs

Section 1

Questions 1 - 10

1

Question

In sedimentary soil, the individual particles are created at one location, transported and finally

A Deposited in another location B Redeposited in low lying areas C Deposited in low lying areas D Deposited in desert areas

2

Question

A residual soil is one formed in place by the weathering of rock at the location

A And transported to another location B With little or no movement of individual soil particles C And deposited under lake D And deposited under sea

3

Question

Residual soils are formed by

A Glaciers B Wind C Water D None of the above

4

Question

Soils are basically,

A Organic materials B Inorganic materials C Mineral materials D Organic and inorganic materials

5

Question

The behavior of silts is normally governed by

A Mass energy B Surface energy C Mass and Surface energy D None of the above

6

Question

he behavior of clay is governed by

A Mass energy B Surface-cum-mass energy C Surface energy D Friction

7

Question

Lacustrine soil is a

A Soil deposited in sea B Wind- born soil C Soil deposited in lake D Soil formed by vegetational matter

8

Question

Chemical weathering occurs because of

A Oxidation B Carbonation C Hydration D All the above

9

Question

Physical weathering occurs due to

A Temperature changes B Wedging action of ice C Spreading of roots of plants D All the above

10

Question

The term soil mechanics was coined by

A Terzaghi B Cassagrande C Newmarks D Rankine

Section 2

Questions 11 - 20

11

Question

Cohesionless soils are formed due to

A Oxidation of rocks B Leaching action of water on rocks C Blowing of hot and cold wind D Physical disintegration of rocks

12

Question

Peat is composed of

A Clay and sand B Decayed vegetable matter C Inorganic silt and silty clay D Synthetic chemicals.

13

Question

Talus is the transported by

A gravitational force B water C glacier D wind

14

Question

Varved clay is

A a mixture of sand,silt,clay B a chemically bonded soil mixture C alternate thin layers of silt and clay D decomposed volcanic ash deposit

15

Question

Black cotton soil is

A a chemically weathered residual soil B a physically weathered residual soil C a colluvial soil D an organic soil

16

Question

Black cotton soil exhibits large swelling and shrinkage due to presence of the following clay mineral.

A Kaolinite B Illite C Montmorillonite D Halloysite

17

Question

When the product of rock weathering is not transported as sediments but remain in place.

A Alluvial soil B Glacial soil C Residual soil D Aeolian soil

18

Question

Aeolian soils are

A Residual soils B Wind deposits C Gravity deposits D Water deposits

19

Question

Loam means

A Sandy clay with little slit B Silty clay with a little sand C Sand, silt and clay D Sand,silt and Gravel

20

Question

Fill is a deposit made

A By transported soil B By weathering of rock in one location C By deposition of transported soil D By the activities of man

Section 3

Questions 21 - 30

21

Question

The majority of naturally occurring collapsing soils are

A Aeolian B Peat C Alluvial D Marine

22

Question

Identify the non- collapsing soil from the following

A Dune sand B Volcanic ash C Loess D Gravel or pebble

23

Question

Pick up the correct sequence of geological cycle for the formation of soil

A Transportation –upheavaldeposition-weathering B Transportation -deposition – weathering-upheaval C Weathering upheaval deposition transportation D Weathering transportation deposition upheaval

24

Question

The most erratic soil deposit is

A Wind-load deposit B River-channel deposit C Flood-plain deposit D Glacial deposit

25

Question

The most uniform soil deposit is

A wind-laid deposit B delta deposit C shore deposit D glacial deposit

26

Question

The black cotton soil the seasonal moisture changes bring in volume changes upto a maximum depth of about

A 1.0m B 1.5m C 2.0m D 3.0m

27

Question

Loess is

A a clay deposit B fine sand sized particles C silt- size particles D colloidal particles

28

Question

Slits have the following properties

A plasticity B limited plasticity C limited or no plasticity D elasticity

29

Question

Pycnometer method is used to determine

A Water content and void ratio B Specific gravity C Specific gravity and dry density D Specific gravity and water content

30

Question

If the moisture content of a fully saturated soil is 100%, then the void ratio is equal to

A Mass specific gravity B True specific gravity C Half of true specific gravity D No relation with specific gravity

Section 4

Questions 31 - 40

31

Question

The soil that will have generally maximum void ratio is

A Gravel B Sand C Silt D Clay

32

Question

The bulk density of coarse grained soils can be determined by

A Sand replacement method B Core cutter method C Pycnometer method D Torsion balance method

33

Question

For a stable packing of regular spheres at the minimum density, the void ratio is

A 0.91 B 0.81 C 0.65 D 0.34

34

Question

The void ratio in soils is defined as the rati of volume of

A Voids to solids volume B Voids to soil volume C Solid to voids volume D Solids to total volume

35

Question

Theoretically, the void ratio in soils can have the following values

A Less than one only B More than one C Can be less or more than one D Less than 0.5

36

Question

Dry density of soil can be defined as the ratio of

A Weight of solids to the total volume B Weight of the soil to the total volume of solids C Unit weight the soil to the unit weight of water D None

37

Question

For a dense packing regular spheres at the maximum density,the void ratio is

A 0.91 B 0.81 C 0.65 D 0.35

38

Question

When porosity is 50% the void ratio is

A 0 B 0.50 C 1 D 1.5

39

Question

The standard methodof deterring water content is

A Oven-drying method B Alcohol method C Calcium carbide method D Pycnometer method

40

Question

Water content w in % ranging in between

A W< 0 B 0< w< 100 C 0 ≤ w ≤ 100 D W ≥ 0

Section 5

Questions 41 - 50

41

Question

Void ratio e is ranging from

A e≤ 0 B 0< e < 1 C 0≤ e ≤ 1 D e> 0

42

Question

If the void ratio is 0.5 then the porosity is

A 0.333 B 1 C 0.666 D 0.5

43

Question

Submerged unit weight is based on principle of

A Darcy B Terzaghi C Archmedis D Reynolds

44

Question

The wt. of a container is 40gm and the weight of the container and wet soil sample is 100g. on oven drying for 24hrs.the wt. of container with dry soil is found to be 80g.the water content of the soil is

A 40% B 50% C 80% D 33.33%

45

Question

A soil has a bulk density of 1.80g/cc at a water content of 5%. If the void ratio remains constant, then it bulk density for a water content of 10% will be

A 1.98g/cc B 1.80g/cc C 1.70g/cc D 1.88g/cc

46

Question

For a soil in natural state, void ratio is 1, water content is 30% and G= 2.50, the degree of saturation

A 0% B 150% C 75% D 30%

47

Question

For a soil, G=2.5 and the void ratio is 1.then the value of γsat/ γsub is

A 2.5 B 2 C 2.33 D None

48

Question

A soil has a bulk density of 2.4g/cc and water content of 20% the dry density of the sample is

A 1.25gm/cc B 1.5 g/cc C 2 g/cc D 2.5g/cc

49

Question

A sample of dry soil weights 120gm and its volume 80ml. if the specific gravity is 2.80, the void ratio of the sample is

A 1 B 0.5 C 1.5 D 0.86

50

Question

A soil deposit has a void ratio of 1. If the void ratio is reduced to 0.6 by compaction, find the % volume loss…

A 10% B 20% C 30% D 40%

Section 6

Questions 51 - 60

51

Question

The specific gravity of a soil sample is 2.7 and its void ratio is 0.945. when it is fully saturated, moisture content of the soil will be

A 2.8% B 25% C 35% D 95%

52

Question

In a wet soil mass, air occupies one-sixth of its volume and water occupies one-third of its volume. The void ratio of the soil is

A 0.25 B 0.5 C 1.00 D 1.50

53

Question

In a soil mass if volume of voids is equal to volume of solids, then values of voids ratio is …and porosity is…

A 0.5, 0.5 B 1,0.5 C 1.5, 0.5 D 0.5, 1.5

54

Question

The void ratio of the soil is

A 1.35 B 1.85 C 2.25 D 2.65

55

Question

The degree of saturation of the soil is

A 45.6% B 65.6% C 76.45% D 83.45%

56

Question

A sample with a volume of 45cc is filled with a dry soil sample. When the soil is poured into a graduated cylinder, it displaces 25cc of water. What is the void ratio of the soil?

A 0.50 B 0.44 C 0.65 D 0.80

57

Question

If a soil sample of weight 0.18 kg having a volume of 10-4 cum and dry unit weight of 1600kg/m3. Then the final water content in the sample will be

A 30% B 25% C 20% D 12.5%

58

Question

A soil has a porosity of 40% , the G=2.5 and water content of 1 2%. Then Water content at full saturation is

A 15.7% B 9.5% C 23.5% D 26.6%

59

Question

A soil has a porosity of 40% , the G=2.5 and water content of 1 2%. Then Water content at full saturation is

A 15.7% B 9.5% C 23.5% D 26.6%

60

Question

The soil sample used for liquid limit (WL) and plastic limit (Wp) and for (WS) tests should be finer then

A 75microns B 150micron C 200micron D 425micron

Section 7

Questions 61 - 70

61

Question

A clay is said to be fat when its WL is

A 10to 20% B 20to30% C 30to50% D More than 50%

62

Question

The flow index in soils indicates

A Shear strength variation with water content B Variation of liquid limit C Rate of flow of water through the soil D Ratio of liquid limit to plastic limit

63

Question

Pick up the incorrect pair

A Consistency : Atterberg B Liquid limit : Casagrande C Consolidation : Terzaghi D Sedimentation analysis : Darcy

64

Question

The most uniformly graded soil is

A Dune sand B Loess C Talus D Loam

65

Question

In hydrometer analysis the principle used is

A Newton’s law B Darcy’s law C Stoke’s law D Rehabann’s law

66

Question

The effective size of the soil is

A D15 B D85 C D10 D D90

67

Question

Soil in which contain the particles of different sizes in good proportion is called

A Uniform soil B Well graded soil C Poorly soil D Gap Graded Soil

68

Question

Soil in which some of the intermediate size particles are missing is known as

A Poorly graded soil B Non uniform soil C Ill proportional soil D Skip graded soil or gap graded

69

Question

At shrinkage limit the degree of saturation is

A 0% B 50% C 75% D 100%

70

Question

When the natural moisture content ,plastic limit &plasticity index (lp) of a soil are 15%,25%&20% respectively then the liquidity index (lL)

A -0.5 B 0.5 C 0.33 D -0.2

Section 8

Questions 71 - 80

71

Question

A soil is said to be non –plastic when lp

A =0% B > 7% C =1% D < 7%

72

Question

The shrinkage index is equal to

A Liquid limit –plastic limit B Liquid limit –shrinkage limit C Plastic limit- Liquid limit D plastic limit - shrinkage limit

73

Question

For a well graded soil , the coefficient of curvature will be between

A 1&10 B 2&8 C 3&7 D 1&3

74

Question

D10 of the soil is the diameter in mm such that

A 10% of the soil is coarser than this value B 10% of the soil is finer than this value C This value has no bearing on particle size distribution D None

75

Question

A flat flow curve indicates soil of

A Low shear strength B High shear strength C Low compressibility D Low permeability

76

Question

Stoke law is applicable for spheres of diameter

A 0.002 to0.0002mm B 0.2mm to 0.0002mm C 0.02 to0.0002mm D 2.00 to0.02mm

77

Question

The sedimentation method generally used in the field of soil mechanics is

A Successive sedimentation B Observation of the amount of sediment per unit volume at a given point C Observation of the total amount of soil in suspension above a given elevation D Observation of total sedimented

78

Question

The liquid limit exists for

A Sandy soil B Silty soil C Clayey soil D Gravelly soil

79

Question

The maximum water content at which a reduction in water content does not cause a decrease in volume of soil mass is known as

A Liquid limit B Plastic limit C Shrinkage limit D Ductile limit

80

Question

If the water content reduced below the shrinkage limit then the total volume of the soil

A Increases B Decreases C Remains same D None

Section 9

Questions 81 - 90

81

Question

If the natural water content of a soil mass lies betn its liquid limit and plastic limit , the soil mass is said to be in a

A Liquid state B Plastic state C Semi solids state D Solid state

82

Question

The admixture of sand silt to clay causes

A Decreases in liquid limit and increase in plasticity index B Decreases in liquid limit and no change in plasticity index C Decreases in both liquid limit and plasticity index D increases in both liquid limit and plasticity index

83

Question

For proper field control, which of the following methods is best suited for quick determination of water content of a soil mass?

A Oven drying method B Sand bath method C Alcohol method D Calcium carbide method

84

Question

A steep grain size distribution curve represents

A More uniform grain sizes B Non-uniform grain sizes grains of all sizes C grains of all sizes D grain sizes from two representative fractions

85

Question

A flat grain size distribution curve shows a

A narrow range of grain sizes B widerange of grain sizes C uniform grain sizes D certain range of missing grain sizes

86

Question

Sand is said to be well graded when Cu is

A 4 to 6 B > 6 C 2to 4 D < 4

87

Question

The ratio of plasticity index to flow index is called

A Activity ratio B Liquidity index C Toughness index D None

88

Question

The minimum water content at which the soil just begins to crumble when rolled into threads 3mm in diameter is known as

A Shrinkage limit B Plastic limit C Liquid limit D Consistency limit

89

Question

Plasticity index is obtained as the difference between

A Liquid limit and Shrinkage limit B Shrinkage limit and Plastic limit C Liquid limit and Plastic limit D None of this

90

Question

A stiff clay has a consistency index of

A 50-75 B 75-100 C > 100 D < 10

Section 10

Questions 91 - 100

91

Question

Plasticity index of a highly plastic soil is about

A 10-20 B 20-40 C > 40 D > 10

92

Question

Activity of montmorillonite clay mineral is

A < 0.75 B 0.75-1.25 C 1.25-4 D > 4

93

Question

For a dense sand the relative density is

A 35-65 B 65-85 C 85-100 D > 100

94

Question

A soil sample has a shrinkage limit of 10%&specific gravity of a soil solids as 2.7. the porosity of the soil as shrinkage limit is

A 27% B 21.2% C 32% D 31.2%

95

Question

The coefficients of uniformity &curvature of solids is 4&1resp. The ratio D10/D30will be

A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4

96

Question

In liquid limit test by casagrande apparatus, the water content for10& 100 blows are 40%& 10%. The flow index for the soil is

A 10 B 40 C 30 D 50

97

Question

A soil is said to be a semi-solid or solid state when IL

A =0 B <0 C =1 D >1

98

Question

The consistency of a saturated cohesive solid is affected by

A water content B density index C particle size distribution D coefficient of permeability

99

Question

The void of a soils in its densest and loosest state are 0.2 and 0.80 if void ratio in the natural state is 0.4 the relative density is

A 80% B 66% C 40% D 20%

100

Question

Plastic limit is found by

A Casagrands test B Plastic test C Dilatancy test D Threade test

Section 11

Questions 101 - 110

101

Question

Pretreatment of soil to remove organic matter by oxidation is done with

A Sodium hexametaphosphate B Hydrogen peroxide C Oxygen D Hydrochloric acid

102

Question

Particle size distribution curve with a hump is obtained for a

A Uniform soil B Well graded soil C Gap graded D Poorly graded soil

103

Question

For a particle of diameter 75μ the terminal velocity will be about

A 0.05cm/s B 0.50cm/s C 1cm/s D 1.5cm/s

104

Question

When the plastic limit of a soil is greater than a liquid limit then the plasticity index is reported as

A Negative B Zero C Non-plastic D 1

105

Question

The liquid limit of clayey soil is 56% and its plasticity index is 15%. The state of the soil at a water content of 45% is

A Liquid state B Plastic state C Semi solid state D Solid state

106

Question

A clay sample has void ratio of 0.50 in the dry condition the grain specific gravity has been determined as 2.72. the shrinkage limit of this clay will be

A 18.4% B 13.6% C 27.2% D None

107

Question

The IS classification of soil is

A Particles size classification B Textural classification C Highway research board classification D Modified Unified Classification

108

Question

Plastic limit is found by

A Casagrands test B Plastic test C Dilatancy test D Threade test

109

Question

The biggest size of clay size particle is

A 0.0002mm B 0.002mm C 0.02mm D 0.075mm

110

Question

The laboratory classification of fine grained soil is based on

A Plasticity index B Liquid limit C Plasticity chart D Sedimentation analysis

Section 12

Questions 111 - 112

111

Question

IS soil classification is based on

A Grain size B Grain size distribution C Plasticity properties D Both b and c

112

Question

The symbol of SM indicates

A Sandy silty B Medium sand C Silty sand D Medium silt

300+ Soil Mechanics MCQs ✨ Free Access

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Section 11

Section 12

🎯 Ready for More?

300+ Soil Mechanics MCQs ✨ Free Access

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9

Section 10

Section 11

Section 12

🎯 Ready for More?

Legal

1. Acceptance of Terms

2. Account Registration

3. Course & Content Access

4. Payments

5. Refunds

6. Weekly Tests & Fair Use

7. Intellectual Property

8. Limitation of Liability

9. Changes to These Terms

10. Governing Law

1. Information We Collect

2. How We Use Your Information

3. Data Sharing

4. Data Security

5. Cookies & Sessions

6. Your Rights

7. Changes to This Policy

8. Contact Us

Educational Purpose Only

No Professional Advice

Third-Party Content

Accuracy of Information

Limitation of Liability