Soil Mechanics – Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. 13. What does a low uniformity coefficient indicate?

   • A. Uniform soil
   • B. Well-graded soil
   • C. Clayey soil
   • D. Sandy soil

2. 14. What are 'Atterberg limits'?

   • A. A series of tests that define the water content boundaries between different states of consistency for fine-grained soils
   • B. Particle size analysis
   • C. Shear strength tests
   • D. Compaction tests

3. 15. What is 'liquid limit' (LL)?

   • A. The water content at which a soil passes from a plastic state to a liquid state
   • B. The water content at which a soil becomes plastic
   • C. The water content at which a soil becomes solid
   • D. The water content at which a soil shrinks

4. 16. What is 'plastic limit' (PL)?

   • A. The water content at which a soil passes from a semi-solid state to a plastic state
   • B. The water content at which a soil becomes liquid
   • C. The water content at which a soil becomes solid
   • D. The water content at which a soil shrinks

5. 17. What is 'shrinkage limit' (SL)?

   • A. The water content below which further loss of water will not cause a decrease in the volume of the soil mass
   • B. The water content at which soil becomes liquid
   • C. The water content at which soil becomes plastic
   • D. The water content at which soil expands

6. 18. What is 'plasticity index' (PI)?

   • A. The difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit (PI = LL - PL)
   • B. A measure of soil compressibility
   • C. A measure of soil strength
   • D. A measure of soil permeability

7. 19. What is 'permeability' (k)?

   • A. A measure of the ability of a soil to transmit water or other fluids through its pores
   • B. A measure of soil strength
   • C. A measure of soil density
   • D. A measure of soil stiffness

8. 20. What is 'Darcy's Law'?

   • A. An equation that describes the flow of fluid through porous media
   • B. P = ρgh
   • C. F = ma
   • D. Q = U A ΔT

9. 21. What is 'seepage velocity'?

   • A. The actual velocity of water flowing through the pores of a soil
   • B. The discharge velocity
   • C. The average velocity
   • D. The superficial velocity

10. 22. What is 'total stress' (σ)?

    • A. The sum of the effective stress and the pore water pressure
    • B. The stress carried by the soil skeleton
    • C. The stress due to water
    • D. The stress due to air

11. 23. What is 'pore water pressure' (u)?

    • A. The pressure of water in the void spaces of a soil
    • B. The pressure of air in the voids
    • C. The pressure of solids
    • D. The external pressure

12. 24. What is 'capillary rise' in soils?

    • A. The upward movement of water in soil pores due to surface tension
    • B. The downward movement of water
    • C. The horizontal movement of water
    • D. The evaporation of water