CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS

PYRAMID IAS ACADEMY

KARAIKUDI

Our TNPSC CESE AE Civil Result in 2019 Exam

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 CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS
8. Consider the following statements.
1. A civil engineer is concerned mainly with 5 to 8m
PYRAMID IAS ACADEMY
top mantle of soil in dealing with small and medium
KARAIKUDI sized projects
2. Cohesion less soils are farmed due to the oxidation
SOIL MECHANICS – UNIT TEST of rocks.
3. Maximum size of grains of silts is about 0.075mm.
Marks: 50 Time: 45min a) 1 and 2 are correct b) 1 and 3 are correct
c) 1,2,3 are correct d) No one is correct
Options for Assertion and Reason Questions:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct 9. Match the List I with List II
explanation of A List I List II
(b) Both A and R are true and R is not a correct A.Meniscus Correction 1. Always negative
explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false B.Dispersing agent 2. Based on
(d) A is false but R is true temperature
C.Temperature 3. Always positive
Correction
1. In the unit phase diagram for a soil mass
a)A-1, B-2, C-3 b) A-1, B-3, C-2
a) Total volume is taken as unity
c) A-3, B-1, C-2 d) A-3, B-1, C-2
b) Volume of water is taken as unity
c) Volume of soil solids is taken as unity
10. A steep grain size distribution curve represents
d) None of the above
a) Grains of all sizes b) Non-uniform grain sizes
2. IS specifies the method for determination of liquid c) Grain sizes from two representative fractions
limit is d) More uniform grain sizes
a) Casagrande’s apparatus b) ASTM apparatus
c) Cone penetrometer d) none of these 11. A pycnometer is used to determine
a) water content and voids ratio
3. Density index for a natural soil is used to express b) specific gravity and dry density
a) Percentage voids b) Relative compactness c) water content and specific gravity
c) Shear strength of clays d) Specific gravity. d) voids ratio and dry density

4. The soil sample for the hydrometer analysis is 12. The laboratory test results of a soil sample given
pretreated with the following agent below:
a) Oxidizing agent b) Reduction agent Percentage finer than 4.75mm = 60
c) Sulphuric agent d) All the above. Percentage finer than 0.075mm = 30
Liquid limit = 35%
Plastic limit = 27%, The soil classification is
5. Consider the following statements.
i) Residual soils are created at one location, a) GM b) SM c) GC d) ML-MI
transported and finally deposited in another
location. 13. According to Atterberg, the soil is said to
ii) Sedimentary soils are soils which remain on the be of medium plasticity if the plasticity
parent rock without getting transported index PI is
Of these statements, a) 0 < PI< 7 b) 7 ≤ PI ≤ 17
a) 1 and 2 are correct b) only 1 is correct c) 17<PI<27 d) PI≥27
c) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct d) Only 2 is correct
14. Stoke's law is valid only if the size of particle is
6. The maximum water content of a saturated soil at a) less than 0.0002 mm b) greater than 0.2 mm
which a reduction in its moisture does not cause a c) between 0.2 mm and 0.0002 mm d) all of the above
decrease in volume of the soil, is called
a) liquid limit b) plastic limit 15. The maximum value of stress on a vertical plane
c) elastic limit d) shrinkage limit which is at a particular radial distance from the axis
of load corresponds to the point of intersection of the
7. A soil having uniformity co-efficient more than 10, vertical plane with the line which is drawn at an
is called angle of
a) Uniform soil b) poor soil a) 39° 15' b)45° c)900 d)none.

d) Well graded soil
d) coarse soil 16. In the laboratory determination of SL, the volume
of the dry soil pat is determined by
a) Oven dry method b) Sand bath method
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 CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS
c) Radiation method 23. The plasticity index and the percentage of grain
d) Mercury replacement method. size finer then 2 microns of a clay sample are 25 and
15, respectively. Its activity ratio is
17. The admixture of coarser particles like a. 2.5 b. 1.67 c. 1.0 d. 0.6
sand or silt to clay causes
a) decrease in liquid limit and increase in plasticity
index 24. The following index properties were determined
b) decrease in liquid limit and no change in plasticity for soils, A, B, C and D
index Soil A B C D
c) decrease in both liquid limit and plasticity index Property
d) increase in both liquid limit and plasticity index Liquid 0.50 0.49 0.43 0.47
limit
18. The basis for all soil classification system is Plastic 0.23 0.17 0.21 0.26
a) Permeability characteristics limit
b) Specific gravity of solids Which of these soils contains more clay particles ?
(c) Grain size and plasticity characteristics a) Soil A b) Soil B c) Soil C d) Soil D
(d) None of the above.
25. If the material of the base of the Casagrande
19. Consider the following characteristics of soil liquid limit device on which the cup containing soil
layer: paste drops is softer than the standard hard rubber,
1. Poisson's ratio 2. Young's modulus then
3. Finite nature of soil layer 4. Effect of water table a) the liquid limit of soil always increases
5. Rigidity of footing b) the liquid limit of soil decreases
Westergaard's analysis for pressure distribution c) the liquid limit of soil may increase
in soils utilises d) the liquid limit of soil may decrease
a) 1,3,4 and 5 b) 2, 3,4 and 5
c) 3,4 and 5 d) 1 and 2 26. A sample of soil has the following properties:
Liquid limit =45% , Plastic limit = 25%
20. The moisture content of a clay soil is gradually Shrinkage limit =17%
decreased from a large value. What will be the correct Natural moisture content =30%
sequence of the occurrence of the following limits? The consistency index of the soil is
1. shrinkage limit 2. plasticity limit 3. liquid limit a) 15/20 b) 13/20 c) 8/20 d) 5/20
Select the correct answer using the codes given
below: 27. The correct increasing order of the surface areas
(a) 1,2,3 (b) 1,3,2 of the given soils is
(c) 3,2,1 (d) 3,1,2 a) silt, sand, colloids, clay b) sand, silt, colloids, clay
c) sand, silt, clay, colloids d) clay, silt, sand, colloids
21. Assertion (A) : black cotton soils are clays and they
exhibit characteristic property of swelling. 28. Consider the following statements:
Reason (R) : These clays contain montmorillonite Clays which exhibit high activity
which attracts external water into its lattice structure. 1. contain montmorillonite 2. contain kaolinite
3. have a high silt content
22. Match List I (difference types of soils) with List 4. have a high plasticity index.
II (group symbols of I.S. classification 5. have a low plasticity index.
List I List II Of these statements
A. Well graded gravel 1. ML a) 1,3 and 5 are correct b) 2,3 and 5 are correct
sand mixtures with little c) 2 and 4 are correct d) 1 and 4 are correct
or no fines
B. Poorly graded sands or 2. CH 29. By using sieve analysis, the particle size
gravelly sands with little distribution curve has been plotted for a particular
or no fines soil. The coefficient of curvature Cc is given by
𝑫𝟑𝟎 𝑫𝟑𝟎 𝑫𝟐𝟑𝟎
C. Inorganic sills and 3.GW a) b)
√𝑫𝟑𝟎
c) d)
𝑫𝟑𝟎 𝒙𝑫𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝟔𝟎 𝒙 𝑫𝟏𝟎 √𝑫𝟔𝟎 𝒙 𝑫𝟏𝟎 𝑫𝟔𝟎 𝒙 𝑫𝟏𝟎
very fine sands or clayey
silts with low plasticity
D. Inorganic clays of 4. SP 30. Assertion A: Boussinesq’s equation is not suitable
high plasticity for sedimentary deposits.
a) A-3 B-1 C-4 D-2 b) A-3 B-4 C-1 D-2 Reason R : Sedimentary deposits do not
c) A-2 B-4 C-1 D-3 d) A-2 B-1 C-4 D-3 represent an isotropic and homogeneous system.

31. At liquid limit a soil has

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 CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS
(a) High shear strength (b) No shear strength i) Density bottle is used to find the specific gravity
(c) Negligible (or) very small shear strength of fine grained soils.
(d) Nothing to do with shear strength. ii) IS:2720(Part IV) – 1965 recommends the use of
dispersing solution containing 33 g of Calgon and 7
32. When the PL cannot be determined, the soil is g of sodium carbonate in distilled water to make one
reported to be liter of solution.
(a) Not plastic (b) plastic iii) Hydrometer is used to find the density of soil in
(c) Semi-plastic (d) non-plastic. solution.
a) 1 is wrong b) 1 and 2 is wrong
33. A soil sample has a shrinkage limit of 10% and c) 2 and 3 is wrong d) none of these
specific gravity of soil solids as 2.7. The porosity of
the soil at shrinkage limit is
a) 21.2 % b) 27% c) 73% d) 78.8%

34. Match the List I with List II

List I List II
A.Soft 1. >100%
B.Medium 2. 25-50%
C.Stiff 3. 75-100%
D.Very stiff 4. 50-75%
a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 b) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
c) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2 d) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2

35. Lacustrine soils are soils

a) transported by rivers and streams
b) transported by glaciers
c) deposited in sea beds d) deposited in lake beds

36. The standard plasticity chart to classify fine

grained soils is shown in Fig , The area marked ‘X’
represents

a) silt of low plasticity b) clay of high plasticity

c) organic soil of medium plasticity
d) clay of intermediate plasticity

37. A fill having a volume of 1,50,000 cum is to be

constructed at a void ratio off 1.4. The borrow pit soil
has a void ratio of 1.4. The volume of soil required
(in cubic metres) to be excavated from the borrow pit
will be
a) 1,87, 500 b) 2,00,000 c) 2,10,000 d) 2,50,000

38. Increase in effective stress on a soil mass 40. Consider the following statements:
a) increases the voids ratio and decreases the i) Black cotton soil is a chemically weathered
permeability residual soil.
b) increases the voids ratio and increases the ii) As the particle size increases, the surface area
permeability increases.
c) decreases the voids ratio and increases the iii) The behavior of clay is governed by surface cum
permeability mass energy.
d) decreases the voids ratio and decreases the Of these statements:
permeability a) 1 and 2 are correct b) Only 3 is correct
c) Only 1 is correct d) 2 and 3 are correct
39. Select the wrong statement
41. For a shape of 0.5 mm diameter, the specific
surface is
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 CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS
a) 12 𝑚𝑚−1 b) 6 𝑚𝑚−1 c) 8 𝑚𝑚−1 d) 9 𝑚𝑚−1

42. With reference to shrinkage and swelling, the

most active clay mineral is
(a) Kaolinite (b)Montmorillonite
(c)Illite (d)None.

43. Sands silty clay indicates

a) Sand > silt > clay b) Sand = silt = clay
c) Sand < silt < clay d) None of these

44. Consider the following statements

1. Organic soils have a colour of dark grey (or) black.
2. Silt and clay particles are visible to naked eye.
3. The higher the G.I value, the better the soil for
pavement purpose of these statements,
a) 1,2,3 are correct b) Only 2 is correct
c) Only 1 is correct d) No one is correct

45. The effective stress is

a) actual contact stress b) an abstract quantity
c) equal to total stress d) none of these

46. Consider the following statements.

1. For a soil of specific origin, the activity is constant.
2. The shear strength of soil @ liquid state is about
2.7 kN/m2.
3. Consistency varies with voids ratio.
4. For IP > 17, it is a high compressible clay.
Select the wrong statements
a)2,3 b) 3,4 c)1,2 d) 2,4

47. The soils which plot above the `A’ line in the
plasticity chart are
a) Organic clays b) Silts
c) Inorganic clay d) Organic soils

48. The voids ratios of a soils in its densest and

loosest state are 0.2 and 0.8. if voids ratio in the
natural state is 0.4, the density index is
a)54% b) 62% c) 66% d) 72%

49. Particle size distribution curve with a step is

obtained for a
a) Well graded soil b) Poorly graded soil
c) Uniform soil d) Gap graded

50. Two soils A and B are having a flow index of 9

and 6 respectively. Then which soil has a better
strength as a function of water content
(a) A (b)B (c)both (d)none.

III FLOOR, B&K COMPLEX, MAIN ROAD,SRI RAM NAGAR,

KARAIKUDI. CONTACT 94864 31610
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CODE: TNPSC-AE-2020/A, B, D & E/SOIL MECHANICS

III FLOOR, B&K COMPLEX, MAIN ROAD,SRI RAM NAGAR,

KARAIKUDI. CONTACT 94864 31610
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