Soil Mechanics – Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. 73. What is 'dewatering' in excavation?

   • A. The process of removing groundwater from an excavation site to ensure stability and dry working conditions
   • B. Adding water to excavation
   • C. Compacting soil
   • D. Stabilizing soil

2. 74. What is 'sheet piles'?

   • A. Interlocking steel
   • B. concrete
   • C. or timber sheets driven into the ground to form a continuous wall for retaining earth or excluding water
   • D. A type of deep foundation

3. 75. What is 'cofferdam'?

   • A. A temporary watertight enclosure built in a body of water to unwater an area for construction
   • B. A permanent dam
   • C. A type of bridge
   • D. A type of building

4. 76. What is 'retaining wall'?

   • A. A structure designed to resist the lateral pressure of soil or other granular material and hold it in place
   • B. A type of foundation
   • C. A type of column
   • D. A type of beam

5. 77. What is 'gravity retaining wall'?

   • A. A retaining wall that relies on its own weight for stability against overturning and sliding
   • B. A cantilever retaining wall
   • C. A reinforced concrete wall
   • D. A sheet pile wall

6. 78. What is 'cantilever retaining wall'?

   • A. A retaining wall that uses a vertical stem and a base slab
   • B. where the stem cantilevers from the base
   • C. A gravity retaining wall
   • D. A buttress retaining wall

7. 79. What is 'buttress retaining wall'?

   • A. A cantilever retaining wall with triangular or rectangular supports (buttresses) on the side of the retained soil
   • B. A gravity retaining wall
   • C. A counterfort retaining wall
   • D. A sheet pile wall

8. 80. What is 'counterfort retaining wall'?

   • A. A cantilever retaining wall with triangular or rectangular supports (counterforts) on the opposite side of the retained soil (i.e.
   • B. on the exposed face)
   • C. A gravity retaining wall
   • D. A buttress retaining wall

9. 81. What is 'soil nailing'?

   • A. A ground improvement technique where soil is reinforced in situ by installing passive inclusions (nails) and typically applying a shotcrete face
   • B. A method for deep foundations
   • C. A method for shallow foundations
   • D. A method for compaction

10. 82. What is 'geotechnical investigation'?

    • A. The process of collecting information about the subsurface conditions of a site to assess its suitability for a proposed construction project
    • B. Structural analysis
    • C. Hydraulic analysis
    • D. Material testing

11. 83. What is a 'borehole'?

    • A. A narrow shaft bored into the ground
    • B. typically for soil sampling and in-situ testing
    • C. A type of foundation
    • D. A type of wall

12. 84. What is 'undisturbed soil sample'?

    • A. A soil sample that has retained its original in-situ structure
    • B. density
    • C. and moisture content
    • D. A disturbed sample