Question 1 (1 mark) Which of the following statements is correct: a. Soil mechanics involves the application of engineering mechanics to understand the behaviour of soil. b. Soil is a product of decomposition of animals. c. Soil is a simple construction material. d. Soil mechanics is a subset of structural engineering. Question 2 (1 mark) Soil can be idealised as a mixture of: a. rock, sand and clay. b. kaolinite, particles and montmorillonite. c. organic component and inorganic component. d. air, pore water and soil particles. Question 3 (1 mark) According to USCS soil classification system, which of the following statements is correct? a. SM means well graded gravel with sand b. GW means poorly graded gravel c. SP means poorly graded silt d. CH means clay of high plasticity Question 4 (1 mark) The key factor to perform soil classification is: a. void ratio. b. Density. c. particle size. d. water content. Question 5 (1 mark) Which of the following tests can be classified as in-situ tests? a. sieving test. b. Casagrande test. c. Standard penetration test. d. Proctor test. Question 6 (1 mark) A soil sample has a liquid limit of 80% and a plastic limit is 45%. The plasticity index is: a. 35% b. 45% c. 80% d. 125% Question 7 (1 mark) Degree of soil saturation is defined as: a. The ratio of the volume of water to the volume of void b. The ratio of the weight of water to the weight of solids c. The ratio of the volume of water to the volume of solids d. The ratio of the volume of water to the total volume of soil Question 8 (1 mark) The appropriate method for determining the particle size distribution of a soil with grain size of less than 0.075mm is: a. Hydrometer test. b. Sieve analysis. c. Standard penetration test. d. Sand replacement test. Question 9 (1 mark) Which of the following statements is correct? a. Nuclear densometer test gives plastic limit, liquidity index and shrinkage limit. b. Casagrade cup method can be used to determine the liquid limit of soil. c. Casagrade cup method can be used to determine the plastic limit of soil. d. SPT test can be used to determine the Atterberg limits of soil. Question 10 (1 mark) Which of the following statements is incorrect? a. Soils are formed from physical and chemical weathering of rocks. b. A sieve analysis is used to determine the grain size distribution of coarse-grained soils. c. Particle size distribution chart can be used to select suitable soils as fill materials. d. SPT test can be used to determine the water content of soil. Question 11 (1 mark) The void ratio of a soil is 1.2 and its volume is 220cm3. The mass of water in the soil is 50g, The volume of air in the soil is: a. 70 cm3 b. 100 cm3 c. 50 cm3 d. 220 cm3 Question 12 (1 mark) A soil sample with water content of 26% is tested in laboratory. Testing results show that the plastic limit for the soil is 20% and the liquid limit is 40%. The Liquidity Index of the sample is: a. 0.46 b. 0.66 c. 0.60 d. 0.30 Question 13 (1 mark) The mass of a saturated soil is 1.9kg and its volume is 1000cm3. The saturated unit weight of the soil is: a. 19.6KN/m3 b. 18.6KN/m3 c. 19.1KN/m3 d. 17.5KN/m3 Question 14 (1 mark) The main aim of conducting soil compaction is: a. to increase soil density. b. to increase void ratio. c. to increase settlement. d. to increase permeability. Question 15 (1 mark) The maximum dry unit weight occurs when which of the following conditions is achieved: a. saturation. b. optimum water content. c. maximum water content. d. liquid limit.