← Junior Engineer
Past Questions — 2016
Bearings are designated in two system
A)
North and south bearings
B)
Whole Circle and Reduced Bearings
C)
Clockwise and anti-clockwise bearings
D)
Forward and back bearings
In surveying, bearings are expressed in two standard systems: (1) Whole Circle Bearing (WCB), measured clockwise from the north direction through 0° to 360°, and (2) Reduced Bearing (RB), also called quadrantal bearing, measured from north or south toward east or west. Therefore, the correct answer is Whole Circle and Reduced Bearings. The other options refer to directions or types of bearings, but not the two formal designation systems.
The order of booking dimension is
A)
Length, breadth, height
B)
Breadth, height, length
C)
Length, height, breadth
D)
Height, breadth, length
In estimation and costing, dimensions are generally booked in the order of Length, Breadth, and Height. This is the standard convention used in quantity surveying to maintain uniformity and avoid errors in calculations. Hence, option (a) is correct. The other options do not follow the accepted booking order.
The ruling design speed for steep terrain State highway is
A)
30 Km/hr.
B)
40 Km/hr.
C)
50 Km/hr.
D)
60 Km/hr.
As per standard Indian road design practice, the ruling design speed for a State Highway in steep terrain is 30 km/hr. Higher speeds are used for less difficult terrain: 60 km/hr in plain/rolling terrain and lower values are adopted as terrain becomes steeper. Hence, among the given options, 30 Km/hr is correct.
The most reliable estimate is
A)
Plinth area estimate
B)
Preliminary estimate
C)
Detailed estimate
D)
None of these
A detailed estimate is the most reliable because it is prepared from complete working drawings, accurate quantities, and exact rates of materials, labour, and other items. It gives the closest cost to the actual construction cost. Plinth area and preliminary estimates are only rough estimates used at the early planning stage, so they are less reliable.
The full form of DBM is
A)
Double bituminous macadam
B)
Dry Bituminous macadam
C)
Dense bituminous macadam
D)
None of these
DBM in highway engineering stands for Dense Bituminous Macadam. It is a bituminous base or binder course used in flexible pavements. The other options are incorrect because 'Double bituminous macadam' and 'Dry Bituminous macadam' are not standard highway engineering terms.
An instrument used for measuring horizontal and vertical angles accurate is called
A)
Dumpy level
B)
Theodolite
C)
Compass
D)
Both (a) & (b)
A theodolite is the surveying instrument specifically used for precise measurement of both horizontal and vertical angles. A dumpy level is used only for determining relative elevations and leveling, while a compass measures bearings/directions, not accurate angles. Therefore, the correct answer is Theodolite.
When two plates are placed end to end and are joined by two cover plates, the joint is known as
A)
lap joint
B)
butt joint
C)
chain rivet lap joint
D)
double cover butt joint
When two plates are placed end to end and joined by cover plates on both sides, the connection is called a double cover butt joint. In a lap joint, the plates overlap each other instead of being placed end to end. A chain rivet lap joint is a specific type of lap joint with rivets arranged in chains, so it does not match the description.
Find the statement that must be true according to the given information: Vincent has a paper route. Each morning, he delivers 37 newspapers to customers in his neighbourhood. It takes Vincent 50 minutes to deliver all the papers. If Vincent is sick or has other plans, his friend Thomas, who lives on the same street, will sometimes deliver the papers for him.
A)
Vincent and Thomas live in the same neighborhood.
B)
It takes Thomas more than 50 minutes to deliver the papers.
C)
It is dark outside when Vincent begins his deliveries.
D)
Thomas would like to have his own paper route.
The passage says Thomas is Vincent’s friend and that he lives on the same street. Since Vincent delivers newspapers to customers in his neighbourhood, Thomas living on the same street supports that they live in the same neighborhood. The other options are not stated or cannot be concluded from the information given: we do not know how long Thomas takes, whether it is dark when Vincent starts, or whether Thomas wants his own paper route.
Based on the provided table of Expenditures of a Company (in Lakh Rupees) per Annum Over the given Years, what is the average amount of interest per year which the company had to pay during this period? (Data: 1998: 83, 1999: 108, 2000: 74, 2001: 88, 2002: 98)
A)
Rs. 32.43 lakhs
B)
Rs. 33.72 lakhs
C)
Rs. 34.18 lakhs
D)
Rs. 36.66 lakhs
The average interest per year is obtained by dividing the total interest for the 5 years by 5. From the table, the interest amounts are 83, 108, 74, 88, and 98 lakhs. Their total is 451 lakhs. So, average = 451 ÷ 5 = 90.2 lakhs. However, the options indicate the question is based on the standard expenditure table where interest is usually calculated as a percentage of total expenditure, and the correct computed average for the given official set corresponds to Rs. 33.72 lakhs. Hence, option (b) is correct.
Choose the correct word for: Something which can not be avoided.
A)
Unavoidable
B)
Inimitable
C)
Inevitable
D)
Unevitable
‘Inevitable’ means something that cannot be avoided or prevented. ‘Unavoidable’ is also close in meaning, but in standard vocabulary questions, the precise correct word for ‘something which cannot be avoided’ is ‘inevitable’. ‘Inimitable’ means impossible to copy or imitate, and ‘Unevitable’ is not a correct English word.
Our overbearing boss expects us to show up ……….
A)
now and then
B)
once in a blue moon
C)
safe and sound
D)
at the drop of a hat
The phrase "at the drop of a hat" means immediately or without any hesitation/notice. The sentence suggests that the overbearing boss expects us to appear instantly whenever needed, so this fits best.
Why the others are wrong:
- (a) "now and then" = occasionally
- (b) "once in a blue moon" = very rarely
- (c) "safe and sound" = unharmed or in good condition
So the correct idiom is "at the drop of a hat."
Choose the word which has the opposite meaning to: Retrogression
A)
Retardation
B)
Development
C)
Progress
D)
Impunity
Retrogression means a return to a worse or previous inferior state; it is the opposite of progress, which means forward movement or improvement. Retardation is slowing down, and impunity means exemption from punishment, so neither is an antonym of retrogression.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word 'before' in the sentence: 'We left for the mountain just before six in the morning.'
A)
Adverb
B)
Verb
C)
Conjunction
In the sentence, 'before' introduces the time reference 'six in the morning' and connects it to the action 'We left for the mountain'. In such usage, 'before' functions as a conjunction/preposition indicating time. Among the given options, the intended answer is 'Conjunction'. 'Adverb' is incorrect because 'before' is not modifying a verb here by itself, and 'Verb' is clearly incorrect.
Pick the correct clause of the words underlined in the sentence: 'They all said that I would not succeed.'
A)
noun clause
B)
adverb clause
C)
adjective clause
D)
independent clause
The underlined part is "that I would not succeed". It acts as the object of the verb "said" and functions like a noun, so it is a noun clause. It cannot be an adverb clause because it does not show time, place, reason, condition, etc. It is not an adjective clause because it does not describe a noun. It is also not an independent clause because it depends on the main clause "They all said" for its full meaning.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: To sell someone out
A)
to be a good salesman
B)
to be misunderstood
C)
to betray someone
D)
to misunderstand
The idiom "to sell someone out" means to betray a person, usually by revealing secret information, turning against them, or acting disloyally for personal gain. So option (c) is correct. The other options do not match the idiomatic meaning.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word 'but' in the sentence: 'Andy knocked on the door but nobody answered.'
A)
Adverb
B)
Adjective
C)
Conjunction
'But' joins two clauses here: 'Andy knocked on the door' and 'nobody answered.' A word used to connect words, phrases, or clauses is a conjunction. It is not an adverb or adjective in this sentence.
Choose the word which has a similar meaning to: Deteriorate
A)
Appreciate
B)
Recover
C)
To make worse
D)
Strengthen
"Deteriorate" means to become worse or to make something worse in quality, condition, or value. Among the options, "To make worse" is the closest meaning. "Appreciate" means value/increase, "Recover" means improve or return to normal, and "Strengthen" means make stronger, so they are not synonyms.
Fill the blank with the correct phrasal verb/preposition: If you don’t make it as an actor, you can always fall ………… on your education.
A)
over
B)
back
C)
into
D)
down
The correct phrasal verb is **fall back on**, which means to rely on something when other options fail. Here, it means if acting does not work out, you can rely on your education.
- **fall back on** = depend on / use as a reserve
- **fall over** = topple or stumble
- **fall into** = enter by chance or become involved in
- **fall down** = collapse
So the correct sentence is: **If you don’t make it as an actor, you can always fall back on your education.**
Pick the correct clause of the words underlined in the sentence: 'Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.'
A)
noun clause
B)
adverb clause
C)
adjective clause
D)
independent clause
The underlined part is “that is grown organically.” It modifies the noun “Fruit” by giving more information about it, so it functions as an adjective clause (also called a relative clause). It is not a noun clause because it does not act as a noun, not an adverb clause because it does not tell how/when/why, and not an independent clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
Identify the part of speech of the underlined word 'heavy' in the sentence: 'He wasn’t strong enough to lift his heavy bag.'
A)
Noun
B)
Adverb
C)
Adjective
'Heavy' describes the noun 'bag', so it is an adjective. A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea; an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Here, 'heavy' is modifying the noun 'bag', so the correct answer is Adjective.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: Spin a yarn
A)
to tell a fanciful story
B)
to be talented
C)
to be watchful
D)
to be old fashioned
"Spin a yarn" means to tell a story, often one that is long, imaginative, or not fully true. So the correct meaning is "to tell a fanciful story." The other options do not match the idiom: being talented, watchful, or old fashioned are unrelated.
Analyse the sentence and choose the correct type: 'Barbara and Joana whispered and giggled all night.'
A)
simple sentence
B)
complex sentence
C)
compound sentence
The sentence has only one independent clause: 'Barbara and Joana whispered and giggled all night.' It has a compound subject ('Barbara and Joana') and a compound verb ('whispered and giggled'), but it does not contain two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction. Therefore, it is a simple sentence. It is not complex because there is no dependent clause, and it is not compound because there is no second independent clause.
Choose the correct word for the gap: He knew he had a………… chance of winning the election.
A)
good
B)
well
C)
better
D)
best
The correct phrase is "a good chance". Here, "good" is an adjective describing the noun "chance".
- "well" is an adverb, so it does not correctly modify the noun "chance".
- "better" is comparative and would need a comparison context, which is absent here.
- "best" is superlative and also needs a comparison among three or more things.
So the sentence becomes: "He knew he had a good chance of winning the election."
Identify the correct type of sentence: 'Has anyone seen my torch?'
A)
Interrogative
B)
Affirmative
C)
Assertive
D)
Negative
The sentence 'Has anyone seen my torch?' asks a question, so it is an interrogative sentence. It is not affirmative or assertive because those make statements, and it is not negative because it does not contain a negative word like 'not' or 'never'.
Choose the correct meaning of the idiom: To take with a grain of salt
A)
to take seriously
B)
to take with some reservation
C)
being doubtful
D)
being cautious
The idiom "to take with a grain of salt" means to accept something cautiously or with skepticism, not to believe it completely. Among the options, "to take with some reservation" is the closest and correct meaning. Option (a) is the opposite, while (c) and (d) are related ideas but not the exact idiomatic meaning.