← MES Jr. Grade
Past Questions — 2015
In broad gauge, the clear horizontal distance between the inner faces of two parallel rails forming the track is
A)
1.0m
B)
0.792 m
C)
0.6096 m
D)
1.676m
The clear horizontal distance between the inner faces of two parallel rails is called the gauge. For Indian Railways, the broad gauge standard is 1.676 m (1676 mm). Hence option (d) is correct. The other options correspond to different measurements or gauges: 1.0 m is metre gauge, 0.792 m is not the standard broad gauge, and 0.6096 m is narrow gauge.
The equilibrium cant in railway track is provided on the basis of
A)
Maximum speed
B)
Minimum speed
C)
Average speed
D)
Normal speed
Equilibrium cant is the cant provided on a curve so that the resultant of centrifugal force and weight acts perpendicular to the plane of the rails at a particular speed. In practice, it is generally designed on the basis of the average speed of trains on that track, because trains do not run at only one fixed speed. Maximum speed is used for cant deficiency considerations, while minimum speed is relevant for cant excess, not for determining equilibrium cant.
The minimum design speed of hair-pin bend is
A)
15 km/hr
B)
20 km/hr
C)
25 km/hr
D)
30km/hr
Hair-pin bends on hill roads are designed for very low speeds due to sharp curvature and restricted geometry. The standard minimum design speed commonly adopted is 15 km/hr. Hence, option (a) is correct. The higher values 20, 25, and 30 km/hr are generally not used as the minimum design speed for hair-pin bends.
The test of soil to distinguish silt from clay is called
A)
Dispersion test
B)
Plasticity test
C)
Dilatancy test
D)
Silt test
The test used to distinguish silt from clay is the dilatancy test. In this test, a moist soil pat is shaken in the hand; silt shows a quick reaction with water appearing on the surface, while clay does not. Plasticity test is used to assess plastic behavior, dispersion test is not the standard test for this purpose, and 'silt test' is not the correct technical name.
The yard where trains and other loads are received, sorted out, trains formed and dispatched onwards are known as
A)
Station yard
B)
Marshalling yard
C)
Locomotive yard
D)
Goods yard
A marshalling yard is the railway yard where wagons/trains are received, sorted according to destination, formed into new trains, and dispatched onward. A station yard is a general yard at a station, a locomotive yard is for engine maintenance/servicing, and a goods yard is mainly for loading and unloading goods.
Metallic tape are made of
A)
Steel
B)
Invar
C)
Cloth and wires
D)
Nickel
Metallic tapes used in surveying are generally made of steel, often with a brass or bronze coating to prevent rusting. Invar is a special low-expansion alloy used for precise measurement tapes, but the standard metallic tape is steel. Cloth and wires describe other types of tapes, and nickel is not used as the main material for metallic tapes.
Benkelman beam deflection method is used for design of
A)
Rigid overlay on rigid pavement
B)
Flexible overlay on flexible pavement
C)
Flexible overlay on rigid pavement
D)
Rigid overlay on flexible pavement
The Benkelman Beam Deflection (BBD) method measures the rebound deflection of an existing pavement under a standard wheel load. It is mainly used to evaluate the structural condition of flexible pavements and to design the thickness of a flexible overlay over an existing flexible pavement. Hence, the correct answer is flexible overlay on flexible pavement. The other options are incorrect because Benkelman beam is not used for rigid pavement overlay design.
The lines connecting points at which the declination is zero is
A)
Agonic lines
B)
Isogonic lines
C)
Dip
D)
Alidade
Magnetic declination is the angle between the geographic meridian and the magnetic meridian. A line joining points where declination is zero is called an agonic line. Isogonic lines join points of equal declination, while dip is the angle of magnetic inclination and alidade is a surveying instrument.
Earthwork in plinth feeling in building is calculated by taking
A)
Centre to centre distance of the walls
B)
Internal dimensions in between plinth walls
C)
Internal dimensions of the room
D)
External dimensions of the room
Earthwork in plinth filling is measured using the internal dimensions between the plinth walls, because the filling is done inside the enclosed plinth area. The wall thickness is not included in this measurement. Hence, option (b) is correct. Option (a) is used in some centerline methods for wall quantities, while (c) and (d) do not correctly represent the plinth filling area.
The foundation of a structure can settle due to
A)
Inclined movement
B)
Vertical movement
C)
Swinging movement
D)
None of these
Settlement of a foundation means downward displacement of the structure due to compression or consolidation of the supporting soil. This is a vertical movement. Inclined movement refers to tilting, and swinging movement is not a standard term for foundation settlement.
If the quantity of earth filling is 250 cum. Height of earth filling in plinth is 30cm and the height of sand filling is 15cm. Then, the quantity of sand filling in plinth is
A)
100cum
B)
120cum
C)
125 cum
D)
130cum
In plinth filling, quantities are proportional to the thickness of each layer. Total filling thickness = 30 cm earth + 15 cm sand = 45 cm. If total earth filling quantity for 30 cm is 250 cum, then sand filling for 15 cm is:
Sand quantity = 250 × (15/30) = 125 cum.
So the correct answer is 125 cum. The other options do not match the proportional calculation.
Compaction piles for ground improvement technique are found to be more effective in densifying
A)
Partially saturated granular soils
B)
Saturated granular soils
C)
Partially saturated cohesive soils
D)
Saturated cohesive soils
Compaction piles work by driving a pile into the ground, which displaces and densifies the surrounding soil. This technique is most effective in granular soils that are not fully saturated, because the soil particles can rearrange into a denser state. In saturated soils, especially cohesive soils, the presence of water and low permeability reduces the immediate densification effect. Therefore, compaction piles are more effective in partially saturated granular soils.
The length of an Engineer’s chain should be
A)
100 ft
B)
66 ft
C)
30m
D)
20m
An Engineer’s chain is the standard surveying chain used in engineering surveys, and its length is 100 ft. The other options are incorrect because 66 ft is the length of a Gunter’s chain, while 30 m and 20 m are not the standard length of an Engineer’s chain.
If super-elevation is not provided on a horizontal curve of a highway, then on which portion of the road are pot holes likely to develop?
A)
Outer edge of the road
B)
Inner edge of the road
C)
Centre of the road
D)
Shoulder of the road
On a horizontal curve, super-elevation is provided to counteract the centrifugal force and reduce the tendency of vehicles to move outward. If it is not provided, the outer side of the pavement carries greater lateral stress and wheel load effects, so potholes are most likely to develop at the outer edge of the road. The inner edge is less stressed in this case, while the centre and shoulder are not the primary locations caused by the missing super-elevation.
If the chain is too long in surveying work, the measured length is
A)
Less than its true length
B)
Greater than its true length
C)
Negligibly greater than its true length
D)
None of these
In chain surveying, if the chain is too long, each measured chain length covers a distance greater than the standard length. Therefore, the number of chain lengths counted becomes fewer, and the computed measured distance is less than the actual true distance. Hence, the measured length is less than its true length.
Mountainous terrains are hilly zones with cross slope of hill face
A)
Greater than 60 %
B)
Below 10%
C)
Between 25% to 10%
D)
Between 60% to 25%
Mountainous terrain is generally classified as a hilly zone with a very steep cross slope. In standard transportation engineering classification, mountainous terrains have hill-face cross slopes between 60% and 25%. Options (b) and (c) are too gentle, while (a) is steeper than the usual upper limit for this classification.
The application of surcharges in a sand drain
A)
Squeezes out water in the radial directions to the nearest sand drain
B)
Squeezes out water horizontally to the nearest sand drain
C)
Squeezes out water downward from the sand blanket
D)
Non of these
In sand drain (vertical drain) consolidation, a surcharge is applied to increase the effective stress and accelerate settlement. The excess pore water is expelled mainly in the horizontal/radial direction toward the nearest sand drain, because the drains provide a short drainage path. Hence option (b) is correct. Option (a) is less precise in wording, while (c) refers to vertical drainage through a sand blanket, not the main function of sand drains.
If a cement concrete road is properly constructed and maintained, then its expected life will be
A)
One year
B)
10 years
C)
20 years
D)
30 to 40 years
A properly constructed and well-maintained cement concrete road has a very long service life compared to flexible pavements. In standard highway engineering practice, its expected life is about 30 to 40 years. The other options are too short for a concrete pavement.
Mandatory signs are displayed on a disc having diameter of
A)
30cm
B)
50cm
C)
100cm
D)
60cm
Mandatory road signs are circular (disc-shaped) and, in standard Indian traffic sign specifications, they are displayed on a disc of 60 cm diameter. Hence option (d) is correct. The other sizes listed are not the standard diameter for mandatory signs.
Bearing capacity failure of soil which consist of a continuous slip surface from one edge of the footing to the ground surface is
A)
General shear failure
B)
Local shear failure
C)
Punching shear failure
D)
Principal shear failure
In soil mechanics, **general shear failure** occurs when a **continuous, well-defined slip surface** develops from one edge of the footing and extends up to the ground surface. This is typical of dense sands and stiff clays.
- **General shear failure**: continuous failure surface reaches the ground surface. ✅
- **Local shear failure**: failure surface is not fully developed; soil bulges and the slip surface does not clearly reach the ground surface. ❌
- **Punching shear failure**: footing punches downward with little lateral soil movement, common in very loose soils. ❌
- **Principal shear failure**: not a standard bearing capacity failure mode in this context. ❌
Therefore, the correct answer is **(a) General shear failure**.
The liquid and plastic limits exist in
A)
Sandy soils
B)
Silty soils
C)
Gravel soils
D)
Clay soils
Liquid limit and plastic limit are Atterberg limits, which are characteristic of fine-grained cohesive soils. These limits are mainly observed in clay soils because clay particles have high surface area and water affinity, allowing the soil to change from liquid to plastic to semi-solid states. Sandy and gravel soils are coarse-grained and do not exhibit plasticity, while silty soils may show limited plasticity but are not the primary soil type where these limits are defined.
A contraction joint is provided in concrete pavement to
A)
Prevent contraction of the pavement
B)
Permit cracking at the edge
C)
Lower the bending moment in the pavement to reduce pavement thickness
D)
Lower the temperature gradient across the depth of the pavement
A contraction joint in concrete pavement is provided to control shrinkage and temperature contraction cracks by inducing a weak plane where cracking can occur in a predetermined location, usually near the edge. It does not prevent contraction; instead, it allows the slab to crack safely. It is also not meant to reduce bending moment or temperature gradient.
Travelling expenses for the sake of analysis of rates would be under the category
A)
Job overhead
B)
General overhead
C)
Miscellaneous overhead
D)
Contingency overhead
Travelling expenses incurred specifically for the purpose of site inspection, collection of data, or analysis of rates are directly connected with a particular job or work. Hence, they are treated as job overhead. General overhead relates to office administration, miscellaneous overhead is for small indirect expenses, and contingency overhead is for unforeseen items.
Water retentivity for brick masonry should not be less than
A)
50%
B)
60%
C)
70%
D)
80%
Water retentivity is the ability of bricks to retain water so that the mortar does not dry out too quickly and proper bond develops in masonry. For good brick masonry, the water retentivity of bricks should not be less than 70%. Hence option (c) is correct. Options 50%, 60%, and 80% are not the standard minimum requirement for brick masonry.
A joint parallel to the face of the masonry wall is called
A)
Bed joint
B)
Cross joint
C)
Wall joint
D)
None of these
In masonry, a joint parallel to the face of the wall is called a bed joint. It runs horizontally along the length of the wall. A cross joint (or head joint) is generally perpendicular to the face of the wall. Therefore, the correct answer is Bed joint.
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