← MES Jr. Grade
Past Questions
The taxiway is the strip of pavement which connects
A)
The city to the airport
B)
The runway to the apron
C)
The terminal building to taxi stand
D)
None of these
A taxiway is the paved path used by aircraft to move between the runway and the apron/terminal area. It connects the runway with the apron, allowing aircraft to taxi before takeoff and after landing. Option (a) refers to road access, and (c) is not an airport pavement term. Therefore, the correct answer is (b).
The colour of landing direction lights in heliports is
A)
White
B)
Red
C)
Yellow
D)
Green
In heliport lighting, the landing direction lights indicate the landing direction and are green. White is commonly used for general illumination/approach aids, while red is typically used for warning/obstruction lighting. Therefore, the correct option is Green.
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.
The lateral earth pressure on retaining walls
A)
Is equal to mass of the soil retained
B)
Proportional to the depth of the soil
C)
Proportional to the square of the depth of the soil
D)
Proportional to the internal friction of the soil
For a retaining wall, lateral earth pressure increases linearly with depth, so the total resultant earth pressure is the area of a triangular pressure diagram. Hence, the total lateral earth pressure is proportional to the square of the soil depth (H^2). Option (a) is incorrect because it is not equal to the mass of soil retained. Option (b) describes pressure intensity at a given depth, not the total pressure. Option (d) is incorrect because internal friction affects the magnitude of earth pressure, but it is not directly proportional to it.
Pick out the odd. Airports are classified on the basis of
A)
Runway length
B)
Pavement strength
C)
Expected air traffic
D)
None of these
Airports are commonly classified on the basis of factors like runway length, pavement strength, and expected air traffic. Since all three listed factors are valid bases of classification, there is no odd one out among options (a), (b), and (c). Therefore, the correct answer is (d) None of these.
The compulsory test conducted for rails is
A)
Hammer test
B)
Falling weight test
C)
Tensile test
D)
Impact test
Rails are subjected to repeated dynamic loads from moving trains, so their toughness and resistance to sudden shocks are important. The compulsory test for rails is the impact test. Hammer test and falling weight test are not the standard compulsory tests for rails, and tensile test is used to determine strength properties but is not the compulsory test specifically asked here.
The roads connecting capitals for states is known as
A)
National highway
B)
Provincial highway
C)
State highway
D)
Express highway
Roads connecting the capital city of a state with important district headquarters and other important towns within the state are called State Highways. National Highways connect major cities across states, Provincial Highways is not the standard classification here, and Express Highways are high-speed access-controlled roads.
If the scale of a map in surveying is 1cm= 100m, the representative fraction will be
A)
1/100
B)
1/1000
C)
1/10000
D)
1/100000
Representative fraction (RF) = map distance / ground distance in the same units. Here, 1 cm on map = 100 m on ground = 10,000 cm. So RF = 1/10,000. Hence option (c) is correct. The other options correspond to much larger scales and do not match the given conversion.
Pick out the cohesionless soil from the following
A)
Sand
B)
Silt
C)
Clay
D)
Clay and silt
Cohesionless soils are those whose particles do not have significant interparticle attraction. Sand is a classic cohesionless soil because its grains are coarse and do not stick together. Silt has very little cohesion but is not the standard answer here, while clay and clayey silt are cohesive soils due to electrochemical attraction between fine particles.
If the rate of compression of the soil layer is controlled solely by the flow of water under the induced hydraulic gradient the process is referred to as
A)
Immediate consolidation
B)
Primary consolidation
C)
Secondary consolidation
D)
Permanent consolidation
When the rate of compression of a soil layer is controlled solely by the dissipation of excess pore water pressure and the resulting flow of water under the induced hydraulic gradient, it is called primary consolidation. Immediate consolidation happens instantly due to elastic deformation, while secondary consolidation occurs after primary consolidation due to creep of the soil skeleton. 'Permanent consolidation' is not the standard term here.
Soils containing organic matters
A)
are of spongy nature
B)
swell with decrease of moisture
C)
shrink with increase of moisture content
D)
none of these
Soils containing organic matter are generally light, compressible, and spongy in nature because the organic content reduces soil strength and increases voids. They do not typically swell on decrease of moisture or shrink on increase of moisture; those behaviors are opposite of normal moisture-volume relations. Hence, option (a) is correct.
A triaxial shear test is preferred to direct shear test because
A)
It can be performed under all the three drainage conditions with complete control
B)
Precise measurement of the pore pressure and change in volume during test is not possible
C)
Stress distribution on the failure plane is non-uniform
D)
None of these
A triaxial shear test is preferred over a direct shear test because it allows better control of test conditions, especially drainage and pore pressure. It can be conducted under three drainage conditions: unconsolidated undrained (UU), consolidated undrained (CU), and consolidated drained (CD). In contrast, the direct shear test has non-uniform stress distribution on the failure plane and does not give complete control over pore pressure and drainage. Hence, option (a) is correct. Option (b) is incorrect because it states a limitation, not a reason for preference. Option (c) is true for direct shear test, but the statement is not the best reason asked here. Option (d) is incorrect.
Geodetic survey is different from plane surveying because
A)
Very large area is covered
B)
The topography is bad
C)
The curvature of the earth is considered
D)
Of the large difference of elevations
Geodetic surveying deals with large areas where the earth cannot be assumed flat, so the curvature of the earth must be taken into account. In plane surveying, the earth’s surface is assumed to be a plane for small areas. Option (a) is not the defining reason by itself, (b) is irrelevant, and (d) is not the main distinction.
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.
Which type of foundation is preferable on soil of poor bearing capacity?
A)
Raft
B)
Stepped
C)
Grillage
D)
All of these
A raft (mat) foundation is preferable on soils with poor bearing capacity because it spreads the load of the structure over a large area, thereby reducing the pressure on the soil. Stepped foundations are used on sloping ground, and grillage foundations are mainly used to transfer heavy column loads to soil with low bearing capacity but are not the general answer here. Hence, the best option is Raft.
The relationship between void ratio(e) and porosity ratio(n) is given by:
A)
n= 1+e/1-e
B)
e=1+n/1-e
C)
n =e/1+e
D)
e =n(1+e)
In soil mechanics, void ratio is defined as e = Vv / Vs and porosity as n = Vv / Vt. Since total volume Vt = Vv + Vs, substituting gives n = Vv / (Vv + Vs) = e / (1 + e). Hence option (c) is correct. The other options do not match the standard relationship.
Pile foundations are generally preferred for
A)
Bridge foundation
B)
Skyscraper buildings
C)
Residential buildings
D)
Runways
Pile foundations are used where loads must be transferred to deeper, stronger strata or where surface soil is weak. They are commonly preferred for bridge foundations because bridge piers often carry heavy concentrated loads and may be founded in riverbeds or soft alluvial soils. Skyscrapers may also use piles, but among the given options, bridge foundation is the most typical and correct choice. Residential buildings usually do not require piles unless soil conditions are poor, and runways generally use shallow pavement foundations rather than pile foundations.
The property of a soil which permits water to percolate through it is called
A)
Moisture content
B)
Permeability
C)
Capillarity
D)
None of these
The property of soil that allows water to pass or percolate through its voids is called permeability. Moisture content is the amount of water present in soil, and capillarity is the rise of water in fine pores due to surface tension. Hence, the correct answer is permeability.
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 latitude of a place is positive when it is at
A)
East of equator
B)
West of equator
C)
North of equator
D)
South of equator
Latitude is measured north or south of the Equator. By convention, latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere are taken as positive, and those in the Southern Hemisphere as negative. Therefore, a place has positive latitude when it is north of the equator. East and west of the equator are directions used for longitude, not latitude.
Principle of surveying followed to prevent accumulation of error is
A)
To work from whole to part
B)
To work from part to whole
C)
None of these
D)
Both (a) and (b)
The fundamental principle of surveying is to work from whole to part. A large area is first controlled by establishing accurate main stations, and then the details are filled in. This prevents the accumulation and propagation of errors throughout the survey. If surveying were done from part to whole, small errors in early measurements would spread and become larger in the final map. Therefore, option (a) is correct.
A wall constructed to retain the earth from slippage on the hill side of a roadway is called
A)
Breast wall
B)
Retaining wall
C)
Parapet wall
D)
None of these
A wall built on the hill side of a roadway to hold back earth and prevent slipping is called a breast wall. A retaining wall is a broader term for any wall that retains soil, but in road hill-side construction the specific term used is breast wall. A parapet wall is a low protective wall along the edge of a bridge, roof, or road, not for retaining earth.
If the pores of a soil are completely full of air only, the soil is said to be
A)
Fully saturated soil
B)
Wet soil
C)
Partially saturated soil
D)
Dry soil
If all the pores in a soil are filled only with air and contain no water, the soil is called dry soil. A fully saturated soil has all pores filled with water, wet soil contains both air and water, and partially saturated soil has pores filled with a mixture of air and water.
Most important factor for a foundation engineer is to know
A)
Bearing capacity of soil
B)
Stability of soil
C)
Seepage through soil
D)
Structure of soil
A foundation engineer’s primary concern is whether the soil can safely support the load of the structure without shear failure or excessive settlement. That is the bearing capacity of soil. Stability, seepage, and soil structure are important in geotechnical engineering, but for foundation design the most critical factor is bearing capacity.
The scale on which three dimensions can be measured is known as
A)
Diagonal scale
B)
Plain scale
C)
Chord scale
D)
Vernier scale
A diagonal scale is used to measure three dimensions, i.e., units, tenths, and hundredths of a unit. It is therefore called the scale on which three dimensions can be measured. A plain scale measures only two dimensions, a chord scale is used in angular measurement, and a vernier scale is used for precise reading of small lengths, not three-dimensional measurement.