← MES Jr. Grade
Past Questions — 2015
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An access from a road to private property is known as
A)
Bypass road
B)
Fly over
C)
Drive way
D)
Loop road
An access from a public road to private property is called a driveway. A bypass road diverts traffic around a place, a flyover is an overpass structure, and a loop road is a connecting curved road, not direct property access.
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 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.
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 exterior angle or corner of a wall in Masonry work is called
A)
Quoins
B)
Hearting
C)
Closer
D)
Bed
In masonry, the exterior angle or corner of a wall is called a quoin. Hearting refers to the inner portion of a wall, a closer is a cut brick used to maintain bond, and a bed is the horizontal layer on which masonry units are laid.
Spacing of sleepers is kept
A)
Same throughout the length of rail
B)
Closer near the joints
C)
Closer at the middle of rails
D)
None of these
In railway track design, sleepers are spaced closer near the rail joints because joints are weaker points and experience higher impact and dynamic loads from passing wheels. Closer spacing provides better support and reduces stress concentration. The spacing is generally wider at the middle portion of the rail where the load effect is comparatively less. Hence, option (b) is correct.
Generally, the premix carpet laid in India is of thickness
A)
5 to 7.5cm
B)
10cm
C)
15cm
D)
2cm
Premix carpet is a thin bituminous surfacing layer used on roads in India, and its usual thickness is about 20 mm, i.e. 2 cm. The other options are much thicker and correspond to base or pavement layers, not a premix carpet.
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.
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 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.
By rule of thumb, the minimum horizontal spacing of the old and new footing should be equal to
A)
One half of the width of the wider one
B)
Width of the wider one
C)
Thrice the width of the wider one
D)
Twice the width of the wider one
By the rule of thumb for adjacent footings, the minimum horizontal spacing between an old footing and a new footing should be at least 2 times the width of the wider footing so that the stress zones do not significantly overlap. Hence, the correct answer is twice the width of the wider one. The other options are too small to avoid interference between the footings.
Failure of the stability of slopes generally occurs along
A)
A vertical surface
B)
A horizontal surface
C)
A curved surface
D)
All the surfaces
Slope failure in soil generally occurs along a curved or circular slip surface, especially in cohesive soils. This is because the soil mass tends to rotate and slide along the path of least resistance. Vertical or horizontal failure surfaces are not the usual general case for slope stability failure.
In bridge foundation, if there is a comparatively deep scour, type of foundation normally adopted is
A)
Under reemed piles
B)
Pre-stressed piles
C)
Piles in a group
D)
Well foundation
In bridge foundations, when there is comparatively deep scour, a well foundation (caisson foundation) is normally adopted because it can be sunk to a greater depth and provides stability against scour and lateral forces. Pile foundations are generally used for moderate depths, but for deep scour conditions, wells are preferred. Hence, options like under-reamed piles, pre-stressed piles, and piles in a group are not the usual choice for deep scour bridge foundations.
Stone column as a ground improvement technique is generally adopted in
A)
Cohesionless soil
B)
Granular soil
C)
Clayey soil
D)
Any kind of soil
Stone columns are generally used to improve soft cohesive soils, especially clayey soils. They increase load-bearing capacity, reduce settlement, and improve drainage in weak clay deposits. They are not typically needed in already strong granular/cohesionless soils, and they are not suitable for every soil type.
The rate of rise or fall of a road along its alignment is
A)
Super-elevation
B)
Side slope
C)
Camber
D)
Gradient
The rate of rise or fall of a road along its alignment is called the gradient. It represents the longitudinal slope of the road. Super-elevation is the transverse slope provided on curves, side slope refers to the slope of embankments or cuttings, and camber is the cross slope on the road surface for drainage.