CE REVIEW NOV 2021

EVALUATION EXAM IN GEOTECHNICAL c) 0.40

ENGINEERING d) 1.1

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Assess your 8. If the sp.gr. of the particles is 2.70, find the degree
mastery of the subject. Avoid guessing. Hehe of saturation.
a) 76%
1. A settlement which is the result of a volume change b) 63%
in saturated cohesive soils because of expulsion of the c) 81%
water that occupies the void spaces. d) 72%
a) Immediate settlement
b) Primary consolidation settlement SITUATION 2: For the flow net shown in the figure.
c) Secondary consolidation settlement
d) Tertiary consolidation settlement

2. A settlement which is observed in saturated

cohesive soils and is the result of the plastic
adjustment of soil fabrics. It is an additional form of
compression that occurs at constant effective stress.
a) Immediate settlement
b) Primary consolidation settlement
c) Secondary consolidation settlement
d) Tertiary consolidation settlement

3. The forces that pull up water if a fine grained soil

mass came in contact with water above the free-water
surface.
a) Capillary forces
b) Seepage forces 9. Determine the potential drop.
c) Uplift forces a) 0.714
d) Buoyant forces b) 0.607
c) 0.769
4. The ratio of the pre-consolidation pressure to the d) 2.500
present effective pressure is known as:
a) Void ratio 10. Compute the uplift head at the bottom right side of
b) Poisson’s ratio the weir at B.
c) Coefficient of lateral pressure a) 6.93m
d) Over consolidated ratio b) 3.93m
c) 2.43m
5. The ratio of lateral stress to vertical stress is called: d) 3.54m
a) Void ratio
b) Poisson’s ratio 11. Calculate the rate of seepage per meter length
c) Coefficient of lateral pressure under the weir if K = 0.001 cm/sec.
d) Over consolidated ratio a) 1.2 m2/day
b) 2.1 m2/day
SITUATION 1: A cylindrical specimen of a cohesive c) 3.1 m2/day
soil of 10 cm diameter and 20 cm length was prepared d) 1.3 m2/day
by compaction in a mould. If the wet mass of the
specimen was 3.25 kg and its water content was 15%. SITUATION 3: A square footing has a dimension of 1.2
Gs = 2.70. Determine the dry density. m. x 1.2 m. and has its bottom 1 m. below the ground
a) 1.8 g / cc surface. From table: Nc = 35, Nq = 22, Ny = 19.
b) 1.7 g/cc
c) 1.6 g/cc
d) 1.5 g/cc

7. Determine the void ratio.

a) 0.60
b) 0.50

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specimen was 18%. Sp.gr. of the solid = 2.70 and that

of wax is 0.89. Determine the bulk density.
a) 1.69 g/cc
b) 1.79 g/cc
c) 1.89 g/cc
d) 1.99 g/cc

18. Determine the dry density.

a) 1.69 g/cc
b) 1.79 g/cc
c) 1.89 g/cc
d) 1.99 g/cc

19. Determine the degree of saturation.

a) 67%
12. If the ground water table is located at a depth of b) 76%
1.2 m. below the ground surface, compute the ultimate c) 81%
bearing capacity of the soil. d) 86%
a) 1123.50 kPa
b) 1223.50 kPa SITUATION 6: A cone penetrometer test was
c) 1080.36 kPa conducted on a sample of soil for the determination of
d) 1055.484 the liquid limit and the following observations were
recorded.Liquid limit = 58% Plastic limit = 34%
13. Find the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil if the Shrinkage limit = 12%. Compute the plasticity index.
ground water table is at the bottom of the footing. a) 23
a) 1064.19 kPa b) 92
b) 1210.55 kPa c) 24
c) 1563.21 kPa d) 22
d) 1959.32 kPa
21. Compute the shrinkage index
14. Find the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil if the a) 23
ground water table is 0.5 m. above the bottom of the b) 46
footing. c) 22
a) 1306.32 kPa d) 24
b) 1298.42 kPa
c) 1116.94 kPa 22. Compute the shrinkage ratio if Gs = 2.70.
d) 1671.32 kPa a) 2.04
b) 1.04
SITUATION 4: If excavation is carried out in a soil with c) 1.34
a porosity of 0.40 and sp.gr. of 2.65, determine the d) 1.74
critical gradient.
a) 0.99 SITUATION 7: The water table in a deposit of uniform
b) 2.61 sand is located at 2 m. below the ground surface.
c) 6.08 Assuming the soil above the water table is dry. The
d) 0.82 void ratio is 0.75 and sp.gr. of solids is2.65. Determine
the total stress at a depth of 5 m. below the ground
16. Determine saturated unit weight of the soil. surface.
a) 18.62 kN/m3 a) 86.90 kPa
b) 17.31 kN/m3 b) 63.21 kPa
c) 19.52 kN/m3 c) 65.87 kPa
d) 19.21 kN/m3 d) 57.47 kPa
SITUATION 5: A sample of clay was coated with 24. Determine the effective stress of the depth of 5 m.
paraffin wax and its mass including the mass of wax, below the ground.
was found to be 697.5 g. The sample was immersed a) 86.90 kPa
in water and the volume of water displaced ws found b) 63.21 kPa
to be 355 c.c. The mass of the sample without wax was c) 65.87 kPa
690 g and the water content of the representative

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d) 57.47 kPa

25. Determine the effective stress of the depth of 5 m.

below the ground surface if the soil above the water
table is saturated by capillary action.
a) 86.90 kPa
b) 63.21 kPa
c) 65.87 kPa
d) 57.47 kPa

SITUATION 8: A concentrated load 40 kN is applied

vertically on a ground surface. where:Q = point load z =
depth of interest at which stress is in use r = horizontal
distance from the line load
29. Compute the effective stress at the mid height of
26. Using Boussinesq method, determine the vertical clay.
stress intensities at a depth of 2 m. below the point of a) 102.5 kPa
application of the load. b) 92.5 kPa
5
2 c) 112.74 kPa
3𝑄 1 d) 95.62 kPa
∆𝑝 = ( )
2𝜋𝑧 2 𝑟 2
1+( ) 30. Calculate the final settlement of the clay layer due
𝑧
a) 4.77 kPa to an increase of pressure of 30 kPa at the mid-height
b) 3.25 kPa of the clay.
c) 3.92 kPa a) 25.6 mm
d) 5.21 kpa b) 26.7 mm
c) 32.8 mm
27. Using Boussinesq method, determine the vertical d) 29.3 mm
stress at a depth of 1 m. and at a radical distance of 3
m. from the line of action of the load. 31. Calculate the settlement when the water table rises
a) 0.06 kPa to the ground surface.
b) 0.03 kPa a) 51 mm
c) 0.04 kpa b) 48 mm
d) 0.05 kPa c) 45 mm
d) 53 mm
28. Determine the vertical stress intensity on a
horizontal plane at a depth of 2 m. below the base of 32. A clay sample originally 25 mm thick at a void ratio
the footing using Westergaard equation. of 1.120 was subjected to a compressive load. After
3 the clay sample was completely consolidated, its
2 thickness was measured to be 24 mm. Determine the
𝑄 1 final void ratio.
∆𝑝 = ( )
𝜋𝑧 2 𝑟 2 a) 0.95
1 + 2 (𝑧 )
b) 1.11
c) 1.04
a) 2.45 kPa d) 0.86
b) 3.18 kPa
c) 3.10 kPa 33. The moist unit weight of soil from the excavation
d) 4.22 kPa site is 16.52 kN/m3 with an in-situ moisture content of
18%. It has a sp.gr. of 2.75. This soil is to be used for
SITUATION 9: A soil profile consists of two layers of a construction of a new highway for use in compacted
soil with the clay layer underlying the sand layer. The fill. The soil needed is to be compacted to a dry unit
sand layer has a unit weight of 20 kN/m3 having a weight of 16.1 kN/m3. How many cubic meters of soil
thickness of 4 m. and the unit weight of the 2.5 m. layer from the excavation site are needed to produce 850
of clay is 18 kN/m3. Compression index of the clay is cu.m. of compacted fill?
0.22 with a void ratio of 1.30. a) 760.42m
b) 950.3m
c) 875.3m

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CE REVIEW NOV 2021

d) 977.5m
39. Compute the rate of supply in cm3/hr (295.90 cm3
SITUATION 10: A cohesive soil specimen has a a) 295.90 cm3 / hr
shearing resistance equal to 28˚ and a cohesion of 30 b) 302.61 cm3 / hr
kPa. If the maximum shearing stress of the soil sample c) 406.22 cm3 / hr
is equal to 70 kPa. Compute the lateral pressure in the d) 152.36cm3 / hr
cell for a failure to occur.
a) 23.32 kPa SITUATION 12: From the figure shown, the void ratio
b) 24.68 kPa of the sand is 0.55 with a specific gravity of 2.68. The
c) 22.68 kPa cross-sectional area of the tank is 0.5 m2 and
d) 25.73 kPa hydraulic conductivity of sand = 0.1 cm/s.

35. Compute the maximum principal stress to cause

failure.
a) 163.32 kPa
b) 164.68 kPa
c) 162.68 kPa
d) 165.73 kPa

36. Compute the normal stress at the point of

maximum shear.
a) 92.68 kPa
b) 93.38 kPa
c) 94.02 kPa
d) 95.30 kPa

SITUATION 11: Figure shows the layers of soil in a

tube 100 mm x 100 mm in cross-section water is
supplied to maintain a constant head difference of 400
mm across the sample. The hydraulic conductivities of 40. What is the rate of upward seepage in m3/hour?
the soils in the direction of flow through them are as a) 1.08 m3 / hour
follows: b) 2.08 m3 / hour
c) 3.08 m3 / hour
d) 4.08 m3 / hour

41. Determine the critical hydraulic gradient for zero

effective stress
a) 1.08
b) 2.08
c) 3.08
d) 4.08

42. Determine the value of h to cause boiling

a) 1.16 m
b) 2.16 m
c) 3.16 m
37. Compute the hydraulic gradient. d) 4.16m
a) 0.67
b) 0.85 43. Determine the value of x.
c) 0.60 a) 0.32 m
d) 0.95 b) 0.56 m
c) 0.48 m
38. Compute the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of d) 0.52 m
the soil layers.
a) 3.23x10^-3 SITUATION 13: According to the elastic theory, the
b) 1.23x10^-3 vertical stress induced flexible line load of infinite
c) 4.11x10^-3 length that has an intensity of q units/length on the
d) 2.61x10^-3 surface of a semi-infinite soil mass can be estimated
ENGR. CHERYLL C. MALIBIRAN
CE REVIEW NOV 2021

by the expression shown, where r is the horizontal b) 96.38 kPa

distance from the line load and Z is the depth of c) 76.52 kPa
interest at which stress is induced. d) 85.32 kPa
𝑞
𝑝 = 0.637
𝑁 48. Compute the effective stress at A after lowering of
𝑟 2 2 water table.
𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑁 = 𝑍 (1 + ( ) ) a) 83.13 kPa
𝑧 b) 96.38 kPa
c) 76.52 kPa
44. A concrete hollow block wall weighing 6 kN per d) 85.32 kPa
lineal meter is carried by a wall footing 0.60 m. wide.
Evaluate the bearing pressure in kPa exerted by the 49. Determine the settlement that would occur in the
footing onto the supporting soil. clay layer due to the lowering of the water table.
a) 40 kPa a) 15 mm
b) 30 kPa b) 20 mm
c) 20 kPa
c) 25 mm
d) 10 kPa
d) 30 mm
45. Evaluate the stress in the soil caused by the load SITUATION 15: An unsupported cut is shown in the
depth equal to twice its width. figure.Unit weight of soil backfill = 18.2 kN/m3.
a) 5.31 kPa Cohesion of soil = 25 kN/m3. Angle of friction = 10˚
b) 5.01 kPa
c) 3.25 kPa
d) 6.35 kPa

46. Evaluate the stress at a depth of 2 m. and a

horizontal distance 3 m. from the line of load.
a) 0.60
b) 0.30
c) 0.20
d) 0.40

SITUATION 14: A soil profile is shown. The

compression index for the given clay is 0.36. If the
water table is lowered by 1.5 m,

50. Find the stress at the bottom of cut.

a) 76.44 kPa
b) 11.86 kPa
c) 105 kPa
d) 96 kPa

51. Determine the maximum depth of potential crack.

a) 3.27 m
b) 2.25 m
c) 3.20 m
d) 4.05 m

52. Determine the maximum unsupported height of

excavation needed.
a) 3.25 m
b) 6.54 m
c) 5.22 m
d) 4.65 m
47. Compute the effective pressure at A before water
is lowered. SITUATION 16: A 5.4 m high retaining wall is
a) 83.13 kPa supporting a horizontal backfill of a cohesionless soil.

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CE REVIEW NOV 2021

Unit weight of soil = 17.30 kN/m3. Angle of friction ø =

36˚. Determine the at rest force per unit length of the
wall.
a) 103.98 kN/m
b) 95.16 kN/m
c) 120.32 kN/m
d) 85.65 kN/m

54. Determine the active force per unit length of the

wall.
a) 55.36 kN / m
b) 105.91 kN/m
c) 200.74 kN/m
d) 65.48 kN/m

55. Determine the passive force per unit length of the 59. Compute the rate of flow through the aquifer in
wall. m3/day.
a) 1002 kN/m a) 10885 m3/day
b) 971 kN /m b) 12945 m3/day
c) 365 kN/m c) 15080 m3/day
d) 452 kN/m d) 12161 m3/day

SITUATION 17: A 9m thick silty sand is submerge due 60. Compute the seepage velocity.
to the presence of water table at it topmost surface. a) 0.564 m/day
The saturated unit weight of the silty sand is 18 kN/m3 b) 0.77 m/day
with a moisture content 0f 8%. The coefficient of lateral c) 0.662 m/day
earth pressure at rest is 0.41. Calculate the total stress d) 0.603 m/day
at the bottom.
a) 72 kPa 61. Compute the time travel from the head of the
b) 162 kPa aquifer to a point 4km downstream in days.
c) 175 kPa a) 7753 days
d) 87 kPa b) 7441 days
c) 6634 days
57. Calculate the effective stress at the bottom. d) 7542 days
a) 74 kPa
b) 162 kPa SITUATION 19: A 45 cm diameter concrete pile is
c) 175 kPa driven through a system of layered cohesive soil
d) 87 kPa below. The water table is close to the ground surface.

58. Calculate the expected horizontal stress at the

bottom.
a) 119 kPa
b) 66 kPa
c) 30 kPa
d) 72 kPa

SITUATION 18: A confined aquifer has a source of

recharge as shown. The hydraulic conductivity of the
aquifer is 40m/day and its porosity is 0.25. The
piezometric head in the two wells 1325 m apart is 65
and 60 m respectively from a common data. The
average thickness of the aquifer is 25m and the
average width is 4km.
62. Find the end bearing capacity of pile if Nc=9.
a) 150.30 kN
b) 158.40 kN
c) 152.80 kN

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CE REVIEW NOV 2021

d) 151.90 kN

63. Find the skin friction capacity of pile.

a) 771.89 kN
b) 612.50 kN
c) 846.11 kN
d) 598.77 kN

64. Find the pile capacity if factor of safety is 2.5.

a) 922.19 kN
b) 881.04 kN
c) 368.87 kN
d) 358.34 kN

SITUATION 20: From the laboratory result of a sample

taken from the field, the total volume of wet sampe
1x10-3 m3 and weight of wet sample is 1.80 kg. Water
content is 10%. Gs=2.60, emax=0.64 and emin=0.42.
Which of the following most nearly gives the dry unit
weight?
a) 1390.31 kg/m3
b) 1636.36 kg/m3
c) 1963.63 kg/m3
d) 1800 kg/m3

66.Find the void ratio.

a) 0.59
b) 0.44 68. Find the stress increase in kPa below footing A (1.4
c) 0.68 mx1.4m) at the center of the clay layer. Use stress
d) 0.5 spread of 2 vertical 1 horizontal.
a) 20.15 kPa
67. Find the relative density. b) 28.17 kpa
a) 25.79 % c) 22.50 kPa
b) 27.41 % d) 25. 80 kPa
c) 20.67 %
d) 23.23% 69. Find the size of footing b to make settlement in the
clay layer beneath footings A and B equal.
SITUATION 21: Two footings rest in a 2.7 m layer of a) 2.65 mx 2.65 m
sand underlain by 1.8 m layer of clay layer on solid b) 3.02mx 3.02m
rock. c) 1.81mx1.81m
d) 3.68mx3.68m

70. Determine the settlement in mm beneath footing

A.
a) 34.70
b) 30.85
c) 51.30
d) 48.54

SITUATION 22: A group of friction piles in deep clay is

shown on the figure. The total load on the piles
reduced by the weight of soil displayed by foundation
is 2000 kN.

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74. The porosity and moisture content of a soil are

40% and 12% respectively. If the specific gravity of soil
solid is 2.5, determine the increase in moisture content
that will saturate the soil and at the same time
increasing the volume of the soil by 5%.
a) 15 %
b) 23%
c) 26%
d) 18%

75. The mass of a cube of dried clay is 135 g. When

saturated at unchanged total volume. Its mass
increases to 195g. Calculate the void ratio of the soil if
its side is approximately 50 mm.
a) 0.78
b) 0.64
c) 0.48
d) 0.45

76. Determine the sensitivity of the clay if it has a shear

strength of 60 kPa in natural state and 20kPa in
remoulded state.
a) 3.00
b) 0.33
c) 0.50
d) 2.00
Pile Cross-Section
SITUATION 23: A series of drained tri-axial tests were
carried out on specimens of a sand prepared at the
same porosity and the following results were obtained
at failure.
All-Around Pressure(kPa) 50 100
Principal Stress Difference (kPa) 180 285

77. Determine the value of angle of shearing

resistance.
a) 20.78
b) 15.41
71. Compute the effective overburden pressure. c) 10.39
a) 121.26 kN d) 30.81
b) 96.56 kN
c) 129.58 kN 78. Calculate the maximum principal stress for a
d) 140.42 kN chamber pressure of 135 kPa.
a) 376.52 kPa
72. Compute the compression index. b) 408.46 kPa
a) 0.45 c) 435.45 kPa
b) 0.36 d) 493.50 kPa
c) 0.35
d) 0.52 79. What is the value of cohesion?
a) 43.14 kPa
73. Compute the approximate total settlement of the b) 54.77 kpa
pile foundation. c) 21.30 kPa
a) 0.329 m d) 100.43 kPa
b) 0.301 m
c) 0.254m SITUATION 24: An earth dam requires 1 million cubic
d) 0.392m meters of soil compacted to a void ratio of 0.80 In the

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vicinity of the proposed dam, four borrow pits were

identified as having suitable materials. The cost of SITUATION 26: The data from a falling head test on a
purchasing the soil and the cost of excavation are the silty clay are as follows:
same for each borrow pit. The only cost difference is Cross-sectional area of soil 80 cm2
transportation cost. The table below provides the void Length of soil 10 cm
ratio and the transportation cost for each borrow pit. Initial head 90 cm
BORROW VOID TRANSPORTATION Final head 84 cm
PIT RATIO COST (P/m3) Duration of test 15 min
1 1.80 35 Diameter of tube 6 mm
2 0.90 50 Temperature 22C
3 1.50 37.50
4 1.30 42 86. Which of the following most nearly gives the
coefficient of permeability of the sample?
80. Which of the following most nearly gives the cost a) 2.28 x10-6 cm/s
for borrow pit 2? b) 3.85 x10-6 cm/s
a) P53.67 million c) 2.71 x10-6 cm/s
b) P46.67 million d) 3.33 x10-6 cm/s
c) P52.08 million
d) P52.78 million 87. Which of the following most nearly gives the time
elapsed when the potential drop is 3cm?
81. Which of the following most nearly gives the cost a) 359.81 sec
for borrow pit 4? b) 442.13 sec
a) P53.67 million c) 525.52 sec
b) P46.67 million d) 311.22 sec
c) P52.08 million
d) P52.78 million 88. Calculate the shrinkage of the soil that is
compacted to a density 7765 kg/m3 from an in-situ
82. Which of the following borrow pits would be the density 5235 kg/m3.
most economical? a) 48.33 %
a) Borrow pit 1 b) 14.83%
b) Borrow pit 2 c) 67.42%
c) Borrow pit 3 d) 32.58%
d) Borrow pit 4
SITUATION 27: An anchored sheet pile 10.50 m high
SITUATION 25: A soil sample was determined in the is to retain 7.30 m deep of soil. The soil has an angle
laboratory to have a liquid limit of 52% and a plastic of friction of 31 with a unit weight of 17 kN/m3. The
limit of 34%. The soil has a natural water content of sheet pile is anchored at at depth of 1.20 m below the
44%. Which of the following most nearly gives the ground surface with center to center spacing of
plasticity index of the soil? 3m.Which of the following most nearly gives the total
a) 22% active force on the sheet pile per meter width?
b) 18% 1 point
c) 26% a) 364.76 kN/m
d) 14% b) 299.97 kN/m
c) 281.16 kN/m
84. Which of the following most nearly gives the d) 332.42 kN/m
liquidity index of the soil?
a) -1.06 90. Which of the following most nearly gives the
b) -0.56 percentage of the total passive resistance utilized by
c) 1.06 the wall?
d) 0.56 a) 86.12 %
b) 72.84 %
85. Which of the following gives the nature of the soil c) 94.50 %
based on its liquidity index? d) 77.71 %
a) liquid
b) semi-solid 91. Which of the following most nearly gives the
c) plastic tension in the anchor?
d) cannot be identified
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a) 265.98 kN d) 15.33 mm/hr

b) 249.29 kN
c) 294.75 kN 98. The moisture content of a soil is determined by
d) 323.41 kN oven-drying method. It is later found out that the
moisture content lies between the previously
SITUATION 28: A retaining wall 6m high, retains dry established liquid limit and plastic limit. What is the
sand with an angle of friction of 30 and a unit weight appropriate state of the soil?
of 15.89 kN/m3. Determine the earth pressure at rest. a) semi-solid state
a) 200.60 kN b) plastic state
b) 160.32 kN c) liquid state
c) 143.01 kN d) solid state
d) 100.65 kN
99. It is the minimum water content at which the soil
93.Determine the lateral force or thrust on the wall if just begins to crumble when rolled into threads 3mm
the water table rises to the top of the wall. Assume in diameter.
submerged unit weight is 11.21 kN/m3. a) Consistency Limit
a) 366.42 kN/m b) Liquid Limit
b) 400.63 kN/m c) Shrinkage Limit
c) 250.66 kN/m d) Plastic Limit
d) 277.47 kN/m
100. It is defined as a plane on which the stress is
94. What is the percentage increase of the lateral wholly normal or one which does not carry shearing
thrust when the water table rises to the top over that of stress.
the dry fill? a) Failure Plane
a) 94.02 % b) Deviator Plane
b) 92.31 % c) Confined Plane
c) 85.63 % d) Principal Plane
d) 96.85 %

SITUATION 29: A constant discharge of 2.5 m3 is

pumped out of the 35 m thick unconfined aquifer every
minute through a central tube well till the water level at
that well become steady. The drawdowns in two
observation wells at distances 16.5 m and 68.75m
from the center of the tube well are 3.1 and 0.75 m
respectively from the static water table.Determine the
distance from the bottom of the aquifer up to the water
level in the observation well that is 16.5 m from the
central well.
a) 31.90
b) 13.40
c) 68.00
d) 34.25

96. Determine the distance from the bottom of the

aquifer up to the water level in the observation well that
is 68.75 m from the central well.
a) 31.90
b) 13.40
c) 68.00
d) 34.25

97. Determine the coefficient of permeability of the

aquifer.
a) 1.62 mm/min
b) 7.31mm/min
c) 2.42 mm/min

ENGR. CHERYLL C. MALIBIRAN