A retaining wall 6m high supports a backfill with a surcharge angle of 10°. The back of the wall is inclined to the vertical at a positive batter angle of 5°. If the angle of wall friction is 7°, then the resultant active earth pressure will act at a distance of 2 m above the base and inclined to the horizontal at an angle of_________________?

A. 7°
B. 10°
C. 12°
D. 17°

The major principal stress in an element of cohesionless soil within the backfill of a retaining wall is________________?

A. Vertical if the soil is in an active state of plastic equilibrium
B. Vertical if the soil is in a passive state of plastic equilibrium
C. Inclined at 45° to the vertical plane
D. None of the above

Rankine’s theory of earth pressure assumes that the back of the wall is_______________?

A. Plane and smooth
B. Plane and rough
C. Vertical and smooth
D. Vertical and rough

In the triaxial compression test, the application of additional axial stress (i.e. deviator stress) on the soil specimen produces shear stress on__________________?

A. Horizontal plane only
B. Vertical plane only
C. Both horizontal and vertical planes
D. All planes except horizontal and vertical planes

During the first stage of triaxial test when the cell pressure is increased from 0.10 N/mm2 to 0.26 N/mm2, the pore water pressure increases from 0.07 N/mm2 to 0.15 “N/mm2. Skempton’s pore pressure parameter B is___________________?

A. 0.5
B. -0.5
C. 2.0
D. – 2.0

The coefficient of active earth pressure for a loose sand having an angle of internal friction of 30° is___________________?

A. 1/3
B. 3
C. 1
D. 1/2

Sensitivity of a soil can be defined as___________________?

A. Percentage of volume change of soil under saturated condition
B. Ratio of compressive strength of unconfined undisturbed soil to that of soil in a remoulded state
C. Ratio of volume of voids to volume of solids
D. None of the above

In a triaxial compression test when drainage is allowed during the first stage (i. e. application of cell pressure) only and not during the second stage (i.e. application of deviator stress at constant cell pressure), the test is known as__________________?

A. Consolidated drained test
B. Consolidated undrained test
C. Unconsolidated drained test
D. Unconsolidated undrained test

If the shearing stress is zero on two planes, then the angle between the two planes is________________?

A. 45°
B. 90°
C. 135°
D. 225°

If a cohesive soil specimen is subjected to a vertical compressive load, the inclination of the cracks to the horizontal is__________________?

A. 90°
B. 45°
C. 22.5°
D. 0°