Category: Engineering Geology Objective Questions

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on ” Physical Properties – 01″.

1. Which of the following is not true about a mineral?
a) Naturally occurring
b) Inorganic substance
c) Organic substance
d) Definite chemical composition
Answer: c
Clarification: A mineral, is defined as, a naturally occurring inorganic solid substance that is characterized with a definite chemical composition and very often with a definite atomic structure.

2. Mineralogy deals with?
a) Individual properties of minerals
b) Formation of minerals
c) More of occurrence
d) Properties, formation and occurrence
Answer: d
Clarification: Mineralogy is the branch of geology dealing with the wide range of aspects related to minerals like their individual properties, mode of occurrence and mode of formation.

3. A colour is produced due to ___________
a) Reflection
b) Refraction
c) Absorption
d) Reflection and absorption
Answer: d
Clarification: A particular colour is produced by reflection of some and absorption of other components of white light.

4. Colour of a mineral depends upon its?
a) Atomic structure
b) Outer surface
c) Composition
d) Atomic structure and composition
Answer: d
Clarification: A mineral shows colour of that wavelength of the white light which is not absorbed by it by virtue of its composition and atomic structure.

5. Metallic minerals belong to which category with respect to colour?
a) Idiochromatic
b) Pseudochromatic
c) Allochromatic
d) Iridescence
Answer: a
Clarification: Idiochromatic having a characteristic, fairly constant colour related primarily to the composition of mineral. Metallic minerals belong to this category.

6. The type of mineral showing variable colour is?
a) Idiochromatic
b) Allochromatic
c) Iridescence
d) Pseudochromatic
Answer: b
Clarification: Allochromatic minerals have a variable colour; the variety in colour is generally due to minute quantities of colouring impurities thoroughly dispersed in the mineral composition.

7. The type of mineral which shows a set of colours in succession is?
a) Idiochromatic
b) Pseudochromatic
c) Allochromatic
d) Iridescence
Answer: b
Clarification: Pseudochromatic minerals show false colour. Such an effect generally happens when a mineral is rotated in hand; it is then seen to show a set colours in succession.

8. Allochromatic minerals may show more than two colours.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: Many non-metallic minerals like quartz, calcite, fluorine, tourmaline etc. may occur in more than two colours depending on the nature of impurities.

9. Pseudochromatism occurs due to ___________
a) Reflection
b) Transmittance
c) Refraction
d) Simultaneous reflection and refraction
Answer: d
Clarification: Psuodochromatism is attributed to simultaneous reflection and refraction from the mineral surface due to minute inclusions of impurities in the mineral at different locations.

10. The phenomenon due to which a mineral shows rainbow colours is?
a) Idiochromatism
b) Allochromatism
c) Iridescence
d) Pseudochromatism
Answer: c
Clarification: Some minerals may show rainbow colours either in their interior or on the exterior surface. This is called iridescence.

11. Play of colours is not desirable.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Due to play of colours, the colours change in rapid succession on rotation and their effect is quite brilliant and appealing to the eye.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Sedimentary Rocks and Their Mode of Formation”.

1. Which rock is also called secondary rock?
a) Igneous rock
b) Sedimentary rock
c) Metamorphic rock
d) No class of rock is termed so
Answer: b
Clarification: Sedimentary rocks are also called secondary rocks. This group includes a wide variety of rocks formed by accumulation, compaction and consolidation of sediments.

2. Which is the rock present in the majority on the surface of earth?
a) Igneous rock
b) Sedimentary rock
c) Metamorphic rock
d) No class of rock in particular
Answer: b
Clarification: Sedimentary rocks are known to cover as much as 75 percent of the surface of the earth the rest being covered by the igneous rocks and the metamorphic rocks.

3. What are the mechanically formed sedimentary rocks also called?
a) Clastic rocks
b) Non-clastic rocks
c) Elite rocks
d) Mech rocks
Answer: a
Clarification: Sedimentary rocks are broadly grouped into three classes on the basis of their mode of formation: Mechanically formed or Clastic rocks: Organically formed rocks and chemically rocks which are called as Non-clastic rocks.

4. Detrital rocks refer to which type of sedimentary rocks?
a) Mechanically formed
b) Organically formed
c) Chemically formed
d) Residual
Answer: a
Clarification: During the formation of the sedimentary rocks by a mechanical method, original hard and coherent rock bodies are gradually broken down into smaller fragments. This disintegrated, loosened material is called detritus. Hence, clastic rocks are often also called as detrital rocks.

5. The important phenomenon that happens during deposition is ________________
a) Settling
b) Erosion
c) Sorting
d) Blowing
Answer: c
Clarification: The most important phenomenon that happens to the sediments during their transport and deposition is sorting or grading according to their size, shape and density.

6. Deposition takes place in which conditions?
a) Ordinary pressure and temperature
b) High temperature and low pressure
c) High pressure and low temperature
d) High pressure and high temperature
Answer: a
Clarification: The sorting or grading occurs during the deposition stage of the formation of sedimentary rocks and the deposition happens in layers in most cases. Deposition generally takes place under ordinary pressure and temperature conditions.

7. The process not associated with diagenesis is ____________
a) Sediments get gradually converted to cohesive material
b) Sediments get gradually converted to hard material
c) Decaying occurs basically
d) Might occur due to pressure or cementing material
Answer: c
Clarification: The process of transformation of loose sediments deposited in the settlement basins to solid cohesive rock masses either under pressure or because of cementation is collectively known as diagenesis.

8. The process which involves pressure exerted by the load is ____________
a) Loading
b) Welding
c) Cementation
d) Unloading
Answer: b
Clarification: Welding is the process of compaction of the sediments accumulated in lower layers of a basin due to the pressure exerted by the load of the overlying sediments.

9. The process other than welding which is studied under diagenesis is ____________
a) Co-welding
b) Cementation
c) Pressurising
d) Unloading
Answer: b
Clarification: Diagenesis is achieved by two methods. They are welding and cementation. Cementation is the process by which loose grains or sediments in a settlement basin get held together by a binding material.

10. Rock salt may be formed by ____________
a) Erosion
b) Winds
c) Continued evaporation
d) Continued precipitation
Answer: c
Clarification: Limestone may be formed by precipitation from carbonated water due to loss of carbon dioxide. Rock salt may be formed from sodium-chloride rich seawater merely by the process of continued evaporation.

11. Example of chemically formed sedimentary rocks is ____________
a) Gypsum
b) Sandstone
c) Shale
d) Breccia
Answer: a
Clarification: Chemically formed rocks are of two types: precipitates and evaporites. Examples are limestones, rock salt, gypsum and anhydrite.

12. Pick the organically formed sedimentary rock.
a) Shale
b) Sandstone
c) Breccia
d) Limestone
Answer: d
Clarification: Limestones are the best examples of organically formed sedimentary rocks. Generally, the evidence of the source material gets obliterated from these rocks with the passage of time.

13. How is the degree of packing in welding related to load of overlying sediments?
a) Directly related
b) Inversely related
c) Not related at all
d) Totally independent
Answer: a
Clarification: Welding initially involves squeezing out of all or most of the water from in between the sediments, thus bringing them closer and closer and hence resulting in compaction. In fact the degree of packing of sediments in a sedimentary rock is directly proportional to the load of the overlying sediments.

14. Animal and vegetable life don’t contribute to the formation of sedimentary rocks.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Animal and vegetable life, including microorganisms also contribute a fairly large supply of organic residues, which on gradual accumulation after the death of the source get compacted and turn into hard massive bodies of sedimentary rocks.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Water Bearing Qualities of Rocks”.

1. The rock mass which is capable of yielding the contained water economically __________
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Aquifuge
d) Aquitard
Answer: a
Clarification: Aquifer is defined as a rock mass, layer or formation which is saturated with groundwater and which virtue of its properties is capable of yielding the contained water at economical costs when tapped.

2. Which among the following is not an example of the good aquifer?
a) Granite
b) Gravels
c) Limestones
d) Sandstones
Answer: a
Clarification: Gravels, limestones and sandstones generally form good aquifers when occurring in suitable geological conditions and geographic situations.

3. The formation which may be porous enough to hold enough quantity of water is __________
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Aquifuge
d) Aquitard
Answer: b
Clarification: A rock body or formation which may be porous enough to hold enough quantity of water which by virtue of its other properties does not allow an easy and quick flow through it, is called an aquiclude.

4. Example for best aquiclude is __________
a) Granites
b) Gravels
c) Compacted clay
d) Sandstone
Answer: c
Clarification: Aquiclude is to be treated as a practically impermeable rock mass. Compacted clay formation are the best example of aquicludes.

5. Which rock formation is absolutely impermeable?
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Aquifuge
d) Aquitard
Answer: c
Clarification: Aquifuge is an absolutely impermeable rock formation through which there is no possibility of storage or movement of water.

6. Granite and quartzite are examples of __________
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Aquifuge
d) Aquitard
Answer: c
Clarification: Aquifuge is almost free from pores and other interstices. Examples are compact interlocking granites and quartzites.

7. Which is the rock mass where partial perviousness is caused because of profuse jointing or cracks?
a) Aquifer
b) Aquiclude
c) Aquifuge
d) Aquitard
Answer: d
Clarification: Aquitard is a less common term used sometimes for an aquifuge or aquiclude that has become locally leaky due to the development of partial perviousness caused because of profuse jointing or cracks.

8. All rocks are suitable for holding groundwater.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: All rocks are neither capable nor suitable for holding and transmitting groundwater. The terms like aquifer, aquiclude, aquifuge need to be understood well for studying the concept of groundwater.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Reservoirs and Their Types”.

1. Artificially created water storage basins with storage capacity that may range from a few thousand cubic meters to thousands of millions cubic meters are called __________
a) Lakes
b) Ponds
c) Pools
d) Reservoirs
Answer: d
Clarification: Reservoirs may broadly be defined as artificially created water storage basins with storage capacity that may range from a few thousand cubic meters to thousands of millions cubic meters.

2. Depending on the purpose of storage, reservoirs are classified into how many types?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 3
d) 5
Answer: c
Clarification: Depending on the purpose of storage, reservoirs are classified into three main categories: Storage and conservation reservoirs; Flood control reservoirs; Distribution reservoirs.

3. Which reservoirs are used to feed the canal systems for irrigation and power generation?
a) Storage and conservation reservoirs
b) Flood control reservoirs
c) Distribution reservoirs
d) Drought control reservoirs
Answer: a
Clarification: Storage and conservation reservoirs, are the ones where river water is stored by creating barriers or dams in its path and is then released from gated or ungated outlets. These feed the canal systems for irrigation and power generation.

4. The reservoirs for small storage and short period of time are __________
a) Storage and conservation reservoirs
b) Flood control reservoirs
c) Distribution reservoirs
d) Drought control reservoirs
Answer: c
Clarification: Distribution reservoirs are actually small storage reservoirs that hold water supplies in a water supply system for short spells of time.

5. Reservoirs involving large sluice gates are __________
a) Storage and conservation reservoirs
b) Flood control reservoirs
c) Distribution reservoirs
d) Drought control reservoirs
Answer: b
Clarification: Flood control reservoirs are provided with large sluice ways to discharge the inflow received by the reservoir during a flood up to a volume that could be safely accommodated in the channel downstream.

6. The level up to which the reservoir shall be full of water is called __________
a) High level
b) Maximum level
c) Pool level
d) Surface level
Answer: c
Clarification: Pool level, indicated the designed level up to which the reservoir shall be ‘full of water’ at a particular point of time. There is, thus, the maximum pool level, the minimum pool level and the normal pool level.

7. The measure of the volume of water that can be drawn from a given reservoir in a certain interval of time is called __________
a) Surface yield
b) Drawable yield
c) Reservoir yield
d) Pool yield
Answer: c
Clarification: Reservoir yield is a measure for the volume of water that can be drawn from a given reservoir in a certain interval of time and is also expressed in terms of safe or guarantee yield, secondary yield and design yield etc.

8. Volume of water in cubic meters available between minimum pool level and normal pool level is __________
a) Useful storage
b) Dead storage
c) Surcharge storage
d) Specific storage
Answer: a
Clarification: Useful storage is defined as, volume of water in cubic meters available between minimum pool level and normal pool level.

9. What is the volume of water which is available between maximum reservoir level and normal pool level called?
a) Useful storage
b) Dead storage
c) Surcharge storage
d) Specific storage
Answer: c
Clarification: Surcharge storage is defined as, the volume of water which is available between the maximum reservoir level and normal pool level.

10. Some amount of water can be stored beyond the maximum pool level.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: No water can be stored beyond the maximum pool level and no water shall be available when the storage is below the minimum pool level.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Fault Terminology – 01”.

1. What are the fractures along which there has been relative movement of blocks called?
a) Folds
b) Joints
c) Faults
d) Intrusions
Answer: c
Clarification: The definition of faults is “Those fractures along which there has been relative movement of the blocks past each other”. The entire process of development of fractures and displacement of the blocks against each other is termed as faulting.

2. What is the key word in the definition of fault?
a) Fracture
b) Movement
c) Both fracture and movement
d) Dip
Answer: c
Clarification: The key words in the definition are fracture and movement. The exact significance of these key words must be clearly understood.

3. For a rock structure to be called fault, fracture has to happen but movement is not necessary.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: There can be no fault if there is no fracture surface or zone and also evidence of some relative movement of the blocks against each other is a must for qualifying that fracture as a fault.

4. Faulting is a _________ process.
a) Tectonic
b) Non-tectonic
c) Both tectonic and non-tectonic
d) Precipitation
Answer: a
Clarification: Faulting is a major tectonic process of great geological importance. The geological history of the Earth bears innumerable events recording in the script of folding, faulting and jointing.

5. In which direction does the displacement of blocks happen?
a) Horizontal
b) Vertical
c) Inclined
d) Any direction
Answer: d
Clarification: The displacement of blocks created in the rock due to faulting may take place in any direction: parallel to the fault surface; in an inclined manner or even rotational.

6. What is the angle that can be made by fault plane with the horizontal?
a) Acute angle only
b) Obtuse angle only
c) Right angle
d) Any angle
Answer: d
Clarification: Fault planes may be vertical, horizontal or inclined at any angle with the horizontal.

7. What is the planar surface of fracture along which relative displacement of bodies has taken place called?
a) Fault plane
b) Fold plane
c) Stress plane
d) Strain plane
Answer: a
Clarification: Fault plane is the planar surface of fracture along which relative displacement of the blocks takes place during the process of faulting. When it is not planar, the same surface is simply described as fault surface.

8. What is the angle of fault plane with the horizontal called?
a) Hade
b) Strike
c) Dip
d) Inclination
Answer: c
Clarification: The dip of the fault is its inclination with the horizontal as measured in a vertical plane at right angles to the strike of the fault.

9. Parameter(s) considered for dip is ___________
a) Direction
b) Angle
c) Direction and angle
d) Neither direction nor angle
Answer: c
Clarification: The dip is measured both in terms of the direction of dip as well as angle of dip just as in the bedding plane of strata.

10. What is hade?
a) Inclination of fault with horizontal
b) Inclination of fault with vertical
c) Inclination of fault with any strata
d) Bearing of the fault with ground
Answer: b
Clarification: The hade of the fault is the angle which the fault makes with the vertical. In other words, it is the complimentary to the dip angle.

11. What is the bearing of a line of intersection of fault plane and horizontal called?
a) Strike
b) Dip
c) Hade
d) Intersection line
Answer: b
Clarification: The strike of the fault is the bearing or geographical direction of a line obtained by the intersection of a horizontal plane with the fault plane.

Engineering Geology MCQs on “Physical Properties – 02”.

1. Colour changing phenomenon which involves oxidation is ____________
a) Tarnish
b) Iridescence
c) Allochromatic
d) Idiochromatic
Answer: a
Clarification: Tarnish nay be described as a phenomenon of change of original colours of mineral to some secondary colours at its surface due its oxidation at the surface.

2. Lustre doesn’t depend on?
a) Refractive index mineral
b) Absorption of mineral
c) Transmittance of mineral
d) Nature of reflecting surface
Answer: c
Clarification: Lustre depends on: refractive index of the mineral, absorption capacity of the mineral and nature of reflecting surface.

3. Lustre is dependent on colour.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Lustre is entirely independent of colour of the mineral. A deeply coloured mineral may be lustreless and vice-versa.

4. High density, high refractive index is characteristic of ___________
a) Non-metallic minerals
b) Metallic minerals
c) Semi-metallic minerals
d) Metalloid minerals
Answer: b
Clarification: Metallic lustres are characteristics of high density, high refractive index and opaque minerals like galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite.

5. Type of shine or lustre associated with lustre of diamond is ___________
a) Adamantine
b) Metallic
c) Pearly
d) Vitreous
Answer: a
Clarification: Adamantine is the other name for shine of diamonds. Very brilliant; the best example is diamond.

6. Streak is an important diagnostic property of ___________
a) Non-coloured minerals
b) Coloured minerals
c) Metallic minerals
d) Non-metallic minerals
Answer: b
Clarification: Streak is an important diagnostic property of many coloured minerals. Simply defined as the colour of the finely powdered mineral as obtained by scratching or rubbing the mineral over rough unglazed porcelain plate.

7. Which mineral gives streak?
a) Coloured and translucent
b) Colourless and opaque
c) Coloured and opaque
d) Coloured and transparent
Answer: c
Clarification: Colourless and transparent minerals will always give a colourless streak that has no significance. The coloured and opaque minerals, especially of ore groups, give typically characteristic streaks quite different from other similarly looking minerals.

8. The mineral which is almost black but gives brown streak is?
a) Magnetite
b) Garnet
c) Hornblende
d) Chromite
Answer: d
Clarification: Chromite and magnetite resemble closely in their other physical properties: both are almost black. These may be at once distinguished by their streaks: brown for chromite and black for magnetite.

9. Hardness of a mineral depends upon ___________
a) Chemical composition
b) Atomic constitution
c) Chemical composition and atomic constitution
d) Physical makeup
Answer: c
Clarification: Hardness may be defined as the resistance, which a mineral offers to an external deformation action such as scratching, abrasion, rubbing or indentation. Hardness of a mineral depends on its chemical composition and atomic constitution.

10. The scale of hardness is?
a) Ritcher
b) Mohs
c) Ohm
d) Mho
Answer: b
Clarification: It was in 1822 that Austrian mineralogist F.Mohs proposed a relative, broadly quantitative “scale of hardness” of minerals assigning values between 1 and 10.

11. Minerals of equal hardness do no scratch each other.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: It must be remembered that minerals of equal hardness scratch each other. The best example is that diamond cuts diamonds.

To practice MCQs on all areas of Engineering Geology,