Category: Engineering Geology Objective Questions

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Engineering Considerations of Faults”.

1. What kind of joints do the faulted rocks form?
a) Strong
b) Weak
c) Doesn’t change
d) Extended
Answer: b
Clarification: The faulted rocks will form weak foundations and abutments for dam, despite the fact that originally they might have been strong and impervious.

2. When do the faulted and shear zones become potential areas of further slip and slides?
a) Dry
b) Lubricated
c) Weathered
d) Heavy winds
Answer: b
Clarification: Once the fault zones, shear zones or fault surfaces become lubricated with water, they become potential areas for further slips and slides. They may create critical conditions.

3. Where should a site for a civil engineering project be located?
a) On faulted zone
b) On a folded strata
c) On a joint
d) Must be avoided to possible extent to be built on all three
Answer: d
Clarification: As far as possible the location of a civil engineering project must be avoided on a fault or a fold or a joint. But when there is no other choice, the same location can be treated with necessary methods and then the project can be implemented.

4. What is not considered about the shear zones?
a) Number
b) Size
c) Inclination
d) Appearance
Answer: d
Clarification: The number, size and inclination of the shear zones should be given top consideration.

5. Bhakra dam in India showed which occurrence?
a) Fault zones
b) Slickensides
c) Shear zones
d) Folds
Answer: c
Clarification: The embankment of the Bhakra dam in India showed occurrence of numerous shear zones in them; the site could not be changed because of other reasons; hence it was decided to treat the shear zones by extensive excavations of the shear zones and back filling with cement grouting.

6. What are faults associated with?
a) Volcanic activity
b) Precipitation
c) Earthquake
d) Folds
Answer: c
Clarification: Faults of any significance are always associated with earthquakes. The tectonic history of the area under consideration must be known thoroughly.

7. What is recommended to be introduced to the structures even on safe land?
a) Proper dimensioning
b) Proper planning
c) Use high quality materials
d) Factor safety
Answer: d
Clarification: Some factor of safety has to be introduced in the building even though the tectonic history indicates not movement of the surface or plate. It is always recommended to introduce factor of safety for high raised buildings or even buildings which are built on active seismic zones.

8. Studying tectonic history is basically like knowing ___________
a) Frequency of earthquake
b) Effects
c) Frequency, effects and magnitude
d) Cost for recuperation
Answer: a
Clarification: Study of tectonic history would virtually mean obtaining information about the frequency of the earthquakes as also their magnitude and effects that they have left from time to time on the rocks of the region.

9. Gouge and breccia don’t create any problems during construction.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Faulting products like gouge and breccia create additional problems; the site has to be cleared of them or taken below to the sound bedrock.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Important Metamorphic Rocks – 01”.

1. Slate is originated from which rock?
a) Sandstone
b) Granite
c) Shale
d) Basalt
Answer: c
Clarification: Slate is a product of low-grade regional metamorphism of argillaceous rocks like clays and shales.

2. Low grade schist is formed under what conditions?
a) Low temperature and local metamorphism
b) High temperature and local metamorphism
c) Low temperature and regional metamorphism
d) Low temperature and regional metamorphism
Answer: c
Clarification: Low grade schists are formed under conditions of regional metamorphism at low temperature. These are rich in minerals like albite, muscovite and chlorite that are unstable at high temperature.

3. What is the grain size of slate rock?
a) Fine
b) Medium
c) Coarse
d) Very coarse
Answer: a
Clarification: Slate is an extremely fine-grained metamorphic rock characterized by a slaty cleavage by virtue of which it can be readily split into thin sheets having parallel smooth surfaces.

4. High grade schist is formed under what conditions?
a) Local metamorphism
b) Regional metamorphism
c) Displacement metamorphism
d) Chain metamorphism
Answer: b
Clarification: High grade schists are formed under conditions of regional metamorphism and atoms rich in minerals that are stable at high temperatures such as garnet.

5. Examples of high grade schist is ___________
a) Talc- schist
b) Garnet-schist
c) Chlorite-schist
d) Mica-schist
Answer: b
Clarification: Garnet-schists, cordierite-schists and staurolite-schists are common examples of some high grade schists.

6. Special property of talc schist is __________
a) Colour
b) Its structure
c) Soapy feel
d) Good odour
Answer: c
Clarification: Talc schist is a low grade schist and its special property is that it gives a soapy feel when touched with bare hands.

7. Gneiss formed from sedimentary rock is called __________
a) Orthogneiss
b) Paragneiss
c) Banded gneiss
d) Augen gneiss
Answer: b
Clarification: Paragneiss are formed from the metamorphism of sedimentary rocks like sandstone. Orthogneiss formed as a result of metamorphism of granites and other igneous rocks.

8. The similar type of rock to quartzite which is sedimentary is __________
a) Compound quartzite
b) Orthoquartzite
c) Holo-quartzite
d) Accu-quartzite
Answer: b
Clarification: The name orthoquartzite is used for a sedimentary rock of similar composition but having different origin, in which quartz grains are cemented together by siliceous cement.

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Causes of Mass Movements –
01”.

1. The factors that cause the failure are generally grouped into how many?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
Answer: b
Clarification: All the factors that facilitate mass failure in one way or another are generally grouped in two headings: Internal factors and External factors.

2. The causes which tend to reduce the shearing strength of the soil are __________
a) Internal factors
b) External factors
c) Extensive factors
d) Weather factors
Answer: a
Clarification: Internal factors include such cases, which tend to reduce the shearing strength of the soil or rock mass by virtue of which it had remained stable at a given position on the ground.

3. Nature of slope includes __________
a) Type of material and angle of mass
b) Mass of material and type of material
c) Type of material and shape of mass
d) Mass of material and angle of mass
Answer: a
Clarification: The nature of slope includes two important characters of the slope. By nature of slope is meant here the type of material of which the land mass is made up and the angle at which this particular mass is inclined with the horizontal.

4. The force which helps to retain the position of mass in space is __________
a) Compressive resistance
b) Tensile resistance
c) Shearing resistance
d) Bending resistance
Answer: c
Clarification: The most important force among the forces by virtue of which it can retain its position in space is undoubtedly the shearing resistance of the mass.

5. The force which tends to induce failure is __________
a) Shearing resistance
b) Force due to gravity
c) Force due to compression
d) Force due to loading
Answer: b
Clarification: Among the forces that tend to induce failure in a mass, the most important is the pull due to gravity which acts through the weight of the material.

6. When the forces tending to induce failure dominate over those tending to resist failure, the mass becomes stable.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: As, when and where the forces tending to induce failure dominate over those tending to resist failure, the mass becomes unstable.

7. The angle of slope up to which the materials are stable in a slope is called __________
a) Shear angle
b) Angle of failure
c) Critical angle
d) Sub-angle
Answer: c
Clarification: It has been observed that most materials are stable up to a certain angle of slope. This is called the critical angle of slope or also called as angle of repose and varies from 35° for unconsolidated sediments to 90° for perfectly crystalline unjointed rocks.

8. In the recent times what other aspect of the slope is considered for its stability?
a) The type of rocks in the slope
b) The type of land mass below the slope
c) Height of the slope
d) Length of the slope
Answer: c
Clarification: In fact much importance has been attached in recent times to the height of the slope in addition to the angle of slope for determining the factor of safety.

9. Solvent action can been seen in rocks which are made of _______ minerals.
a) Active
b) Inactive
c) Soluble
d) Insoluble
Answer: c
Clarification: The solvent action of water should also not be underestimated. In rocks like gypsum and limestone, or in those rocks which have soluble minerals as their constituents, water may gradually remove the soluble components reducing the shearing strength of the mass.

Tough Engineering Geology Questions and Answers on “Works of Streams and Rivers – 02”.

1. The variously shaped depressions of different dimensions that are developed in the riverbed are called __________
a) Potholes
b) Cavities
c) Dents
d) Craters
Answer: a
Clarification: Potholes are variously shaped depressions of different dimensions that are developed in the riverbed by excessive localized erosion by the streams.

2. Every major river is associated with a valley of its own.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: A valley may be defined as a low land surrounded on sides by inclined hill slopes and mountains. Every major river is associated with a valley of its own.

3. Magnificent jumps made by a stream or river water at certain specific parts of their course where there is a sudden and considerable drop in the gradient of the channel are called __________
a) Streams
b) Hydraulic jumps
c) Waterfalls
d) Knick-jumps
Answer: c
Clarification: Waterfalls are magnificent jumps made by a stream or river water at certain specific parts of their course where there is a sudden and considerable drop in the gradient of the channel.

4. The most common type of flood plains are __________
a) Flat flood plains
b) Simple flood plains
c) Compound flood plains
d) Complex flood plains
Answer: d
Clarification: Convex flood plains are the most common type and are associated with many major rivers of the world.

5. Alluvial deposits of roughly triangular shape that are deposited by major rivers at their mouths are called __________
a) Deltas
b) Backwaters
c) Lakes
d) Streams
Answer: a
Clarification: Deltas are defined as alluvial deposits of roughly triangular shape that are deposited by major rivers at their mouths, i.e., where they enter a sea.

6. A typical delta is made of how many layers?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 5
d) 4
Answer: b
Clarification: A typical simple delta is commonly made of three layers of which only the top layer may be sub aerial, that is exposed on the surface.

7. The fore-set beds are intermediate layers.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: The fore-sets are the intermediate layers and often show very steep inclination. The fore-set beds are made up of thick layers of sand and clay.

8. The condition not favouring the formation of delta is __________
a) Absence of strong sea currents
b) Presence of good quality of load
c) Slope of seashore where the stream enters must be gentle
d) Presence of strong sea currents
Answer: d
Clarification: Three conditions necessary for the formation and growth of a delta are: absence of any strong sea currents; presence of good quality of load in the stream and the slope of seashore where the stream enters the seawater must necessarily be quite gentle and wide.

9. Places of steep drops in elevation in the course of a river are called __________
a) Depressions
b) Cavities
c) Knickpoints
d) Nickopoints
Answer: c
Clarification: Kickpoints are actually places of steep drops in elevation in the course of a river. These are very often caused due to presence of rocks of unequal hardness at those places.

To practice Tough questions and answers on all areas of Engineering Geology,

Engineering Geology Multiple Choice Questions on “Classification of Folds – 01”.

1. The type of fold in which the limbs dip away from each other at the crest is ______________
a) Anticline
b) Syncline
c) Countercline
d) Doesn’t exist
Answer: a
Clarification: Anticlines are defined as those folds in which the limbs dip away from each other at the crest in the simplest forms.

2. The fold which is convex downwards is ___________
a) Anticline
b) Syncline
c) U-cline
d) Crestcline
Answer: b
Clarification: Synclines are the reverse of anticlines in all details and the strata are downarched, that is, these become convex downwards.

3. Which of the following is not true about Anticline?
a) The strata are uparched
b) Geologically older rocks occupy a position in the interior of the fold
c) The limbs dip away from each other at the crest
d) They are convex downwards
Answer: d
Clarification: Anticlines are said to convex upwards and not downwards. Synclines are convex downwards.

4. What is the other name for upright fold?
a) Symmetrical fold
b) Asymmetrical fold
c) Overturned fold
d) Isoclinal fold
Answer: a
Clarification: Symmetrical folds are also called normal folds or upright folds. In such a fold, the axial plane is essentially vertical.

5. Fold in which the limbs lie exactly one over another?
a) Isoclinal
b) Symmetrical
c) Recumbent
d) Asymmetrical
Answer: c
Clarification: In recumbent folds, one limb comes to lie exactly under the other limb so that a drill hole dug at the surface in the upper limb passes through the lower limb also.

6. Which of the following is also an overturned fold?
a) Isoclinal fold
b) Symmetrical fold
c) Asymmetrical fold
d) Recumbent fold
Answer: d
Clarification: Recumbent folds are described as extreme types of overturned folds in which the axial plane acquires an almost horizontal attitude.

7. Fold with flattened top is ___________
a) Square fold
b) Plateau fold
c) Box fold
d) Conjugate fold
Answer: c
Clarification: Box fold may be described as a special type of fold with exceptionally flattened top and steep inclined limbs almost forming three sides of a rectangle.

8. The type of fold in which fold angle is between 10° to 90°?
a) Tight fold
b) Loose fold
c) Gentle fold
d) Acute fold
Answer: a
Clarification: When it comes to fold angle as the basis of classification, the fold with a fold angle between 10° and 90° is called tight fold.

9. Which of the following is not a type of fold based on behaviour with depth?
a) Concentric fold
b) Similar fold
c) Supratenuous fold
d) Asymmetrical fold
Answer: d
Clarification: The first three options are the types based on behaviour with depth where asymmetric fold is based on position of axial plane.

10. Isogans converge inwards in class 1 folds.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: In class 1 folds, isogans converge inwards whereas in class 3, these converge upwards.

11. Where can folds be observed in the southern part of India?
a) Vindhyan region only
b) Satpura region only
c) Vindhyan and Satpura ranges
d) Cannot be observed in southern India
Answer: c
Clarification: Among the peninsular mountains, only the Vindhyan and the Satpuran ranges show folding in a prominent manner.

12. Where is the Liddar Valley Anticline situated?
a) Kashmir Himalayas
b) Uttarakhand Himalayas
c) Sikkim Himalayas
d) Himachal Pradesh Himalayas
Answer: a
Clarification: The Liddar Valley Anticline in Kashmir Himalayas is often represented as a classic example in that almost complete sequence of Palaeozoic Era is fully developed in this anticline.