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Q. 1 In its natural condition a soil sample has a mass of 1.980 kg and a volume of
0.001 m3 . After being completely dried in an oven; the mass of the sample is
1.800 kg . Specific gravity is 2.7. Unit weight of water is 10 kN/m3 . The degree of
saturation of soil is
(A) 0.65
(B) 0.7
(C) 0.54
. i n
(D) 0.61
c o
Q. 2
a .
Following statement are made on compacted soil, where DS stands for soil
i
compaction on Dry side of OMC and WS stands for soil compacted on Wet Side
d
of OMC. Identify incorrect statement
o
(A) Soil structure is flocculated on DS and dispersed on WS.
.n
(B) Construction of pore water pressure is low on DS and High on WS
w
(C) Soil on drying, shrinkage is high on DS and Low on WS
(D) On addition to water, swelling is high on DS and low on WS.
w
Q. 3
w
The ratio N f /N d is known as shape-factor where N f is the number of flow channels
©
and N d is the equipotential drop. The flownet always drawn with a constant
b/a ratio where b and a are distance between two consecutive flow lines and
equipotential lines respectively. Assuming that b/a ratio remains same, the shape
factor of a flow net will change if the
(A) upstream and downstream heads are interchanged.
(B) soil in the flow space is changed
(C) dimension of the flow space are changed
(D) head difference causing the flow is changed
Q. 5 The soil profile below a lake with water level at elevation = 0 m and lake bottom at
elevation =- 10 m is shown in the figure, where k is the permeability coefficient.
A piezometer (stand pipe) installed in the sand layer shows a reading of + 10 m
elevation. Assume that the piezometric head is uniform in the sand layer. The
quantity of water (in m3 /s ) flowing into the lake from the sand layer through the
silt layer per unit area of the lake bed is
. in
. co
a
(A) 1.5 # 10-6 (B) 2.0 # 10-6
(C) 1.0 # 10-6
i
(D) 0.5 # 10-6
d
o
Q. 6 Laplace equation for water flow in soil is given by
. n
22H + 22H + 22H = 0
2x2 2y2 2z2
w
Head H does not vary in y and z -direction. Boundary condition x = 0 , H = 5 m
w
, dH =- 1. What is the value of H at x = 1.2 ?
dx
Q. 7
w
Two soil profile are used as backfill behind a retaining wall as shown in the figure,
©
where g t is total unit weight and c' & f' are effective shear parameters. Find the
resultant active earth pressure in kN/m
Q. 8 The soil profile above the rock surface at 25º infinite slope is shown in figure
where Su is undrain shear stress and g t is total unit weight. The slip will occur
at a depth of
. i n
c o
a .
d i
o
.n
(A) 610 (B) 320
(C) 980 (D) 693
Q. 10
w
The immediate settlement of foundation is
w
(A) 58 mm (B) 111 mm
w
(C) 178 mm (D) 126 mm
Q. 11
YEAR 2012
© ONE MARK
The effective stress friction angle of a saturated, cohesionless soil is 38c. The ratio
of shear stress to normal effective stress on the failure plane is
(A) 0.781 (B) 0.616
(C) 0.488 (D) 0.438
Q. 13 As per the Indian Standard soil classification system, a sample of silty clay with
liquid limit of 40% and plasticity index of 28% is classified as
(A) CH (B) CI
(C) CL (D) CL-ML
Q. 14 A smooth rigid retaining wall moves as shown in the sketch causing the backfill
material to fail. The backfill material is homogenous and isotropic and obeys the
Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. The major principle stress is
. in
. co
i a
(B) normal to the wall face
o d
(A) parallel to the wall face and acting downwards
. n
(C) oblique to the wall force acting downwards
w
(D) oblique to the wall face acting upwards
w
Q. 15 An embankment is to be constructed with a granular soil (bulk unit weight
w
= 20 kN/m2 ) on a saturated clayey slit deposit (undrained shear strength = 25
kPa). Assuming undrained general shear failure and bearing capacity factor of
©
5.7. The maximum height (in m) of the embankment at the point of failure is
(A) 7.1 (B) 5.0
(C) 4.5 (D) 2.5
Q. 16 Two soil specimens with identical geometric dimensions were subjects to falling
head permeability tests in the laboratory under identical conditions. The fall of
water head was measured after an identical time interval. The ratio of initial
to final water heads for the test involving the first specimen was 1.25. If the
coefficient of permeability of the second specimen in 5 times that of the first, the
ratio of initial to final water heads in the test involving the second specimen is
(A) 3.05 (B) 3.80
(C) 4.00 (D) 6.25
Q. 18 Steady state seepage is taking place through a soil element at Q , 2 m below the
ground surface immediately downstream of the toe of an earthen dam as shown
in the sketch. The water level in a piezometer installed at P , 500 mm above Q ,
is at the ground surface. The water level in a piezometer installed at R, 500 mm
below Q , is 100 mm above the ground surface. The bulk saturated unit weight
of the soil is 18 kN/m3 and the unit weight of water is 9.81 kN/m3 . The vertical
effective stress (in kPa) at Q is
. i n
c o
(A) 14.42
a .
(B) 15.89
(C) 16.38
d i (D) 18.34
o
.n
Common Data For Q. 19 and 20 :
The flow net around a sheet pile wall is shown in the sketch. The properties of
w
the soil are permeability coefficient = 0.09 m/day (isotropic), specific gravity
w
= 2.70 and void ratio = 0.85 . The sheet pile wall and the bottom of the soil are
impermeable.
w
©
Q. 19 The seepage loss (in m3 per day per unit length of the wall) of water is
(A) 0.33 (B) 0.38
(C) 0.43 (D) 0.54
Q. 21 For a saturated sand deposit, the void ratio and the specific gravity of solids
are 0.70 and 2.67, respectively. The critical (upward) hydraulic gradient for the
deposit would be
(A) 0.54 (B) 0.98
(C) 1.02 (D) 1.87
Q. 22 Likelihood of general shear failure for an isolated footing in sand decreases with
(A) decreasing footing depth
(B) decreasing inter-granular packing of the sand
in
(C) increasing footing width
.
(D) decreasing solid grain compressibility
co
Q. 23 For a sample of dry, cohesionless soil with firction angle, f, the failure plane will
.
be inclined to the major principal plane by an angle equal to
a
(A) f (B) 45c
(C) 45c - f/2
i
(D) 45c + f/2
d
o
Q. 24 Two geometrically identical isolated footings, X (linear elastic) and Y (rigid), are
n
loaded identically (shown alongside). The soil reactions will
.
w
w
w
©
. i n
c o
a .
d i
o
.n
(A) 132 kN
w (B) 156 kN
w
(C) 287 kN (D) 301 kN
w
Q. 27 Identical surcharges are placed at ground surface at sites X and Y , with soil
conditions shown alongside and water table at ground surface. The silty clay
©
layers at X and Y are identical. The thin sand layer at Y is continuous and free-
draining with a very large discharge capacity. If primary consolidation at X is
estimated to complete in 36 months, what would be the corresponding time for
completion of primary consolidation at Y ?
Q. 28 A field vane shear testing instrument (shown alongside) was inserted completely
into a deposit of soft, saturated silty clay with the vane rod vertical such that the
top of the blades were 500 mm below the ground surface. Upon application of a
rapidly increasing torque about the vane rod, the soil was found to fail when the
torque reached 4.6 N-m. Assuming mobilization of undrained shear strength on
all failure surfaces to be uniform and the resistance mobilized on the surface of
the vane rod to be negligible, what would be the peak undrained shear strength
(rounded off to the nearest integer value of kPa) of the soil ?
. in
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i a
d
no
(A) 5 kPa (B) 10 kPa
(C) 15 kPa
. (D) 20 kPa
w
Common Data For Q. 29 and 30 :
w
w
A sand layer found at sea floor under 20 m water depth is characterised with
relative density = 40% , maximum void ratio = 1.0 , minimum void ratio = 0.5 ,
©
and specific gravity of soil solids = 2.67 . Assume the specific gravity of sea water
to be 1.03 and the unit weight of fresh water to be 9.81 kN/m3 .
Q. 29 What would be the effective stress (rounded off to the nearest integer value of
kPa) at 30 m depth into the sand layer ?
(A) 77 kPa (B) 273 kPa
(C) 268 kPa (D) 281 kPa
Q. 30 What would be the change in the effective stress (rounded off to the nearest
integer value of kPa) at 30 m depth into the sand layer if the sea water level
permanently rises by 2 m ?
(A) 19 kPa (B) 0 kPa
(C) 21 kPa (D) 22 kPa
Q. 32 A fine grained soil has liquid limit of 60 and plastic limit of 20. As per the
plasticity chart, according to IS classification, the soil is represented by the letter
symbols
(A) CL
(B) CI
(C) CH
(D) CL-ML
i n
(D) the upward seepage pressure in soil becomes equal to the submerged unit
weight of the soil
.
c o
.
Q. 34 The e -log p curve shown in the figure is representative of
i a
o d
.n
w
w
w
(A) Normally consolidated clay
©
(B) Over consolidated clay
(C) Under consolidated clay
(D) Normally consolidated clayey sand
Q. 35 If sh , sv , shl and svl represent the total horizontal stress, total vertical stress,
effective horizontal stress and effective vertical stress on a soil element, respectively,
the coefficient of earth pressure at test is given by
(A) sh
sv
(B) shl
svl
(C) sv
sh
(D) svl
shl
Q. 36 The vertical stress at point P1 due to the point load Q on the ground surface as
shown in figure is sz . According to Boussinesq’s equation, the vertical stress at
point P2 shown in figure will be
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
(A) sz /2 (B) sz
(C) 2sz (D 4sz
. in
co
Q. 37 An open ended steel barrel of 1 m height and 1 m diameter is filled with saturated
fine sand having coefficient of permeability of 10-2 m/s . The barrel stands on a
.
saturated bed of gravel. The time required for the water level in the barrel to
a
i
drop by 0.75 m is
d
(A) 58.9 s (B) 75 s
o
(C) 100 s (D) 150 s
Q. 38
. n
The ultimate load capacity of a 10 m long concrete pile of square cross section 500
w
mm # 500 mm driven into a homogeneous clay layer having undrained cohesion
value of 40 kPa is 700 kN. If the cross section of the pile is reduced to 250 mm #
w
250 mm and the legth of the pile is increased to 20 m, the ultimate load capacity
w
will be
(A) 350 kN (B) 632.5 kN
©
(C) 722.5 kN (D) 1400 kN
n
correction
. i
(D) coarse sand under dry condition and N value of SPT < 10 after the
o
overburden correction
Q. 44
. c
A precast concrete pile is driven with a 50 kN hammer railing through a height of
a
1.0 m with an efficiency of 0.6. The set value observed is 4 mm per below and the
d i
combined temporary compression of the pile, cushion and the ground is 6 mm. As
per Modified Hiley Formula, the ultimate resistance of the pile is
(A) 3000 kN
o (B) 4285.7 kN
.n
(C) 8333 kN (D) 11905 kN
Q. 45
w
The relationship among specific yield (Sy), specific retention (Sr ) and porosity (h)
w
of an aquifer is
(A) Sy = Sr + h (B) Sy = Sr - h
(C) Sy = h - Sr
w (D) Sy = Sr + 2h
Q. 47 A plate load test is carried out on a 300 mm # 300 mm plate placed at 2 m below
the ground level to determine the bearing capacity of a 2 m # 2 m footing placed
at same depth of 2 m on a homogeneous sand deposit extending 10 m below
ground. The ground water table is 3 m below the ground level. Which of the
following factors does not require a correction to the bearing capacity determined
based on the load test ?
(A) Absence of the overburden pressure during the test
(B) Size of the plate is much smaller than the footing size
(C) Influence of the ground water table
(D) Settlement is recorded only over a limited period of one or two days
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
. in
. co
i a
d
Q. 48 The maximum pressure that can be applied with a factor of safety of 3 through
o
the concrete block, ensuring no bearing capacity failure in soil using Terzaghi’s
n
bearing capacity equation without considering the shape factor, depth factor and
inclination factor is
.
w
(A) 26.67 kPa
w
(B) 60 kPa
(C) 90 kPa
(D) 120 kPa
w
Q. 49 ©
The maximum resistance offered by the soil through skin friction while pulling
out the pile from the ground is
(A) 104.9 kN
(B) 209.8 kN
(C) 236 kN
(D) 472 kN
Q. 51 Using the properties of the clay layer derived from the above question, the
consolidation settlement of the same clay layer under a square footing (neglecting
its self weight) with additional data shown in the figure below (assume the stress
distribution as 1 H : 2 V from the edge of the footing and gw = 10 kN/m3 ) is
. i n
(A) 32.78 mm
c o
(B) 61.75 mm
(C) 79.5 mm
.
(D) 131.13 mm
a
YEAR 2008
d i ONE MARK
o
.n
Q. 52 Group symbols assigned to silty sand and clayey sand are respectively
(A) SS and CS (B) SM and CS
w
(C) SM and SC (D) MS and CS
w
When a retaining wall moves away from the backfill, the pressure exerted on the
Q. 53
w
wall is termed as
(A) passive earth pressure (B) swelling pressure
©
(C) pore pressure (D) active earth pressure
Q. 55 The liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL) and shrinkage limit (SL) of a cohesive
soil satisfy the relation
(A) LL > PL < SL (B) LL > PL > SL
(C) LL < PL < SL (D) LL < PL > SL
Q. 57 A direct shear test was conducted on a cohesion less soil (C = 0) specimen under
a normal stress of 200 kN/m2 . The specimen failed at a shear stress of 100 kN/m2
. The angle of internal friction of the soil (degree) is
(A) 26.6 (B) 29.5
(C) 30.0 (D) 32.6
in
(C) 283 (D) 106
.
A saturated clay stratum draining both at the top and bottom undergoes 50 per
co
Q. 59
.
layer were present at the middle of the clay stratum, 50 per cent consolidation
a
would occur in
(A) 2 years
(C) 8 years
d i
(B) 4 years
(D) 16 years
n o
.
Q. 60 A test plate 30 m # 30 m cm resting on a sand deposit settles by 10 mm under
a certain intensity. A footing 150 cm # 200 cm resting on the same sand deposit
w
and loaded to the same load intensity settles by
w
(A) 2.0 mm (B) 27.8 mm
(C) 30.2 mm (D) 50.0 mm
Q. 61
w
A volume of 3.0 # 106 m3 of groundwater was pumped form an unconfined aquifer
©
uniformly from an area of 5 km2 . The pumping lowered the water table form
initial level of 102 m to 99 m. The specific yield of the aquifer is
(A) 0.20 (B) 0.30
(C) 0.40 (D) 0.50
Q. 63 The total stress, pore water pressure and effective stress (kN/m2) at the point P
are, respectively
(A) 75, 50 and 25 (B) 90, 50 and 40
(C) 105, 50 and 55 (D) 120, 50 and 70
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Q. 64 The net ultimate bearing capacity (kN/m2) of the footing based on Terzaghi’s
bearing capacity equation is
(A) 216 (B) 432
. i n
(C) 630 (D) 846
c o
Q. 65
a .
The safe load (kN) that the footing can carry with a factor of safety 3 is
i
(A) 282 (B) 648
d
(C) 945 (D) 1269
o
.n
YEAR 2007 ONE MARK
Q. 66
w
A clay soil sample is tested in a triaxial apparatus in consolidated-drained
w
conditions at a cell pressure of 100 kN/m2 . What will be the pore water pressure
at a deviator stress of 40 kN/m2 ?
(A) 0
w (B) 20 kN/m2
©
(C) 40 kN/m2 (D) 60 kN/m2
Q. 67 The number of blows observed in a Standard Penetration Test (SPT) for different
penetration depths are given as follows :
Penetration of sampler Number of blows
0 - 150 mm 6
150 - 300 mm 8
300 - 450 mm 10
Q. 69 Sieve analysis on a dry soil sample of mass 1000 g showed that 980 g and 270 g of
soil pass through 4.75 mm and 0.075 mm sieve, respectively. The liquid limit and
plastic limits of the soil fraction passing through 425 m sieves are 40% and 18%,
respectively. The soil may be classified as
(A) SC (B) MI
(C) CI (D) SM
Q. 70 The water content of a saturated soil and the specific gravity of soil solids were
found to be 30% and 2.70, respectively. Assuming the unit weight of water to be
10 kN/m3 , the saturated unit weight kN/m3 and the void ratio of the soil are
in
(A) 19.4, 0.81 (B) 18.5, 0.30
.
(C) 19.4, 0.45 (D) 18.5, 0.45
co
Q. 71 The factor of safety of an infinite soil slope shown in the figure having the
.
properties C = 0 , f = 35c, gdry = 16 kN/m3 and gsat = 20 kN/m3 is approximately
i a
equal to
o d
. n
w
w
w
©
(A) 0.70 (B) 0.80
(C) 1.00 (D) 1.20
Q. 72 Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given
below the lists :
List I List II
a. Constant head permeability test 1. Pile foundation
b. Consolidation test 2. Specific gravity
c. Pycnometer test 3. Clay soil
d. Negative skin friction 4. Sand
Codes :
a b c d
(A) 4 3 2 1
(B) 4 2 3 1
(C) 3 4 2 1
(D) 4 1 2 3
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 74 What is the ultimate capacity in kN of the pile group shown in the figure assuming
the group to fail as a single block ?
. i n
c o
a .
d i
o
.n
w
(A) 921.6 (B) 1177.6
(C) 2438.6 (D) 2481.6
w
w
Common Data For Q. 75 and 76 :
©
Water is flowing through the permeability apparatus shown in the figure. The
coefficient of permeability of the soil is 'k' m/s and the porosity of the soil sample
is 0.50.
Q. 75 The total head, elevation head and pressure head in metres of water at the point
R shown in the figure are
(A) 0.8, 0.4, 0.4 (B) 1.2, 0.4, 0.8
(C) 0.4, 0, 0.4 (D) 1.6, 0.4, 1.2
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 76 What are the discharge velocity and seepage velocity through the soil sample ?
(A) k, 2k (B) 2 k, 4 k
3 3
(C) 2k, k (D) 4 k, 2 k
3 3
in
a few years. Assume the following data :
.
I unit weight of water = 10 kN/m3
co
II unit weight of sand above water table = 18 kN/m3
III unit weight of sand and clay below the water table = 20 kN/m3
.
IV coefficient of volume compressibility = 0.25 m2 MN
a
d i
n o
.
w
w
w
©
Q. 77 What is the change in the effective stress in kN/m2 at mid-depth of the clay layer
due to the lowering of the water table ?
(A) 0 (B) 20
(C) 80 (D) 100
Q. 78 What is the compression of the clay layer in mm due to the lowering of the water
table ?
(A) 125 (B) 100
(C) 25 (D) 0
Q. 80 For steady flow to a fully penetrating well in a confined aquifer, the draw downs
at radial distances of r1 and r2 from the well have been measured as s1 and s2
respectively, for a pumping rate of Q . The transmissivity of the aquifer is equal to
r2
Q f ln r1 p Q ln (r2 - r1)
(A) (B)
2p s1 - s2 2p (s1 - s2)
Q r /r
(D) 2pQ r2 - r1
2p =s2 /s1G
(C) ln 2 1
ln a s2 k
s1
Q. 81 The range of void ratio between which quick sand condition occurs in cohesion-
less granular soil deposits is
(A) 0.4 - 0.5 (B) 0.6 - 0.7
n
(C) 0.8 - 0.9 (D) 1.0 - 1.1
Q. 82
. i
To provide safety against piping failure, with a factor of safety of 5, what should
o
be the maximum permissible exit gradient for soil with specific gravity of 2.5 and
. c
porosity of 0.35 ?
a
(A) 0.155 (B) 0.167
(C) 0.195
d i (D) 0.213
o
Q. 83 Figure given below shows a smooth vertical gravity retaining wall with cohesionless
.n
soil backfill having an angle of internal friction f. In the graphical representation
of Rankine’s active earth pressure for the retaining wall shown in figure, length
w
OP represents
w
w
©
Q. 85 List I below gives the possible types of failure for a finite soil slope and List II
gives the reasons for these different types of failure. Match the items in List I
with the items in List II and select the correct answer from the codes given below
the lists :
List I List II
a. Base failure 1. Soils above and below the toe have same strength
b. Face failure 2. Soil above and toe is comparatively weaker
c. Toe failure 3. Soil above the toe is comparatively stronger
Codes :
in
a b c
.
(A) 1 2 3
co
(B) 2 3 1
.
(C) 2 1 3
(D) 3 2 1
Q. 86
i a
For the soil profile shown in Figure below, the minimum number of precast
o d
concrete piles of 300 mm diameter required of safely carry the load for a given
factor of safety of 2.5 (assuming 100% efficiency for the pile group) is equal to
. n
w
w
w
©
(A) 10 (B) 15
(C) 20 (D) 25
Q. 87 In a standard proctor test, 1.8 kg of moist soil was filling the mould (volume
= 94.4 cc) after compaction. A soil sample weighing 23 g was taken from the
mould and ovendried for 24 hours at a temperature of 110cC . Weight of the
dry sample was found to be 20 g. Specific gravity of soil solids is G = 2.7 . The
theoretical maximum value of the dry unit weight of the soil at the water content
is equal to
(A) 4.67 kN/m3 (B) 11.5 kN/m3
(C) 16.26 kN/m3 (D) 18.85 kN/m3
Q. 89 The total consolidation settlement of the clay layer due to the construction of a
structure imposing an additional stress intensity of 200 kPa is
(A) 0.10 m (B) 0.25 m
(C) 0.35 m (D) 0.50 m
n
IS 600 m sieve, 250 g was retained on IS 500 m sieve and the remaining 50 g was
retained on IS 425 m sieve.
. i
The coefficient of uniformly of the soil is
o
Q. 90
. c
(A) 0.9 (B) 1.0
a
(C) 1.1 (D) 1.2
.n
(C) GP (D) GW
YEAR 2005
w ONE MARK
Q. 92
w
Root time method is used to determine
w
(A) T , time factor
©
(B) Cv , coefficient of consolidation
(C) av , coefficient of compressibility
(D) mv , coefficient of volume compressibility
Q. 93 Negative skin friction in a soil is considered when the pile is constructed through
a
(A) fill material
(B) dense coarse sand
(C) over consolidated stiff clay
(D) dense fine sand
Q. 94 There are two footings resting on the grounds surface. One footing is square of
dimension 'B' . The other is strip footing of width 'B' . Both of them are subjected
to a loading intensity of q . The pressure intensity at any depth below the base of
the footing along the centre line would be
(A) equal in both footings
(B) large for square footing and small for strip footing
(C) large for strip footing and small for square footing
(D) more for strip footing at shallow depth (# B) and more for square footing
at large depth (> B)
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 95 A clayey soil has a maximum dry density of 16 kN/m3 and optimum moisture
content of 12%. A contractor during the construction of core of an earth dam
obtained the dry density 15.2 kN/m3 and water content 11%. This construction
is acceptable because
(A) the density is less than the maximum dry density and water content is on
dry side of optimum
(B) the compaction density is very low and water content is less than 12%
(C) the compaction is done on the dry side of the optimum
(D) both the dry density and water content of the compacted soil are within the
desirable limits
YEAR 2005
. in TWO MARKS
co
2
Q. 96 In a constant head parameter with cross section area of 10 cm , when the flow
.
was taking place under a hydraulic gradient of 0.5, the amount of water collected
a
in 60 seconds is 600 cc. The permeability of the soil is
(A) 0.002 cm/s
(C) 0.2 cm/s
d i
(B) 0.02 cm/s
(D) 2.0 cm/s
n o
Two observation wells penetrated into a confined aquifer and located 1.5 km
.
Q. 97
apart in the direction of flow, indicate head of 45 m and 20 m. If the coefficient
w
of permeability of the aquifer is 30 m/day and porosity is 0.25, the time of travel
w
of an inert tracer from one well to another is
(A) 416.7 days (B) 500 days
(C) 750 days
w (D) 3000 days
©
Assuming that a river bed level does not change and the depth of water in river
Q. 98
was 10 m, 15 m and 8 m during the months of February, July and December
respectively of a particular year. The average bulk density of the soil is 20 kN/m3
. The density of water is 10 kN/m3 . The effective stress at a depth of 10 m below
the river bed during these months would be
(A) 300 kN/m2 in February, 350 kN/m2 July and 320 kN/m2 in December
(B) 100 kN/m2 in February, 100 kN/m2 July and 100 kN/m2 in December
(C) 200 kN/m2 in February, 250 kN/m2 July and 180 kN/m2 in December
(D) 300 kN/m2 in February, 250 kN/m2 July and 280 kN/m2 in December
Q. 101 For two infinite slopes (one in dry condition and other in submerged condition)
in a sand deposit having the angle of shearing resistance 30c, factor of safety was
determined as 1.5 (for both slopes). The slope angles would have been
(A) 21.05c for dry slope and 21.05c for submerged slope
(B) 19.47c for dry slope and 18.40c for submerged slope
(C) 18.4c for dry slope and 21.05c for submerged slope
(D) 22.6c for dry slope and 19.47c for submerged slope
Q. 102 A strip footing (8 m wide) is designed for a total settlement of 40 mm. The safe
bearing capacity (shear) was 150 kN/m2 and safe allowable soil pressure was 100
kN/m2 . Due to important of the structure, now the footing is to be redesigned for
total settlement of 25 mm. The new width of the footing will be
(A) 5 m (B) 8 m
i n
(C) 12 m (D) 12.8 m
Q. 103
o.
During the subsurface investigations for design of foundations, a standard
c
penetration test was conducted at 4.5 m below the ground surface. The record of
.
number of blow is given below :
a
Penetration depth (cm) Number of blows
0 - 7.5
7.5 - 15
d i 3
3
15 - 22.5
o 6
.n
22.5 - 30 6
30 - 37.5 8
37.5 - 45
w 7
w
w
Assuming the water table at ground level, soil as fine sand and correction factor
©
for overburden as 1.0, the corrected 'N' value for the soil would be
(A) 18
(B) 19
(C) 21
(D) 33
Q. 104 A soil mass contains 40% gravel, 50 % sand and 10% silt. This soil can be
classified as
(A) silty sandy gravel having coefficient of uniformly less than 60.
(B) silty gravelly sand having coefficient of uniformly equal to 10.
(C) gravelly silty sand having coefficient of uniformly greater than 60.
(D) gravelly silty sand and its coefficient of uniformity cannot be determined.
Q. 105 A saturated soil mass has a total density 22 kN/m3 and a water content of 10%.
The bulk density and dry density of this soil are
(A) 12 kN/m3 and 20 kN/m3 respectively
(B) 22 kN/m3 and 20 kN/m3 respectively
(C) 19.8 kN/m3 and 19.8 kN/m3 respectively
(D) 23.2 kN/m3 and 19.8 kN/m3 respectively
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 106 A 10 m thick clay layer is underlain by a sand layer of 20 m depth (see figure
below). The water table is 5 m below the surface of clay layer. The soil above the
water table is capillary saturated. The value of gsat is 19 kN/m3 . The unit weight
of water is gw . If now the water table rises to the surface, the effective stress at
at point P on the interface will
. in
(A) increase by 5gw
. co
i a
(B) remain unchanged
d
(C) decrease by 5gw
o
(D) decrease by 10gw
Q. 107
. n
A unit volume of a mass of saturated soil is subjected to horizontal seepage.
w
The saturated unit weight is 22 kN/m3 and the hydraulic gradient is 0.3. The
resultant body force on the soil mass is
w
(A) 1.98 kN (B) 6.6 kN
w
(C) 11.49 kN (D) 22.97 kN
©
Q. 108 In an undrained triaxial test on a saturated clay, the Poisson’s ratio is
(A) s3 (B) s3
s1 + s3 s1 - s3
s
(C) 1 - s3
(D) s1 + s3
s3 s3
Q. 109 The undrained cohesion of a remoulded clay soil is 10 kN/m2 . If the sensitivity of
the clay is 20, the corresponding remoulded compressive strength is
(A) 5 kN/m2 (B) 10 kN/m2
(C) 20 kN/m2 (D) 200 kN/m2
Q. 110 Two circular footings of diameters D1 and D2 are resting on the surface of the
same purely cohesive soil. The ratio of their gross ultimate bearing capacities is
(A) D1 (B) 1.0
D2
(C) b D1 l (D) D2
2
D2 D1
Q. 111 The ratio of saturated unit weight of dry unit weight of soil is 1.25. If the specific
gravity of solids (Gs) is 2.65, the void ratio of the soil is
(A) 0.625 (B) 0.663
(C) 0.944 (D) 1.325
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 112 The figure given below represents the contact pressure distribution under beneath
a
. i n
o
(C) flexible footing on saturated clay
c
(D) flexible footing on sand
a .
i
Q. 113 A 6 m thick clay layer undergoes 90% consolidation four times faster under two-
way drainage as compared to one-way drainage. In an identical clay layer of 15
(A) 8 times
o d
m thickness, two-way drainage will be faster as compared to one-way drainage by
(B) 4 times
.n
(C) 2.5 times (D) 2 times
Q. 114
w
The figure below shows two flow lines for seepage across an interface between two
w
soil media or different coefficients of permeability. If entrance angle a1 = 30c, the
exit angle a2 will be
w
©
(A) 7.50c (B) 14.03c
(C) 66.59c (D) 75.96c
Q. 116 A retaining wall of height 8 m retains dry sand. In the initial state, the soil is
loose and has a void ratio of 0.5, gd = 35c kN/m3 and f = 30c. Subsequently,
the backfill is compacted to a state where void ratio is 0.4, gd = 18.8 kN/m3 and
f = 35c. The ratio of initial passive thrust to the final passive thrust, according
to Rankine’s earth pressure theory, is
(A) 0.38 (B) 0.64
(C) 0.77 (D) 1.55
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 117 An infinite soil slope with an inclination of 35c is subjected to seepage parallel
to its surface. The soil has C l = 100 kN/m2 and f = 35c. Using the concept of
mobilized cohesion and friction, at a factor of safety of 1.5 with respect of shear
strength, the mobilized friction angle is
(A) 20.02c (B) 21.05c
(C) 23.33c (D) 30.00c
Q. 118 Using fu = 0 analysis and assuming planar failure as shown, the minimum factor
of safety against shear failure of a vertical of height 4 m in a pure clay having
cu = 120 kN/m2 and gsat = 20 kN/m3 is
. in
. co
i a
(A) 1 (B) 6
d
(C) 10 (D) 20
Q. 119
n o
In the context of collecting undisturbed soil samples of high quality using a spoon
.
sampler, following statements are made :
1. Area ratio should be less than 10%
2.
w
Clearance ratio should be less than 1%
w
With reference to above statements, which of the following applies ?
w
(A) Both the statements are true
(B) Statements 2 is true but 1 is false
©
(C) Statement 1 is true but 2 is false
(D) Both the statements are false
Q. 122 A masonry dam is founded on previous sand having porosity equal to 45% and
specific gravity of sand particles is 2.65. For a desired factor of safety of 3 against
sand boiling, the maximum permissible upward gradient will be
(A) 0.225
(B) 0.302
(C) 1.0
(D) None of these
Q. 123 Water is pumped from a well tapping an unconfined aquifer at a certain discharge
rate and the steady state draw down (X) in an observation well is monitored.
Subsequently, the pumping discharge is doubled and the steady state draw down
in the same observation well is found to be more than double (i.e., more than 2X).
i n
This disproportionate draw down is caused by
.
(A) well losses
(B) decrease in the saturated thickness of the aquifer
c o
.
(C) nonlinear flow
i a
(D) delayed gravity yield
d
Q. 124 A double draining clay layer, 6 m thick, settles by 30 mm in three years under
o
influence of certain loads. Its final consolidation settlement has been estimated
.n
to be 120 mm. If a thin layer of sand having negligible thickness is introduced at
a depth of 1.5 m below the top surface, the final consolidation settlement of clay
w
layer will be
w
(A) 60 mm
(B) 120 mm
(C) 240 mm
w
©
(D) None of these
Q. 125 A 25 kN point load acts on the surface of an infinite elastic medium. The vertical
pressure intensity in kN/m2 at a point 6.0 m below and 4.0 m away from the load
will be
(A) 132 (B) 13.2
(C) 1.32 (D) 0.132
Q. 126 A granular soil possesses saturated density of 20 kN/m3 . Its effective angle of
internal friction is 35 degrees. If the desired factor of safety is 1.5, the safe angle of
slope for this soil, when seepage occurs at and parallel to the slope surface, will be
(A) 25c (B) 23c
(C) 20c (D) 13c
Q. 127 In a plate test conducted on cohesion less soil, a 600 mm square test plate settles
by 15 mm under a load intensity of 0.2 N/mm2 . All conditions remaining the
same, settlement of a 1 m square footing will be
(A) less than 15 mm
(B) greater than 25 mm
(C) 15.60 mm
(D) 20.50 mm
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 128 For the soil strata shown in figure, the water tables is lowered by drainage by 2 m
and if the top 2 m thick silty sand stratum remains saturated by capillary action
even after lowering of water table, the increase in effective vertical pressure in kPa
at mid-height of clay layer will be
. in
. co
(A) 0.2
i
(B) 2
a
(C) 20
o d
(D) 200
. n
Q. 129 At a reclamation site for which the soil strata is shown in fig. a 3 m thick layer
of a fill material is to be laid instantaneously on the top surface. If the coefficient
w
of volume compressibility, mv for clay is 2.2 # 10- 4 m2 /kN , the consolidation
w
settlement of the clay layer due to placing of fill material will be
w
©
(A) 69.5 mm
(B) 139 mm
(C) 228 mm
(D) 278 mm
Q. 130 A braced cut 5 m wide and 7.5 m deep is proposed in a cohesionless soil deposit
having effective cohesion C l = 0 and effective friction angle, fl = 36c. The first
row of struts is to be installed at a depth of 0.5 m below ground surface and
spacing between the struts should be 1.5 m. If the horizontal spacing of struts is
3 m and unit weight of the deposit is 20 kN/m2 , the maximum strut load will be
(A) 70.87 kN
(B) 98.72 kN
(C) 113.90 kN
(D) 151.86 kN
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 131 For the (3 # 3) pile group shown in the figure, the settlement of pile group, in a
normally consolidated clay stratum having properties as shown in the figure, will
be
. i n
c o
a .
d i
o
.n
(A) 13.2 mm
w (B) 12.775 mm
(C) 7.345 mm
w (D) None of these
w
©
Q. 132 Compaction of an embankment is carried out in 500 mm thick layers. The rammer
used for compaction has a foot area of 0.05 m2 and the energy imparted in
every drop of rammer is 400 Nm. Assuming 50% more energy in each pass over
the compacted area due to overlap, the number of passes required to develop
compactive energy equivalent of Indian Standard light compaction for each layer
would be
(A) 10 (B) 16
(C) 20 (D) 26
Q. 133 Match the List I (Boring methods) with List II (Field conditions) and select the
correct answer using the codes given below the lists :
List I List II
a. Auger Boring 1. Below water table in all soil types except
b. Wash Boring hard soils and rocks
c. Percussion Drilling 2. Large diameter bore holes over 150 mm in
d. Rotary Drilling size
3. Exploration for shallow foundations and
highways
4. Bouldery and gravelly strata
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Codes :
a b c d
(A) 3 1 4 2
(B) 1 2 4 3
(C) 2 3 4 1
(D) 3 1 2 4
Q. 134 Match the items of List I with List II and select the correct answer using the
codes given below the lists :
List I List II
a. Modulus of subgrade reaction 1. Cyclic pile load test
in
b. Relative density and strength 2. Pressure meter test
.
c. Skin friction and point bearing 3. Plate load test
co
resistance 4. Standard penetration tests
.
d. Elastic constants 5. Dynamic cone penetration test
i a
d
Codes :
o
a b c d
. n
(A) 1 3 2 5
(B) 1 2 4 3
(C) 2 5 1
w
3
w
(D) 3 4 1 2
w
©
Common Data For Q. 135 and 136 :
A canal having side slopes 1:1 is proposed to be constructed in a cohesive
soil to a depth of 10 m below the ground surface. The soil properties are
fu = 15c, Cu = 12 kPa, e = 1.0, Gs = 2.65 .
Q. 135 If Taylor’s Stability Number, Sn is 0.08 and if the canal flows full, the factor of
safety with respect to cohesion against failure of the canal bank slopes will be
(A) 3.7
(B) 1.85
(C) 1.0
(D) None of these
Q. 136 If there is a sudden draw down of water in the canal and if Taylor’s Stability
Number for the reduced value of fw is 0.126, the factor of safety with respect to
cohesion against the failure of bank slopes will be
(A) 1.85
(B) 1.18
(C) 0.84
(D) 0.53
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
. i n
o
Q. 137 If the pressure acting on the footing is 40 kPa, the consolidation settlement of the
c
footing will be
.
(A) 0.89 mm (B) 8.9 mm
i a
(C) 89.0 mm (D) None of these
Q. 138
o d
If the elastic modulus and the Poisson’s ratio of the clay layer are respectively
50 # 103 kPa and 0.4 and if the influence factor for the strip footing is 1.75, the
.n
elastic settlement of the footing will be
(A) 0.41 mm
(B) 1.41 mm
w
(C) 14.1 mm
w
w
(D) None of these
Q. 139
YEAR 2002
© ONE MARK
Data from a sieve analysis conducted on a given sample of soil showed that 67%
of the particles passed through 75 micron IS sieve. The liquid limit and plastic
limit of the finer fraction was fond to be 45 and 33 percent respectively. The
group symbol of the given soil as per IS : 1498 - 1970 is
(A) SC (B) MI
(C) CH (D) MH
Q. 140 The void ratios at the densest, loosest and the natural states of a sand deposit are
0.2, 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. The relative density of the deposit is
(A) 100% (B) 75%
(C) 50% (D) 25%
Q. 141 The following data was obtained from a liquid test conducted on a soil sample
Number of blows 17 22 25 28 34
Water content (%) 63.8 63.1 61.9 60.6 60.5
The liquid limit of the soil is
(A) 63.1%% (B) 62.8%
(C) 61.9% (D) 60.6%
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 142 When there is an increase in the atmospheric pressure, the water level in a well
penetrating in a confined aquifer
(A) increase
(B) decreases
(C) may inrease or decrease depending on the nature of the aquifer
(D) does not undergo any change
Q. 143 The specific gravity and insitu void ratio of a soil deposit are 2.71 and 0.85
respectively. The value of the critical hydraulic gradient is
(A) 0.82 (B) 0.85
(C) 0.92 (D) 0.92
Q. 144
. in
The observed value of the standard penetration number (N ) at 10 m depth of
co
silty sand deposit is 13. The unit weight of the soil is 16 kN/m3 . The N value
after correcting for the presence of fines will be
(A) 12 (B) 13
a .
i
(C) 14 (D) 15
YEAR 2002
o d TWO MARKS
Q. 145
. n
sThe time for a clay layer to achieve 85% consolidation is 10 years. If the layer
w
was half as thick, 10 times more permeable and 4 times more compressible then
w
the time that would be required to achieve the same degree of consolidation is
(A) 1 year (B) 5 year
(C) 12 years
w (D) 16 years
©
Q. 146 If the effective shear stress strength parameters of a soil are c' = 10 kPa and
f' = 30c, the shear strength on a plane within the saturated soil mass at a point
where the total normal stress is 300 kPa and pore water pressure is 150 kPa will
be
(A) 90.5 kPa (B) 96.6 kPa
(C) 101.5 kPa (D) 105.5 kPa
Q. 147 In a tri-exial test carried out on a cohesionless soil sample with a cell pressure of
20 kPa, the observed value of applied stress at the point of failure was 40 kPa.
The angle of internal friction of the soil is
(A) 10º (B) 15º
(C) 25º (D) 30º
Q. 149 The following two statements are made with respect to different sand samples
having the same relative density. Identify if they are true or false
I. Poorly graded sands will have lower friction angle than the well graded
sands.
II. The particle size has no influence on the friction angle of sand.
(A) II is true but I is false (B) Both are false statements
(C) Both are true statements (D) I is true but II is false
Q. 150 The void ratio and specific gravity of a soil are 0.65 and 2.72 respectively. The
degree of saturation (in percent) corresponding to water content of 20% is
(A) 65.3 (B) 20.9
(C) 83.7 (D) 54.4
Q. 151
. i n
With respect to a c -f soil in an infinite slope, identify if the following two
o
statements are True or False.
c
I. The stable slope angle can be grater than f
a .
II. The factor of safety of the slope does not depend on the height of soil in the
i
slope
d
(A) Both statements are False (B) I is True but II is False
(C) I is False but II is True
o (D) Both statements are True
Q. 152
.n
The following two statements are made with reference to the calculation of net
w
bearing capacity of a footing in pure clay soil ^f = 0h using Terzaghi’s bearing
w
capacity theory. Identify if they are True or False
I. Increase in footing width will result in increase in bearing capacity.
w
II. Increase in depth of foundation will result in higher bearing capacity
©
(A) Both statements are True
(B) Both statements are False
(C) I is True but II is False
(D) I is False but II is True
Q. 153 The width and depth of a footing are 2 and 1.5 m respectively. The water table
at the site is at a depth of 3 m below the ground level. The water table correction
factor for the calculation of the bearing capacity of soil is
(A) 0.875 (B) 1.000
(C) 0.925 (D) 0.500
Q. 154 The coefficients of permeability of a soil in horizontal and vertical directions are
3.46 and 1.5 m/day respectively. The base length of a concrete dam resting in this
soil is 100 m . When the flow net is developed for this soil with 1 : 25 scale factor
in the vertical direction, the reduced base length of the dam will be
(A) 2.63 m (B) 4.00 m
(C) 6.08 m (D) 5.43 m
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Q. 155 Identify the two False statements from the following four statements
I. The consolidation of soil happens due to the change in total stress.
II. When Standard Penetration Tests are performed in fine sands below
the water table, the dilation correction is applied after the overburden
correction is applied.
III. Over consolidated clays will have predominantly cohesive, strength as
compared to the frictional strength.
IV. Compaction of soils is due to expulsion of water.
(A) II and III (B) I and IV
(C) I and III (D) II and IV
in
Q. 156 The critical slip circle for a slope is shown below along with the soil properties
.
. co
i a
o d
n
The length of the arc of the slip circle is 15.6 m and the area of soil within the
.
slip circle is 82 m2 . The radius of the slip circles is 10.3 m . The factor of safety
w
against the slip circle failure is nearly equal to
(A) 1.05 (B) 1.22
(C) 0.78
w (D) 1.28
Q. 157
w
A plate load test was conducted in sand on a 300 mm diameter plate. If the
©
plate settlement was 5 mm at a pressure of 100 kPa, the settlement (in mm) of a
5 m # 8 m rectangular footing at the same pressure will be
(A) 9.4 (B) 18.6
(C) 12.7 (D) 17.8
Q. 158 Identify the two True statements from the following four statements.
I. Negative skin friction is higher on floating piles than on end bearing piles
II. All other things being the same is footings on sand, the footing with
smaller width will have lower settlement at the same net pressure.
III. The void ratio of soils in always less than 1.0
IV. For determining the depth of embedment of anchored sheet piles, net
moment at the anchor elevation is set to zero.
(A) I and IV (B) I and III
(C) II and IV (D) II and III
**********
GATE SOLVED PAPER - CE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
ANSWER KEY
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
(C) (C) (C) (C) (D) 3.8 m (A) (A) (*) (*)
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 30
(A) (B) (B) (B) (A) (A) (D) (A) (B) (C)
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
(B) (B) (D) (A) (A) (B) (C) (B) (D) (B)
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
(B) (C) (D) (B) (B) (D) (B) (B) (B) (C)
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
(C)
51
(B)
52
(C)
53
(B)
54
(C)
55
(B)
56
(C)
57
. i
(A)
58 n (A)
59
(C)
60
(C) (C) (D) (B) (B) (A) (A)
a .
67 68 69 70
di
(A) (C) (C) (C) (C) (A) (C) (D) (A) (A)
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
(A) (A) (A) (D)
n o
(A) (A) (D) (A) (D) (A)
.
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
w
(B) (C) (A) (B) (D) (C) (D) (B) (D) (D)
w
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
w
(A) (B) (A) (C) (A) (D) (C) (B) (B) (A)
101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
(A)
111
(A)
112 ©
(C)
113
(D)
114
(B)
115
(C)
116
(D)
117
(A)
118
(C)
119
(B)
120
(B) (A) (B) (C) (A) (C) (B) (B) (C) (D)
121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130
(C) (B) (C) (B) (D) (D) (D) (C) (B) (C)
131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140
(D) (D) (A) (B) (B) (D) (C) (B) (C) (C)
141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
(C) (D) (C) (B) (A) (B) (D) (A) (D) (C)
151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158
(B) (B) (A) (A) (B) (D) (D) (C)