Shear Strength MCQ

1) The shearing resistance of a soil is constituted by……………

a) Structural resistance and Frictional resistance
b) Shearing strength
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
2) The shear strength in cohesion less soil is due to ………….
a) Internal friction
b) Cohesion
c) Intergranular friction
d) Interparticle force
3) the failure condition for a soil can be expressed in terms of limiting
shear stress, called
a) Principal stresses and Shear strength
b) Shearing resistances
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
4) Major principal stress in a soil is represented by the symbol……
a) σ1
b) σ2
c) σ3
d) σ4
5) The circle obtained from two-dimensional stress system is known as
a) Principal stress circle
b) Mohr circle
c) Shearing stress circle
d) None of the mentioned

6) The maximum shear stress τmax, for a soil mass is equal to

a) (σ1 – σ3 )/2
b) (σ1 + σ3 )/2
c) (σ1×σ3 )/2
d) (σ3 – σ1 )/2
7) The curve obtained by plotting the normal and shear stress is called as
a) Mohr’s envelope
b) Shear envelope
c) Strength envelope
d) Stress envelope
8) Which of the following is the coulomb’s strength equation?
a) t = c + tan φ
b) C = t + c tan φ
c) t = c + σ tan φ
d) t = tan φ
9) The critical shear stress causing failure of material depends upon
a) Properties of the material and normal stress on the plane
b) Intermediate principal stress
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
10) The theory of shear failure, was first proposed by
a) Coulomb
b) Mohr
c) Casagrande
d) Darcy
11) Mohr envelope can be considered to be straight if the angle of internal
friction φ is assumed to be
a) = 90°
b) > 90°
c) < 90°
d) None of the mentioned
12) Shearing resistance can be determined in the laboratory by _________
methods
a) 2 b) 6
c) 4 d) 8
13) The shearing resistance of a soil is constituted by ___________
a) Structural resistance and Frictional resistance
b) Shearing strength
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
14) The shear strength in cohesionless soil is due to ___________
a) Internal friction angle
b) Cohesion
c) normal stress
d) (a) and (c)
15) The planes that exist in soil mass having zero shear stress are ______
a) Principal planes
b) Principal stress
c) Stress planes
d) None of the mentioned
16) The circle obtained from two dimensional stress system is known as __
a) Principal stress circle
b) Mohr circle
c) Shearing stress circle
d) None of the mentioned
17) The normal stresses acting on planes of the soil are known as ________
a) Major principal stresses
b) Principal stresses
c) Minor principal stresses
d) Principal planes
18) Stress component on planes of a loaded soil mass depends upon _____
a) Stress acting on plane
b) Direction of plane
c) Shearing resistance
) All of the mentioned
19) According to Coulomb, the relationship between shear strength and
normal stress could be represented by _________
a) Linear curve b) Parabolic curve
c) Straight line d) None of the mentioned
20) Which of the following stresses does not have any influence on strength
of a material?
a) Major principal stress
b) Minor principal stress
c) Intermediate principal stress
d) Shearing stress
21) The parameter φ in coulomb’s equation “t = c + σ tan φ”, represents _
a) Shearing resistance and Angle of internal friction
b) Angle of slope
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
22) Which of the following shear test is developed based on drainage
conditions?
a) Quick test and Consolidated undrained test
b) Direct shear test
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
23) The direct shear test can also be called as ___________
a) Simple shear test
b) Stress test
c) Strain controlled shear box test
d) All of the mentioned
24) The commonly used apparatus used for performing shear box test is _
a) Shear-box apparatus
b) Bishop’s pore pressure apparatus
c) Tri axial shear test apparatus
d) None of the mentioned
25) To conduct un-drained test, which of the following is used?
a) Slope grids
b) Perforated grids
c) Plain grids
d) All of the mentioned
26) The drained test is also known as ___________
a) Direct shear test
b) Slow test
c) Vane shear test
d) Quick test
27) Which of the following is a disadvantage of the shear box test?
a) Stress condition of soil is complex
b) The test cannot be used for coarse grained soil
c) No control on the drainage of soil
d) The shear box test is more complex test
28) A major difference between the direct shear test and triaxial shear test
is _____________
a) Control on the drainage level
b) Stress condition
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
29) In direct shear test, the soil load is subjected to more stress at……..
a) Centre
b) Edges
c) Top and bottom
d) All of the mentioned
30) The Triaxial compression test was introduced by __________
a) A. Casagrande and Karl Terzaghi
b) Mohr
c) None of the mentioned
d) All of the mentioned
31) Which of the following strength test is commonly used in the
laboratory?
a) Direct shear test
b) Confined compression test
c) Triaxial shear test
d) Unconfined shear test
32) Which of the following outlet is provided at the base of the tri axial test
apparatus?
a) Cell fluid inlet
b) Pore water outlet
c) Drainage outlet
d) All of the mentioned
33) The vertical stress on the solid cylindrical test apparatus is applied by _
a) Major principal stress b) Minor principal stress
c) Intermediate principal stress d) All of the mentioned
34) The deviator stress developed in the proving ring, through the applied
pressure is equal to are____________
a) σ1 + σ3 b) σ1 – σ3
c) σ2 – σ3 d) σ2 + σ1
35) The deviator stress Dσ is given by __________
a) Dσ = σ1 + σ
b) Dσ = σ3 – σ1
c) Dσ = additional axial load / Area
d) Dσ = σ1 x σ3
36) Which of the following is an advantage of using triaxial test?
a) Accurate result is not possible
b) The plane of shear failure is predetermined
c) Stress conditions are complex
d) Precise measurement
37) In unconfined compression test the value of σ2 and σ3 is equal to _____
a) 1.0 b) 0
c) 2.0 d) ½
38) The unconfined compression test is derived from _____________
a) Direct shear test
b) Vane shear test
c) Triaxial compression tests
d) Drained test
39) In plastic failure, load corresponding to __________ strain is
arbitrarily taken as the failure load.
a) 10 % b) 5 %
c) 20 % d) 50 %
40) When the Mohr circle is drawn in an unconfined compression test, its
radius will be equal to ____________
a) Cu b) qu
c) su d) None of the mentioned
41) Stress condition in the Unconfined compression test represents _____
a) Drained test b) Un-drained test
c) Quick test d) All of the mentioned
42) Which of the following parameter is used to represent unconfined
compressive strength at failure?
a) τf b) cu
c) qu d) Au
43) Which of the following cannot be obtained by using un-drained test?
a) Effective stress failure envelope b) Shear strength
c) sensitivity d) All of the mentioned
44) Which of the following is a disadvantage of the shear box test?
a) Stress distribution of the soil is uniform stress
b) The test cannot be used for coarse-grained soil
c) control on the drainage of the soil
d) The shear box test is more complex test
45) What will be the shearing resistance of a sample of clay in an
unconfined compression test, falls under a load of 150 N? Take change of
cross-section Af =2181.7 mm2.
a) 68.75 kPa b) 34.38 kPa
c) 11.35 kPa d) 0.6875 kPa
46) The maximum shear stress occurs on the plane which makes an angle
with the horizontal plane equal to
a) 30° b) 45°
c) 60° d) 90°
47) A plane inclined at an angle to the horizontal at which the soil is
expected to stay in the absence of any lateral support, is known as
a) Natural slope line b) Repose line
c) The f-line d) All the above
48) The shear strength of a soil
a) Is directly proportional to the angle of internal friction of the soil
b) Is inversely proportional to the angle of internal friction of the soil
c) Decreases with increase in normal stress
d) Decreases with decrease in normal stress
49) A triaxial shear test is preferred to direct shear test, because
a) It can be performed under all three drainage conditions with
complete control
b) Precise measurement of pore pressure and change in volume during
test, is not possible
c) Stress distribution on the failure plane, is non uniform
d) None of these
50) The angle of internal friction, is least for
a) Angular-grained loose sand
b) Angular -grained dense sand
c) Round-grained loose sand
d) Clays
51) In case of dense sand, the shear stress attains a peak value at a small
strain.
a) True
b) False
52) A direct shear test is conducted on soil sample in a shear box which is
split into two halves along a horizontal plane at its…..
a) Middle b) Top
c) Bottom d) All the above
53) The principal stresses at a point in a material are 80 kPa and 40 kPa.
The normal and shear stress on a plane inclined at 30o to the major
principal plane is
a) 70 and 17.3 kPa b) 45 and 15.0 kPa
c) 90 and 45.0 kPa d) 50 and 20.0 kPa
54) On a failure plane in a cohesionless soil sample, the normal and shear
stresses are found as 10.0kPa and 4.0kPa. the angle of shearing resistance
is
a) 21.8o b) 25.2o
c) 29.1o d) 17.5o
55) A cylindrical soil sample failed at an axial stress of 140 kPa in an
unconfined compression test. the failure plane makes an angle of 54o with
horizontal. The internal friction angle of soil is
a) 18o b) 20o
c) 22o d) 24o
56) The origin and the pole are the same point in a Mohr circle.
a) True b) False
57) On the failure plane, the shear stress is maximum.
a) True b) False
58) The Mohr circle for unconfined compression test passes through the
origin
a) True b) False
59) Consolidated drained test is also known as slow test.
a) True b) False
60) The dense sand increases in volume during shear.
a) True b) False
61) The failure plane in direct shear test is
a) Weakest plane b) Major principal plane
c) Horizontal plane d) Vertical plane
62) In an undrained triaxial compression test, the sample failed at a
deviator stress of 200 kPa when the cell pressure was 100 kPa. The
cohesion intercept is
a) 200 kPa b) 100 kPa
c) 300 kPa d) 50 kPa
63) A dry sand specimen was tested in a triaxial machine with the cell
pressure of 50 kPa. If the deviator stress at failure was 100 kPa, the angle
of shearing resistance is
a) 30o b) 15o
c) 45o d) 60o
64) In triaxial compression test, the length specimen is kept about …… its
diameter.
a) 2.0 times b) 1 to 2.25 times
c) 1 to 1.5 times d) 2.5 times
65) Calculate the shear strength in terms of effective stress soil on a plane
within a saturated soil mass at a point where the total stress is 295 kPa and
pore water pressure is 120 kPa when c- = 12 kPa and angle of friction is
30o.
a) 75.68 kPa b) 113.15 kPa
c) 135.64 kPa d) 80.06 kPa
66) When drainage is permitted under initially applied normal stress only
and full primarily consolidation is allowed to take place, the test is known
as
a) Quick test b) Drained test
c) Consolidated undrained test d) None of these
67) 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
68) Unconfined compressive strength of clay soil is 15 kN/m2, the cohesion
is
a) 7.5 kN/m2
b) 15 kN/m2
c) 30 kN/m2
d) 10 kN/m2
69) Loose soil can reach
a) Peak shear strength
b) Residual shear strength
c) Peak and Residual shear strength
d) All above
70) The Mohr’ failure envelope in sandy soils can be drawn by
a) At least 3 points b) At least 2 points
c) One point d) A, B, and C