Foundation Engineering MCQs 2026

Foundation is that part of structure which

1. A only carries wind on roof ✓
2. B only provides aesthetics ✓
3. C only insulates heat ✓
4. D transfers load safely to supporting soil or rock ✓

Shallow foundation is suitable when

1. A good soil exists at relatively shallow depth ✓
2. B only rock is 50 m deep always ✓
3. C only in water without dewatering ✓
4. D soil has zero bearing capacity ✓

Deep foundation is adopted when

1. A only for single-storey houses on rock ✓
2. B soil is always stronger near surface ✓
3. C no borehole is needed ✓
4. D surface soil is weak or loads are very heavy ✓

Safe bearing capacity (SBC) is

1. A allowable soil pressure including factor of safety ✓
2. B ultimate bearing without reduction ✓
3. C only concrete stress ✓
4. D wind pressure on wall ✓

Ultimate bearing capacity qu is

1. A elastic settlement only ✓
2. B paint adhesion limit ✓
3. C maximum pressure before shear failure of supporting soil ✓
4. D slump of concrete ✓

Cast-in-situ bored piles are formed by

1. A only driving closed pipe without concrete ✓
2. B only timber without casing in caving soil ✓
3. C only steel section without grout ✓
4. D drilling hole and placing reinforcement and concrete ✓

Under-reamed piles have

1. A only uniform shaft ✓
2. B bulb at bottom to increase end bearing in expansive soils ✓
3. C only timber head ✓
4. D zero concrete ✓

Pile group efficiency is less than 1 because

1. A piles always act independently without interaction ✓
2. B only concrete grade ✓
3. C only paint on cap ✓
4. D overlap of stress zones reduces individual pile capacity ✓

Minimum centre-to-centre spacing of piles is often

1. A equal to diameter always ✓
2. B about 2.5 to 3.5 times pile diameter ✓
3. C 10 m regardless of size ✓
4. D zero spacing ✓

Pile load test (static) determines

1. A only Atterberg limits ✓
2. B only slump ✓
3. C load-settlement behaviour and ultimate capacity ✓
4. D only brick efflorescence ✓

Dynamic pile formula or PDA estimates capacity from

1. A only laboratory LL ✓
2. B blow count or wave analysis during driving ✓
3. C only compass bearing ✓
4. D only timber moisture ✓

Negative skin friction (dragload) on pile occurs when

1. A settling soil grips pile downward increasing compression load ✓
2. B soil heaves up always ✓
3. C pile is in air only ✓
4. D only in rock socket ✓

Pile cap distributes load from

1. A column to pile group ✓
2. B only soil to atmosphere ✓
3. C only roof slab to window ✓
4. D only retaining wall stem alone ✓

Pile bent or pier foundation in water uses

1. A group of piles with cap supporting bridge substructure ✓
2. B only spread footing on scourable bed without piles ✓
3. C only timber roof truss ✓
4. D only surface mat on mud without depth ✓

Caisson is a

1. A only thin veneer on soil ✓
2. B large deep foundation constructed by sinking hollow box or shaft ✓
3. C only roof insulation ✓
4. D only paint coat ✓

Well foundation (open caisson) is common for

1. A only interior drywall ✓
2. B bridge piers in river alluvium ✓
3. C only steel bolt only connection ✓
4. D only lightweight signage ✓

Pneumatic caisson uses

1. A only vacuum above ground ✓
2. B only timber seasoning chamber ✓
3. C no air control ✓
4. D compressed air to work chamber below water table ✓

Mat foundation on expansive soil may use

1. A only zero reinforcement ✓
2. B only shallow sand without investigation ✓
3. C ignore moisture change ✓
4. D void forms or stiffened raft to isolate heave ✓

Ground improvement before shallow footing includes

1. A compaction, stone columns, grouting and preloading ✓
2. B only painting soil surface ✓
3. C only increasing roof load ✓
4. D only removing all groundwater permanently always ✓

Stone column (granular pile) improves soft clay by

1. A only adding water ✓
2. B only reducing drainage ✓
3. C densifying aggregate insert and lateral confinement ✓
4. D only lime in steel ✓

Vibro-compaction is effective in

1. A high plasticity clay only ✓
2. B solid rock without fractures ✓
3. C only organic peat without drains ✓
4. D clean granular soils to reduce void ratio ✓

Preloading with surcharge accelerates

1. A only elastic rebound upward always ✓
2. B only timber decay ✓
3. C consolidation settlement of compressible soil ✓
4. D only steel corrosion ✓

Sand drain or PVD accelerates consolidation by

1. A blocking all pore water flow ✓
2. B increasing LL of clay ✓
3. C shortening drainage path length ✓
4. D only heating bitumen ✓

Chemical grouting with cement or chemicals

1. A only colours soil ✓
2. B only reduces steel area ✓
3. C only increases void ratio ✓
4. D fills pores to strengthen soil and reduce permeability ✓

Micropiles are small-diameter drilled piles used for

1. A only decorative fencing without load ✓
2. B retrofit and restricted access with high steel ratio ✓
3. C only replacement of all raft always ✓
4. D only uncompacted fill without bond ✓

Underpinning existing foundation may use

1. A demolish entire structure always ✓
2. B only paint exterior ✓
3. C only remove all footings without support ✓
4. D pit method, micropiles or jet grouting sequentially ✓

Retaining structure foundation must resist

1. A overturning, sliding and bearing failure ✓
2. B only roof dead load ✓
3. C only thermal expansion of glass ✓
4. D only timber shrinkage ✓

Basement raft in high water table needs

1. A only ventilation ✓
2. B waterproofing and buoyancy check when dewatering stops ✓
3. C zero hydrostatic consideration ✓
4. D only paint on roof ✓

Anchored slab or tension piles resist

1. A only wind uplift on roof only without soil ✓
2. B hydrostatic uplift on underground structure ✓
3. C only capillary rise visually ✓
4. D only brick efflorescence ✓

Frost heave protection for shallow footing uses

1. A only thin mortar bed ✓
2. B only paint ✓
3. C extend below frost line or use non-frost-susceptible fill ✓
4. D shallowest possible always ✓

Scour around bridge pier removes

1. A only air pollution ✓
2. B only paint on steel ✓
3. C only roof tiles ✓
4. D bed material reducing support — foundations must extend below scour depth ✓

Liquefiable sand site may require

1. A only shallow spread footing without study ✓
2. B only increased roof load ✓
3. C ignore earthquake ✓
4. D compaction, stone columns, piles to competent layer or ground improvement ✓

Seismic foundation design considers

1. A only static dead load ✓
2. B only brick colour ✓
3. C only slump test ✓
4. D inertia forces, potential liquefaction and structural ductility ✓

Structural design of footing uses

1. A only working stress without any serviceability ✓
2. B limit state of strength and serviceability for settlement/crack ✓
3. C only soil colour ✓
4. D only wind on trees ✓

Pedestal footing is a short column extension where

1. A depth is small and bending may be neglected if l/d is low ✓
2. B always slender like flagpole ✓
3. C only timber ✓
4. D only pile without cap ✓

Sloped footing (stepped) is used on

1. A hillside or stepped sites to maintain level bearing ✓
2. B only perfectly flat desert without steps ✓
3. C only interior drywall ✓
4. D only steel roof truss ✓

Inverted T-beam footing supports

1. A only isolated column point load ✓
2. B only chimney without load ✓
3. C wall load along strip with stem like wall footing ✓
4. D only bridge cable alone ✓

Wall footing (strip) width depends on

1. A line load from wall and allowable soil pressure ✓
2. B only window size ✓
3. C only paint type ✓
4. D only roof tile weight alone without wall ✓

Floating foundation (balanced raft) means

1. A footing floats in water without concrete ✓
2. B zero soil contact ✓
3. C weight of excavation equals or offsets building weight to limit settlement ✓
4. D only on rock without soil ✓

Contact pressure trapezoid under eccentric footing has

1. A always infinite at centre ✓
2. B zero pressure at edge when eccentricity reaches kern width ✓
3. C uniform always ✓
4. D only negative without tension gap in soil ✓

Kern width of rectangular footing is

1. A B/2 always ✓
2. B B/6 for single-axis eccentricity on width B ✓
3. C zero ✓
4. D equal to depth only ✓

Soil investigation report recommends foundation type based on

1. A only architect sketch ✓
2. B only steel supplier brochure ✓
3. C borehole stratigraphy, groundwater and lab test results ✓
4. D only paint schedule ✓

Plate load test modulus k is used in

1. A only concrete air content ✓
2. B Winkler model for raft settlement approximation ✓
3. C only brick firing temperature ✓
4. D only timber grade ✓

Pile foundation in expansive soil should extend

1. A only in active zone ✓
2. B below active zone depth to stable moisture regime ✓
3. C above ground only ✓
4. D without any skin friction consideration ✓

Batter piles resist

1. A only vertical compression without any lateral capacity ✓
2. B large lateral loads by inclined shaft component ✓
3. C only thermal expansion ✓
4. D only roof dead load ✓

Sheet pile wall acts as

1. A only spread footing for column ✓
2. B only roof truss ✓
3. C retaining or cut-off structure transferring lateral earth and water ✓
4. D only interior partition ✓

Secant or tangent pile wall provides

1. A only decorative boundary without retention ✓
2. B excavation support and water cut-off in urban sites ✓
3. C only surface compaction ✓
4. D only timber fence ✓

Pile integrity test (low strain PIT) detects

1. A major cracks, necks or soil inclusions in shaft ✓
2. B only surface paint defects ✓
3. C only brick absorption ✓
4. D only slump of fresh concrete in truck ✓

Allowable pile capacity from field test often uses

1. A ultimate without limits always ✓
2. B only hammer weight ✓
3. C load at specified settlement (e.g., 12 mm) divided by FS ✓
4. D only LL of clay ✓

Factor of safety on end bearing in piles is often

1. A higher than on skin friction alone in design summation ✓
2. B zero for end bearing ✓
3. C always 1.0 for everything ✓
4. D not considered in codes ✓

Concrete in piles must have

1. A only zero slump always in water ✓
2. B no cover to steel ✓
3. C adequate workability, strength and sometimes self-compacting property for tremie ✓
4. D only dry pack without vibration underwater ✓

Casing in bored pile prevents

1. A only corrosion of paint on building ✓
2. B only increase of LL ✓
3. C only timber seasoning ✓
4. D collapse of borehole walls in caving soils ✓

Factor of safety for bearing capacity commonly ranges

1. A 0.5 ✓
2. B 2.5 to 3 for shallow foundations ✓
3. C 1 always ✓
4. D 10 for all soils without exception ✓

Gross bearing pressure includes

1. A self-weight of footing and soil overburden plus external load ✓
2. B only live load on column ✓
3. C only wind on roof truss ✓
4. D only steel stress ✓

Net bearing pressure equals

1. A gross pressure minus effective overburden at foundation level ✓
2. B gross plus overburden ✓
3. C only column load divided by steel area ✓
4. D zero always ✓

Allowable settlement for isolated footing on sand is often limited to

1. A 500 mm typical ✓
2. B about 25 mm total or per code ✓
3. C zero always ✓
4. D only rotational tilt without limit ✓

Differential settlement is harmful because it causes

1. A only uniform elastic compression beneficially ✓
2. B increased steel yield only ✓
3. C structural distress, cracking and misalignment ✓
4. D zero effect on masonry ✓

Combined footing supports

1. A two or more columns on a single pad ✓
2. B only one column always ✓
3. C only retaining wall without soil ✓
4. D only steel truss ✓

Strap (cantilever) footing connects

1. A pile cap to chimney only ✓
2. B roof to foundation without load ✓
3. C only basement slab ✓
4. D isolated footing with main footing via strap beam ✓

Raft (mat) foundation is used when

1. A soil is rock at surface only ✓
2. B only single light pole ✓
3. C no groundwater exists ✓
4. D column loads are close and soil bearing is low ✓

Raft thickness is governed by

1. A only paint thickness ✓
2. B only wind on parapet ✓
3. C bending from column loads and punching shear ✓
4. D only timber seasoning ✓

Eccentric loading on footing creates

1. A always uniform pressure ✓
2. B zero moment in footing ✓
3. C non-uniform contact pressure distribution ✓
4. D only vertical concentric load ✓

Pressure under rigid footing on cohesive soil at ultimate load may show

1. A always uniform for all cases ✓
2. B peak at edges or centre depending on shape and soil ✓
3. C only negative everywhere ✓
4. D hydrostatic only ✓

Minimum depth of foundation below ground is influenced by

1. A frost depth, scour and adjacent trench depth (rankine line) ✓
2. B only architectural height ✓
3. C only roof colour ✓
4. D only steel grade ✓

Rankine line for adjacent footing depth relates

1. A only concrete cover ✓
2. B only slump test ✓
3. C preventing shear failure from lower footing into upper ✓
4. D only paint primer ✓

Isolated square footing area is sized from

1. A only steel percentage ✓
2. B only wind on door ✓
3. C only brick absorption ✓
4. D service column load divided by allowable bearing pressure ✓

Depth of isolated footing for bending is often where

1. A critical section for moment is at face of column ✓
2. B mid-span of roof slab ✓
3. C top of parapet ✓
4. D bottom of pile cap only ✓

One-way shear in footing is checked at

1. A centre of column only ✓
2. B top of backfill only ✓
3. C pile tip ✓
4. D section distance d from column face ✓

Two-way (punching) shear in footing occurs around

1. A column perimeter at distance d/2 from column face ✓
2. B only footing edge ✓
3. C only soil surface ✓
4. D strap beam mid-span only ✓

Development length of footing reinforcement ensures

1. A only colour of bar ✓
2. B zero anchorage ✓
3. C only compression in soil ✓
4. D bond between steel and concrete beyond critical section ✓

Plain concrete footing may be allowed for

1. A high-rise core always ✓
2. B all bridges without steel ✓
3. C piles only ✓
4. D low-intensity load on good soil per local code practice ✓

Pile foundation transfers load by

1. A only lateral wind on tower ✓
2. B end bearing on firm stratum and/or skin friction along shaft ✓
3. C only capillary rise ✓
4. D only paint on pile ✓

End-bearing pile is preferred when

1. A only soft clay for full length without tip resistance ✓
2. B no borehole data ✓
3. C firm stratum exists at reachable depth ✓
4. D only floating without friction ✓

Friction pile develops capacity mainly from

1. A skin friction along embedded length in cohesive or granular soil ✓
2. B only end bearing on air ✓
3. C only capillary in topsoil ✓
4. D only concrete shrinkage ✓

Timber piles are suited to

1. A always highest skyscraper loads today ✓
2. B only dry desert without decay risk unprotected ✓
3. C short-term or low-load applications below water table historically ✓
4. D only as tensile anchors without treatment ✓

Precast concrete piles offer

1. A only cast in extremely soft slurry without casing always ✓
2. B controlled quality and rapid installation by driving ✓
3. C zero driving stress capacity ✓
4. D only manual hand placement ✓

Socketed pile in rock develops capacity from

1. A only air gap at tip ✓
2. B only friction in topsoil ignoring rock ✓
3. C end bearing and side resistance in rock socket ✓
4. D only capillary rise ✓

Raft on soft soil with wide column spacing may need

1. A soil-structure interaction analysis and possible stiffening beams ✓
2. B only ignore differential settlement ✓
3. C only minimum thickness without analysis ✓
4. D only timber posts without concrete ✓

Structural fill beneath footing should be

1. A loose topsoil only ✓
2. B organic matter preferred ✓
3. C compacted to specification with proof rolling ✓
4. D uncompacted demolition rubble without control ✓

PPSC AE Civil syllabus foundation topics include

1. A only architectural perspective drawing ✓
2. B only computer networking ✓
3. C only medical anatomy ✓
4. D bearing capacity, settlement, pile and raft design principles ✓