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CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED ENGINEERING
GEOLOGIST (CEG) EXAM PRACTICE
ASSESSMENT | QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS | ALREADY GRADED A+ | Plus
RATIONALES
Course Name: CEG 501 – Advanced Engineering Geology for California
Licensure
Subject: Engineering Geology
This comprehensive 150-question practice assessment mirrors the
California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and
Geologists (BPELSG) Certified Engineering Geologist examination.
SECTION 1: Questions 1–50
1. An engineering geologist is reviewing a proposed hospital site in a
region underlain by Franciscan mélange. The site investigation reveals
a fault scarp with Holocene surficial deposits faulted to the surface.
Under the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, the most
appropriate next step is to:
A. Recommend a standard geotechnical investigation and proceed with
design.
B. Advise that the site is acceptable if the fault is determined to be
inactive.
C. Recommend the site be avoided or require a comprehensive fault
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investigation to characterize the hazard.
D. Recommend the site be avoided or require a comprehensive fault
investigation to characterize the hazard.
Explanation: The Alquist-Priolo Act requires that sites within designated
fault zones be investigated by a licensed engineering geologist or
geologist. Holocene faulting (within approximately 11,700 years)
represents an active fault under California law. A hospital is an essential
facility, making surface fault rupture a critical life-safety concern. The
site must either be avoided or thoroughly investigated to determine
recency and recurrence. Options A and B underestimate the regulatory
requirement. Option C is essentially correct but duplicative in framing;
the correct answer emphasizes avoidance or comprehensive
investigation.
2. During a subsurface investigation for a commercial development, a
geologist logs a boring that encounters a thick sequence of expansive
clay. The most significant engineering concern for light structures on
this material is:
A. Liquefaction during seismic shaking.
B. Settlement from consolidation.
C. Cyclic softening and strength loss.
D. Heave and differential movement due to moisture variation.
Explanation: Expansive clays undergo significant volume change with
moisture fluctuation, causing heave and differential movement that
damages foundations, slabs, and lightweight structures. Liquefaction (A)
affects saturated granular soils, not clays. Consolidation settlement (B)
occurs in compressible soils but is distinct from expansive behavior.
Cyclic softening (C) is associated with sensitive clays or seismic loading
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but is not the primary concern for expansive soils under static
conditions.
3. An engineering geologist is reviewing a LiDAR bare-earth digital
elevation model for a proposed residential subdivision on a hillside.
The LiDAR reveals a series of linear, downslope-facing scarps and
closed depressions not visible on the 7.5-minute topographic map.
The best interpretation is:
A. Glacial landforms.
B. Fluvial erosion patterns.
C. Tectonic faulting.
D. Pre-existing deep-seated landslides.
Explanation: LiDAR bare-earth imagery is particularly effective at
revealing landslide morphology beneath vegetation. Linear scarps,
closed depressions (sag ponds), and hummocky terrain are diagnostic of
deep-seated landslides. Glacial features (A) would show distinctive
moraines and cirques. Fluvial patterns (B) are typically dendritic or
channelized. Tectonic faulting (C) can create linear features but would
not typically produce closed depressions with hummocky terrain; fault
scarps are more continuous and may offset multiple geomorphic
surfaces systematically.
4. A geologist is preparing a report for a school site under the
California Field Act (Garrison Act). The site is underlain by a previously
undiscovered active fault trace identified during trenching. Per the
act's intent and CGS Note 48, the appropriate recommendation is:
A. Proceed with construction using a mat foundation to span the fault.
B. Proceed with a structural setback of 50 feet from the fault trace.
C. Proceed with enhanced steel reinforcement throughout the
structure.
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D. Do not build on the site or require structural mitigation that fully
addresses the fault rupture hazard, subject to regulatory review.
Explanation: The Field Act and related CGS guidance for schools and
hospitals require that active fault hazards be addressed through
avoidance or engineering solutions that protect life safety. Surface fault
rupture cannot be reliably mitigated through foundation design because
displacement can be several feet. While setbacks (B) are a concept in
Alquist-Priolo, the Field Act demands a higher standard for essential
facilities. Enhanced reinforcement (C) does not address the ground
displacement itself.
5. During construction observation for a cut slope in interbedded
sandstone and shale, the geologist observes that bedding dips
approximately 25 degrees out of the slope at an angle of 35 degrees.
The most likely failure mode is:
A. Circular rotational slide.
B. Toppling failure.
C. Wedge failure.
D. Planar sliding along bedding planes.
Explanation: Planar sliding occurs when a discontinuity (bedding, joint,
fault) dips out of the slope at an angle less than the slope angle but
greater than the friction angle. Here, bedding dips 25° out of slope at
35° slope angle, meeting the geometric conditions for planar sliding.
Circular failure (A) occurs in homogeneous or highly fractured materials.
Toppling (B) requires steeply dipping discontinuities (typically >70°)
dipping into the slope. Wedge failure (C) requires two intersecting
discontinuities with a line of intersection daylighting in the slope face.
6. A geologist is evaluating groundwater conditions for a proposed
infiltration basin. The subsurface consists of 15 feet of sandy loam
CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED ENGINEERING
GEOLOGIST (CEG) EXAM PRACTICE
ASSESSMENT | QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS | ALREADY GRADED A+ | Plus
RATIONALES
Course Name: CEG 501 – Advanced Engineering Geology for California
Licensure
Subject: Engineering Geology
This comprehensive 150-question practice assessment mirrors the
California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and
Geologists (BPELSG) Certified Engineering Geologist examination.
SECTION 1: Questions 1–50
1. An engineering geologist is reviewing a proposed hospital site in a
region underlain by Franciscan mélange. The site investigation reveals
a fault scarp with Holocene surficial deposits faulted to the surface.
Under the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, the most
appropriate next step is to:
A. Recommend a standard geotechnical investigation and proceed with
design.
B. Advise that the site is acceptable if the fault is determined to be
inactive.
C. Recommend the site be avoided or require a comprehensive fault
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investigation to characterize the hazard.
D. Recommend the site be avoided or require a comprehensive fault
investigation to characterize the hazard.
Explanation: The Alquist-Priolo Act requires that sites within designated
fault zones be investigated by a licensed engineering geologist or
geologist. Holocene faulting (within approximately 11,700 years)
represents an active fault under California law. A hospital is an essential
facility, making surface fault rupture a critical life-safety concern. The
site must either be avoided or thoroughly investigated to determine
recency and recurrence. Options A and B underestimate the regulatory
requirement. Option C is essentially correct but duplicative in framing;
the correct answer emphasizes avoidance or comprehensive
investigation.
2. During a subsurface investigation for a commercial development, a
geologist logs a boring that encounters a thick sequence of expansive
clay. The most significant engineering concern for light structures on
this material is:
A. Liquefaction during seismic shaking.
B. Settlement from consolidation.
C. Cyclic softening and strength loss.
D. Heave and differential movement due to moisture variation.
Explanation: Expansive clays undergo significant volume change with
moisture fluctuation, causing heave and differential movement that
damages foundations, slabs, and lightweight structures. Liquefaction (A)
affects saturated granular soils, not clays. Consolidation settlement (B)
occurs in compressible soils but is distinct from expansive behavior.
Cyclic softening (C) is associated with sensitive clays or seismic loading
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but is not the primary concern for expansive soils under static
conditions.
3. An engineering geologist is reviewing a LiDAR bare-earth digital
elevation model for a proposed residential subdivision on a hillside.
The LiDAR reveals a series of linear, downslope-facing scarps and
closed depressions not visible on the 7.5-minute topographic map.
The best interpretation is:
A. Glacial landforms.
B. Fluvial erosion patterns.
C. Tectonic faulting.
D. Pre-existing deep-seated landslides.
Explanation: LiDAR bare-earth imagery is particularly effective at
revealing landslide morphology beneath vegetation. Linear scarps,
closed depressions (sag ponds), and hummocky terrain are diagnostic of
deep-seated landslides. Glacial features (A) would show distinctive
moraines and cirques. Fluvial patterns (B) are typically dendritic or
channelized. Tectonic faulting (C) can create linear features but would
not typically produce closed depressions with hummocky terrain; fault
scarps are more continuous and may offset multiple geomorphic
surfaces systematically.
4. A geologist is preparing a report for a school site under the
California Field Act (Garrison Act). The site is underlain by a previously
undiscovered active fault trace identified during trenching. Per the
act's intent and CGS Note 48, the appropriate recommendation is:
A. Proceed with construction using a mat foundation to span the fault.
B. Proceed with a structural setback of 50 feet from the fault trace.
C. Proceed with enhanced steel reinforcement throughout the
structure.
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D. Do not build on the site or require structural mitigation that fully
addresses the fault rupture hazard, subject to regulatory review.
Explanation: The Field Act and related CGS guidance for schools and
hospitals require that active fault hazards be addressed through
avoidance or engineering solutions that protect life safety. Surface fault
rupture cannot be reliably mitigated through foundation design because
displacement can be several feet. While setbacks (B) are a concept in
Alquist-Priolo, the Field Act demands a higher standard for essential
facilities. Enhanced reinforcement (C) does not address the ground
displacement itself.
5. During construction observation for a cut slope in interbedded
sandstone and shale, the geologist observes that bedding dips
approximately 25 degrees out of the slope at an angle of 35 degrees.
The most likely failure mode is:
A. Circular rotational slide.
B. Toppling failure.
C. Wedge failure.
D. Planar sliding along bedding planes.
Explanation: Planar sliding occurs when a discontinuity (bedding, joint,
fault) dips out of the slope at an angle less than the slope angle but
greater than the friction angle. Here, bedding dips 25° out of slope at
35° slope angle, meeting the geometric conditions for planar sliding.
Circular failure (A) occurs in homogeneous or highly fractured materials.
Toppling (B) requires steeply dipping discontinuities (typically >70°)
dipping into the slope. Wedge failure (C) requires two intersecting
discontinuities with a line of intersection daylighting in the slope face.
6. A geologist is evaluating groundwater conditions for a proposed
infiltration basin. The subsurface consists of 15 feet of sandy loam
