PE Civil Engineering Practice Exam Verified Questions,
Correct Answers, and Detailed Explanations for
Science Students||Already Graded A+
1. What is the unit weight of water at standard conditions?
A. 9.81 kN/m³
B. 9.81 kN/m³
C. 62.4 lb/ft²
D. 1000 kg/m³
Answer: B
Unit weight equals density × gravity; for water this is 9.81 kN/m³.
2. Which soil property primarily controls consolidation settlement?
A. Permeability
B. Void ratio
C. Compressibility
D. Plasticity index
Answer: C
Settlement magnitude depends on soil compressibility.
3. In a simply supported beam, the maximum bending moment occurs at:
A. Supports
B. Quarter points
C. Midspan
D. Load application point
Answer: C
For common loading cases, bending moment peaks at midspan.
4. The factor of safety against sliding for a retaining wall depends mainly on:
A. Passive pressure
B. Base friction and driving force
,C. Wall height
D. Concrete strength
Answer: B
Sliding resistance is controlled by friction and applied lateral loads.
5. Darcy’s Law is valid when flow is:
A. Turbulent
B. Compressible
C. Laminar
D. Unsteady
Answer: C
Darcy’s Law assumes laminar flow through porous media.
6. Which test determines the liquid limit of soil?
A. Proctor test
B. Casagrande cup test
C. Triaxial test
D. Direct shear test
Answer: B
The Casagrande test defines the liquid limit.
7. What does a low Froude number indicate?
A. Supercritical flow
B. Subcritical flow
C. Turbulent flow
D. Laminar flow
Answer: B
Froude number < 1 indicates subcritical flow.
8. Which material property governs deflection in elastic members?
, A. Yield strength
B. Density
C. Modulus of elasticity
D. Poisson’s ratio
Answer: C
Deflection is inversely proportional to elastic modulus.
9. In traffic engineering, Level of Service (LOS) ranges from:
A. A–E
B. A–F
C. B–F
D. A–D
Answer: B
LOS ranges from A (best) to F (worst).
10. The most common cause of pavement rutting is:
A. Thermal cracking
B. Oxidation
C. Permanent deformation
D. Fatigue cracking
Answer: C
Rutting results from permanent deformation under load.
11. Which load combination includes wind load?
A. Dead + Live
B. Dead + Live + Wind
C. Dead only
D. Live only
Answer: B
Wind must be included in applicable load combinations.
Correct Answers, and Detailed Explanations for
Science Students||Already Graded A+
1. What is the unit weight of water at standard conditions?
A. 9.81 kN/m³
B. 9.81 kN/m³
C. 62.4 lb/ft²
D. 1000 kg/m³
Answer: B
Unit weight equals density × gravity; for water this is 9.81 kN/m³.
2. Which soil property primarily controls consolidation settlement?
A. Permeability
B. Void ratio
C. Compressibility
D. Plasticity index
Answer: C
Settlement magnitude depends on soil compressibility.
3. In a simply supported beam, the maximum bending moment occurs at:
A. Supports
B. Quarter points
C. Midspan
D. Load application point
Answer: C
For common loading cases, bending moment peaks at midspan.
4. The factor of safety against sliding for a retaining wall depends mainly on:
A. Passive pressure
B. Base friction and driving force
,C. Wall height
D. Concrete strength
Answer: B
Sliding resistance is controlled by friction and applied lateral loads.
5. Darcy’s Law is valid when flow is:
A. Turbulent
B. Compressible
C. Laminar
D. Unsteady
Answer: C
Darcy’s Law assumes laminar flow through porous media.
6. Which test determines the liquid limit of soil?
A. Proctor test
B. Casagrande cup test
C. Triaxial test
D. Direct shear test
Answer: B
The Casagrande test defines the liquid limit.
7. What does a low Froude number indicate?
A. Supercritical flow
B. Subcritical flow
C. Turbulent flow
D. Laminar flow
Answer: B
Froude number < 1 indicates subcritical flow.
8. Which material property governs deflection in elastic members?
, A. Yield strength
B. Density
C. Modulus of elasticity
D. Poisson’s ratio
Answer: C
Deflection is inversely proportional to elastic modulus.
9. In traffic engineering, Level of Service (LOS) ranges from:
A. A–E
B. A–F
C. B–F
D. A–D
Answer: B
LOS ranges from A (best) to F (worst).
10. The most common cause of pavement rutting is:
A. Thermal cracking
B. Oxidation
C. Permanent deformation
D. Fatigue cracking
Answer: C
Rutting results from permanent deformation under load.
11. Which load combination includes wind load?
A. Dead + Live
B. Dead + Live + Wind
C. Dead only
D. Live only
Answer: B
Wind must be included in applicable load combinations.
