COSC 275 UPDATED PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔Level - ✔✔· 1. A term used to describe any horizontal surface that has all points at
the same elevation and thus does not tilt or slope. 2. In surveying, an instrument that
measures heights from an established reference. 3. A spirit level, consisting of small
tubes of liquid with bubbles in each. The small tubes are positioned in a length of wood
or metal that is handheld and, by observing the position of the bubbles, used to find and
check level surfaces.
✔✔site - ✔✔The location of the project geographically, usually defined by legal
boundaries.
✔✔elevation - ✔✔1. A vertical distance relative to a reference point. 2. A view or
drawing of the interior or exterior of a structure as if projected onto a vertical plane.
✔✔cut and fill - ✔✔· - An operation commonly used in road building and other rock and
earthmoving operations in which the material excavated and removed from one location
is used as fill material at another location.
✔✔fill - ✔✔1. The soil or other material used to raise the grade of a site area. 2. A
subfloor leveling material
✔✔foundation - ✔✔The entire masonry substructure below the first floor or frame of a
building, including the footing upon which the building rests
✔✔grade beam - ✔✔A horizontal endsupported (as opposed to ground-supported)
loadbearing foundation member that supports an exterior wall of a superstructure.
✔✔width - ✔✔the measurement or extent of something from side to side
✔✔footing - ✔✔- That portion of the foundation of a structure that spreads and transmits
the load directly to the soil
✔✔reinforced concre - ✔✔Concrete containing adequate reinforcement, prestressed or
not prestressed, and designed on the assumption that the two materials (steel and
concrete) act together in resisting forces
✔✔reinforcing bar - ✔✔A steel bar, usually with manufactured deformations, used in
concrete and masonry construction to provide additional strength.
✔✔footing beam - ✔✔· 1. A reinforced concrete beam connecting pile caps or spread
footings to distribute horizontal loads caused by eccentric loading. 2. The tie beam in a
roof system.
, ✔✔Bolster - ✔✔1. In concrete, an individual or continuous support used to hold
reinforcing bars in position. Usually used in bolster slab work. 2. A short wood or steel
member positioned horizontally on top of a column to support beams or girders. 3. A
mason's blocking chisel. 4. A piece of wood, generally a nominal 4 Љ in cross section,
placed between stickered packages of lumber or other wood products to provide space
for the entry and exit of the forks of a lift truck.
✔✔pan construction - ✔✔A type of concrete floor or roof in which pan forms are used to
create intersecting ribs, resulting in a waffle-like undersurface
✔✔formwork - ✔✔The total system of support for freshly placed concrete, including the
mold or sheathing that contacts the concrete, as well as all supporting members,
hardware, and necessary bracing.
✔✔PVR - Potential Vertical Rise - ✔✔· the latent or potential ability of a soil material to
swell, at a given density, moisture, and loading condition, when exposed to capillary or
surface water, and thereby increase the elevation of its upper surface, along with
anything resting on it.
✔✔Liquid Limit - ✔✔The water content at which soil passes from the plastic to the liquid
state under standard test conditions. The limit is expressed as a percentage of the dry
weight of the soil
✔✔Plasticity Index - ✔✔· - is a measure of the plasticity of a soil. The plasticity index is
the size of the range of water contents where the soil exhibits plastic properties. The PI
is the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit (PI = LL-PL). Soils with a
high PI tend to be clay, those with a lower PI tend to be silt, and those with a PI of 0
(non-plastic) tend to have little or no silt or clay.
Soil descriptions based on PI:[8]
(0) - Non-plastic
(<7) - Slightly plastic
(7-17) - Medium plastic
(>17) - Highly plastic
✔✔Overburden - ✔✔· 1. A mantle of soil, rock, gravel, or other earth material covering a
given rock layer or bearing stratum. 2. An unwanted top layer of soil that must be
stripped away to open access to useful construction materials buried beneath it.
✔✔Layer - ✔✔· a sheet, quantity, or thickness of material, typically one of several,
covering a surface or body
✔✔Loading - ✔✔1. The force, or combination of forces, that act upon a structural
system or individual member. 2. The electrical power delivered to any device or piece of
electrical equipment. 3. The placing of explosives in a hole
SOLUTIONS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔Level - ✔✔· 1. A term used to describe any horizontal surface that has all points at
the same elevation and thus does not tilt or slope. 2. In surveying, an instrument that
measures heights from an established reference. 3. A spirit level, consisting of small
tubes of liquid with bubbles in each. The small tubes are positioned in a length of wood
or metal that is handheld and, by observing the position of the bubbles, used to find and
check level surfaces.
✔✔site - ✔✔The location of the project geographically, usually defined by legal
boundaries.
✔✔elevation - ✔✔1. A vertical distance relative to a reference point. 2. A view or
drawing of the interior or exterior of a structure as if projected onto a vertical plane.
✔✔cut and fill - ✔✔· - An operation commonly used in road building and other rock and
earthmoving operations in which the material excavated and removed from one location
is used as fill material at another location.
✔✔fill - ✔✔1. The soil or other material used to raise the grade of a site area. 2. A
subfloor leveling material
✔✔foundation - ✔✔The entire masonry substructure below the first floor or frame of a
building, including the footing upon which the building rests
✔✔grade beam - ✔✔A horizontal endsupported (as opposed to ground-supported)
loadbearing foundation member that supports an exterior wall of a superstructure.
✔✔width - ✔✔the measurement or extent of something from side to side
✔✔footing - ✔✔- That portion of the foundation of a structure that spreads and transmits
the load directly to the soil
✔✔reinforced concre - ✔✔Concrete containing adequate reinforcement, prestressed or
not prestressed, and designed on the assumption that the two materials (steel and
concrete) act together in resisting forces
✔✔reinforcing bar - ✔✔A steel bar, usually with manufactured deformations, used in
concrete and masonry construction to provide additional strength.
✔✔footing beam - ✔✔· 1. A reinforced concrete beam connecting pile caps or spread
footings to distribute horizontal loads caused by eccentric loading. 2. The tie beam in a
roof system.
, ✔✔Bolster - ✔✔1. In concrete, an individual or continuous support used to hold
reinforcing bars in position. Usually used in bolster slab work. 2. A short wood or steel
member positioned horizontally on top of a column to support beams or girders. 3. A
mason's blocking chisel. 4. A piece of wood, generally a nominal 4 Љ in cross section,
placed between stickered packages of lumber or other wood products to provide space
for the entry and exit of the forks of a lift truck.
✔✔pan construction - ✔✔A type of concrete floor or roof in which pan forms are used to
create intersecting ribs, resulting in a waffle-like undersurface
✔✔formwork - ✔✔The total system of support for freshly placed concrete, including the
mold or sheathing that contacts the concrete, as well as all supporting members,
hardware, and necessary bracing.
✔✔PVR - Potential Vertical Rise - ✔✔· the latent or potential ability of a soil material to
swell, at a given density, moisture, and loading condition, when exposed to capillary or
surface water, and thereby increase the elevation of its upper surface, along with
anything resting on it.
✔✔Liquid Limit - ✔✔The water content at which soil passes from the plastic to the liquid
state under standard test conditions. The limit is expressed as a percentage of the dry
weight of the soil
✔✔Plasticity Index - ✔✔· - is a measure of the plasticity of a soil. The plasticity index is
the size of the range of water contents where the soil exhibits plastic properties. The PI
is the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit (PI = LL-PL). Soils with a
high PI tend to be clay, those with a lower PI tend to be silt, and those with a PI of 0
(non-plastic) tend to have little or no silt or clay.
Soil descriptions based on PI:[8]
(0) - Non-plastic
(<7) - Slightly plastic
(7-17) - Medium plastic
(>17) - Highly plastic
✔✔Overburden - ✔✔· 1. A mantle of soil, rock, gravel, or other earth material covering a
given rock layer or bearing stratum. 2. An unwanted top layer of soil that must be
stripped away to open access to useful construction materials buried beneath it.
✔✔Layer - ✔✔· a sheet, quantity, or thickness of material, typically one of several,
covering a surface or body
✔✔Loading - ✔✔1. The force, or combination of forces, that act upon a structural
system or individual member. 2. The electrical power delivered to any device or piece of
electrical equipment. 3. The placing of explosives in a hole
