LA01

Question 1

particles of rock that will pass a 12-in. (300-mm) square opening and be retained on a 3-in. (75-mm) sieve

Answer 1

Cobbles

Question 2

particles of rock that will not pass a 12-in. (300-mm) square opening.

Answer 2

Boulders

Question 3

soil passing a No. 200 (75-µm) sieve that can be made to exhibit plasticity (putty-like properties) within a range of water contents and that exhibits considerable strength when air-dry.

Answer 3

Clay

Question 4

particles of rock that will pass a 3-in. (75- mm) sieve and be retained on a No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve with the following subdivisions:

Coarse
Fine

Answer 4

Gravel

Question 5

passes a 3-in. (75-mm) sieve and is retained on a 3⁄4-in. (19-mm) sieve.

Answer 5

Gravel - Coarse

Question 6

passes a 3⁄4-in. (19-mm) sieve and is retained on a No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve

Answer 6

Gravel - Fine

Question 7

a clay with sufficient organic content to influence the soil properties. For classification, an organic clay is a soil that would be classified as clay, except that its liquid limit value after oven drying is less than 75 % of its liquid limit value before oven drying.

Answer 7

Organic Clay

Question 8

a silt with sufficient organic content to influence the soil properties.

Answer 8

Organic Silt

Question 9

a soil composed primarily of vegetable tissue in various stages of decomposition, usually with an organic odor, a dark brown to black color, a spongy consistency, and a texture ranging from fibrous to amorphous.

Answer 9

Peat

Question 10

particles of rock that will pass a No. 4 (4.75- mm) sieve and be retained on a No. 200 (75-µm) sieve with the following subdivisions:

Coarse
Medium
Fine

Answer 10

Sand

Question 11

passes a No. 4 (4.75-mm) sieve and is retained on a No. 10 (2.00-mm) sieve.

Answer 11

Sand - Coarse

Question 12

passes a No. 10 (2.00-mm) sieve and is retained on a No. 40 (425-µm) sieve.

Answer 12

Sand Medium

Question 13

passes a No. 40 (425-µm) sieve and is retained on a No. 200 (75-µm) sieve.

Answer 13

Sand Fine

Question 14

soil passing a No. 200 (75-µm) sieve that is non-plastic or very slightly plastic and that exhibits little or no strength when air dry.

Answer 14

Silt

Question 14

4 conditions of Soil

Answer 14

Color
Odor
Moisture Condition
HCI Reaction

Question 15

Alternating layers of varying material or color with layers at least 6mm thick; note thickness

Answer 15

Stratified

Question 16

Alternating layers of varying material or color with the layers less than 6mm thick; note thickness

Answer 16

Laminated

Question 17

Breaks along definite planes of fracture with little resistance to fracturing

Answer 17

Fissured

Question 18

Fracture planes appear polished or glossy, sometimes striated

Answer 18

Slickenslided

Question 19

Cohesive soil that can be broken down into small angular lumps which resist further breakdown

Answer 19

Blocky

Question 20

Inclusion of small pockets of different soils, such as small lenses of sand scattered through a mass of clay; note thickness

Answer 20

Lensed

Question 21

Same color and appearance throughout

Answer 21

Homogeneous

Question 22

Mentally visualize the gravel size particles placed in sacks or containers. Do the same for sand size particles and fines. Then, mentally compare the number of sacks to estimate the percentage of plus No. 4 sieve size and minus No. 4 sieve size present. The percentages of sand and fines in the minus sieve size No. 4 material can then be estimated from the wash test.

Answer 22

Visual Method

Question 23

may be done by thoroughly shaking the soil and water mixture in a jar or test tube and allowing the mixture to settle. The larger the particles, the less time it would require to settle. Sand particles will settle in 20-30 seconds. When all the particles have finally settled, the proportions can now be estimated.

Answer 23

Jar Method

Question 24

Select and moisten enough minus No. 4 sieve size material to form a 1-in (25-mm) cube of soil. Cut the cube in half, set one-half to the side, and place the other half in a small dish. Wash and decant the fines out of the material in the dish until the wash water is clear and then compare the two samples and estimate the percentage of sand and fines. Remember that the percentage is based on weight, not volume. However, the volume comparison will provide a reasonable indication of grain size percentages.

Answer 24

Wash Test

Question 25

if the percent of fines is equal to or greater than 50%, the soil is fine-grained; otherwise, it is

Answer 25

coarse-grained

Question 26

Particles have sharp edges and relatively plane sides with unpolished surfaces

Answer 26

Angular

Question 27

Particles are similar to angular description but have rounded edges

Answer 27

Subangular

Question 28

Particles have nearly plane sides but have well-rounded corners and edges

Answer 28

Subrounded

Question 29

Particles have smoothly curved sides and no edges

Answer 29

Rounded

Question 30

Particles with width/thickness > 3

Answer 30

Flat

Question 31

Particles with length/width > 3

Answer 31

Elongated

Question 32

Particles meet the criteria for both flat and elongated

Answer 32

Flat and Elongated

Question 33

Identification Procedure for Fine-Grained Soils

Answer 33

Dry strength dilatancy toughness plasticity

Question 34

the ratio of the mass of water contained in the pore spaces of soil or rock material, to the solid mass of particles in that material, expressed as a percentage.

Answer 34

water content

Question 35

the state that a water content specimen has attained when further heating causes, or would cause, less than 1 % or 0.1 % additional loss in mass for Method A or B respectively.

Answer 35

Constant Dry Mass

Question 36

Soil Identification Using Visual Manual Procedure

Answer 36

ASTM D-2488

Question 37

Determination of Moisture Content of Soil

Answer 37

ASTM D-2216

Question 38

Determination of Unit Weight of Soil

Answer 38

ASTM D-7263

Question 39

is a critical parameter that influences the design and stability of structures, foundations, and earthworks.

Answer 39

Unit weight

Question 40

Determination of Specific Gravity

Answer 40

ASTM D-854 and AASHTO T100

Question 41

is vital for calculating other important parameters, such as void ratio and degree of saturation, which are fundamental in assessing soil strength and stability.

Answer 41

Specific Gravity

Question 42

the specific gravity of soil solids is determined using

Answer 42

pycnometer

Question 43

the ratio of the mass of a unit volume of a soil solids to the mass of the same volume of gas-free distilled water at 20°C.

Answer 43

Specific Gravity

Question 44

Determination of Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index

Answer 44

ASTM D-4318

Question 45

boundary between the solid and semi-solid state is called

Answer 45

shrinkage limit

Question 46

between the semi-solid and plastic state is the

Answer 46

plastic limit

Question 47

the boundary between the plastic and liquid state

Answer 47

liquid limit

Question 48

“Atterberg Limits,” named after the Swedish scientist

Answer 48

Albert Mauritz Atterberg

Question 49

originally, six “limits of consistency” of fine-grained soils were defined by Albert Atterberg: the upper limit of viscous flow, the liquid limit, the sticky limit, the cohesion limit, the plastic limit, and the shrinkage limit. In current engineering usage, the term usually refers only to the liquid limit, plastic limit, and in some references, the shrinkage limit.

Answer 49

Atterberg limits

Question 50

the relative ease with which a soil can be deformed

Answer 50

consistency

Question 51

the water content, in percent, of soil at the arbitrarily defined boundary between the semiliquid and plastic states

Answer 51

liquid limit

Question 52

the water content, in percent, of soil at the boundary between the plastic and semi-solid states

Answer 52

plastic limit

Question 53

a soil that has a range of water content over which it exhibits plasticity and which will retain its shape on drying

Answer 53

plastic soil

Question 54

the range of water content over which a soil behaves plastically. Numerically, it is the difference between the liquid and plastic limits

Answer 54

plasticity index