CLASS WORKSHEET IV

1. Bearing capacity of a soil strata

supporting a footing of size 3 m x 3
m will not be affected by the
presence of ground water table
located at a depth which is
a. 1.0 m below the base of the
footing
b. 1.2 m below the base of the
footing
c. 2.5 m below the base of the
footing
d. 3 m below the base of the
footing
2. Two circular footings of diameter D1
and D2 are resting on the surface of a
purely cohesive soil. The ratio
D1/D2=2. If the ultimate load
carrying capacity of the footing of
diameter D1 is 200 kN/m2 then the
ultimate bearing capacity in (kN/m2)
of footing diameter D2 will be
a. 100
b. 200
c. 314
d. 571
3. The minimum bearing capacity of a
soil under a giving footing occurs
when the ground water table at the
location is at
a. The base of the footing
b. The ground level
c. A depth equal to one-half the
width of footing
d. A depth equal to the width of
footing
4. The contact pressure distribution
under a rigid footing on a
cohesionless soil would be
a. Uniform throughout
b. Zero at center and maximum
at edges
c. Zero at edges and maximum
at center

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

d. Maximum at edges and

minimum at center
In case of footing on the surface or
shallow depth of very dense sand
which one of the following types of
failure is likely to occur?
a. Punching shear failure
b. Local shear failure
c. General shear failure
d. Any of the above three
The bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq,
N are function of
a. Width and depth of footing
b. Density of soil
c. Cohesion of soil
d. Angle of internal friction of
soil
In which one of the following zones
is a logarithmic spiral shape of
failure surface assumed in the case of
bearing capacity analysis of c-
soils?
a. Active zone
b. Passive zone
c. Radical shear zone
d. Surcharge zone
A test plate, 30 cm square, settles by
12 mm under a load of 4.5 kN in a
sandy soil. By how much will a
footing 2m x 2m subjected to a load
of 200 kN settle?
a. 36.3 mm
b. 20.87 mm
c. 75.75 mm
d. 18.15 mm
Two footing, one circular and other
square, are founded on the surface of
a purely cohesionless soil. The
diameter of the circular footing is the
same as that of the side of the square
footing. The ratio between their
ultimate bearing capacities will be
a. 1.0
b. 1.3

Geotechnical engineering Vikas Srivastava (IIT Roorkee) - +91-7376583252

c. 1.33
d. 0.75
10. The mean unconfined compressive
strength of a purely cohesive soil
was found to be 50 kN/m2. The net
ultimate bearing capacity of a square
footing calculated by Skemptons
equation will be
a. 250 kN/m2
b. 180 kN/m2
c. 150 kN/m2
d. 125 kN/m2
11. The gross bearing capacity of a
footing is 450 kN/m2. If the footing
is 1.5 m wide and is at a depth of 1 m
in a clayey soil which has a unit
weight of 20 kN/m2, then the net
bearing capacity is
a. 410 kN/m2
b. 420 kN/m2
c. 430 kN/m2
d. 440 kN/m2
12. The width and depth of a footing are
2 and 1.5 m respectively. The water
table at the site is at a depth of 3 m
below the ground level. The water
table correction factor for the
calculation of the bearing capacity of
soil is
a. 0.875
b. 1.000
c. 0.925
d. 0.500

13. Two circular footing of diameters D1

and D2 are resting on the surface of
the same purely cohesive soil. The
ratio for their gross ultimate bearing
capacities is
a. D1/D2
b. 1.0
c. (D1/D2)2
d. D2/D1
14. A soil has low allowable bearing
capacity. The soil deposit contains
compressible loess. A foundation is
to be provided for a structure
carrying a heavy load. Which one of
the following foundation types is to
be adopted?
a. Strip footing
b. Continuous footing
c. Raft footing
d. Combined Spread foundation
15. The net ultimate bearing capacity of
a purely cohesive soil
a. Depends on the width of the
footing and is independent of
the depth of the footing
b. Depends on the depth, but is
independent of the width, of
the footing
c. Depends on the width as well
as the depth of the footing
d. Is independent of both the
width and the depth of the
footing

Geotechnical engineering Vikas Srivastava (IIT Roorkee) - +91-7376583252