Foundation Engineering MCQs 2026

Factor of safety for bearing capacity commonly ranges

1. A0.5✓
2. B2.5 to 3 for shallow foundations✓
3. C1 always✓
4. D10 for all soils without exception✓

Gross bearing pressure includes

1. Aself-weight of footing and soil overburden plus external load✓
2. Bonly live load on column✓
3. Conly wind on roof truss✓
4. Donly steel stress✓

Net bearing pressure equals

1. Agross pressure minus effective overburden at foundation level✓
2. Bgross plus overburden✓
3. Conly column load divided by steel area✓
4. Dzero always✓

Allowable settlement for isolated footing on sand is often limited to

1. A500 mm typical✓
2. Babout 25 mm total or per code✓
3. Czero always✓
4. Donly rotational tilt without limit✓

Differential settlement is harmful because it causes

1. Aonly uniform elastic compression beneficially✓
2. Bincreased steel yield only✓
3. Cstructural distress, cracking and misalignment✓
4. Dzero effect on masonry✓

Combined footing supports

1. Atwo or more columns on a single pad✓
2. Bonly one column always✓
3. Conly retaining wall without soil✓
4. Donly steel truss✓

Strap (cantilever) footing connects

1. Apile cap to chimney only✓
2. Broof to foundation without load✓
3. Conly basement slab✓
4. Disolated footing with main footing via strap beam✓

Raft (mat) foundation is used when

1. Asoil is rock at surface only✓
2. Bonly single light pole✓
3. Cno groundwater exists✓
4. Dcolumn loads are close and soil bearing is low✓

Raft thickness is governed by

1. Aonly paint thickness✓
2. Bonly wind on parapet✓
3. Cbending from column loads and punching shear✓
4. Donly timber seasoning✓

Eccentric loading on footing creates

1. Aalways uniform pressure✓
2. Bzero moment in footing✓
3. Cnon-uniform contact pressure distribution✓
4. Donly vertical concentric load✓

Pressure under rigid footing on cohesive soil at ultimate load may show

1. Aalways uniform for all cases✓
2. Bpeak at edges or centre depending on shape and soil✓
3. Conly negative everywhere✓
4. Dhydrostatic only✓

Minimum depth of foundation below ground is influenced by

1. Afrost depth, scour and adjacent trench depth (rankine line)✓
2. Bonly architectural height✓
3. Conly roof colour✓
4. Donly steel grade✓

Rankine line for adjacent footing depth relates

1. Aonly concrete cover✓
2. Bonly slump test✓
3. Cpreventing shear failure from lower footing into upper✓
4. Donly paint primer✓

Isolated square footing area is sized from

1. Aonly steel percentage✓
2. Bonly wind on door✓
3. Conly brick absorption✓
4. Dservice column load divided by allowable bearing pressure✓

Depth of isolated footing for bending is often where

1. Acritical section for moment is at face of column✓
2. Bmid-span of roof slab✓
3. Ctop of parapet✓
4. Dbottom of pile cap only✓

One-way shear in footing is checked at

1. Acentre of column only✓
2. Btop of backfill only✓
3. Cpile tip✓
4. Dsection distance d from column face✓

Two-way (punching) shear in footing occurs around

1. Acolumn perimeter at distance d/2 from column face✓
2. Bonly footing edge✓
3. Conly soil surface✓
4. Dstrap beam mid-span only✓

Development length of footing reinforcement ensures

1. Aonly colour of bar✓
2. Bzero anchorage✓
3. Conly compression in soil✓
4. Dbond between steel and concrete beyond critical section✓

Plain concrete footing may be allowed for

1. Ahigh-rise core always✓
2. Ball bridges without steel✓
3. Cpiles only✓
4. Dlow-intensity load on good soil per local code practice✓

Pile foundation transfers load by

1. Aonly lateral wind on tower✓
2. Bend bearing on firm stratum and/or skin friction along shaft✓
3. Conly capillary rise✓
4. Donly paint on pile✓

Casing in bored pile prevents

1. Aonly corrosion of paint on building✓
2. Bonly increase of LL✓
3. Conly timber seasoning✓
4. Dcollapse of borehole walls in caving soils✓

Concrete in piles must have

1. Aonly zero slump always in water✓
2. Bno cover to steel✓
3. Cadequate workability, strength and sometimes self-compacting property for tremie✓
4. Donly dry pack without vibration underwater✓

Factor of safety on end bearing in piles is often

1. Ahigher than on skin friction alone in design summation✓
2. Bzero for end bearing✓
3. Calways 1.0 for everything✓
4. Dnot considered in codes✓

Allowable pile capacity from field test often uses

1. Aultimate without limits always✓
2. Bonly hammer weight✓
3. Cload at specified settlement (e.g., 12 mm) divided by FS✓
4. Donly LL of clay✓

Pile integrity test (low strain PIT) detects

1. Amajor cracks, necks or soil inclusions in shaft✓
2. Bonly surface paint defects✓
3. Conly brick absorption✓
4. Donly slump of fresh concrete in truck✓

Secant or tangent pile wall provides

1. Aonly decorative boundary without retention✓
2. Bexcavation support and water cut-off in urban sites✓
3. Conly surface compaction✓
4. Donly timber fence✓

Sheet pile wall acts as

1. Aonly spread footing for column✓
2. Bonly roof truss✓
3. Cretaining or cut-off structure transferring lateral earth and water✓
4. Donly interior partition✓

Batter piles resist

1. Aonly vertical compression without any lateral capacity✓
2. Blarge lateral loads by inclined shaft component✓
3. Conly thermal expansion✓
4. Donly roof dead load✓

Pile foundation in expansive soil should extend

1. Aonly in active zone✓
2. Bbelow active zone depth to stable moisture regime✓
3. Cabove ground only✓
4. Dwithout any skin friction consideration✓

Plate load test modulus k is used in

1. Aonly concrete air content✓
2. BWinkler model for raft settlement approximation✓
3. Conly brick firing temperature✓
4. Donly timber grade✓

Soil investigation report recommends foundation type based on

1. Aonly architect sketch✓
2. Bonly steel supplier brochure✓
3. Cborehole stratigraphy, groundwater and lab test results✓
4. Donly paint schedule✓

Kern width of rectangular footing is

1. AB/2 always✓
2. BB/6 for single-axis eccentricity on width B✓
3. Czero✓
4. Dequal to depth only✓

Contact pressure trapezoid under eccentric footing has

1. Aalways infinite at centre✓
2. Bzero pressure at edge when eccentricity reaches kern width✓
3. Cuniform always✓
4. Donly negative without tension gap in soil✓

Floating foundation (balanced raft) means

1. Afooting floats in water without concrete✓
2. Bzero soil contact✓
3. Cweight of excavation equals or offsets building weight to limit settlement✓
4. Donly on rock without soil✓

Wall footing (strip) width depends on

1. Aline load from wall and allowable soil pressure✓
2. Bonly window size✓
3. Conly paint type✓
4. Donly roof tile weight alone without wall✓

Inverted T-beam footing supports

1. Aonly isolated column point load✓
2. Bonly chimney without load✓
3. Cwall load along strip with stem like wall footing✓
4. Donly bridge cable alone✓

Sloped footing (stepped) is used on

1. Ahillside or stepped sites to maintain level bearing✓
2. Bonly perfectly flat desert without steps✓
3. Conly interior drywall✓
4. Donly steel roof truss✓

Pedestal footing is a short column extension where

1. Adepth is small and bending may be neglected if l/d is low✓
2. Balways slender like flagpole✓
3. Conly timber✓
4. Donly pile without cap✓

Structural design of footing uses

1. Aonly working stress without any serviceability✓
2. Blimit state of strength and serviceability for settlement/crack✓
3. Conly soil colour✓
4. Donly wind on trees✓

Seismic foundation design considers

1. Aonly static dead load✓
2. Bonly brick colour✓
3. Conly slump test✓
4. Dinertia forces, potential liquefaction and structural ductility✓

Liquefiable sand site may require

1. Aonly shallow spread footing without study✓
2. Bonly increased roof load✓
3. Cignore earthquake✓
4. Dcompaction, stone columns, piles to competent layer or ground improvement✓

Scour around bridge pier removes

1. Aonly air pollution✓
2. Bonly paint on steel✓
3. Conly roof tiles✓
4. Dbed material reducing support — foundations must extend below scour depth✓

Frost heave protection for shallow footing uses

1. Aonly thin mortar bed✓
2. Bonly paint✓
3. Cextend below frost line or use non-frost-susceptible fill✓
4. Dshallowest possible always✓

Precast concrete piles offer

1. Aonly cast in extremely soft slurry without casing always✓
2. Bcontrolled quality and rapid installation by driving✓
3. Czero driving stress capacity✓
4. Donly manual hand placement✓

Timber piles are suited to

1. Aalways highest skyscraper loads today✓
2. Bonly dry desert without decay risk unprotected✓
3. Cshort-term or low-load applications below water table historically✓
4. Donly as tensile anchors without treatment✓

Friction pile develops capacity mainly from

1. Askin friction along embedded length in cohesive or granular soil✓
2. Bonly end bearing on air✓
3. Conly capillary in topsoil✓
4. Donly concrete shrinkage✓

End-bearing pile is preferred when

1. Aonly soft clay for full length without tip resistance✓
2. Bno borehole data✓
3. Cfirm stratum exists at reachable depth✓
4. Donly floating without friction✓

Factor of safety for bearing capacity commonly ranges

1. A0.5✓
2. B2.5 to 3 for shallow foundations✓
3. C1 always✓
4. D10 for all soils without exception✓

Gross bearing pressure includes

1. Aself-weight of footing and soil overburden plus external load✓
2. Bonly live load on column✓
3. Conly wind on roof truss✓
4. Donly steel stress✓

Net bearing pressure equals

1. Agross pressure minus effective overburden at foundation level✓
2. Bgross plus overburden✓
3. Conly column load divided by steel area✓
4. Dzero always✓

Allowable settlement for isolated footing on sand is often limited to

1. A500 mm typical✓
2. Babout 25 mm total or per code✓
3. Czero always✓
4. Donly rotational tilt without limit✓

Differential settlement is harmful because it causes

1. Aonly uniform elastic compression beneficially✓
2. Bincreased steel yield only✓
3. Cstructural distress, cracking and misalignment✓
4. Dzero effect on masonry✓

Combined footing supports

1. Atwo or more columns on a single pad✓
2. Bonly one column always✓
3. Conly retaining wall without soil✓
4. Donly steel truss✓

Strap (cantilever) footing connects

1. Apile cap to chimney only✓
2. Broof to foundation without load✓
3. Conly basement slab✓
4. Disolated footing with main footing via strap beam✓

Raft (mat) foundation is used when

1. Asoil is rock at surface only✓
2. Bonly single light pole✓
3. Cno groundwater exists✓
4. Dcolumn loads are close and soil bearing is low✓

Raft thickness is governed by

1. Aonly paint thickness✓
2. Bonly wind on parapet✓
3. Cbending from column loads and punching shear✓
4. Donly timber seasoning✓

Eccentric loading on footing creates

1. Aalways uniform pressure✓
2. Bzero moment in footing✓
3. Cnon-uniform contact pressure distribution✓
4. Donly vertical concentric load✓

Pressure under rigid footing on cohesive soil at ultimate load may show

1. Aalways uniform for all cases✓
2. Bpeak at edges or centre depending on shape and soil✓
3. Conly negative everywhere✓
4. Dhydrostatic only✓

Minimum depth of foundation below ground is influenced by

1. Afrost depth, scour and adjacent trench depth (rankine line)✓
2. Bonly architectural height✓
3. Conly roof colour✓
4. Donly steel grade✓

Isolated square footing area is sized from

1. Aonly steel percentage✓
2. Bonly wind on door✓
3. Conly brick absorption✓
4. Dservice column load divided by allowable bearing pressure✓

Depth of isolated footing for bending is often where

1. Acritical section for moment is at face of column✓
2. Bmid-span of roof slab✓
3. Ctop of parapet✓
4. Dbottom of pile cap only✓

One-way shear in footing is checked at

1. Acentre of column only✓
2. Btop of backfill only✓
3. Cpile tip✓
4. Dsection distance d from column face✓

Two-way (punching) shear in footing occurs around

1. Acolumn perimeter at distance d/2 from column face✓
2. Bonly footing edge✓
3. Conly soil surface✓
4. Dstrap beam mid-span only✓

Development length of footing reinforcement ensures

1. Aonly colour of bar✓
2. Bzero anchorage✓
3. Conly compression in soil✓
4. Dbond between steel and concrete beyond critical section✓

Plain concrete footing may be allowed for

1. Ahigh-rise core always✓
2. Ball bridges without steel✓
3. Cpiles only✓
4. Dlow-intensity load on good soil per local code practice✓

Pile foundation transfers load by

1. Aonly lateral wind on tower✓
2. Bend bearing on firm stratum and/or skin friction along shaft✓
3. Conly capillary rise✓
4. Donly paint on pile✓

End-bearing pile is preferred when

1. Aonly soft clay for full length without tip resistance✓
2. Bno borehole data✓
3. Cfirm stratum exists at reachable depth✓
4. Donly floating without friction✓

Friction pile develops capacity mainly from

1. Askin friction along embedded length in cohesive or granular soil✓
2. Bonly end bearing on air✓
3. Conly capillary in topsoil✓
4. Donly concrete shrinkage✓

Timber piles are suited to

1. Aalways highest skyscraper loads today✓
2. Bonly dry desert without decay risk unprotected✓
3. Cshort-term or low-load applications below water table historically✓
4. Donly as tensile anchors without treatment✓

Precast concrete piles offer

1. Aonly cast in extremely soft slurry without casing always✓
2. Bcontrolled quality and rapid installation by driving✓
3. Czero driving stress capacity✓
4. Donly manual hand placement✓

Frost heave protection for shallow footing uses

1. Aonly thin mortar bed✓
2. Bonly paint✓
3. Cextend below frost line or use non-frost-susceptible fill✓
4. Dshallowest possible always✓

Scour around bridge pier removes

1. Aonly air pollution✓
2. Bonly paint on steel✓
3. Conly roof tiles✓
4. Dbed material reducing support — foundations must extend below scour depth✓

Liquefiable sand site may require

1. Aonly shallow spread footing without study✓
2. Bonly increased roof load✓
3. Cignore earthquake✓
4. Dcompaction, stone columns, piles to competent layer or ground improvement✓

Seismic foundation design considers

1. Aonly static dead load✓
2. Bonly brick colour✓
3. Conly slump test✓
4. Dinertia forces, potential liquefaction and structural ductility✓

Structural design of footing uses

1. Aonly working stress without any serviceability✓
2. Blimit state of strength and serviceability for settlement/crack✓
3. Conly soil colour✓
4. Donly wind on trees✓

Pedestal footing is a short column extension where

1. Adepth is small and bending may be neglected if l/d is low✓
2. Balways slender like flagpole✓
3. Conly timber✓
4. Donly pile without cap✓

Sloped footing (stepped) is used on

1. Ahillside or stepped sites to maintain level bearing✓
2. Bonly perfectly flat desert without steps✓
3. Conly interior drywall✓
4. Donly steel roof truss✓

Inverted T-beam footing supports

1. Aonly isolated column point load✓
2. Bonly chimney without load✓
3. Cwall load along strip with stem like wall footing✓
4. Donly bridge cable alone✓

Wall footing (strip) width depends on

1. Aline load from wall and allowable soil pressure✓
2. Bonly window size✓
3. Conly paint type✓
4. Donly roof tile weight alone without wall✓

Floating foundation (balanced raft) means

1. Afooting floats in water without concrete✓
2. Bzero soil contact✓
3. Cweight of excavation equals or offsets building weight to limit settlement✓
4. Donly on rock without soil✓

Contact pressure trapezoid under eccentric footing has

1. Aalways infinite at centre✓
2. Bzero pressure at edge when eccentricity reaches kern width✓
3. Cuniform always✓
4. Donly negative without tension gap in soil✓

Kern width of rectangular footing is

1. AB/2 always✓
2. BB/6 for single-axis eccentricity on width B✓
3. Czero✓
4. Dequal to depth only✓

Soil investigation report recommends foundation type based on

1. Aonly architect sketch✓
2. Bonly steel supplier brochure✓
3. Cborehole stratigraphy, groundwater and lab test results✓
4. Donly paint schedule✓

Plate load test modulus k is used in

1. Aonly concrete air content✓
2. BWinkler model for raft settlement approximation✓
3. Conly brick firing temperature✓
4. Donly timber grade✓

Pile foundation in expansive soil should extend

1. Aonly in active zone✓
2. Bbelow active zone depth to stable moisture regime✓
3. Cabove ground only✓
4. Dwithout any skin friction consideration✓

Batter piles resist

1. Aonly vertical compression without any lateral capacity✓
2. Blarge lateral loads by inclined shaft component✓
3. Conly thermal expansion✓
4. Donly roof dead load✓

Sheet pile wall acts as

1. Aonly spread footing for column✓
2. Bonly roof truss✓
3. Cretaining or cut-off structure transferring lateral earth and water✓
4. Donly interior partition✓

Secant or tangent pile wall provides

1. Aonly decorative boundary without retention✓
2. Bexcavation support and water cut-off in urban sites✓
3. Conly surface compaction✓
4. Donly timber fence✓

Pile integrity test (low strain PIT) detects

1. Amajor cracks, necks or soil inclusions in shaft✓
2. Bonly surface paint defects✓
3. Conly brick absorption✓
4. Donly slump of fresh concrete in truck✓

Allowable pile capacity from field test often uses

1. Aultimate without limits always✓
2. Bonly hammer weight✓
3. Cload at specified settlement (e.g., 12 mm) divided by FS✓
4. Donly LL of clay✓

Factor of safety on end bearing in piles is often

1. Ahigher than on skin friction alone in design summation✓
2. Bzero for end bearing✓
3. Calways 1.0 for everything✓
4. Dnot considered in codes✓

Concrete in piles must have

1. Aonly zero slump always in water✓
2. Bno cover to steel✓
3. Cadequate workability, strength and sometimes self-compacting property for tremie✓
4. Donly dry pack without vibration underwater✓

Casing in bored pile prevents

1. Aonly corrosion of paint on building✓
2. Bonly increase of LL✓
3. Conly timber seasoning✓
4. Dcollapse of borehole walls in caving soils✓