GPSC Civil Engineering (Combine Exam) Paper Solution (03-05-26) – Page 7

61) The design of a retaining wall involves multiple failure modes. For a cantilever retaining wall with stem height H, as per IS 456:2000 and geotechnical principles, which of the following statements is incorrect?

1. The critical section for bending moment in the stem is at the base of the stem (junction with base slab).
2. The pressure on the toe of the base slab is always greater than on the heel when the resultant falls within the middle third.
3. For overturning stability, the factor of safety is the ratio of resisting moments to overturning moments about the toe, and must be ≥ 1.5.
4. Shear key below the base slab increases sliding resistance by mobilizing passive earth pressure on the front face of the key.

62) Rain gauge station X did not function for a part of month during which a storm occurred. The storm rainfall recorded at the three surrounding stations A, B and C were 100 mm, 90 mm and 80 mm respectively. If normal precipitation at stations A, B, C and X are 1000 mm, 900 mm, 800 mm and 700 mm respectively, then missing precipitation at station X will be

1. 70 mm
2. 80 mm
3. 90 mm
4. 105 mm

63) In the design of an isolated footing as per IS 456:2000, the following checks are required:

1. One-way (beam) shear – critical section at ‘d’ from column face.
2. Two-way (punching) shear – critical section at ‘d/2’ from column face.
3. Bending moment – critical section at the face of column (for concrete footings).
4. The projection of footing beyond the critical section for punching must be ≥ d for the punching shear check to be valid without staggered reinforcement.

Which of the above checks also requires verifying the DEVELOPMENT LENGTH of reinforcement from the critical section to the edge?

1. Only 1
2. Only 1 and 3
3. Only 3
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

64) If coefficient of variation of rainfall values at 4 rain gauge stations is 30% and permissible error in the estimation of mean rainfall is 10%, the additional number of rain gauge stations required in the catchment is

1. 8
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6

65) If a 6-hour storm with a uniform intensity of 15 mm/hour produced a run-off depth of 72 mm, then the average infiltration rate during this storm will be

1. 3 mm/hour
2. 6 mm/hour
3. 9 mm/hour
4. 12 mm/hour

66) In a construction project, the following activities are given:

• Activity | Duration | Predecessors
• A | 5 | –
• B | 8 | A
• C | 6 | A
• D | 4 | B
• E | 7 | B, C
• F | 3 | D, E

Using CPM, the project duration and the critical path are respectively:

1. 23 days; A-B-E-F
2. 24 days; A-C-E-F
3. 22 days; A-B-D-F
4. 24 days; A-B-D-F

67) In PERT (Programme Evaluation and Review Technique), the three-time estimates are to = 4, tm = 10, tp = 22 days for an activity. Consider:

1. The expected time te = (to + 4tm + tp) / 6 = (4 + 40 + 22) / 6 = 11 days.
2. The variance σ² = [(tp – to) / 6]² = [(22 – 4) / 6]² = 9 days².
3. For a project with 5 independent activities in series, the project variance = sum of individual activity variances.
4. The probability of completing the project before the scheduled date Ts uses the Z-score: Z = (Ts – Te) / √(ΣV) where Te = expected project duration.

Which of the above statements are correct?

1. 1 and 4 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1, 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

68) Which of the following statements about ‘Earned Value Management’ (EVM) in construction projects is incorrect?

1. Cost Performance Index (CPI) = EV / AC; CPI < 1 means the project is over budget.
2. Schedule Performance Index (SPI) = EV / PV; SPI > 1 means the project is behind schedule.
3. Estimate at Completion (EAC) = BAC / CPI when the future work is expected to be performed at the same efficiency.
4. Cost Variance (CV) = EV – AC; a negative CV implies cost overrun.

69) The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in India as per EIA Notification, 2006 (amended) classifies projects into Category A and Category B. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

1. Category A projects require EIA with public consultation and are appraised by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
2. Category B1 projects require EIA with public consultation and are appraised by State-level EAC.
3. Category B2 projects require only a Form-1 checklist and do not require EIA preparation.
4. Thermal power plants > 500 MW are not a Category A projects

70) In resource levelling for a construction project:

1. Resource levelling aims to reduce peak resource requirements by using float available in non-critical activities.
2. Resource smoothing changes the project end date to achieve a uniform resource profile.
3. ‘Time-limited resource scheduling’ fixes the project duration and adjusts resource usage within available limits.
4. ‘Resource-limited scheduling’ fixes the maximum resource availability and allows the project duration to extend.

Which of the above statements are correct?

1. 1 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4