Basic Civil Engineering Questions and Answers – Source and Classification of Sand

This set of Basic Civil Engineering Multiple Choice Questions & Answers (MCQs) focuses on “Source and Classification of Sand”.

1. What is sand composed of?
a) Silica
b) Silicon
c) Silicon oxide
d) Quartz
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: Sand is composed of small grains of silica (SiO2). It’s also called silicon dioxide.

2. Which of the following sand type is excellent for use in mortar and concrete work?
a) Sea sand
b) Clayey sand
c) Pit sand
d) River sand
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Pit sand doesn’t contain any salts and has sharp, angular grains. These are the desired properties for a sand to be used for mortar and concrete.

3. At what depth should pit sand be excavated from?
a) 1 – 2 m from bed of water body
b) 1 – 2 m from ground surface
c) 1 – 2 cm from bed of water body
d) 1 – 2 cm from ground surface
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Pit sand is found in Earth in deposits. It is obtained by forming pits in the soil. At a depth of 1 – 2 m from the ground surface, angular grained pit sand is obtained.
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4. Which IS code gives the grading of sand?
a) IS 456
b) IS 383
c) IS 2368
d) IS 1542
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: IS code 383-1970 gives the classification of sand based on the grading. There are 4 grading zones. For each sieve size, there is a specific % of particle passing through that sieve, denoted in the respective zone.

5. What type of grains constitutes river sand?
a) Angular
b) Flaky
c) Irregular
d) Rounded
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: River sand is constituted of fine round grains. These are the result of mutual attrition under the effect of water current. It is naturally occurring, clean and mostly white in colour.

6. Sand is a fine grained component in soil.
a) True
b) False
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: Sand size lies in the range 4.75 mm to 75 microns. A fine grained component of a soil has a size less than 75 microns.

7. How many classifications are there for sand based on the grain size distribution?
a) 3
b) 2
c) 5
d) 4
View Answer

Answer: a
Explanation: There are three types of sands based on grain size distribution. They are fine (passes through 1.5875 mm sieve), coarse (passes through 3.175 mm sieve) and gravelly sand (passes through 7.62 mm sieve).
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8. Fine sand is generally used for which of the following works?
a) Masonry
b) Concrete structures
c) Plastering
d) Grinding and polishing
View Answer

Answer: c
Explanation: Plastering is the act of applying a layer of plaster over a wall. It gives the wall a smooth and decorative appearance. Hence, for achieving the smoothness, fine grained sand is employed.

9. How is M-sand produced?
a) Crushing bricks
b) Quarrying
c) Reusing the debris of demolished building
d) Crushing granite stones
View Answer

Answer: d
Explanation: M-sand stands for Manufactured sand and contains cubical grains with grounded edges. These are the perfect replacement for sand to be used in construction works.
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10. Which one of the following is not an advantage of using M-sand?
a) Cost effective
b) Available in single size
c) Dust and impurity free
d) Can be obtained from hard rock
View Answer

Answer: b
Explanation: M-sand is obtained by crushing specific hard rock and since it’s manufactured in factories, any size can be manufactured depending on the need.

Sanfoundry Global Education & Learning Series – Basic Civil Engineering.

To practice all areas of Basic Civil Engineering, here is complete set of 1000+ Multiple Choice Questions and Answers.

If you find a mistake in question / option / answer, kindly take a screenshot and email to [email protected]

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Manish Bhojasia - Founder & CTO at Sanfoundry
Manish Bhojasia, a technology veteran with 20+ years @ Cisco & Wipro, is Founder and CTO at Sanfoundry. He lives in Bangalore, and focuses on development of Linux Kernel, SAN Technologies, Advanced C, Data Structures & Alogrithms. Stay connected with him at LinkedIn.

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