{"id":291,"date":"2026-09-30T00:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T00:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/?page_id=291"},"modified":"2026-09-30T00:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T00:27:17","slug":"40-practice-mcqs-with-answers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/nec-prep\/40-practice-mcqs-with-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"40 Practice MCQs with Answers"},"content":{"rendered":"

40 Practice MCQs \u2014 NEC Civil License Exam<\/h1>\n

All questions below are original<\/strong> \u2014 written for this page, not copied from any source. Each tests one concept from the official syllabus. Answer key at the end.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A. Basic Civil Engineering (Q1\u20134)<\/h2>\n

1.<\/strong> As per IS 269, the initial setting time of ordinary Portland cement shall not be less than:<\/p>\n

a) 10 minutes<\/p>\n

b) 30 minutes<\/p>\n

c) 60 minutes<\/p>\n

d) 600 minutes<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Bulking of sand is at its maximum when the moisture content is approximately:<\/p>\n

a) 1\u20132%<\/p>\n

b) 4\u20136%<\/p>\n

c) 12\u201315%<\/p>\n

d) 20\u201325%<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The water absorption of a first-class brick, as a percentage of its dry weight, should not exceed:<\/p>\n

a) 10%<\/p>\n

b) 15%<\/p>\n

c) 20%<\/p>\n

d) 25%<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> A damp-proof course (DPC) in a load-bearing masonry building is generally provided at:<\/p>\n

a) plinth level<\/p>\n

b) sill level<\/p>\n

c) lintel level<\/p>\n

d) roof level<\/p>\n

B. Soil Mechanics & Foundations (Q5\u201310)<\/h2>\n

5.<\/strong> A soil sample has a void ratio of 0.25. Its porosity is:<\/p>\n

a) 15%<\/p>\n

b) 20%<\/p>\n

c) 25%<\/p>\n

d) 30%<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> For a normally consolidated cohesionless soil with \u03c6 = 30\u00b0, Jaky’s coefficient of earth pressure at rest (K\u2080) is:<\/p>\n

a) 0.33<\/p>\n

b) 0.50<\/p>\n

c) 0.67<\/p>\n

d) 1.00<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong> The quicksand condition develops in a cohesionless soil when the upward hydraulic gradient:<\/p>\n

a) becomes zero<\/p>\n

b) equals the critical hydraulic gradient<\/p>\n

c) exceeds 2.0<\/p>\n

d) acts downward<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong> In Terzaghi’s bearing capacity equation, the bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and N\u03b3 are functions of:<\/p>\n

a) cohesion only<\/p>\n

b) the angle of internal friction \u03c6 only<\/p>\n

c) both cohesion and \u03c6<\/p>\n

d) the depth of foundation only<\/p>\n

9.<\/strong> The liquid limit of a soil is determined in the laboratory using:<\/p>\n

a) the Casagrande apparatus<\/p>\n

b) a pycnometer<\/p>\n

c) the Proctor mould<\/p>\n

d) a constant-head permeameter<\/p>\n

10.<\/strong> For a purely cohesive soil (\u03c6 = 0), Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nc is:<\/p>\n

a) 3.14<\/p>\n

b) 5.14<\/p>\n

c) 5.7<\/p>\n

d) 9.0<\/p>\n

C. Hydraulics & Water Resources (Q11\u201315)<\/h2>\n

11.<\/strong> Water flows through a pipe at a certain discharge. If the pipe diameter is halved, the flow velocity becomes:<\/p>\n

a) half<\/p>\n

b) double<\/p>\n

c) four times<\/p>\n

d) eight times<\/p>\n

12.<\/strong> Bernoulli’s equation is essentially a statement of the conservation of:<\/p>\n

a) mass<\/p>\n

b) momentum<\/p>\n

c) energy<\/p>\n

d) discharge<\/p>\n

13.<\/strong> The major (friction) head loss in a pipe is computed using the:<\/p>\n

a) Chezy formula<\/p>\n

b) Darcy\u2013Weisbach equation<\/p>\n

c) Manning formula<\/p>\n

d) Hazen\u2013Williams formula only for minor losses<\/p>\n

14.<\/strong> A hydraulic jump occurs when the flow changes from:<\/p>\n

a) subcritical to supercritical<\/p>\n

b) supercritical to subcritical<\/p>\n

c) laminar to turbulent<\/p>\n

d) uniform to gradually varied<\/p>\n

15.<\/strong> The most economical rectangular channel section is the one in which:<\/p>\n

a) depth equals the width<\/p>\n

b) depth equals half the width<\/p>\n

c) depth equals twice the width<\/p>\n

d) depth equals one-fourth the width<\/p>\n

D. Structural Mechanics (Q16\u201321)<\/h2>\n

16.<\/strong> At the point of contraflexure in a beam, the bending moment is:<\/p>\n

a) maximum<\/p>\n

b) zero<\/p>\n

c) minimum<\/p>\n

d) equal to the shear force<\/p>\n

17.<\/strong> For a column with both ends pinned, the effective length in Euler’s formula is:<\/p>\n

a) 0.5L<\/p>\n

b) 1.0L<\/p>\n

c) 2.0L<\/p>\n

d) 0.7L<\/p>\n

18.<\/strong> In the moment distribution method, the carry-over moment to a fixed far end of a prismatic member is:<\/p>\n

a) zero<\/p>\n

b) one-half of the distributed moment<\/p>\n

c) equal to the distributed moment<\/p>\n

d) twice the distributed moment<\/p>\n

19.<\/strong> A propped cantilever beam is statically indeterminate to the:<\/p>\n

a) first degree<\/p>\n

b) second degree<\/p>\n

c) third degree<\/p>\n

d) fourth degree<\/p>\n

20.<\/strong> The absolute (point) stiffness of a prismatic member with the far end fixed is:<\/p>\n

a) EI\/L<\/p>\n

b) 2EI\/L<\/p>\n

c) 3EI\/L<\/p>\n

d) 4EI\/L<\/p>\n

21.<\/strong> The maximum ordinate of the influence line for bending moment at the midspan of a simply supported beam of span L is:<\/p>\n

a) L\/2<\/p>\n

b) L\/4<\/p>\n

c) L\/8<\/p>\n

d) L<\/p>\n

E. Design of Structures (Q22\u201327)<\/h2>\n

22.<\/strong> In the limit state method, the partial safety factor applied to concrete is:<\/p>\n

a) 1.15<\/p>\n

b) 1.50<\/p>\n

c) 2.00<\/p>\n

d) 3.00<\/p>\n

23.<\/strong> As per IS 456, the minimum grade of concrete for reinforced concrete work is:<\/p>\n

a) M10<\/p>\n

b) M15<\/p>\n

c) M20<\/p>\n

d) M25<\/p>\n

24.<\/strong> The maximum area of tensile reinforcement in an RCC beam is limited to:<\/p>\n

a) 2% of the gross cross-section<\/p>\n

b) 4% of the gross cross-section<\/p>\n

c) 6% of the gross cross-section<\/p>\n

d) 0.8% of the gross cross-section<\/p>\n

25.<\/strong> As per IS 800, the maximum slenderness ratio for a steel member carrying compressive loads from dead and imposed loads is:<\/p>\n

a) 180<\/p>\n

b) 250<\/p>\n

c) 350<\/p>\n

d) 400<\/p>\n

26.<\/strong> The minimum clear cover to main reinforcement in an RCC column is:<\/p>\n

a) 20 mm<\/p>\n

b) 25 mm<\/p>\n

c) 40 mm<\/p>\n

d) 50 mm<\/p>\n

27.<\/strong> The development length of a reinforcing bar primarily depends on:<\/p>\n

a) the bar diameter and the design bond stress<\/p>\n

b) the span of the beam<\/p>\n

c) the type of coarse aggregate<\/p>\n

d) the water\u2013cement ratio<\/p>\n

F. Water Supply, Sanitation & Environment (Q28\u201330)<\/h2>\n

28.<\/strong> The standard BOD test is carried out at:<\/p>\n

a) 20\u00b0C for 5 days<\/p>\n

b) 25\u00b0C for 3 days<\/p>\n

c) 37\u00b0C for 5 days<\/p>\n

d) 20\u00b0C for 3 days<\/p>\n

29.<\/strong> In chlorination, the point beyond which free residual chlorine begins to appear is called the:<\/p>\n

a) saturation point<\/p>\n

b) breakpoint<\/p>\n

c) coagulation point<\/p>\n

d) filtration point<\/p>\n

30.<\/strong> The detention period usually adopted in the design of a septic tank is:<\/p>\n

a) 2\u20134 hours<\/p>\n

b) 6\u20138 hours<\/p>\n

c) 12\u201336 hours<\/p>\n

d) 48\u201372 hours<\/p>\n

G. Irrigation & Drainage (Q31\u201332)<\/h2>\n

31.<\/strong> The correct relationship between duty D (ha\/cumec), base period B (days) and delta \u0394 (m) is:<\/p>\n

a) D = 8.64B\/\u0394<\/p>\n

b) D = 8.64\u0394\/B<\/p>\n

c) \u0394 = 8.64D\/B<\/p>\n

d) B = 8.64D\u0394<\/p>\n

32.<\/strong> Khosla’s theory is used in the design of:<\/p>\n

a) lined canals<\/p>\n

b) weirs founded on permeable soils<\/p>\n

c) gravity dams<\/p>\n

d) spillway gates<\/p>\n

H. Hydropower (Q33\u201334)<\/h2>\n

33.<\/strong> A Pelton turbine is best suited for:<\/p>\n

a) high head and low discharge<\/p>\n

b) low head and high discharge<\/p>\n

c) medium head and medium discharge<\/p>\n

d) tidal power plants<\/p>\n

34.<\/strong> The specific speed of a Francis turbine generally lies in the range:<\/p>\n

a) 10\u201335<\/p>\n

b) 60\u2013300<\/p>\n

c) 300\u20131000<\/p>\n

d) above 1000<\/p>\n

I. Transportation (Q35\u201337)<\/h2>\n

35.<\/strong> Super-elevation on a horizontal highway curve is provided mainly to counteract:<\/p>\n

a) centrifugal force<\/p>\n

b) braking force<\/p>\n

c) pavement friction loss<\/p>\n

d) vehicle overloading<\/p>\n

36.<\/strong> Stopping sight distance on a highway primarily depends on:<\/p>\n

a) vehicle speed and tyre\u2013pavement friction<\/p>\n

b) traffic volume<\/p>\n

c) pavement thickness<\/p>\n

d) the grade of bitumen used<\/p>\n

37.<\/strong> The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test is used to evaluate:<\/p>\n

a) the crushing strength of aggregates<\/p>\n

b) the strength of the subgrade soil for pavement design<\/p>\n

c) the penetration grade of bitumen<\/p>\n

d) the workability of concrete<\/p>\n

J. Project Planning & Management (Q38\u201340)<\/h2>\n

38.<\/strong> In CPM scheduling, the critical path is the:<\/p>\n

a) shortest path through the network<\/p>\n

b) longest path through the network<\/p>\n

c) path with the lowest cost<\/p>\n

d) path with the most activities<\/p>\n

39.<\/strong> A project is considered economically viable when its Net Present Value (NPV) is:<\/p>\n

a) zero<\/p>\n

b) negative<\/p>\n

c) positive<\/p>\n

d) equal to the IRR<\/p>\n

40.<\/strong> In PERT, the expected time of an activity is given by:<\/p>\n

a) (to + tm + tp) \/ 3<\/p>\n

b) (to + 4tm + tp) \/ 6<\/p>\n

c) (to + tp) \/ 2<\/p>\n

d) tm<\/p>\n

\n

Answer Key<\/h2>\n\n
Q<\/th>Ans<\/th>Q<\/th>Ans<\/th>Q<\/th>Ans<\/th>Q<\/th>Ans<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>b<\/td>11<\/td>c<\/td>21<\/td>b<\/td>31<\/td>a<\/td><\/tr>\n
2<\/td>b<\/td>12<\/td>c<\/td>22<\/td>b<\/td>32<\/td>b<\/td><\/tr>\n
3<\/td>c<\/td>13<\/td>b<\/td>23<\/td>c<\/td>33<\/td>a<\/td><\/tr>\n
4<\/td>a<\/td>14<\/td>b<\/td>24<\/td>b<\/td>34<\/td>b<\/td><\/tr>\n
5<\/td>b<\/td>15<\/td>b<\/td>25<\/td>a<\/td>35<\/td>a<\/td><\/tr>\n
6<\/td>b<\/td>16<\/td>b<\/td>26<\/td>c<\/td>36<\/td>a<\/td><\/tr>\n
7<\/td>b<\/td>17<\/td>b<\/td>27<\/td>a<\/td>37<\/td>b<\/td><\/tr>\n
8<\/td>b<\/td>18<\/td>b<\/td>28<\/td>a<\/td>38<\/td>b<\/td><\/tr>\n
9<\/td>a<\/td>19<\/td>a<\/td>29<\/td>b<\/td>39<\/td>c<\/td><\/tr>\n
10<\/td>c<\/td>20<\/td>d<\/td>30<\/td>c<\/td>40<\/td>b<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n

Worked notes (for the numerics)<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Q5:<\/strong> n = e\/(1+e) = 0.25\/1.25 = 0.20 \u2192 20%.<\/li>\n
  • Q6:<\/strong> K\u2080 = 1 \u2212 sin \u03c6 = 1 \u2212 sin 30\u00b0 = 1 \u2212 0.5 = 0.50.<\/li>\n
  • Q11:<\/strong> Q = AV; halving D quarters A, so V must quadruple.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    Prepared for eve-construction.com. Always verify against the latest official NEC notice before your exam date. Questions are original; code figures follow IS 456 \/ IS 800 \/ IS 269 conventions commonly referenced in NEC prep material.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    40 Practice MCQs \u2014 NEC Civil License Exam All questions below are original \u2014 written for this page, not copied […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":193,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-291","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_hostinger_reach_plugin_has_subscription_block":false,"_hostinger_reach_plugin_is_elementor":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292,"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/291\/revisions\/292"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}