Top 100 Kerala PSC Civil Engineering Questions with Answers | 2025

Based on analysis of the last 10 years of Kerala PSC Civil Engineering papers, we have compiled the most important questions across all major subjects. Practice these to build your exam readiness across ITI, Diploma and B.Tech levels.

Soil Mechanics & Foundation Engineering

• ▸The angle of internal friction of a soil is zero for — (a) Sand (b) Saturated clay (c) Gravel (d) Silt — Ans: (b) Saturated clay
• ▸Standard Penetration Test (SPT) hammer weight is — (a) 55 kg (b) 63.5 kg (c) 70 kg (d) 50 kg — Ans: (b) 63.5 kg
• ▸Coefficient of permeability of clay is typically — (a) 10⁻¹ cm/s (b) 10⁻⁴ cm/s (c) 10⁻⁷ cm/s (d) 10⁻² cm/s — Ans: (c) 10⁻⁷ cm/s
• ▸Compaction of soil is done to increase — (a) Permeability (b) Porosity (c) Density (d) Void ratio — Ans: (c) Density
• ▸A soil with liquid limit 40% and plastic limit 20% has plasticity index of — (a) 60 (b) 20 (c) 40 (d) 80 — Ans: (b) 20
• ▸Quick sand condition occurs when upward seepage pressure equals — (a) Unit weight of water (b) Submerged unit weight of soil (c) Effective stress (d) Total stress — Ans: (b) Submerged unit weight of soil
• ▸Optimum moisture content is the water content at which soil attains — (a) Maximum void ratio (b) Maximum dry density (c) Zero air voids (d) Maximum permeability — Ans: (b) Maximum dry density

Structural Engineering (RCC & Steel)

• ▸Characteristic strength of M20 concrete is — (a) 15 N/mm² (b) 20 N/mm² (c) 25 N/mm² (d) 30 N/mm² — Ans: (b) 20 N/mm²
• ▸In a simply supported beam, maximum bending moment occurs at — (a) Support (b) Midspan (c) Quarter span (d) Three-quarter span — Ans: (b) Midspan
• ▸Minimum clear cover for RCC slab as per IS 456 is — (a) 15 mm (b) 20 mm (c) 25 mm (d) 30 mm — Ans: (a) 15 mm
• ▸Development length for Fe415 steel in M20 concrete (tension) is — (a) 40d (b) 47d (c) 35d (d) 50d — Ans: (b) 47d
• ▸Modular ratio for M20 concrete as per IS 456 is — (a) 13.33 (b) 10 (c) 15 (d) 11 — Ans: (a) 13.33
• ▸The slenderness ratio of a column is the ratio of — (a) Length to width (b) Effective length to least radius of gyration (c) Height to cross-section area (d) Load to area — Ans: (b) Effective length to least radius of gyration
• ▸Water-cement ratio in concrete primarily affects — (a) Workability only (b) Strength and durability (c) Setting time only (d) Volume change — Ans: (b) Strength and durability

Hydraulics & Fluid Mechanics

• ▸Bernoulli's equation applies to — (a) Compressible viscous flow (b) Incompressible inviscid steady flow (c) Turbulent flow only (d) Compressible flow only — Ans: (b) Incompressible inviscid steady flow
• ▸Manning's roughness coefficient 'n' for smooth concrete pipe is approximately — (a) 0.012 (b) 0.025 (c) 0.015 (d) 0.010 — Ans: (a) 0.012
• ▸Pressure at 10 m depth in water is — (a) 98.1 kPa (b) 100 kPa (c) 9.81 kPa (d) 10 kPa — Ans: (a) 98.1 kPa
• ▸Hydraulic gradient line (HGL) in pipe flow is — (a) Above energy line (b) Below energy line (c) Same as energy line (d) Parallel to pipe — Ans: (b) Below energy line
• ▸The velocity of flow in a pipe is measured by a — (a) Pitot tube (b) Venturimeter (c) Orifice plate (d) All of the above — Ans: (d) All of the above
• ▸Critical depth in open channel flow occurs when Froude number equals — (a) 0 (b) 0.5 (c) 1 (d) 2 — Ans: (c) 1
• ▸Darcy-Weisbach friction factor for laminar flow in pipes depends on — (a) Roughness only (b) Reynolds number only (c) Both roughness and Reynolds number (d) Velocity only — Ans: (b) Reynolds number only

Surveying

• ▸Error eliminated by double centering in a theodolite is — (a) Index error (b) Eccentricity (c) Collimation error (d) Line of sight — Ans: (c) Collimation error
• ▸Magnetic bearing 48°30' with declination 3°30'E gives true bearing — (a) 45°00' (b) 52°00' (c) 48°00' (d) 51°30' — Ans: (b) 52°00'
• ▸Prismatic compass gives — (a) Whole circle bearing (b) Quadrantal bearing (c) Reduced bearing (d) Both a and b — Ans: (a) Whole circle bearing
• ▸Contour interval is the — (a) Horizontal distance between contours (b) Vertical distance between contours (c) Slope of terrain (d) None — Ans: (b) Vertical distance between contours
• ▸Cross-staff in chain surveying is used to — (a) Measure chain length (b) Set out right angles (c) Determine bearing (d) Mark stations — Ans: (b) Set out right angles
• ▸The ratio of map distance to ground distance is called — (a) Contour gradient (b) Representative fraction (c) Bearing ratio (d) Index — Ans: (b) Representative fraction

Transportation Engineering

• ▸Ruling gradient on NH in plain terrain as per IRC is — (a) 1 in 30 (b) 1 in 20 (c) 1 in 33.3 (d) 1 in 15 — Ans: (a) 1 in 30
• ▸CBR test is used to evaluate — (a) Soil shear strength (b) Pavement subgrade strength (c) Compressibility (d) Permeability — Ans: (b) Pavement subgrade strength
• ▸Minimum radius of horizontal curve for NH in plain terrain is — (a) 90 m (b) 200 m (c) 360 m (d) 230 m — Ans: (c) 360 m
• ▸Transition curves are used to — (a) Connect straight and curved sections (b) Reduce speed (c) Improve sight distance (d) Drain roads — Ans: (a) Connect straight and curved sections
• ▸Water bound macadam roads use — (a) Bitumen (b) Cement (c) Water and screenings (d) Tar — Ans: (c) Water and screenings

Environmental Engineering

• ▸Removal of dissolved gases from water is called — (a) Coagulation (b) Aeration (c) Sedimentation (d) Filtration — Ans: (b) Aeration
• ▸BOD of treated sewage effluent should not exceed — (a) 10 mg/L (b) 20 mg/L (c) 30 mg/L (d) 50 mg/L — Ans: (c) 30 mg/L
• ▸Chlorination is done to achieve — (a) Taste improvement (b) Color removal (c) Disinfection (d) Softening — Ans: (c) Disinfection
• ▸Per capita water demand for domestic use in India is approximately — (a) 85 lpcd (b) 135 lpcd (c) 200 lpcd (d) 50 lpcd — Ans: (b) 135 lpcd
• ▸The self-purification of a river is mainly due to — (a) Dilution (b) Oxidation (c) Sedimentation (d) All of the above — Ans: (d) All of the above

These questions represent the core pattern of Kerala PSC Civil Engineering papers. For full-length mock tests with 100 questions, detailed explanations, and performance analytics, practice on the CivilEzy platform — Kerala's only Civil PSC-specific preparation tool.

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