All Free Civil Engineering MCQs with Answers
Every Civil Engineering question in the bank, across all chapters, each with the correct answer and a written explanation. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.
631 questions · page 21 of 32
- A. 0.50
- B. 0.70
- C. 1.00
- D. 2.00
Explanation: A fixed-pinned column has an effective length factor of approximately 0.70, more precisely about 0.699.
Correct answer: 0.70- A. One quarter
- B. One half
- C. One third
- D. Two thirds
Explanation: When a moment is applied at one end of a prismatic member whose far end is fixed, half of the applied balancing moment is carried over to…
Correct answer: One half- A. A unit temperature rise at the support
- B. A uniformly distributed load over the member
- C. A unit displacement in the positive response direction
- D. A full-span concentrated load
Explanation: The influence line is proportional to the deflected shape produced when the restraint associated with the response is released and a unit…
Correct answer: A unit displacement in the positive response direction- A. Joint rotations only
- B. Member stiffness coefficients
- C. Nodal coordinates only
- D. Redundant forces
Explanation: The flexibility method selects the redundant forces as the primary unknowns and uses compatibility equations to determine them.
Correct answer: Redundant forces- A. It changes the displacement but not the internal force system
- B. It creates an extra axial force
- C. It creates an extra bending moment
- D. It changes the material modulus
Explanation: A statically determinate structure can adjust to support settlement without developing force changes caused by compatibility restrictions.
Correct answer: It changes the displacement but not the internal force system406. For a two-dimensional rigid-jointed frame, which statement best describes the stiffness method?
- A. It uses equilibrium only and ignores compatibility
- B. It treats nodal displacements as primary unknowns
- C. It determines member forces without nodal displacements
- D. It applies only to statically determinate structures
Explanation: The stiffness method formulates relationships between nodal displacements and nodal forces, then solves for the unknown joint translations…
Correct answer: It treats nodal displacements as primary unknowns- A. Zero
- B. Two
- C. One
- D. Three
Explanation: A propped cantilever has four external reaction components, while planar equilibrium supplies only three independent equations.
Correct answer: One- A. wL²/24
- B. wL²/2
- C. wL²/8
- D. wL²/12
Explanation: The fixed-end moments for a full-span uniform load are equal in magnitude to wL²/12 and are hogging at both supports.
Correct answer: wL²/12- A. The deflection of the real beam
- B. The slope of the real beam
- C. The shear force in the real beam
- D. The curvature of the real beam
Explanation: For a correctly formed conjugate beam, its shear represents the slope of the real beam and its bending moment represents the deflection.
Correct answer: The deflection of the real beam- A. Support reaction
- B. Displacement
- C. Bending stress
- D. Section modulus
Explanation: Differentiating total strain energy with respect to a load gives the displacement in the direction of that load.
Correct answer: Displacement- A. Stress at point B due to a load at point A
- B. Reaction at point A due to a load at point B
- C. Displacement at point B due to a load at point A
- D. Curvature at point B due to a load at point A
Explanation: The theorem makes the cross-displacements interchangeable when the structure is linear elastic and the loading is compatible with small…
Correct answer: Displacement at point B due to a load at point A- A. Single-span simply supported beams
- B. Pin-jointed plane trusses
- C. Short compression members
- D. Continuous beams over several supports
Explanation: The theorem relates the support moments at three consecutive supports of a continuous beam.
Correct answer: Continuous beams over several supports- A. π²EI/L²
- B. 2π²EI/L²
- C. π²EI/(2L)²
- D. 4π²EI/L²
Explanation: Both ends are pinned, so the effective length equals the actual length L.
Correct answer: π²EI/L²414. In the slope-deflection method, the unknowns at the ends of a jointed beam member are generally its
- A. Member loads and support reactions
- B. Joint rotations and translations
- C. Cross-sectional areas and inertias
- D. Shear stresses and strains
Explanation: The slope-deflection method expresses member end moments in terms of joint rotations, joint translations, and fixed-end effects.
Correct answer: Joint rotations and translations- A. Equilibrium alone
- B. Material density only
- C. Compatibility of deformation
- D. The member's unloaded weight
Explanation: In an indeterminate structure, support movement may be incompatible with the undeformed geometry unless members develop additional forces.
Correct answer: Compatibility of deformation- A. A rectangle over the entire span
- B. A constant line at the support reaction
- C. A parabola with zero end ordinates
- D. A triangle with a peak at the section
Explanation: The bending moment at a fixed interior section varies linearly as the load moves on either side of that section.
Correct answer: A triangle with a peak at the section- A. The noncollinear member carries zero force
- B. The collinear members carry equal compression
- C. All three members carry equal force
- D. The noncollinear member carries maximum force
Explanation: The noncollinear member is a zero force member because equilibrium at the joint cannot balance a force in its direction when no external…
Correct answer: The noncollinear member carries zero force- A. sum of member lengths at the joint
- B. sum of stiffnesses of members at the joint
- C. carry over factor of the joint
- D. fixed end moment at the joint
Explanation: The distribution factor allocates the unbalanced joint moment in proportion to member stiffness.
Correct answer: sum of stiffnesses of members at the joint- A. Sum of V v divided by GA
- B. Sum of M m L divided by EI
- C. Sum of N n L divided by AE
- D. Sum of P L cubed divided by EI
Explanation: For a truss, members primarily deform axially, so the unit load expression is the sum of N n L divided by AE.
Correct answer: Sum of N n L divided by AE420. A three hinged arch is classified as statically determinate because its internal hinge at the crown
- A. prevents all horizontal movement
- B. makes the arch behave as a beam
- C. eliminates the vertical reactions
- D. provides an additional equilibrium condition
Explanation: The zero moment condition at the crown hinge supplies an additional equation, allowing the reactions to be found from equilibrium alone.
Correct answer: provides an additional equilibrium condition