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 5 of 32
- A. To determine the sequence and timing of project activities
- B. To calculate the contractor's final profit margin
- C. To approve the architect's design drawings
- D. To record the materials used after completion
Explanation: Scheduling identifies when activities start, finish, and interact with one another.
Correct answer: To determine the sequence and timing of project activities- A. Selecting the lowest tender submitted by contractors
- B. Measuring work items from drawings and specifications
- C. Checking defects after the building is occupied
- D. Preparing the contractor's monthly payroll
Explanation: Quantity take-off measures the quantities of concrete, masonry, excavation, and other work items needed for the project.
Correct answer: Measuring work items from drawings and specifications- A. Audit charges for the contracting company
- B. Site office rent for the contractor's head office
- C. Concrete incorporated into the structural work
- D. Interest on the contractor's general bank loan
Explanation: Concrete used in the specified work can be traced directly to that project, so it is a direct cost.
Correct answer: Concrete incorporated into the structural work- A. To record changes made after project completion
- B. To establish the legal ownership of the project site
- C. To decide the sequence of structural inspections
- D. To determine the unit cost from resources and related charges
Explanation: Rate analysis builds a unit rate from materials, labour, equipment, overheads, and applicable profit.
Correct answer: To determine the unit cost from resources and related charges- A. An estimate predicts cost, while a tender is an offer to execute work at stated terms
- B. An estimate is a signed contract, while a tender is a completed final account
- C. An estimate records actual expenditure, while a tender measures completed quantities
- D. An estimate approves variations, while a tender certifies monthly payments
Explanation: An estimate is prepared to forecast or assess the probable cost of proposed work.
Correct answer: An estimate predicts cost, while a tender is an offer to execute work at stated terms- A. To replace the construction drawings during site execution
- B. To describe and quantify work items for pricing and payment
- C. To certify that all materials meet laboratory standards
- D. To act as the contractor's accident investigation report
Explanation: A bill of quantities lists measurable work items and their quantities, allowing comparable pricing and supporting valuation.
Correct answer: To describe and quantify work items for pricing and payment- A. Invitation to tender
- B. Preliminary estimate
- C. Final account
- D. Site safety plan
Explanation: The final account settles the contract price after considering measured work, variations, claims, and other permitted adjustments.
Correct answer: Final account- A. The activity is removed from the construction programme
- B. The activity automatically becomes a provisional sum
- C. The contractor's indirect costs become direct material costs
- D. The planned project completion date is likely to be delayed
Explanation: Critical path activities have no usable total float in the basic schedule, so a delay generally delays project completion.
Correct answer: The planned project completion date is likely to be delayed- A. Establishing procedures that prevent defects throughout the process
- B. Repairing visible defects after the client rejects completed work
- C. Measuring the quantity of excavation for interim payment
- D. Comparing tender prices before awarding the contract
Explanation: Quality assurance is process-oriented and establishes systems, procedures, and controls intended to prevent defects.
Correct answer: Establishing procedures that prevent defects throughout the process- A. It guarantees that the contractor will receive the lowest tender price
- B. It provides contemporaneous evidence for monitoring and contract administration
- C. It replaces the need for a detailed construction programme
- D. It converts all project costs into direct costs
Explanation: Daily site records support progress monitoring, resource control, valuation, and assessment of delays or claims.
Correct answer: It provides contemporaneous evidence for monitoring and contract administration- A. To reduce the number of contract clauses
- B. To increase the tender markup automatically
- C. To balance resource demand over the project period
- D. To replace the approved construction drawings
Explanation: Resource leveling adjusts activity timing so labour, equipment, or other resources are not demanded beyond their available limits.
Correct answer: To balance resource demand over the project period- A. Concrete placed in a foundation
- B. Bricks built into a wall
- C. Steel reinforcement fixed in a slab
- D. Site office administration expense
Explanation: Site office administration supports the project but is not incorporated into a specific measured work item.
Correct answer: Site office administration expense- A. To assess work completed for a progress payment
- B. To calculate the contractor's final profit
- C. To replace the original construction programme
- D. To approve the contractor's permanent staff
Explanation: An interim valuation measures the value of work completed, materials properly brought to site, and approved adjustments for a payment…
Correct answer: To assess work completed for a progress payment- A. The client alone
- B. The main contractor
- C. The consulting quantity surveyor
- D. The local building authority
Explanation: Under design and build, the main contractor accepts responsibility for coordinating and delivering both the design and the construction.
Correct answer: The main contractor- A. Increasing the number of site meetings
- B. Issuing additional warning notices
- C. Removing the hazard from the work process
- D. Recording the hazard after an accident
Explanation: Eliminating the hazard is higher in the hierarchy of controls than warnings or personal protective equipment.
Correct answer: Removing the hazard from the work process- A. To determine the contractor's tax liability
- B. To establish the final market value of the property
- C. To certify the structural strength of completed work
- D. To arrange temporary facilities and movement efficiently
Explanation: A site layout plan positions offices, storage areas, access routes, plant, welfare facilities, and safety zones for efficient operations.
Correct answer: To arrange temporary facilities and movement efficiently- A. For identified or possible uncertain costs
- B. For the contractor's guaranteed personal income
- C. For replacing all measured quantities
- D. For paying only permanent site labour
Explanation: A contingency allowance provides for reasonable uncertainty, such as minor unforeseen work or cost variation, depending on the contract…
Correct answer: For identified or possible uncertain costs- A. To appoint the contractor's statutory auditor
- B. To change the scope or details of the contracted work
- C. To cancel every previous progress payment
- D. To determine the weather conditions at the site
Explanation: A variation order formally authorizes an addition, omission, substitution, or change in the described work.
Correct answer: To change the scope or details of the contracted work- A. Contract duration with the soil bearing capacity
- B. Site area with the building height
- C. Actual cost with the approved or planned cost
- D. Material colour with the approved finish
Explanation: Cost variance shows the difference between actual expenditure and a planned or approved cost baseline.
Correct answer: Actual cost with the approved or planned cost- A. It replaces the need for technical specifications
- B. It prepares the contractor's income tax return
- C. It selects the project financing institution
- D. It verifies completed or ongoing work against requirements
Explanation: Quality control involves inspection, testing, and checking work and materials against drawings, specifications, and required standards.
Correct answer: It verifies completed or ongoing work against requirements