CSLB Class A — General Engineering (Trade Exam) — All Questions

A typical section on the plans shows 8 inches of base, but a written note on the same sheet says 10 inches. Which applies?

• a.Whichever the base supplier prefers
• b.9 inches, splitting the difference
• c.8 inches, from the drawn section
• d.10 inches, from the written note✓

Written numbers and notes on a drawing govern over graphics. A drawn thickness can be distorted by scaling or reproduction; the written value was entered deliberately.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 5-1.02

The standard specifications require one pipe material, but the project's special provisions require another. Which governs?

• a.The standard plans
• b.The standard specifications
• c.The special provisions✓
• d.The cheaper material

Caltrans ranks special provisions above the project plans and the standard specifications. They were written for this project.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 5-1.02

How far is it from station 6+80 to station 14+05?

• a.825 feet
• b.7.25 feet
• c.2,085 feet
• d.725 feet✓

Stations count hundreds of feet: 1,405 − 680 = 725 feet. Adding the stations or treating them as feet gives the wrong answers.Station arithmetic

A culvert 180 feet long falls from invert 96.40 to invert 95.50. What is its grade?

• a.5.0%
• b.0.05%
• c.0.50%✓
• d.0.90%

Fall = 0.90 foot over 180 feet; 0.90 ÷ 180 × 100 = 0.50%. The 0.90 option is the fall itself, not the grade.Grade arithmetic

A pad 36 feet by 18 feet is 9 inches thick. About how many cubic yards of concrete is that?

• a.18 cubic yards✓
• b.54 cubic yards
• c.162 cubic yards
• d.5.8 cubic yards

36 × 18 × 0.75 = 486 cubic feet; ÷ 27 = 18 cubic yards. Using 9 as feet or dividing by 9 produces the larger figures.NIST Handbook 44, App. C

A 5-acre site is how many square feet?

• a.43,560 square feet
• b.24,200 square feet
• c.217,800 square feet✓
• d.2,178,000 square feet

One acre is 43,560 square feet; 5 × 43,560 = 217,800.NIST Handbook 44, App. C

A scraper moves 110 bank cubic yards per hour. How many hours to move 2,970 bank cubic yards?

• a.270 hours
• b.2.7 hours
• c.11 hours
• d.27 hours✓

Hours = quantity ÷ production = 2,970 ÷ 110 = 27.Estimating

Soil swells 20% when excavated. How many loose cubic yards come from 600 bank cubic yards?

• a.720 loose cubic yards✓
• b.600 loose cubic yards
• c.480 loose cubic yards
• d.500 loose cubic yards

Loose volume = bank × 1.20 = 720. Dividing by 1.20 reverses the swell.Estimating

An estimator needs 2,000 lineal feet of pipe in place and allows 3% for waste. How much should be ordered?

• a.1,940 lineal feet
• b.2,003 lineal feet
• c.2,060 lineal feet✓
• d.2,300 lineal feet

Order = 2,000 × 1.03 = 2,060 lineal feet. Subtracting the waste (1,940) leaves the job short.Estimating

During excavation the crew finds groundwater far higher than the soils report showed. What protects a differing-site-condition claim?

• a.Finishing the work, then filing a claim
• b.Notifying the engineer at job closeout
• c.Promptly notifying the engineer before disturbing it✓
• d.Photographing it and continuing

The contractor must promptly notify the engineer; disturbing the condition before the engineer investigates waives the claim.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 4-1.06

An excavator notifies the center on a Tuesday. With no holidays that week, which days count as the two-working-day notice?

• a.Tuesday and Wednesday
• b.Wednesday only
• c.Thursday and Friday
• d.Wednesday and Thursday✓

The date of notification does not count, so the two working days are Wednesday and Thursday.Gov. Code 4216.2

How far ahead may an excavator notify the regional center at the most?

• a.28 calendar days
• b.14 calendar days✓
• c.2 working days
• d.30 working days

Notice is at least two working days and not more than 14 calendar days before the excavation begins. Twenty-eight days is how long a ticket stays valid.Gov. Code 4216.2

A contractor will use a standalone 1.2-acre area only to stockpile excavated soil, with no grading. Does the permit's definition of construction activity reach it?

• a.Yes, stockpiling counts✓
• b.No, only grading counts
• c.No, stockpiles are temporary
• d.Only if the soil is imported

The State Water Board's definition of construction activity includes clearing, grading and disturbances to the ground such as stockpiling or excavation; a 1.2-acre disturbance needs coverage.State Water Board, Order 2022-0057-DWQ

What is the stated purpose of a Cal/OSHA permit for permit-required work?

• a.To give the Division notice of the work✓
• b.To collect a trench excavation tax
• c.To certify the competent person
• d.To replace the 811 ticket

Title 8 section 341 says a permit provides notice to the Division that an employer will undertake permit-required activity, so the Division can ensure it is done safely.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 341

A path of activities has 6 days of float. One activity on it is delayed 4 days. What happens to completion?

• a.No change to completion✓
• b.Completion slips 10 days
• c.Completion slips 2 days
• d.Completion slips 4 days

Float is the time an activity can slip without moving the finish. A 4-day delay within 6 days of float does not extend completion.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) definitions

Which of these is a live load on bridge falsework?

• a.The weight of the forms
• b.The weight of the reinforcing steel
• c.The crew and their tools✓
• d.The weight of the concrete

Caltrans classes equipment, crew and tools as live load; concrete, reinforcing steel, forms and falsework are dead load.Caltrans Falsework Manual Ch. 3

A two-span continuous concrete beam is loaded downward. Where is it in tension directly over the middle support?

• a.At mid-depth only
• b.At the top✓
• c.It has no tension there
• d.At the bottom

Over an interior support of a continuous beam the top is stretched, so top bars are needed there; concrete cracks in tension.FEMA P-749

A building is open on its street side and has solid walls on the other three. What earthquake behavior is most likely?

• a.Twisting about its vertical axis✓
• b.Liquefaction of the foundation soil
• c.Resonance of the roof only
• d.Uniform sliding without rotation

Uneven distribution of walls creates a torsional irregularity; the building twists, increasing displacement at the open side.FEMA P-749

Why are closely spaced ties and hoops detailed in concrete columns?

• a.To speed concrete placement
• b.To reduce the columns' weight
• c.To replace the main bars
• d.To give the columns ductility✓

Confinement lets concrete members keep carrying load after deforming past peak strength — ductility.FEMA P-749

Which site is most prone to amplifying earthquake shaking?

• a.Hard rock near the surface
• b.Soft soils beside a bay✓
• c.Bedrock with thin topsoil
• d.A dense gravel ridge

Soft soils in river valleys and along lakes and bays tend to amplify shaking; hard rock sites experience less intense shaking.FEMA P-749

A 12-foot-wide slab edge is shored for a single floor with a total dead load of 40,000 pounds. What minimum lateral bracing load applies at that floor?

• a.4,000 pounds
• b.1,200 pounds✓
• c.800 pounds
• d.400 pounds

Cal/OSHA uses the greater of 100 pounds per lineal foot of floor edge (100 × 12 = 1,200) or 2% of the total dead load (800); 1,200 governs.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1717

A benchmark is at 142.30 and the backsight on it reads 3.85. What is the height of instrument?

• a.142.30
• b.138.45
• c.3.85
• d.146.15✓

HI = benchmark elevation + backsight = 142.30 + 3.85 = 146.15.Leveling

The HI is 58.40 and the rod on a pipe invert reads 9.72. What is the invert elevation?

• a.49.72
• b.58.40
• c.48.68✓
• d.68.12

Elevation = HI − foresight = 58.40 − 9.72 = 48.68.Leveling

A stake reads C 1.20 and its hub is at 88.00. What is the finished grade?

• a.88.00
• b.86.80✓
• c.89.20
• d.87.20

A cut means finished grade is below the hub: 88.00 − 1.20 = 86.80.Caltrans Surveys Manual Ch. 12

What does the term "daylight" mean on grading stakes?

• a.The limit of clearing
• b.The top of a finished slope
• c.The edge of the right of way
• d.Where cut changes to fill✓

Caltrans uses daylight for the point or line of change from cut to fill or fill to cut.Caltrans Surveys Manual Ch. 12

Where must clearing and grubbing happen relative to earthwork?

• a.Before earthwork in that area✓
• b.After rough grading
• c.Only where fill will be placed
• d.Only if the engineer orders it

Caltrans requires clearing and grubbing before performing earthwork in an area.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 17-2

Clods over what size must be broken up before an embankment layer is compacted?

• a.12 inches
• b.2 inches
• c.4 inches
• d.8 inches✓

Caltrans requires breaking up clods or hard lumps over 8 inches in greatest dimension before compacting.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 19-6

Embankment material with 30% rock larger than 8 inches (largest 20 inches) is placed below 3 feet from finished grade. What loose layer thickness is allowed?

• a.Up to 8 inches
• b.Up to 20 inches✓
• c.Up to 12 inches
• d.Up to 36 inches

With 25 to 50 percent rock over 8 inches, the layer may not exceed the maximum rock size or 3 feet, whichever is less — here 20 inches.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 19-6

In the soil descriptions FHWA uses, when is a soil designated peat?

• a.Any soil below the water table
• b.Any dark-colored soil
• c.Organic content over 50 percent✓
• d.More than 50 percent sand

FHWA designates soil with organic content of more than 50 percent as peat; dark color alone indicates possible organic soil, not peat.FHWA NHI-06-088

Which clay mineral has the highest swell potential?

• a.Montmorillonite✓
• b.Quartz
• c.Kaolinite
• d.Illite

Montmorillonite (smectite) has high swell potential; illite none to moderate; kaolinite almost none. Quartz is not a clay mineral.FHWA NHI-06-088

Wet unit weight is 119.0 pcf at 8.0% moisture. What is the dry unit weight?

• a.111.0 pcf
• b.110.2 pcf✓
• c.109.5 pcf
• d.128.5 pcf

Dry unit weight = wet ÷ (1 + w) = 119.0 ÷ 1.08 = 110.2 pcf.FHWA NHI-06-088

Field dry density is 111.6 pcf and the maximum is 120.0 pcf. What is the relative compaction?

• a.93%✓
• b.96%
• c.107.5%
• d.90%

111.6 ÷ 120.0 = 0.93, or 93%.FHWA NHI-06-088

Above optimum moisture, what usually happens as more compaction energy is applied?

• a.The fill may pump✓
• b.Density keeps rising without limit
• c.The soil dries out
• d.The optimum moisture increases

When moisture is too high for the energy, the voids saturate and the fill can pump; more energy makes it worse.FHWA NHI-06-088

A compaction specification should state which three things?

• a.Density, color and grain size
• b.Effort, density percentage and moisture range✓
• c.Effort, lift count and roller brand
• d.Moisture, weather and hauling distance

FHWA recommends stating the compaction energy, the density as a percentage of maximum, and the moisture range around optimum.FHWA NHI-06-088

What is the minimum basis for a competent person's soil classification?

• a.A single visual inspection
• b.The soils report alone
• c.At least one visual and one manual test✓
• d.A laboratory triaxial test

Cal/OSHA requires classification from at least one visual and at least one manual analysis.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1541.1 App. A

How thick may a layer of structure backfill be before compaction?

• a.0.67 foot✓
• b.1.5 feet
• c.0.25 foot
• d.2 feet

Caltrans limits structure backfill layers to 0.67 foot before compacting, except when ponding and jetting is authorized.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 19-3

Soil with water freely seeping from the trench wall is classified as which type?

• a.Type B
• b.Type A
• c.Stable rock
• d.Type C✓

Submerged soil or soil from which water is freely seeping is Type C.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1541.1 App. A

What is the maximum slope for a 15-foot-deep excavation in Type B soil?

• a.2:1
• b.3/4:1
• c.1/2:1
• d.1:1✓

Type B soil allows a maximum slope of 1H:1V for excavations less than 20 feet deep.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1541.1 App. B

An 8-foot-deep excavation in Type A soil has an unsupported vertical lower portion. How tall may that vertical portion be?

• a.8 feet
• b.3-1/2 feet✓
• c.18 inches
• d.5 feet

In Type A soil, excavations 8 feet or less deep with unsupported vertically sided lower portions may have a maximum vertical side of 3-1/2 feet.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1541.1 App. B

A 4-foot trench in running sand shows raveling. Is a protective system required?

• a.No, because sand drains well
• b.No, because it is under 5 feet
• c.Yes, if the competent person sees cave-in potential✓
• d.Only if the trench is over 100 feet long

The under-5-foot exception applies only when a competent person finds no indication of potential cave-in.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1541.1