CSLB Class A — General Engineering (Trade Exam) — All Questions
15 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
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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