CSLB Class A — General Engineering (Trade Exam) — All Questions
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18 questions
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 cast-in-place retaining wall is 5 days old and its cylinders show 1,800 psi. Under the Caltrans specifications, what is true of backfilling against its back?
- a.It may start once the concrete has reached 1,500 psi
- b.It must wait until 2,500 psi or 28 days in place✓
- c.It may start now, since 5 days is the minimum cure
- d.It may start once the forms are stripped from the wall
Caltrans does not allow backfill against the back of retaining walls until the concrete reaches at least 2,500 psi or has been in place 28 days. Not "It may start now, since 5 days is the minimum cure": no five-day minimum is given for backfill. Not "It may start once the concrete has reached 1,500 psi": the stated strength is higher than that. Not "It may start once the forms are stripped from the wall": stripping the forms does not show the wall can take earth load.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 19-3.03E(1)
A 140-foot span of retaining wall needs pressure relief at its base. What do the Caltrans concrete structure specifications call for, in addition to wall drains?
- a.1-inch holes at the top of the wall at 50-foot centers
- b.3-inch holes immediately above the footings at about 15-foot centers✓
- c.6-inch holes at midheight at 5-foot centers along the wall
- d.A solid wall with no openings, since the wall drains are enough
The specifications add hydrostatic pressure relief holes 3 inches in diameter at the bottom of walls at approximately 15-foot centers. Not "1-inch holes at the top of the wall at 50-foot centers": relief is at the bottom of the wall, and larger and closer than that. Not "A solid wall with no openings, since the wall drains are enough": blocked water adds full hydrostatic pressure to the wall. Not "6-inch holes at midheight at 5-foot centers along the wall": this is not the specified size, position or spacing.Caltrans Standard Specifications (2025) 51-1.03E(7)
Shoring supports a floor slab with an 8-foot edge and a total dead load of 90,000 pounds. What is the minimum lateral load the bracing must resist at that floor in each direction?
- a.100 pounds
- b.1,800 pounds✓
- c.800 pounds
- d.90,000 pounds
The greater of 100 pounds per foot of edge (800) or 2 percent of the dead load (1,800) governs, so 1,800 pounds. Not "800 pounds": uses only the per-foot figure, the smaller value. Not "90,000 pounds": treats the whole dead load as lateral load. Not "100 pounds": uses the per-foot figure without multiplying by the edge length.Cal. Code Regs. tit. 8, 1717
What does a load path do in a structure being built?
- a.It marks the place where the engineer signs off on the concrete mix design
- b.It shows the route trucks take to the site
- c.It delivers loads from where they start to the foundation through connected elements✓
- d.It limits the weight of the equipment that may stand on a deck
FEMA defines a load path as a series of connected elements designed to deliver loads from their origin to the foundation. Not "It limits the weight of the equipment that may stand on a deck": that is a live-load limit, not a load path. Not "It shows the route trucks take to the site": a load path describes forces, not traffic. Not "It marks the place where the engineer signs off on the concrete mix design": an inspection hold point is not a load path.FEMA P-749
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Falsework for a bridge deck is designed for dead and live vertical loads. What minimum horizontal load does the Caltrans Falsework Manual add?
- a.2 percent of the total weight of the superstructure and falsework✓
- b.None, if the posts are plumb and the bracing is tight at the bent
- c.10 percent of the concrete volume, converted at the unit weight
- d.0.5 percent of the live load acting on the deck at the time
The manual's minimum horizontal load is 2 percent of the total weight of the superstructure and falsework. Not "0.5 percent of the live load acting on the deck at the time": the stated figure is larger and based on total weight. Not "None, if the posts are plumb and the bracing is tight at the bent": plumb posts still need lateral design. Not "10 percent of the concrete volume, converted at the unit weight": volume is not the basis, and the percentage is not 10.Caltrans Falsework Manual, Ch. 3
Which three conditions together allow soil liquefaction during strong shaking?
- a.Loose, saturated, granular soil✓
- b.Stiff, dry, clayey soil
- c.Dense, dry, gravelly soil
- d.Frozen, saturated, silty soil near the surface
FEMA says liquefaction occurs when loose saturated soils, typically sands and silts, are shaken strongly. Not "Stiff, dry, clayey soil": dry stiff clay does not liquefy. Not "Dense, dry, gravelly soil": dense dry gravel lacks both looseness and saturation. Not "Frozen, saturated, silty soil near the surface": frozen ground is not the described condition.FEMA P-749 1.3.2
How many seismic design categories does the national standard use, according to FEMA P-749?
- a.Six, from A to F✓
- b.Four, from A to D
- c.Three, from I to III
- d.Ten, from 1 to 10
FEMA states there are six SDCs ranging from A to F. Not "Three, from I to III": the standard uses six, lettered A through F. Not "Four, from A to D": two more categories exist beyond D. Not "Ten, from 1 to 10": the categories are lettered, not numbered to ten.FEMA P-749
Which structure is described as having a weak or soft story?
- a.One whose lowest story is less strong and stiff than those above✓
- b.One with the same wall thickness on each floor
- c.One built on dense rock
- d.One with closely spaced column ties and shear walls on each floor
A weak or soft story has substantially less strength and stiffness than the stories above it. Not "One with the same wall thickness on each floor": uniform strength is not an irregularity. Not "One built on dense rock": site rock is not a story irregularity. Not "One with closely spaced column ties and shear walls on each floor": closely spaced ties improve ductility.FEMA P-749
Besides vertical dead and live loads and assumed horizontal loads, what else must the Caltrans Falsework Manual consider in design?
- a.Loads from the owner's budget for the falsework design
- b.Loads from the architect's review of the falsework drawings
- c.Loads due to differential settlement of the supports✓
- d.Loads from the soil classification labels in the geotechnical report
The manual says loads due to differential settlement must also be considered in the design. Not "Loads from the owner's budget for the falsework design": money is not a structural load. Not "Loads from the architect's review of the falsework drawings": a review is not a load. Not "Loads from the soil classification labels in the geotechnical report": labels are not loads; settlement is.Caltrans Falsework Manual, Ch. 3
A 10-inch slab is cast with 150 pcf concrete. What dead load does it put on each square foot of falsework?
- a.1,500 psf
- b.150 psf
- c.15 psf
- d.125 psf✓
Thickness 10/12 foot times 150 pounds per cubic foot gives 125 psf. Not "150 psf": uses 12 inches of thickness. Not "1,500 psf": multiplies by 10 instead of 10/12. Not "15 psf": divides by 10 instead of multiplying by 10/12.Caltrans Falsework Manual, Ch. 3
A cantilevered concrete balcony slab is loaded downward. On which face does the main reinforcing steel belong?
- a.The mid-depth of the slab
- b.Both faces in equal amounts
- c.The top face✓
- d.The bottom face
A cantilever is stretched on top, and steel carries the tension while concrete carries compression. Not "The bottom face": that is the tension face of a simple span, not a cantilever. Not "The mid-depth of the slab": bars at midthickness add little to bending resistance. Not "Both faces in equal amounts": a cantilever is stretched on the top, so the main steel goes there.FEMA P-749
The Caltrans Falsework Manual applies a 75 pounds per lineal foot live load along which part of a deck?
- a.Each post cap along the bent line of the falsework
- b.The outside edge of deck overhangs✓
- c.The centerline of the deck between the girders
- d.The top of the girders, not the overhangs
The design live load includes 75 plf at the outside edge of deck overhangs. Not "The centerline of the deck between the girders": the concentrated edge load is for the overhang. Not "Each post cap along the bent line of the falsework": post caps carry distributed loads, not this line load. Not "The top of the girders, not the overhangs": the line load is applied on overhangs.Caltrans Falsework Manual, Ch. 3