CSLB General Building (B) — All Questions

How should flammable liquids like gasoline and solvents be stored on a construction site?

• a.Stacked in the middle of the only stairway so they are easy to find when a crew needs to refuel a saw
• b.In any open bucket as long as it is outdoors, where the breeze can carry the vapors away from the work
• c.Poured into unlabeled soda bottles for easy pouring, so a worker can top off a machine one-handed
• d.In approved, labeled safety containers, kept away from ignition sources and clear of exit paths✓

Correct: flammable liquids must be kept in approved, closed, labeled safety containers, stored away from ignition sources and never blocking exits or egress paths. Open buckets allow vapors to escape and ignite. Unlabeled beverage bottles are both a fire and a poisoning hazard and are prohibited. Blocking the only stairway violates the requirement to keep exit routes clear.

On a 40 mph roadway you must shift traffic laterally by 10 feet with a merging taper. For speeds of 40 mph or less the taper length formula is L = W x S squared / 60 (L in feet, W = offset in feet, S = speed in mph). What is the MINIMUM taper length?

• a.About 400 feet
• b.About 267 feet✓
• c.About 500 feet
• d.About 133 feet

Correct: for 40 mph or less use L = W x S^2 / 60 = 10 x (40 x 40) / 60 = 10 x 1,600 / 60 = 16,000 / 60 = about 267 feet. Using the high-speed formula L = W x S (400 feet) is wrong here because 40 mph is not in the 45-mph-and-above range. 500 feet and 133 feet do not result from either correct formula with these numbers.CA MUTCD 2026, Part 6

In a taper on a 45 mph roadway, a common rule of thumb for the maximum spacing between channelizing devices (cones) in the taper is that the spacing in feet should be about equal to the speed in mph. Roughly what maximum cone spacing does that give?

• a.About 90 feet
• b.About 45 feet✓
• c.About 10 feet
• d.About 145 feet

Correct: the guidance sets device spacing in a taper at roughly the speed number in feet, so at 45 mph the cones should be spaced no more than about 45 feet apart. Ten feet is far tighter than required (used more for very low speeds or tight work areas). Ninety and 145 feet are much wider than the rule allows and would leave gaps a driver could misread.CA MUTCD Part 6

A temporary traffic control (TTC) zone is typically divided into four areas. Which sequence correctly lists them in the order a driver encounters them?

• a.Activity area, advance warning area, termination area, transition area, numbered in that order on the traffic control plan
• b.Termination area, activity area, transition area, advance warning area, numbered in that order on the traffic control plan
• c.Buffer area, activity area, advance warning area, transition taper area, numbered in that order on the traffic control plan
• d.Advance warning area, transition (taper) area, activity area (with buffer space), and termination area✓

Correct: a driver first meets the advance warning area (signs), then the transition area where the taper moves traffic over, then the activity area where work occurs (including the buffer space that separates traffic from workers), and finally the termination area returning traffic to normal. The other sequences scramble this order and would place work or termination before drivers are warned, which is unsafe and incorrect.CA MUTCD 2026, Part 6

A flagger controls traffic in a work zone. Which combination BEST matches California MUTCD flagging requirements?

• a.A red flag only, at night, with no reflective clothing, waving it across the lane to hold approaching drivers
• b.A STOP/SLOW paddle as the primary hand-signaling device, plus high-visibility apparel and flagger training✓
• c.Hand signals only, with any bright shirt, relying on drivers to read the gestures as they come up to the taper
• d.A whistle and dark clothing so drivers focus on the whistle rather than on the person standing in the lane on the site

Correct: the STOP/SLOW paddle is the primary hand-signaling device, and flaggers must wear high-visibility retroreflective apparel and be trained in proper flagging procedures. Bare hand signals or a plain bright shirt are not sufficient. A flag alone is a backup method with limits, especially at night without reflective clothing. Dark clothing with only a whistle leaves the flagger unseen and is unsafe.CA MUTCD 2026, Part 6

A construction site's storm water plan (SWPPP) requires controlling sediment at the point where runoff leaves the site through a street drain. Which best management practice DIRECTLY protects that storm drain inlet?

• a.Installing inlet protection such as a gravel bag barrier or filter insert around the drain✓
• b.Adding more parking for workers near the inlet so trucks stop churning the soil at the curb
• c.Watering the haul road to keep dust down so fewer fines blow toward the street and the drain
• d.Sweeping the office floors daily so tracked soil is collected before it reaches the ground after the shift

Correct: storm drain inlet protection, such as gravel bag barriers, fiber rolls, or filter inserts placed around the inlet, directly traps sediment before runoff enters the drain. Watering the haul road controls dust, not inlet sediment. Adding parking does nothing for the drain. Sweeping office floors is unrelated to protecting the storm drain from site runoff.

For a construction stormwater permit (SWPPP), who is generally responsible for ensuring the plan is implemented and its control measures are inspected and maintained on the site?

• a.Only the concrete supplier delivering to the site, since the washout is the main source of site runoff and no one else on the site has that duty
• b.Only the state agency that issued the permit, which sends crews to place and maintain the controls without any action by the contractor on site
• c.No one until a violation notice is received, after which the controls are installed and inspected and the agency then takes over the inspections
• d.The permit holder/legally responsible person (such as the owner or their contractor), who must implement, inspect, and maintain the BMPs✓

Correct: the discharger who holds the permit, the legally responsible party such as the owner or their designated contractor, is responsible for implementing the SWPPP and for inspecting and maintaining the control measures (BMPs) throughout construction. The issuing agency oversees but does not run daily site controls. A material supplier is not responsible for site-wide stormwater compliance. Waiting for a violation notice is noncompliant; the duty is ongoing.