WBMSC AE Civil 2026 (18 January 2026) question paper with answers

Q1.The fineness modulus of fine aggregate is 2.78 and of coarse aggregate is 7.82, and the desired fineness modulus of the mixed aggregate is 6.14. What is the amount of fine aggregate to be mixed with one part of coarse aggregate?

1. 0.55
2. 0.45
3. 0.50
4. 0.40

Q2.The number of modular bricks required per cubic metre of brick masonry is

1. 400
2. 450
3. 500
4. 550

Q3.In terms of bulk modulus (K) and modulus of rigidity (G), Poisson's ratio can be expressed as

1. (3K−4G)/(6K+4G)
2. (3K+4G)/(6K−4G)
3. (3K−2G)/(6K+2G)
4. (3K+2G)/(6K−2G)

Q4.A beam of length 10 m carries a UDL of 20 kN/m over its entire length and rests on two simple supports. For the maximum BM produced to be the least possible, the supports must be placed from the ends at a distance of

1. 5.86 m
2. 4.14 m
3. 2.93 m
4. 2.07 m

Q5.A simply supported beam AB (span 4m) carries a 2 t-m moment at each end and point loads 2t, 4t, 2t at the quarter points. The bending moment at the mid-span point E works out to

1. 6 t-m (Sagging)
2. 4 t-m (Hogging)
3. 6 t-m (Hogging)
4. 4 t-m (Sagging)

Q6.A cantilever fixed at A carries a load P at C (distance L1 from A); B is the free end at distance L. The deflection at B is

1. PL1²(L−L1)/2EI
2. PL1²(L−L1)/3EI
3. PL1²(L−L1/3)/2EI
4. PL1²(L−L1/3)/3EI

Q7.Moments of the same sense are applied to both ends of a simply supported beam. The ratio of rotation of the two ends is 2. What is the ratio of the applied moments?

1. 3/2
2. 4/3
3. 5/4
4. 6/5

Q8.For the semicircular two-hinged arch shown, a moment of 50 t-cm applied at B produces a displacement of 0.5 cm at A. If a concentrated load of 10t is applied at A, the rotation at B will be

1. 0.1 rad
2. 0.001 rad
3. 0.0001 rad
4. 0.01 rad

Q9.The total (internal and external) degree of static indeterminacy of the plane frame shown is

1. 18
2. 16
3. 14
4. 13

Q10.If a point load at mid-span of a fixed beam produces fixed end moments of 60 kN-m, the same load spread uniformly over the entire span will produce fixed end moments equal to

1. 20 kN-m
2. 30 kN-m
3. 40 kN-m
4. 45 kN-m

Q11.The effective length of the fillet weld is

1. Total length − 2×Throat size
2. Total length − 2×Weld size
3. 0.7×Total length
4. Total length − (Weld size/√2)

Q12.As per the plastic design concept, to obtain the ultimate strength of a tension member, Aeσy is to be multiplied by

1. 1.1
2. 0.95
3. 0.85
4. 0.75

Q13.For an I-beam, the shape factor is 1.12. If the allowable stress (factor of safety in bending 1.5) is increased by 20% for wind and earthquake loads, the modified load factor is

1. 1.10
2. 1.25
3. 1.35
4. 1.40

Q14.The capacity of a single ISA 100×100×10mm as a tension member connected by one leg only using 6 rivets of 20mm diameter (allowable stress 150 N/mm²) is

1. 333 kN
2. 253 kN
3. 238 kN
4. 210 kN

Q15.A column of height h, cross-section a×2a, has buckling load P. If the section changes to 0.5a×3a and height to 1.5h, the new buckling load is

1. P/12
2. P/4
3. P/2
4. 3P/4

Q16.In a reinforced concrete section, the extreme fibre compressive stress is 5.80 MPa, neutral axis depth is 58mm, grade M25. Assuming linear elastic behaviour, the effective curvature (per mm) is

1. 2.0×10⁻⁶
2. 3.0×10⁻⁶
3. 4.0×10⁻⁶
4. 5.0×10⁻⁶

Q17.A pair of six-faced dice is rolled thrice. The probability that the sum equals 4 in exactly two of the three attempts is

1. 0.021
2. 0.019
3. 0.017
4. 0.015

Q18.In Stokes' experiment, a 5mm sphere falls with terminal velocity 20mm/s giving a drag coefficient of 240. The kinematic viscosity of the liquid, in stokes, is

1. 3.5
2. 10.0
3. 225.0
4. 1000.0

Q19.For a stream function ψ=3x²−y², the magnitude of velocity at point (2,1) is

1. 12.37
2. 12.00
3. 13.00
4. 13.50

Q20.The critical depth of water flowing through a rectangular channel of width 5m when discharge is 12.5 m³/s is

1. (2.25)^(1/3) m
2. (16)^(1/3) m
3. (0.46)^(1/3) m
4. (0.64)^(1/3) m

Q21.The trap efficiency of a reservoir increases with an increase in

1. inflow into the reservoir
2. ratio of inflow to storage capacity
3. ratio of reservoir capacity to inflow
4. None of the above

Q22.Two reservoirs are connected by two parallel pipes of diameter 2d and d. The ratio of flows (larger:smaller) is

1. √2 : 1
2. 2 : 1
3. 4 : 1
4. 4√2 : 1

Q23.If total hardness and alkalinity of a water sample are 300 mg/L and 100 mg/L (as CaCO3), its carbonate and non-carbonate hardness (mg/L) are respectively

1. 100 and 200
2. 400 and 300
3. 100 and 400
4. 400 and zero

Q24.A sewage sample: Initial DO=10mg/L, Final DO=2mg/L, dilution to 1%. The BOD of the sewage sample is

1. 8 mg/L
2. 10 mg/L
3. 100 mg/L
4. 800 mg/L

Q25.Which one of the following can fix atmospheric nitrogen?

1. Green algae
2. Blue green algae
3. Red algae
4. Brown algae

Q26.In a wet soil mass, air occupies one-sixth of its volume and water occupies one-third of its volume. The void ratio of the soil is

1. 0.25
2. 0.50
3. 1.00
4. 1.50

Q27.A sand deposit has a porosity of 0.375 and specific gravity 2.6. The critical hydraulic gradient is

1. 2.975
2. 2.225
3. 1
4. 0.75

Q28.A stratified soil deposit has three layers of thickness z1=4, z2=1, z3=2 units with permeabilities k1=2, k2=1, k3=4 units. The average permeability perpendicular to bedding is

1. 4
2. 2
3. 8
4. 16

Q29.Two footings, circular and square with equal diameter/side, are founded on a purely cohesionless soil surface. The ratio of ultimate bearing capacities (circular:square) is

1. 1.0
2. 1.3
3. 1.33
4. 0.75

Q30.The volume of a 6m deep tank with rectangular top 6m×4m and bottom 4m×2m, using the prismoidal formula, is

1. 96 m³
2. 94 m³
3. 92 m³
4. 90 m³

Q31.If L is the chain length, W its weight, and T the tension, the sag correction for the chain line is

1. WL/24T² (garbled exponent)
2. W²L/24T²
3. W²L³/24T²
4. W⁴L/24T²

Q32.As per IS 800:2007, the effective length of a compression member (length L) with one end fixed (restrained both ways) and the other end fully free is

1. L
2. 2L
3. 0.8L
4. 0.65L

Q33.Rocks formed due to solidification of molten magma are called

1. Aqueous rocks
2. Sedimentary rocks
3. Metamorphic rocks
4. Igneous rocks

Q34.A temporary structure built around a construction site to remove water and keep the area reasonably dry is known as

1. Caisson
2. Well foundation
3. Raft foundation
4. Cofferdam

Q35.Newton's law of viscosity states that shear stress is directly proportional to

1. Velocity
2. Velocity gradient
3. Viscosity
4. Shear strain

Q36.A septic tank is a

1. combination of sedimentation and digestion tanks
2. sedimentation tank
3. digestion tank
4. aeration tank

Q37.The process of killing pathogenic bacteria from water is known as

1. Sedimentation
2. Disinfection
3. Coagulation
4. Filtration

Q38.When a member is subjected to axial tensile load, the maximum normal stress is equal to

1. half the maximum shear stress
2. twice the maximum shear stress
3. maximum shear stress
4. zero

Q39.The centre-to-centre distance of adjacent rivet/bolt holes measured in the direction of stress is known as

1. Gauge
2. Pitch
3. Lap
4. Edge distance

Q40.Humidity is measured by

1. Hydrometer
2. Hygrometer
3. Hyetometer
4. Anemometer

Q41.The water stored in a reservoir below the minimum pool level is called

1. Valley storage
2. Surcharge storage
3. Bank storage
4. Dead storage

Q42.The rank of the given 2x2/3x3 matrix (as shown in the paper) is

1. 0
2. 2
3. 1
4. 3

Q43.If f(x)=|x|, then f(x) is

1. discontinuous at x=0
2. continuous only at x=0
3. continuous at all values of x
4. discontinuous at x=1

Q44.A shaft of diameter d and length l is loaded axially. The ratio of change in diameter to the original diameter is known as

1. Longitudinal strain
2. Shear strain
3. Volumetric strain
4. Lateral strain

Q45.Mohr's circle for a state of equal biaxial stress of 50 MPa in both directions (no shear) is a circle with

1. centre at (0,0), radius 30 MPa
2. centre at (0,0), radius 60 MPa
3. centre at (30,0), radius 30 MPa
4. centre at (50,0), zero radius

Q46.The dot product of two vectors is zero. The angle (in degrees) between them is

1. 0
2. 30
3. 90
4. 120

Q47.The shape of the STOP sign according to IRC:67 is

1. Circular
2. Triangular
3. Octagonal
4. Rectangular

Q48.The minimum and maximum eigenvalues of a given 3x3 matrix (diagonal 1,5,1) are −2 and 6 respectively. What is the other eigenvalue?

1. 5
2. 3
3. 1
4. -1

Q49.The bearing of line AB is 200° and that of CB is 270°. The included angle ABC is

1. 70°
2. 80°
3. 90°
4. 20°

Q50.Standard EDTA solution is used to determine the

1. Hardness in water
2. Turbidity in water
3. Dissolved oxygen in water
4. Residual chlorine in water

Q51.Rise of the groundwater table above the ground surface causes

1. equal increase in pore water pressure and total stress
2. equal decrease in pore water pressure and total stress
3. decrease in pore water pressure but increase in total stress
4. increase in pore water pressure but decrease in total stress

Q52.A beam 10m long, simply supported, carries a point load of 1000N at mid-span. The bending moment under the load is

1. 10000 Nm
2. 5000 Nm
3. 2500 Nm
4. 500 Nm

Q53.In a gravity dam, the main overturning force is

1. self-weight of the dam
2. wind pressure
3. water pressure
4. uplift pressure

Q54.The total vertical stress and pore water pressure at a point in soil are 100 kPa and 80 kPa respectively. The effective stress is

1. 108 kPa
2. 180 kPa
3. 20 kPa
4. 8000 kPa

Q55.A UU test on saturated clay at zero confining pressure failed at 100 kPa normal stress. The shear strength parameters from Mohr's circle are

1. Cohesion=100kPa, φ=5°
2. Cohesion=100kPa, φ=0°
3. Cohesion=50kPa, φ=0°
4. Cohesion=50kPa, φ=5°

Q56.A crop requires 75mm of water every 28 days, with a base period of 140 days. The value of delta is

1. 575 mm
2. 2000 mm
3. 375 mm
4. 52.3 mm

Q57.The recommended minimum freeboard in unlined canals in alluvial soil for discharge less than 10 cumecs, per IS 7112:2002, is

1. 0.75 m
2. 0.50 m
3. 1.00 m
4. 1.50 m

Q58.Void ratio of soil is the ratio of volume of voids to

1. volume of solids
2. volume of water
3. total volume of soil
4. unit weight of soil

Q59.Rankine's theory of earth pressure assumes that the back of the wall is

1. vertical and smooth
2. vertical and rough
3. plane and smooth
4. plane and rough

Q60.Precipitation includes

1. evaporation of water from a water body to atmosphere
2. evaporation from plants and leaves
3. rain and snowfall
4. flooding

Q61.A simply supported prestressed concrete beam (force 2500kN, span 10m, total load 40kN/m) designed by load balancing needs a central cable dip of

1. 100 mm
2. 200 mm
3. 300 mm
4. 400 mm

Q62.An RC slab's main reinforcement is 10mm bars @ 10cm spacing; replacing with 12mm bars, the new spacing should be

1. 10.45 cm
2. 12.75 cm
3. 14.40 cm
4. 16.20 cm

Q63.For M25 concrete mix design, the assumed standard deviation for target mean strength per IS 456:2000 is (N/mm²)

1. 4.5
2. 4.0
3. 5.0
4. 3.5

Q64.The minimum eccentricity for an axially loaded 400mm×400mm column with unsupported length 5m is

1. 15.6 mm
2. 20.5 mm
3. 23.3 mm
4. 30.6 mm

Q65.An RC beam has moments: DL=50kNm, LL=50kNm, seismic=20kNm. The design bending moment for limit state of collapse is

1. 180 kNm
2. 150 kNm
3. 120 kNm
4. 144 kNm

Q66.The maximum superelevation on hill roads should not exceed

1. 7%
2. 8%
3. 9%
4. 10%

Q67.During an inelastic collision of two particles, which of the following is conserved?

1. Total linear momentum only
2. Total kinetic energy only
3. Both linear momentum and kinetic energy
4. Neither

Q68.A body moves at 10 m/s along a curved path of 25m radius. If tangential acceleration is 3 m/s², the total acceleration is

1. 3.3 m/s²
2. 4 m/s²
3. 4.2 m/s²
4. 5 m/s²

Q69.The instrument used for measuring area on a contour map is

1. Areameter
2. Clinometer
3. Planimeter
4. Graphometer

Q70.When there is a rise in the water table below the ground surface, which statement is true for effective stress: (i) unchanged (ii) decreases (iii) increases?

1. Only (iii) is true
2. All are true
3. Only (i) is true
4. Only (ii) is true

Q71.A flow net has 6 flow channels and 30 equipotential drops. The shape factor is

1. 180
2. 5
3. 1/5
4. 6

Q72.Coefficient of permeability of soil varies approximately as

1. D10²
2. D60
3. D30
4. D10

Q73.A toughness index value less than unity indicates that the soil is friable at the

1. plastic limit
2. liquidity limit
3. composite limit
4. elastic limit

Q74.For a flowing fluid, a dimensionless combination of velocity V, length scale l, and gravity g is

1. V²/gl
2. Vg/l
3. g²/V
4. l/V²g

Q75.To derive the flood hydrograph from an isolated storm, the correct order of methods (P: hyetograph, Q: baseflow addition, R: loss estimation, S: unit hydrograph application) is

1. P R S Q
2. P Q R S
3. R P S Q
4. P S Q R

Q76.All vehicles in a peak hour arrive during a 10-minute period within that hour. The 15-minute peak hour factor is

1. 0.25
2. 0.167
3. 0.75
4. 1.0

Q77.If the quadrantal bearing of a line is N30°W, the whole circle bearing is

1. 120°
2. 210°
3. 300°
4. 330°

Q78.A tracer takes 100 days to travel 100m between two wells with a 3m head difference; porosity 15%. The coefficient of permeability (m/day) is

1. 0.30
2. 0.45
3. 1.00
4. 5.00

Q79.According to the IS classification system, soil can be classified into

1. 15 groups
2. 7 groups
3. 3 groups
4. 18 groups

Q80.What are the fixed end moments for a fixed beam (span 6m) under a UDL of 30 kN/m?

1. 60 kNm (Hogging)
2. 60 kNm (Sagging)
3. 90 kNm (Hogging)
4. 90 kNm (Sagging)

Q81.A three-hinged parabolic arch of span 20m, rise 4m, carries a 150kN load at 4m from the left support A. The vertical reaction and horizontal thrust at A are

1. V=40kN, H=80kN
2. V=75kN, H=120kN
3. V=80kN, H=50kN
4. V=120kN, H=75kN

Q82.In the pin-jointed truss shown (2-panel, both diagonals crossing in each panel, 2 supports), the static degree of indeterminacy is

1. 2
2. 1
3. 3
4. 4

Q83.In the column analogy method, the area of the analogous column for a fixed beam of span L and flexural rigidity EI is taken as

1. L/EI
2. L/2EI
3. L/4EI
4. L/8EI

Q84.A single rolling load of 40kN rolls along a simply supported girder of span 20m. The absolute maximum positive and negative shear forces are

1. 14kN and −26kN
2. 40kN and −40kN
3. 26kN and −14kN
4. 20kN and −20kN

Q85.A 25ml sample was diluted to 250ml so its odour was no longer perceivable. The threshold odour number is

1. 11
2. 10
3. 25
4. 05

Q86.The ratio of average velocity to maximum velocity for steady laminar flow in a circular pipe is

1. 0.50
2. 0.67
3. 1.25
4. 1.50

Q87.Air binding in a rapid sand filter occurs due to

1. excessive negative head
2. mud ball formation
3. low temperature
4. All of the above

Q88.The line of action of the buoyant force acts through the

1. centre of the volume of the floating body
2. centre of gravity of any submerged body
3. centroid of the displaced volume of the fluid
4. centroid of the volume of fluid vertically above the body

Q89.A 20mm diameter steel tie rod may be subject to stress reversal from wind load. The maximum permissible length of the member is

1. 1750 mm
2. 2000 mm
3. 3000 mm
4. 2500 mm

Q90.A water treatment plant flow is 0.6 m³/s; the settling basin is 20m long, 3m deep, 6m wide. What percentage of particles with settling velocity 0.004 m/s is removed?

1. 80%
2. 92%
3. 75%
4. 100%

Q91.Natural undamped frequency is 20 rad/s, damping ratio is 50%. The damped frequency is

1. 20 rad/s
2. 10 rad/s
3. 5 rad/s
4. 17.3 rad/s

Q92.When a cantilever beam is loaded with a uniformly distributed load, the bending moment diagram will be a

1. horizontal straight line
2. inclined straight line
3. parabolic curve
4. None of the above

Q93.The maximum energy that a component can absorb without permanent deformation, up to the elastic limit, is known as

1. Proof resilience
2. Resilience
3. Hardness
4. Toughness

Q94.Blue baby disease in infants is caused by excessive ___ in drinking water.

1. colour
2. sulphates
3. carbonates
4. nitrates

Q95.For a beam with a specific triangular/point loading (as shown), the maximum bending moment is

1. wa²/27 at a/√3 from left support
2. wa²/27 at a/√3 from right support
3. wa²/(9√3) at a/√3 from left support
4. wa²/(9√3) at a/√3 from right support

Q96.The moment of inertia of a square section of side a about its diagonal is

1. a⁴/8
2. a⁴/12
3. a⁴
4. a⁴/16

Q97.As per IS 456-2000, the modulus of rupture is expressed as (fck = characteristic strength, MPa)

1. 0.7√fck MPa
2. 5700√fck MPa
3. 0.25√fck MPa
4. 0.16√fck MPa

Q98.If the neutral axis depth in a beam is more than the critical neutral axis depth, the beam is called

1. Balanced beam
2. Under-reinforced beam
3. Over-reinforced beam
4. None of the above

Q99.According to Lacey's regime equations for alluvial channels, the regime velocity is expressed as

1. V=0.47(Q/f)^(1/6)
2. V=(5/2)Q^(1/3)f
3. V=(Qf²/140)^(1/6)
4. V=(Qf²)^(1/3)×140

Q100.The time for a clay layer to reach 90% consolidation is 20 years. The time for a layer of half the thickness to reach the same degree is

1. 15 years
2. 10 years
3. 5 years
4. 7.5 years