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Civil Engineering Vocab

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. In zoning - a housing or commercial development composed of individual units that are regulated as a whole.






2. Solid material settled from suspension in a liquid.






3. The excess water running off from the surface of a drainage area during and immediately after a period of rain. See STORM RUNOFF.






4. Masonry composed of roughly shaped stones - well bonded and brought at irregular intervals vertically to discontinuous but approximately level beds or courses.






5. A downspout or pipe installed to drain a roof gutter to a storm drain or other means of disposal.






6. A sewer installed to connect two separate sewers. If one sewer becomes blocked - wastewater can back up and flow through the interconnector to the other sewer.






7. A manhole located at the upstream end of a sewer and having no inlet pipe. Also called a TERMINAL MANHOLE.






8. A material - other than aggregate - cementitious material or water - added in small quantities to the mix in order to produce some (desired) modifications - either to the properties of the mix or of the hardened product.






9. A line from which heights and depths are calculated or measured. Also called a datum plane or a datum level.






10. A professional society that represents landscape architects in the United States and Canada and seeks to better the practice and understanding of landscape architecture through education - research - state registration and other programs.






11. The amount of liquid which a solid material can absorb. Sand - as an example - can hold approximately onethird of its volume in water - or three cubic feet of dry sand can contain one cubic foot of water. A denser soil - such as clay - can hold much






12. The pipeline extending from the water main to the building served or to the consumer's system.






13. A relatively clear or forested area left untouched in or near a city. It may be active open space - such as a baseball field - or passive open space - such as an area of natural woodland.






14. Sedimentation basin overflow weir. A plate with Vnotches along the top to ensure a uniform flow rate and avoid shortcircuiting.






15. Regulations specifying the type of construction methods and materials that are allowable on a project.






16. An authorization issued by a government agency allowing construction of a project according to approved plans and specifications.






17. A trained builder or installer of landscapes - retained to implement the plans of landscape architects.






18. Elements added to a natural landscape - such as paving stones - gravel - walkways - irrigation systems - roads - retaining walls - sculpture - street amenities - fountains - and other mechanical features.






19. One or a series of oneinch diameter holes through a manhole lid for purposes of venting dangerous gases found in sewers.






20. A mixture of storm or surface runoff and other wastewater such as domestic or industrial wastewater.






21. A small tank (usually covered) or a storage facility used to store water for a home or farm. Often used to store rainwater.






22. The science and art of design - planning - management and stewardship of the land. Landscape architecture involves natural and built elements - cultural and scientific knowledge - and concern for resource conservation to the end that the resulting en






23. A system used where wastewater collection systems and treatment plants are not available. The system is a settling tank in which settled sludge is in intimate contact with the wastewater flowing through the tank and the organic solids are decomposed






24. A sewer designed to carry both sanitary wastewaters and storm or surface water runoff.






25. Most plumbing codes require a vent pipe connection of adequate size and located downstream of a trap in a building wastewater system. This vent prevents the accumulation of gases or odors and is usually piped through the roof and out of doors.






26. A large - public park - often highly scenic and isolated belonging to and operated by the federal government.






27. The man-made creation of or alterations to a specific area - including its natural resources. This is in contrast to the 'natural environment.'






28. A separate pipe - conduit or open channel (sewer) that carries runoff from storms - surface drainage - and street wash - but does not include domestic and industrial wastes. Storm sewers are often the recipients of hazardous or toxic substances due t






29. A special valve with a hinged disc or flap that opens in the direction of normal flow and is forced shut when flows attempt to go in the reverse or opposite direction of normal flows.






30. The precipitation that cannot be absorbed by the soil and flows across the surface by gravity. The water that reaches a stream by traveling over the soil surface or falls directly into the stream channels - including not only the large permanent stre






31. A legal means of protecting beautiful views and associated aesthetic quality along a site by restricting change in existing features without government approval.






32. The prepared and compacted base on which a manhole is constructed.






33. The process of adding air to water. Air can be added to water by either passing air through water or passing water through air. In wastewater treatment - air is added to freshen wastewater and to keep solids in suspension. With mixtures of wastewater






34. Soil that cannot absorb any more liquid. The interstices or void spaces in the soil are filled with water to the point at which runoff occurs.






35. A manhole located at the upstream end of a sewer and having no inlet pipe. Also called a DEADEND MANHOLE.






36. A strip of unspoiled - often treed - agricultural or other outlying land used to separate or ring urban areas.






37. The upper surface of the zone of saturation of groundwater in an unconfined aquifer.






38. A site that might appear to be natural but has elements and features that were planned and specified by a landscape architect. Designed landscapes include Central Park in New York to the siting of buildings.






39. Narrowly defined - the amount of countryside and/or city that can be taken in at a glance. Also - an area of land or water taken in the aggregate.






40. Shoring members placed across a trench to hold other horizontal and vertical shoring members in place.






41. A type of easement granting permission to a constructor or developer to build over a street or structure.






42. A break in a lateral pipe somewhere between the sewer main and the building connection.






43. The gathering of a gas - liquid - or dissolved substance on the surface or interface zone of another material. Advanced Waste Treatment (water) n Any process of water renovation that upgrades treated wastewater to meet specific reuse requirements. Ma






44. A manhole in which the rate of the water entering is greater than the capacity of the outlet under gravity flow conditions. When the water in the manhole rises above the top of the outlet pipe - the manhole is said to be 'surcharged.'






45. A biological wastewater treatment process which speeds up the decomposition of wastes in the wastewater being treated. Activated sludge is added to wastewater and the mixture (mixed liquor) is aerated and agitated. After some time in the aeration tan






46. The angle between a horizontal line andthe slope or surface of unsupported material such as gravel - sand -or loose soil. Also called the 'natural slope.'






47. The used household water and watercarried solids that flow in sewers to a wastewater treatment plant. The preferred term is WASTEWATER.






48. Masonry composed of roughly shaped stones fitting approximately on level beds - well bonded and brought at vertical intervals to continuous level beds of courses.






49. In the United States - a certification of individuals entitled to use the term 'landscape architect' or to practice landscape architecture or both - by means of examination and required degree and experience criteria.






50. Legal right to use the property of others for a specific purpose. For example - a utility company may have a fivefoot easement along the property line of a home. This gives the utility the legal right to install and maintain a sewer line within the e