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






2. A sewer line that receives wastewater from many tributary branches and sewer lines and serves as an outlet for a large territory or is used to feed an intercepting sewer.






3. The lay of the land - particularly its slope and drainage patterns; the science of drawing maps and charts or otherwise representing the surface features of a region or site - including its natural and man-made features.






4. A preliminary plan showing proposed ultimate site development. Master plans often comprise site work that must be executed in phases over a long time and are thus subject to drastic modification.






5. The slope of a plot of land. Grading is the mechanical process of moving earth changing the degree of rise or descent of the land in order to establish good drainage and otherwise suit the intent of a landscape design.






6. Railing support at landings or other breaks in the stairs. If an angle post projects beyond the bottom of the strings - the ornamental detail formed at the bottom of the post is called the drop.






7. Downward movement of the soil or of a structure which it supports






8. The natural elements with which landscape architects work - such as plant materials and the soil itself.






9. Federal agency responsible for producing and managing many federally-funded public service programs - especially those affecting housing and public spaces.






10. A water service shutoff valve located in a water service pipe near the curb and between the water main and the building. This valve is usually operated by a wrench or valve key and is used to start or stop flows in the water service line to a buildin






11. A dimensioned drawing indicating the form of an existing area and the physical objects existing in it and those to be built or installed upon it.






12. 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.'






13. A capped opening in a building lateral -usually located on the property line - through which the pipelines can be cleaned.






14. Branch or lateral sewers that collect wastewater from building sewers and service lines.






15. Masonry composed of irregularly shaped stones laid without regularity of coursing - but well bonded.






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






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






18. Clarifier - Settling Tank. A tank or basin in which wastewater is held for a period of time during which the heavier solids settle to the bottom and the lighter materials float to the water surface.






19. Horizontal shoring members - usually square - rough cut timber - that are used to hold solid sheeting - braces or vertical shoring members in place. Also called STRINGERS.






20. The force that resists the separation of two bodies in contact.






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






22. In landscape architecture - a study of the potential cost of site purchase - demolition and improvement in comparison to the income or other benefit to be derived from site development.






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






24. A wall that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight.






25. Not easily penetrated. The property of a material or soil that does not allow - or allows only with great difficulty - the movement or passage of water.






26. The conversion of large solid particles of sludge into very fine particles which either dissolve or remain suspended in wastewater.






27. The lowest point of the channel inside a pipe - conduit - or canal.






28. Any attempt to restore to beneficial use land that has lost its fertility and stability; most often applies to mining reclamation - such as the restoration of strip mines and quarries.






29. A multinational organization of landscape architects whose purpose is the promotion of landscape design and planning.






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






31. A pipe or conduit (sewer) intended to carry wastewater or waterborne wastes from homes - businesses - and industries to the POTW (Publicly Owned Treatment Works). Storm water runoff or unpolluted water should be collected and transported in a separat






32. A wastewater pumping station that lifts the wastewater to a higher elevation when continuing the sewer at reasonable slopes would involve excessive depths of trench. Also - an installation of pumps that raise wastewater from areas too low to drain in






33. A plan for conserving or protecting various natural or manufactured resources. Such a plan is used as a management tool in making decisions regarding soil - water - vegetation - manufactured objects and other resources at a particular site.






34. Material used to fill in a trench or excavation






35. Harmonious use of the land for more than one purpose; not necessarily the combination of uses that will yield the highest economic return - e.g. - a mix of residential and commercial developments in the same area.






36. Material used in backfilling of an excavation - selected for desirable compaction or other characteristics.






37. In landscape architecture - an essential sheet showing site boundaries and significant site features - used as a basis for subsequent plan development.






38. 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.






39. A U.S. government agency responsible for developing and enforcing regulations that guide the use of land and natural resources.






40. The pipes - conduits - structures - equipment - and processes required to collect - convey - and treat domestic and industrial wastes - and dispose of the effluent and sludge.






41. An unstable condition of a solution (water) in which the solution contains a substance at a concentration greater than the saturation concentration for the substance.






42. The elevation of the invert (or bottom) of a pipeline - canal - culvert - or similar conduit. _ The inclination or slope of a pipeline - conduit - stream channel - or natural ground surface; usually expressed in terms of the ratio or percentage of nu






43. A professional who designs - plans - and manages outdoor spaces ranging from entire ecosystems to residential sites and whose media include natural and built elements; also referred to as a designer - planner - consultant. Not to be confused with lan






44. A small box-like structure that contains valves used to regulate flows.






45. 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.






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






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






48. The protection - improvement and use of natural resources according to principles that will assure the highest economic or social benefits for people and the environment now and in the future.






49. Landscape architecture - (civil) engineering - urban planning and architecture. Agronomy is also often included in this group.






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