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






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






3. 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






4. 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






5. The science and management of land - especially rural - agricultural land.






6. 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.






7. 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.






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






9. A community's used water and water carried solids (including used water from industrial processes) that flow to a treatment plant. Storm water - surface water - and groundwater infiltration also may be included in the wastewater that enters a wastewa






10. A legal form of land-use control and building regulations usually exercised by a municipal authority; usually involves setting aside of distinct land areas for specific purposes - such as commercial - educational or residential development.






11. Any designated use or activity on a piece of land.






12. A water treatment process in which solid particles settle out of the water being treated in a large clarifier or sedimentation basin.






13. Record of an area's natural and man-made resources - including vegetation - animal life - geological characteristics and mankind's presence in such forms as housing - highways and even hazardous wastes.






14. A type of wastewater or service connection pipe made of a low grade of cast iron. _ In plumbing - a pipe that carries the discharge of toilets or similar fixtures - with or without the discharges from other fixtures.






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






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






17. A natural underground layer of porous - waterbearing materials (sand - gravel) usually capable of yielding a large amount or supply of water.






18. British thermal units; the quantity of thermal energy required to raise one pound of water at its maximum density - 1 degree F. One BTU is equivalent to .293 watt hours - or 252 calories. One kilowatt hour is equivalent to 3412 BTU Back Pressure (wat






19. 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






20. The creative illustration - planning and specification of space for the greatest possible amount of harmony - utility - value and beauty.






21. Material used to fill in a trench or excavation






22. An opening in pipes or sewers designed for rodding or working a snake into the pipe in either direction. Twoway cleanouts are most often found in building lateral pipes at or near a property line.






23. That part of the precipitation falling on a drainage area which does not escape as surface stream flow during a given period. It is the difference between total precipitation and total runoff during the period - and represents evaporation - transpira






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






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






26. A road laid through a garden or park-like landscape - usually with median and roadside plantings.






27. An opening or point of access in a building wastewater pipe system for rodding or snake operation.






28. 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.






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






30. 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.'






31. A network of pipes - manholes - cleanouts - traps - siphons - lift stations and other structures used to collect all wastewater and wastewatercarried wastes of an area and transport them to a treatment plant or disposal system. The collection system






32. Acronym for 'Computer Aided (i.e. - Assisted) Design and Drafting -' a digital design process in which landscape architects use computers to help produce precise drawings and details for the construction of a project.






33. A layer - usually of concrete or mortar - for providing continuous support to such items as bricks - slabs - pipes.






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






35. A structure or chamber which is usually sunk or lowered by digging from the inside. Used to gain access to the bottom of a stream or other body of water.






36. 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.






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






38. Opening in a sewer provided for the purpose of permitting operators or equipment to enter or leave a sewer. Sometimes called an 'access hole' or a 'maintenance hole.'






39. The illustration and description of problem-statements and large-scale design solutions that affect extensive areas of land; the anticipation of problems that will be encountered as human use and development of land continues.






40. A flat board or plate - deflector - guide or similar device constructed or placed in flowing water or slurry systems to cause more uniform flow velocities - to absorb energy - and to divert - guide - or agitate liquids (water - chemical solutions - s






41. 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.






42. A system of major sewers serving as transporting lines and not as local or lateral sewers.






43. 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






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






45. A groundwater table that has seasonal changes in depth or elevation.






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






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






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






49. A sewer pipe to which building laterals are connected. Also called a COLLECTION MAIN.






50. A groundwater table that is changed by artificial means. Examples of activities that artificially raise the level of a groundwater table include agricultural irrigation - dams and excessive sewer line exfiltration. A groundwater table can be artifici