Test your basic knowledge |

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 oxidation ditch is a modified form of the activated sludge process. The ditch consists of two channels placed side by side and connected at the ends to produce one continuous loop of wastewater flow and a brush rotator assembly placed across the






2. Solid material settled from suspension in a liquid.






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






4. A coordinating agency formed in 1961 for state boards that administer licensing exams and maintain records for landscape architects to practice.






5. American Society for Testing and Materials






6. 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.






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






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






9. A popular social concern of the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries aimed at improving the appearance of urban areas through better planning and the addition of formal - romanticized public spaces and gardens.






10. 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.






11. 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






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






13. 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.






14. The elements of supply inherent to an area that can be used to satisfy human needs - including air - soil - water - native vegetation - minerals and wildlife.






15. 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.






16. The movement of water through very small spaces due to molecular forces.






17. A wall or plate placed in an open channel and used to measure the flow of water. The depth of the flow over the weir can be used to calculate the flow rate - or a chart or conversion table may be used to convert depth to flow. A wall or obstruction u






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






19. The linear or a real dimension over which a higher component transmits load to a lower component






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






21. 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.






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






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






24. 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






25. A device made of pipe fittings used to prevent sewer gases escaping from the branch or lateral sewer from entering a building sewer.






26. A manhole which fills and allows raw wastewater to flow out onto the street or ground.






27. The legal grant of right-of-use to an area of designated private property.






28. An arrangement of pipes - equipment - devices - tanks and structures for treating wastewater and industrial wastes. A water pollution control plant.






29. 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.






30. 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.






31. The formation of separate layers (of temperature - plant - or animal life) in a lake or reservoir. Each layer has similar characteristics such as all water in the layer has the same temperature. Also see THERMAL STRATIFICATION.






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






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






34. Subsurface water in the saturation zone from which wells and springs are fed. In a strict sense the term applies only to water below the water table. Also called 'phreatic water' and 'plerotic water.'






35. 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






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






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






38. 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






39. The height to which something is elevated - such as the height above sea level.






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






41. The dropping or lowering of the ground surface as a result of removing excess water (overdraft or overpumping) from an aquifer. After excess water has been removed - the soil will settle - become compacted and the ground surface will drop and can cau






42. An agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - primarily responsible for planning and overseeing the use of national forest lands by private - commercial and government users.






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






44. 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.






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






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






47. Movement of soil from one place to another. Generally accompanies SILTING of a sewer system. Where infiltration is taking place and silt is carried into a sewer system - such silt or soil is removed from the ground around the sewer pipe and the resul






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






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






50. A device that admits surface waters to the storm water drainage system. Also see CURB INLET and CATCH BASIN.