GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE

Q. 1 – Q. 25 carry one mark each.

Q.1 For what value of p the following set of equations will have no solution?

2 +3 =5
3 + = 10

Q.2 The integral ∫ with > > 0 is evaluated analytically as well as numerically using a
single application of the trapezoidal rule. If I is the exact value of the integral obtained analytically
and is the approximate value obtained using the trapezoidal rule, which of the following
statements is correct about their relationship?

(A) > (B) <

(C) = (D) Insufficient data to determine the relationship

Q.3 Consider the following probability mass function (p.m.f.) of a random variable X:

if = 0
( , ) = 1 − if = 1
0 otherwise

If q = 0.4, the variance of X is _______________.

Q.4 Workability of concrete can be measured using slump, compaction factor and Vebe time. Consider
the following statements for workability of concrete:

(i) As the slump increases, the Vebe time increases

(ii) As the slump increases, the compaction factor increases

Which of the following is TRUE?

(A) Both (i) and (ii) are True (B) Both (i) and (ii) are False
(C) (i) is True and (ii) is False (D) (i) is False and (ii) is True

Q.5 Consider the following statements for air-entrained concrete:

(i) Air-entrainment reduces the water demand for a given level of workability
(ii) Use of air-entrained concrete is required in environments where cyclic freezing and
thawing is expected

Which of the following is TRUE?

(A) Both (i) and (ii) are True (B) Both (i) and (ii) are False
(C) (i) is True and (ii) is False (D) (i) is False and (ii) is True

CE 1/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.6 Consider the singly reinforced beam shown in the figure below:

P P
X

L L/2 L

At cross-section XX, which of the following statements is TRUE at the limit state?
(A) The variation of stress is linear and that of strain is non-linear
(B) The variation of strain is linear and that of stress is non-linear
(C) The variation of both stress and strain is linear
(D) The variation of both stress and strain is non-linear

Q.7 For the beam shown below, the stiffness coefficient K22 can be written as

(A) (B) (C) (D)

Q.8 The development length of a deformed reinforcement bar can be expressed as (1/k) (s/bd).
From the IS:456-2000, the value of can be calculated as _______________.

Q.9 For the beam shown below, the value of the support moment M is _______________ kN-m.

CE 2/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.10 Two triangular wedges are glued together as shown in the following figure. The stress acting
normal to the interface, σ is _______________ MPa.

Q.11 A fine-grained soil has 60% (by weight) silt content. The soil behaves as semi-solid when water
content is between 15% and 28%. The soil behaves fluid-like when the water content is more than
40%. The ‘Activity’ of the soil is
(A) 3.33 (B) 0.42 (C) 0.30 (D) 0.20

Q.12 Which of the following statements is TRUE for the relation between discharge velocity and seepage
velocity?
(A) Seepage velocity is always smaller than discharge velocity
(B) Seepage velocity can never be smaller than discharge velocity
(C) Seepage velocity is equal to the discharge velocity
(D) No relation between seepage velocity and discharge velocity can be established

Q.13 Which of the following statements is TRUE for degree of disturbance of collected soil sample?
(A) Thinner the sampler wall, lower the degree of disturbance of collected soil sample
(B) Thicker the sampler wall, lower the degree of disturbance of collected soil sample
(C) Thickness of the sampler wall and the degree of disturbance of collected soil sample are
unrelated
(D) The degree of disturbance of collected soil sample is proportional to the inner diameter of the
sampling tube

Q.14 In an unconsolidated undrained triaxial test, it is observed that an increase in cell pressure from 150
kPa to 250 kPa leads to a pore pressure increase of 80 kPa. It is further observed that, an increase of
50 kPa in deviatoric stress results in an increase of 25 kPa in the pore pressure. The value of
Skempton’s pore pressure parameter B is:
(A) 0.5 (B) 0.625 (C) 0.8 (D) 1.0

Q.15 Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

(A) Loose sand exhibits contractive behavior upon shearing
(B) Dense sand when sheared under undrained condition, may lead to generation of negative
pore pressure
(C) Black cotton soil exhibits expansive behavior
(D) Liquefaction is the phenomenon where cohesionless soil near the downstream side of dams
or sheet-piles loses its shear strength due to high upward hydraulic gradient

CE 3/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.16 In a two-dimensional steady flow field, in a certain region of the x-y plane, the velocity component
in the x-direction is given by = and the density varies as = . Which of the following is a
valid expression for the velocity component in the y-direction, vy?
(A) =− / (B) = / (C) =− (D) =

Q.17 For steady incompressible flow through a closed-conduit of uniform cross-section, the direction of
flow will always be:
(A) from higher to lower elevation (B) from higher to lower pressure
(C) from higher to lower velocity (D) from higher to lower piezometric head

Q.18 A circular pipe has a diameter of 1 m, bed slope of 1 in 1000, and Manning’s roughness coefficient
equal to 0.01. It may be treated as an open channel flow when it is flowing just full, i.e., the water
level just touches the crest. The discharge in this condition is denoted by Qfull. Similarly, the
discharge when the pipe is flowing half-full, i.e., with a flow depth of 0.5 m, is denoted by Qhalf.
The ratio Qfull / Qhalf is:
(A) 1 (B) √2 (C) 2 (D) 4

Q.19 The two columns below show some parameters and their possible values.

Parameter Value

P – Gross Command Area I – 100 hectares/cumec

Q – Permanent Wilting Point II – 6 °C
R – Duty of canal water III – 1000 hectares
S – Delta of wheat IV – 1000 cm
V – 40 cm
VI – 0.12

Which of the following options matches the parameters and the values correctly?
(A) P-I, Q-II, R-III, S-IV (B) P-III, Q-VI, R-I, S-V
(C) P-I, Q-V, R-VI, S-II (D) P-III, Q-II, R-V, S-IV

Q.20 Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) concentration (mg/L as N) in domestic sewage is the sum of the
concentrations of:
(A) organic and inorganic nitrogen in sewage
(B) organic nitrogen and nitrate in sewage
(C) organic nitrogen and ammonia in sewage
(D) ammonia and nitrate in sewage

Q.21 Solid waste generated from an industry contains only two components, X and Y as shown in the
table below
Component Composition Density
(% weight) (kg/m3)
X c1 1
Y c2 2
Assuming (c1 + c2) = 100, the composite density of the solid waste ( is given by:
100   
(A) (B) 100 1  2 
 c1 c2   c1 c 2 
  
 1 2 
 1 2 
(C) 100c11  c 2  2  (D) 100 
 c11  c 2  2 
CE 4/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE

Q.22 The penetration value of a bitumen sample tested at 25°C is 80. When this sample is heated to 60°C
and tested again, the needle of the penetration test apparatus penetrates the bitumen sample by d
mm. The value of d CANNOT be less than _______________ mm.

Q.23 Which of the following statements CANNOT be used to describe free flow speed (uf) of a traffic
stream?
(A) uf is the speed when flow is negligible
(B) uf is the speed when density is negligible
(C) uf is affected by geometry and surface conditions of the road
(D) uf is the speed at which flow is maximum and density is optimum

Q.24 Which of the following statements is FALSE?

(A) Plumb line is along the direction of gravity
(B) Mean Sea Level (MSL) is used as a reference surface for establishing the horizontal control
(C) Mean Sea Level (MSL) is a simplification of the Geoid
(D) Geoid is an equi-potential surface of gravity

Q.25 In a closed loop traverse of 1 km total length, the closing errors in departure and latitude are 0.3 m
and 0.4 m, respectively. The relative precision of this traverse will be:
(A) 1: 5000 (B) 1: 4000 (C) 1: 3000 (D) 1: 2000

CE 5/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE

Q. 26 – Q. 55 carry two marks each.

Q.26 The smallest and largest Eigen values of the following matrix are:
3  2 2 
4  4 6 
 
2  3 5

(A) 1.5 and 2.5 (B) 0.5 and 2.5 (C) 1.0 and 3.0 (D) 1.0 and 2.0

Q.27 The quadratic equation − 4 + 4 = 0 is to be solved numerically, starting with the initial guess
= 3. The Newton-Raphson method is applied once to get a new estimate and then the Secant
method is applied once using the initial guess and this new estimate. The estimated value of the root
after the application of the Secant method is _______________.

Q.28 Consider the following differential equation:

( d + d ) cos = ( d − dx) sin

Which of the following is the solution of the above equation (c is an arbitrary constant)?

(A) cos = (B) sin = (C) cos = (D) sin =

Q.29 Consider the following complex function:

9
f(z) =
(z − 1)(z + 2)

Which of the following is one of the residues of the above function?

(A) −1 (B) 9/16 (C) 2 (D) 9

Q.30 The directional derivative of the field ( , , ) = − 3 in the direction of the vector
( ̂ + ̂ − 2 ) at point (2, −1, 4) is _______________.

Q.31 The composition of an air-entrained concrete is given below:

Water : 184 kg/m3

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) : 368 kg/m3
Sand : 606 kg/m3
Coarse aggregate : 1155 kg/m3

Assume the specific gravity of OPC, sand and coarse aggregate to be 3.14, 2.67 and 2.74,
respectively. The air content is _______________ liters/ m3.

CE 6/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.32 A bracket plate connected to a column flange transmits a load of 100 kN as shown in the following
figure. The maximum force for which the bolts should be designed is _______________ kN.

100 kN

600

75 75

75 75 All dimensions are in mm

Q.33 Consider the singly reinforced beam section given below (left figure). The stress block parameters
for the cross-section from IS:456-2000 are also given below (right figure). The moment of
resistance for the given section by the limit state method is _______________ kN-m.

Q.34 For formation of collapse mechanism in the following figure, the minimum value of Pu is cMp/L.
Mp and 3Mp denote the plastic moment capacities of beam sections as shown in this figure. The
value of c is _______________.

CE 7/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.35 A tapered circular rod of diameter varying from 20 mm to 10 mm is connected to another uniform
circular rod of diameter 10 mm as shown in the following figure. Both bars are made of same
material with the modulus of elasticity, E = 2x105 MPa. When subjected to a load P = 30π kN, the
deflection at point A is _______________ mm.

Q.36 Two beams are connected by a linear spring as shown in the following figure. For a load P as
shown in the figure, the percentage of the applied load P carried by the spring is _______________.

CE 8/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.37 For the 2D truss with the applied loads shown below, the strain energy in the member XY is
_______________ kN-m. For member XY, assume AE = 30 kN, where A is cross-section area and E
is the modulus of elasticity.

Q.38 An earth embankment is to be constructed with compacted cohesionless soil. The volume of the
embankment is 5000 m3 and the target dry unit weight is 16.2 kN/m3. Three nearby sites (see
figure below) have been identified from where the required soil can be transported to the
construction site. The void ratios (e) of different sites are shown in the figure. Assume the
specific gravity of soil to be 2.7 for all three sites. If the cost of transportation per km is twice the
cost of excavation per m3 of borrow pits, which site would you choose as the most economic
solution? (Use unit weight of water = 10 kN/m3)

(A) Site X (B) Site Y (C) Site Z (D) Any of the sites

CE 9/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.39 A water tank is to be constructed on the soil deposit shown in the figure below. A circular footing
of diameter 3 m and depth of embedment 1 m has been designed to support the tank. The total
vertical load to be taken by the footing is 1500 kN. Assume the unit weight of water as 10 kN/m3
and the load dispersion pattern as 2V:1H. The expected settlement of the tank due to primary
consolidation of the clay layer is _______________ mm.

Q.40 A 20 m thick clay layer is sandwiched between a silty sand layer and a gravelly sand layer. The
layer experiences 30 mm settlement in 2 years.

Given:

for ≤ 60%
=
1.781 − 0.933log (100 − ) for > 60%

where Tv is the time factor and U is the degree of consolidation in %.

If the coefficient of consolidation of the layer is 0.003 cm2/s, the deposit will experience a total of
50 mm settlement in the next _______________ years.

Q.41 A non-homogeneous soil deposit consists of a silt layer sandwiched between a fine-sand layer at
top and a clay layer below. Permeability of the silt layer is 10 times the permeability of the clay
layer and one-tenth of the permeability of the sand layer. Thickness of the silt layer is 2 times the
thickness of the sand layer and two-third of the thickness of the clay layer. The ratio of equivalent
horizontal and equivalent vertical permeability of the deposit is ___________________.

CE 10/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE

Q.42 A square footing (2 m x 2 m) is subjected to an inclined point load, P as shown in the figure below.
The water table is located well below the base of the footing. Considering one-way eccentricity, the
net safe load carrying capacity of the footing for a factor of safety of 3.0 is _______________ kN.

The following factors may be used:

Bearing capacity factors: Nq = 33.3, NShape factors: Fqs = Fs = 1.314; Depth factors: Fqd
= Fd = 1.113; Inclination factors: Fqi = 0.444, Fi = 0.02

Q.43 Two reservoirs are connected through a 930 m long, 0.3 m diameter pipe, which has a gate valve.
The pipe entrance is sharp (loss coefficient = 0.5) and the valve is half-open (loss coefficient = 5.5).
The head difference between the two reservoirs is 20 m. Assume the friction factor for the pipe as
0.03 and g =10 m/s2. The discharge in the pipe accounting for all minor and major losses is
_______________ m3/s.

Q.44 A hydraulic jump is formed in a 2 m wide rectangular channel which is horizontal and frictionless.
The post-jump depth and velocity are 0.8 m and 1 m/s, respectively. The pre-jump velocity is
_______________ m/s. (use g = 10 m/s2)

Q.45 A short reach of a 2 m wide rectangular open channel has its bed level rising in the direction of
flow at a slope of 1 in 10000. It carries a discharge of 4 m3/s and its Manning’s roughness
coefficient is 0.01. The flow in this reach is gradually varying. At a certain section in this reach, the
depth of flow was measured as 0.5 m. The rate of change of the water depth with distance, dy/dx, at
this section is _______________ (use g = 10 m/s2).

Q.46 The drag force, FD, on a sphere kept in a uniform flow field depends on the diameter of the sphere,
D; flow velocity, V; fluid density, ρ; and dynamic viscosity, µ. Which of the following options
represents the non-dimensional parameters which could be used to analyze this problem?

(A) and (B) and

(C) and (D) and

CE 11/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.47 In a catchment, there are four rain-gauge stations, P, Q, R, and S. Normal annual precipitation
values at these stations are 780 mm, 850 mm, 920 mm, and 980 mm, respectively. In the year 2013,
stations Q, R, and S, were operative but P was not. Using the normal ratio method, the precipitation
at station P for the year 2013 has been estimated as 860 mm. If the observed precipitation at
stations Q and R for the year 2013 were 930 mm and 1010 mm, respectively; what was the
observed precipitation (in mm) at station S for that year?

Q.48 The 4-hr unit hydrograph for a catchment is given in the table below. What would be the maximum
ordinate of the S-curve (in m3/s) derived from this hydrograph?

Time (hr) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Unit hydrograph
0 0.6 3.1 10 13 9 5 2 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.1 0
ordinate (m3/s)

Q.49 The concentration of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) in ambient atmosphere was measured as 30 g/m3.
Under the same conditions, the above SO2 concentration expressed in ppm is _______________.
Given: P/(RT) = 41.6 mol/m3; where, P = Pressure; T = Temperature; R = universal gas constant;
Molecular weight of SO2 = 64.

Q.50 Consider a primary sedimentation tank (PST) in a water treatment plant with Surface Overflow
Rate (SOR) of 40 m3/m2/d. The diameter of the spherical particle which will have 90 percent
theoretical removal efficiency in this tank is _______________ m. Assume that settling velocity
of the particles in water is described by Stokes’s Law.

Given: Density of water = 1000 kg/m3 ; Density of particle = 2650 kg/m3; g = 9.81 m/s2; Kinematic
viscosity of water (= 1.10 x 10-6 m2/s

Q.51 The acceleration-time relationship for a vehicle subjected to non-uniform acceleration is,

=( − )

where, v is the speed in m/s, t is the time in s, and are parameters, and v0 is the initial speed in
m/s. If the accelerating behavior of a vehicle, whose driver intends to overtake a slow moving
vehicle ahead, is described as,

=( − )

Considering  = 2 m/s2,  = 0.05 s1 and

= 1.3 m/s at t = 3 s, the distance (in m) travelled by
the vehicle in 35 s is ______________.

Q.52 On a circular curve, the rate of superelevation is e. While negotiating the curve a vehicle comes to a
stop. It is seen that the stopped vehicle does not slide inwards (in the radial direction). The
coefficient of side friction is f. Which of the following is true:
(A) e ≤ f (B) f < e < 2f (C) e ≥ 2f (D) none of the above

CE 12/13
GATE 2015 SET-1 CIVIL - CE
Q.53 A sign is required to be put up asking drivers to slow down to 30 km/h before entering Zone Y (see
figure). On this road, vehicles require 174 m to slow down to 30 km/h (the distance of 174 m
includes the distance travelled during the perception-reaction time of drivers). The sign can be read
by 6/6 vision drivers from a distance of 48 m. The sign is placed at a distance of x m from the start
of Zone Y so that even a 6/9 vision driver can slow down to 30 km/h before entering the zone. The
minimum value of x is _______________ m.

Q.54 In a survey work, three independent angles X, Y and Z were observed with weights WX, WY, WZ,
respectively. The weight of the sum of angles X, Y and Z is given by:

(A) 1/ + + (B) + +

(C) + + (D) + +

Q.55 In a region with magnetic declination of 2oE, the magnetic Fore bearing (FB) of a line AB was
measured as N79o 50' E. There was local attraction at A. To determine the correct magnetic bearing
of the line, a point O was selected at which there was no local attraction. The magnetic FB of line
AO and OA were observed to be S52o40'E and N50o 20'W, respectively. What is the true FB of line
AB?
(A) N81o 50'E (B) N82o10'E (C) N84o10'E (D) N77o50'E

END OF THE QUESTION PAPER

CE 13/13
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q. 1 – Q. 25 carry one mark each.

Q.1 While minimizing the function f(x), necessary and sufficient conditions for a point, x0 to be a
minima are:

(A) f ' ( x0 )  0 and f " ( x0 )  0 (B) f ' ( x0 )  0 and f " ( x0 )  0

(C) f ' ( x0 )  0 and f " ( x0 )  0 (D) f ' ( x0 )  0 and f " ( x0 )  0

Q.2 In Newton-Raphson iterative method, the initial guess value (xini) is considered as zero while
finding the roots of the equation: f ( x)  2  6 x  4 x 2  0.5 x3 . The correction, x, to be added to
xini in the first iteration is ________________.

Q.3  2
cos x  i sin x
Given, i   1 , the value of the definite integral, I =  dx is:
0
cos x  i sin x
(A) 1 (B) 1 (C) i (D) i

Q.4 2x
 1
lim 1   is equal to
x 
 x

(A) e 2 (B) e (C) 1 (D) e 2

Q.5 Let A  [ aij ] , 1  i, j  n with n  3 and aij  i. j . The rank of A is:

(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) n1 (D) n

Q.6 A horizontal beam ABC is loaded as shown in the figure below. The distance of the point of
contraflexure from end A (in m) is ____________________.

10 kN
0.75 m
A
B C

1m

Q.7 For the plane stress situation shown in the figure, the maximum shear stress and the plane on which
it acts are: y = 50 MPa

x = 50 MPa x x = 50 MPa

y = 50 MPa
(A) –50 MPa, on a plane 450 clockwise w.r.t. x-axis
(B) –50 MPa, on a plane 450 anti-clockwise w.r.t. x-axis
(C) 50 MPa, at all orientations
(D) Zero, at all orientations

CE 1/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.8 A guided support as shown in the figure below is represented by three springs (horizontal, vertical
and rotational) with stiffness kx, ky and k respectively. The limiting values of kx, ky and k are:

(A) ∞, 0, ∞ (B) ∞, ∞, ∞ (C) 0, ∞, ∞ (D) ∞, ∞, 0

Q.9 A column of size 450 mm × 600 mm has unsupported length of 3.0 m and is braced against side
sway in both directions. According to IS 456: 2000, the minimum eccentricities (in mm) with
respect to major and minor principal axes are:
(A) 20.0 and 20.0 (B) 26.0 and 21.0 (C) 26.0 and 20.0 (D) 21.0 and 15.0

Q.10 Prying forces are:

(A) shearing forces on the bolts because of the joints
(B) tensile forces due to the flexibility of connected parts
(C) bending forces on the bolts because of the joints
(D) forces due the friction between connected parts

Q.11 A steel member ‘M’ has reversal of stress due to live loads, whereas another member ‘N’ has
reversal of stress due to wind load. As per IS 800: 2007, the maximum slenderness ratio permitted
is:
(A) less for member ‘M’ than that of member ‘N’
(B) more for member ‘M’ than for member ‘N’
(C) same for both the members
(D) not specified in the Code

Q.12 If the water content of a fully saturated soil mass is 100%, the void ratio of the sample is:
(A) less than specific gravity of soil
(B) equal to specific gravity of soil
(C) greater than specific gravity of soil
(D) independent of specific gravity of soil

Q.13 In friction circle method of slope stability analysis, if r defines the radius of the slip circle, the
radius of friction circle is:
(A) r sin (B) r (C) r cos  (D) r tan

Q.14 Net ultimate bearing capacity of a footing embedded in a clay stratum

(A) increases with depth of footing only
(B) increases with size of footing only
(C) increases with depth and size of footing
(D) is independent of depth and size of footing

Q.15 Surcharge loading required to be placed on the horizontal backfill of a smooth retaining vertical
wall so as to completely eliminate tensile crack is:
(A) 2 c (B) 2 c ka (C) 2c ka (D) 2c ka

Q.16 The relationship between the length scale ratio ( ) and the velocity scale ratio ( ) in hydraulic
models, in which Froude dynamic similarity is maintained, is:
= .
(A) (B) = (C) = (D) =

CE 2/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.17 A nozzle is so shaped that the average flow velocity changes linearly from 1.5 m/s at the beginning
to 15 m/s at its end in a distance of 0.375 m. The magnitude of the convective acceleration (in
m/s2) at the end of the nozzle is ___________.

Q.18 A hydraulic jump takes place in a frictionless rectangular channel. The pre-jump depth is . The
alternate and sequent depths corresponding to are and respectively. The correct
relationship among , and is:
(A) < < (B) < <
(C) < = (D) = =

Q.19 The relationship between porosity (), specific yield (Sy) and specific retention (Sr) of an
unconfined aquifer is:
(A) Sy + Sr =  (B) Sy +  = Sr
(C) Sr +  = Sy (D) Sy + Sr +  = 1

Q.20 A groundwater sample was found to contain 500 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS (in %)
present in the sample is ____________.

Q.21 SO2 and CO adversely affect

(A) oxygen carrying capacity of blood and functioning of lungs respectively
(B) functioning of the respiratory system and brain respectively
(C) functioning of the respiratory system and oxygen carrying capacity of blood respectively
(D) functioning of air passages and chest respectively

Q.22 A superspeedway in New Delhi has among the highest super-elevation rates of any track on the
Indian Grand Prix circuit. The track requires drivers to negotiate turns with a radius of 335 m and
33 banking. Given this information, the coefficient of side friction required in order to allow a
vehicle to travel at 320 km/h along the curve is:
(A) 1.761 (B) 0.176 (C) 0.253 (D) 2.530

Q.23 The following statements are made related to the lengths of turning lanes at signalised intersections:
(i) 1.5 times the average number of vehicles (by vehicle type) that would store in turning lane per
cycle during the peak hour
(ii) 2 times the average number of vehicles (by vehicle type) that would store in turning lane per
cycle during the peak hour
(iii) Average number of vehicles (by vehicle type) that would store in the adjacent through lane per
cycle during the peak hour
(iv) Average number of vehicles (by vehicle type) that would store in all lanes per cycle during the
peak hour
As per the IRC recommendations, the correct choice for design length of storage lanes is:
(A) Maximum of (ii and iii) (B) Maximum of (i and iii)
(C) Average of (i and iii) (D) Only (iv)

Q.24 In a leveling work, sum of the Back Sight (B.S.) and Fore Sight (F.S.) have been found to be 3.085
m and 5.645 m respectively. If the Reduced Level (R.L.) of the starting station is 100.000 m, the
R.L. (in m) of the last station is ___________.

Q.25 The combined correction due to curvature and refraction (in m) for a distance of 1 km on the
surface of Earth is:
(A) 0.0673 (B) 0.673 (C) 7.63 (D) 0.763

CE 3/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q. 26 – Q. 55 carry two marks each.

Q.26 The probability density function of a random variable, x is

x
f ( x) 
4
 
4  x 2 for 0  x  2

 0 otherwise
The mean, x of the random variable is _______________.

Q.27 Consider the following second order linear differential equation

d2y
 12 x 2  24 x  20
dx2
The boundary conditions are: at x = 0, y = 5 and at x = 2, y = 21
The value of y at x = 1 is ____________.

2 1
Q.28 The two Eigen values of the matrix have a ratio of 3:1 for p = 2. What is another value of p
1
for which the Eigen values have the same ratio of 3:1?
(A) −2 (B) 1 (C) 7/3 (D) 14/3

Q.29 For step-size, x =0.4, the value of following integral using Simpson’s 1/3 rule is _____________.
0 .8

 0.2  25 x  200x 
2
 675 x3  900 x 4  400 x5 dx
0

Q.30 In a system, two connected rigid bars AC and BC are of identical length, L with pin supports at A
and B. The bars are interconnected at C by a frictionless hinge. The rotation of the hinge is
restrained by a rotational spring of stiffness, k. The system initially assumes a straight line
configuration, ACB. Assuming both the bars as weightless, the rotation at supports, A and B, due to
a transverse load, P applied at C is:
PL PL P Pk
(A) (B) (C) (D)
4k 2k 4k 4L

Q.31 A simply supported reinforced concrete beam of length 10 m sags while undergoing shrinkage.
Assuming a uniform curvature of 0.004 m1 along the span, the maximum deflection (in m) of the
beam at mid-span is ______________.

CE 4/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.32 A steel strip of length, L = 200 mm is fixed at end A and rests at B on a vertical spring of stiffness,
k = 2 N/mm. The steel strip is 5 mm wide and 10 mm thick. A vertical load, P = 50 N is applied at
B, as shown in the figure. Considering E = 200 GPa, the force (in N) developed in the spring is
__________.

A B
k

Q.33 A simply supported beam AB of span, L = 24 m is subjected to two wheel loads acting at a
distance, d = 5 m apart as shown in the figure below. Each wheel transmits a load, P = 3 kN and
may occupy any position along the beam. If the beam is an I-section having section modulus, S =
16.2 cm3, the maximum bending stress (in GPa) due to the wheel loads is
_______________________.
P P

A B
d
L

Q.34 According to the concept of Limit State Design as per IS 456: 2000, the probability of failure of a
structure is _____________.

Q.35 In a pre-stressed concrete beam section shown in the figure, the net loss is 10% and the final pre-
stressing force applied at X is 750 kN. The initial fiber stresses (in N/mm2) at the top and bottom of
the beam were:

b
b = 250 mm
d1 d1 = 200 mm
d2 = 100 mm
d1 X
d2
(A) 4.166 and 20.833 (B) 4.166 and 20.833
(C) 4.166 and 20.833 (D) 4.166 and 20.833

Q.36 A fixed end beam is subjected to a load, W at 1/3rd span from the left support as shown in the
figure. The collapse load of the beam is:
W
L/3
X Z
Y
2MP MP

L/2 L/2

(A) 16.5 MP/L (B) 15.5 MP/L (C) 15.0 MP/L (D) 16.0 MP/L
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.37 A 588 cm3 volume of moist sand weighs 1010 gm. Its dry weight is 918 gm and specific gravity of
solids, G is 2.67. Assuming density of water as 1 gm/cm3, the void ratio is ___________.

Q.38 A 4 m thick layer of normally consolidated clay has an average void ratio of 1.30. Its compression
index is 0.6 and coefficient of consolidation is 1 m2/yr. If the increase in vertical pressure due to
foundation load on the clay layer is equal to the existing effective overburden pressure, the change
in the thickness of the clay layer is _______________ mm

Q.39 A pile of diameter 0.4 m is fully embedded in a clay stratum having 5 layers, each 5 m thick as
shown in the figure below. Assume a constant unit weight of soil as 18 kN/m3 for all the layers.
Using -method ( = 0.15 for 25 m embedment length) and neglecting the end bearing component,
the ultimate pile capacity (in kN) is ________________.

Q.40 Stress path equation for tri-axial test upon application of deviatoric stress is, q  10 3  0.5 p .
The respective values of cohesion, c (in kPa) and angle of internal friction,  are:
(A) 20 and 20 (B) 20 and 30
(C) 30 and 30 (D) 30 and 20

Q.41 A 6 m high retaining wall having a smooth vertical back face retains a layered horizontal backfill.
Top 3 m thick layer of the backfill is sand having an angle of internal friction,  = 30 while the
bottom layer is 3 m thick clay with cohesion, c = 20 kPa. Assume unit weight for both sand and
clay as 18 kN/m3. The total active earth pressure per unit length of the wall (in kN/m) is:
(A) 150 (B) 216 (C) 156 (D) 196

Q.42 A field channel has cultivable commanded area of 2000 hectares. The intensities of irrigation for
gram and wheat are 30% and 50% respectively. Gram has a kor period of 18 days, kor depth of 12
cm, while wheat has a kor period of 18 days and a kor depth of 15 cm. The discharge (in m3/s)
required in the field channel to supply water to the commanded area during the kor period is
_______________.

Q.43 A triangular gate with a base width of 2 m and a height of 1.5 m lies in a vertical plane. The top
vertex of the gate is 1.5 m below the surface of a tank which contains oil of specific gravity 0.8.
Considering the density of water and acceleration due to gravity to be 1000 kg/m3 and 9.81 m/s2
respectively, the hydrostatic force (in kN) exerted by the oil on the gate is _________________.

CE 6/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.44 The velocity components of a two dimensional plane motion of a fluid are: = + 2 − and
= − 2 − .
The correct statement is:
(A) Fluid is incompressible and flow is irrotational
(B) Fluid is incompressible and flow is rotational
(C) Fluid is compressible and flow is irrotational
(D) Fluid is compressible and flow is rotational

Q.45 The average surface area of a reservoir in the month of June is 20 km2. In the same month, the
average rate of inflow is 10 m3/s, outflow rate is 15 m3/s, monthly rainfall is 10 cm, monthly
seepage loss is 1.8 cm and the storage change is 16 million m3. The evaporation (in cm) in that
month is:
(A) 46.8 (B) 136.0 (C) 13.6 (D) 23.4

Q.46 A pipe of 0.7 m diameter has a length of 6 km and connects two reservoirs A and B. The water
level in reservoir A is at an elevation 30 m above the water level in reservoir B. Halfway along the
pipe line, there is a branch through which water can be supplied to a third reservoir C. The friction
factor of the pipe is 0.024. The quantity of water discharged into reservoir C is 0.15 m3/s.
Considering the acceleration due to gravity as 9.81 m/s2 and neglecting minor losses, the discharge
(in m3/s) into the reservoir B is ______________.

Q.47 A landfill is to be designed to serve a population of 200000 for a period of 25 years. The solid
waste (SW) generation is 2 kg/person/day. The density of the un-compacted SW is 100 kg/m3 and a
compaction ratio of 4 is suggested. The ratio of compacted fill (i.e., SW + cover) to compacted SW
is 1.5. The landfill volume (in million m3) required is ____________.

Q.48 A water treatment plant of capacity, 1 m3/s has filter boxes of dimensions 6 m × 10 m. Loading rate
to the filters is 120 m3 /day/m2. When two of the filters are out of service for back washing, the
loading rate (in m3/day/m2 ) is ______________.

Q.49 Ultimate BOD of a river water sample is 20 mg/L. BOD rate constant (natural log) is 0.15 day1.
The respective values of BOD (in %) exerted and remaining after 7 days are:
(A) 45 and 55 (B) 55 and 45
(C) 65 and 35 (D) 75 and 25

Q.50 In a wastewater treatment plant, primary sedimentation tank (PST) designed at an overflow rate of
32.5 m3/day/m2 is 32.5 m long , 8.0 m wide and liquid depth of 2.25 m. If the length of the weir is
75 m, the weir loading rate (in m3/day/m) is ______________.

Q.51 The relation between speed u (in km/h) and density k (number of vehicles / km) for a traffic stream
on a road is u = 70 – 0.7k. The capacity on this road is _______________ vph (vehicles/hour).

CE 7/8
GATE 2015 SET-2 CIVIL - CE

Q.52 Match the information related to tests on aggregates given in Group-I with that in Group-II.
Group-I Group-II
P. Resistance to impact 1. Hardness
Q. Resistance to wear 2. Strength
R. Resistance to weathering action 3. Toughness
S. Resistance to crushing 4. Soundness
(A) P-1, Q-3, R-4, S-2 (B) P-3, Q-1, R-4, S-2
(C) P-4, Q-1, R-3, S-2 (D) P-3, Q-4, R-2, S-1

Q.53 In Marshall method of mix design, the coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, fines and bitumen having
respective values of specific gravity 2.60, 2.70, 2.65 and 1.01, are mixed in the relative proportions
(% by weight) of 55.0, 35.8, 3.7 and 5.5 respectively. The theoretical specific gravity of the mix
and the effective specific gravity of the aggregates in the mix respectively are:
(A) 2.42 and 2.63 (B) 2.42 and 2.78 (C) 2.42 and 2.93 (D) 2.64 and 2.78

Q.54 The bearings of two inaccessible stations, S1 (Easting 500 m, Northing 500 m) and S2 (Easting 600
m, Northing 450 m) from a station S3 were observed as 2250 and 1530 26 respectively. The
independent Easting (in m) of station S3 is:
(A) 450.000 (B) 570.710 (C) 550.000 (D) 650.000

Q.55 Two Pegs A and B were fixed on opposite banks of a 50 m wide river. The level was set up at A
and the staff readings on Pegs A and B were observed as 1.350 m and 1.550 m, respectively.
Thereafter the instrument was shifted and set up at B. The staff readings on Pegs B and A were
observed as 0.750 m and 0.550 m, respectively. If the R.L. of Peg A is 100.200 m, the R.L. (in m)
of Peg B is ___________________.

END OF THE QUESTION PAPER

CE 8/8