1
ICC (EC) SOILS 1 – 130 ACTUAL 2026 QUESTIONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
_______ are particles of rock that will pass a 12-inch square
opening and be retained on a 3-inch opening, while ___ are
particles of rock that will not pass a 12-inch square opening.
Cobbles
Boulders
_____ is particles of rock that will pass a no. 4 sieve and be
retained on a no. 200 sieve.
Sand
___ passes a no. 4 sieve and is retained on a no. 10 sieve ___
passes a no. 10 sieve and is retained on a no. 40 sieve. ___
passes a no. 40 sieve and is retained on a 200 sieve.
Coarse sand
Medium sand
Fine sand
The uscs identifies three major soil divisions: ___, ___, and ___.
Coarse grained soils
Fine grained soils
Highly organic soils
,2
Organic fine grained soil is where 50 percent or more _____ the
no. 200 sieve.
Passes through
Classify soil as coarse grained soil when 50% or more _____
the no. 200 sieve.
Is retained
When precise classification of soils for engineering purposes
is required, the procedures prescribed in test method ____
shall be used.
D2487
Identify soil as organic soil _____, if the soil contains enough
particles to influence the soil properties.
Ol/oh
Identify the soil as lean clay ____, if the soil has medium to high
dry strength, no to low dilatancy
Cl
,3
Identify soil as fat clay ___, if the soil has a high to very high
dry strength, no dilatancy, and high toughness and plasticity.
Ch
Identify soil as a low plasticity silt ___, if the soil has no to low
dry strength, slow to rapid dilatancy, and low toughness and
plasticity, or is a nonplastic.
Ml
Identify soil as a high plasticity silt (elastic) ___, if the soil has a
low to medium dry strength, no to low dilatancy, and low to
medium toughness and plasticity.
Mh
A way to distinguish silt from clay is by mixing soil with water
into a ball, spreading it onto your hand, then striking the side
of your hand with your other hand. You then shake the material
horizontally to note the reaction of water appearing on the
surface. This is known as a ______.
Dilatancy test
When sampling from stockpiles, ways to ensure unbiased
samples are taken by use of power equipment (loader) or
, 4
made up of three increments of the pile at the ____, ___, and
___.
Top third
Midpoint
Bottom third
When sampling from a roadway, obtain at least ___ equal
increments selected randomly from the unit being sampled.
3
If sampling from a stockpile of fine aggregate, always remove
the ___ and sample the material beneath.
Outer layer
The standard effort lab max applies to soils that have 30% or
less by weight retained on the ___.
3/4 inch sieve
When performing a proctor test (astm d698 or d1557) for
methods a & b require ___ per layer for a ___ mold.
25 blows
4 inch / 101.6 mm
ICC (EC) SOILS 1 – 130 ACTUAL 2026 QUESTIONS AND 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS GRADED A+
_______ are particles of rock that will pass a 12-inch square
opening and be retained on a 3-inch opening, while ___ are
particles of rock that will not pass a 12-inch square opening.
Cobbles
Boulders
_____ is particles of rock that will pass a no. 4 sieve and be
retained on a no. 200 sieve.
Sand
___ passes a no. 4 sieve and is retained on a no. 10 sieve ___
passes a no. 10 sieve and is retained on a no. 40 sieve. ___
passes a no. 40 sieve and is retained on a 200 sieve.
Coarse sand
Medium sand
Fine sand
The uscs identifies three major soil divisions: ___, ___, and ___.
Coarse grained soils
Fine grained soils
Highly organic soils
,2
Organic fine grained soil is where 50 percent or more _____ the
no. 200 sieve.
Passes through
Classify soil as coarse grained soil when 50% or more _____
the no. 200 sieve.
Is retained
When precise classification of soils for engineering purposes
is required, the procedures prescribed in test method ____
shall be used.
D2487
Identify soil as organic soil _____, if the soil contains enough
particles to influence the soil properties.
Ol/oh
Identify the soil as lean clay ____, if the soil has medium to high
dry strength, no to low dilatancy
Cl
,3
Identify soil as fat clay ___, if the soil has a high to very high
dry strength, no dilatancy, and high toughness and plasticity.
Ch
Identify soil as a low plasticity silt ___, if the soil has no to low
dry strength, slow to rapid dilatancy, and low toughness and
plasticity, or is a nonplastic.
Ml
Identify soil as a high plasticity silt (elastic) ___, if the soil has a
low to medium dry strength, no to low dilatancy, and low to
medium toughness and plasticity.
Mh
A way to distinguish silt from clay is by mixing soil with water
into a ball, spreading it onto your hand, then striking the side
of your hand with your other hand. You then shake the material
horizontally to note the reaction of water appearing on the
surface. This is known as a ______.
Dilatancy test
When sampling from stockpiles, ways to ensure unbiased
samples are taken by use of power equipment (loader) or
, 4
made up of three increments of the pile at the ____, ___, and
___.
Top third
Midpoint
Bottom third
When sampling from a roadway, obtain at least ___ equal
increments selected randomly from the unit being sampled.
3
If sampling from a stockpile of fine aggregate, always remove
the ___ and sample the material beneath.
Outer layer
The standard effort lab max applies to soils that have 30% or
less by weight retained on the ___.
3/4 inch sieve
When performing a proctor test (astm d698 or d1557) for
methods a & b require ___ per layer for a ___ mold.
25 blows
4 inch / 101.6 mm
