GPSC AE Civil flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Article 21

Protection of life and personal liberty; expanded by the Supreme Court to include the right to privacy, clean environment, and speedy trial, and cannot be suspended except as provided by the Constitution.

Article 368

Lays down the procedure for amending the Constitution by the Parliament; requires a special majority in each House, and ratification by at least half the state legislatures for federal provisions.

Directive Principles

Guidelines in Part IV (Articles 36–51) of the Constitution that are not enforceable in courts but are fundamental in the governance of the country, aiming at social and economic democracy.

Tropic of Cancer

An imaginary latitude at 23.5°N that passes through eight Indian states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Southwest monsoon

Seasonal wind system from June to September bringing most of India's annual rainfall; driven by differential heating of land and sea and the northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Repo rate

The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities; a key monetary policy tool to control inflation and liquidity.

Fiscal deficit

The excess of total government expenditure over total receipts excluding borrowings; indicates the government's borrowing requirement and is expressed as a percentage of GDP.

Quit India Movement

Launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 demanding an end to British rule; marked by the slogan 'Do or Die' and mass arrests of Congress leaders.

Jallianwala Bagh

Site in Amritsar where British troops under General Dyer fired on an unarmed gathering on 13 April 1919, killing hundreds; a turning point in India's freedom struggle.

pH scale

A logarithmic scale from 0 to 14 measuring hydrogen ion concentration; pH 7 is neutral, below 7 acidic, above 7 basic. Each unit represents a tenfold change in acidity.

Asiatic lions

Endangered subspecies found in the wild only in Gir National Park, Gujarat, India; distinguished from African lions by a smaller mane and a belly fold.

Sardar Sarovar Dam

A gravity dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat, India; one of the largest dams in the world and a key component of the Narmada Valley Development Project.

Target mean strength

In concrete mix design per IS 10262, the strength used for proportioning, calculated as fck + 1.65 times the standard deviation, to ensure that most test results exceed the characteristic strength.

Water-cement ratio

The ratio of the mass of water to the mass of cement in a concrete mix; a lower ratio increases strength and durability but reduces workability. IS 456 specifies maximum values by exposure.

Slump test

A workability test for fresh concrete (IS 1199) using a standard cone; the vertical settlement of the concrete after removing the cone indicates consistency, with higher slump meaning wetter mix.

Nominal cover

The minimum concrete cover to the outermost reinforcement, specified in IS 456 to protect steel from corrosion and fire; values depend on exposure condition, e.g., 40 mm for footings.

Simply supported beam moment

For a beam of span L carrying a central point load W, the maximum bending moment is WL/4; for a uniformly distributed load w over the whole span, it is wL²/8.

Fixed-end moment

The bending moment at a fixed support of a beam with no rotation; for a uniformly distributed load w over span L, the fixed-end moment is wL²/12 at each end.

Terzaghi bearing capacity

Ultimate bearing capacity of a strip footing: q_u = cN_c + γD_f N_q + 0.5γBN_γ, where c is cohesion, γ unit weight, D_f depth, B width, and N factors depend on friction angle.

Void ratio

The ratio of the volume of voids to the volume of solids in a soil mass, denoted e = V_v/V_s; a key parameter in soil mechanics affecting compressibility and permeability.

Degree of saturation

The ratio of the volume of water to the volume of voids in a soil, expressed as a percentage; S = V_w/V_v. A fully saturated soil has S = 100%.

Bernoulli's equation

For steady, incompressible, frictionless flow along a streamline, p/γ + v²/2g + z = constant; expresses conservation of energy in fluid flow, with terms as pressure, velocity, and elevation heads.

Reynolds number

A dimensionless parameter Re = ρvD/μ (or vD/ν) that predicts flow regime; for pipe flow, Re < 2000 is laminar, 2000–4000 transitional, and > 4000 turbulent.

Stopping sight distance

The minimum distance a driver needs to stop safely after seeing an obstacle; computed as SSD = 0.278Vt + V²/(254f), where V is in km/h, t reaction time, and f longitudinal friction coefficient.

Superelevation

The transverse slope provided on horizontal curves to counter centrifugal force; design value e = V²/(127R) – f, with V in km/h, R radius in metres, and f lateral friction factor.

BOD₅

Biochemical oxygen demand measured over five days at 20°C; indicates organic pollution in water. Related to ultimate BOD by BOD₅ = BOD_L(1 – e^(–k·5)), with k typically 0.1 per day.

Standard penetration test

An in-situ soil test in which a split-spoon sampler is driven 300 mm by a 63.5 kg hammer falling 750 mm; the blow count (N-value) correlates with soil density and bearing capacity.

Pile capacity

The ultimate load a pile can carry, equal to end bearing plus skin friction: Q_u = Q_p + Q_s. Q_p depends on tip area and bearing capacity; Q_s on surface area and adhesion or friction.

Tacheometric distance

Horizontal distance from a tacheometer to a staff is D = (f/i)s + (f + d) for a stadia diaphragm; for an anallatic telescope, D = K·s, where K is the multiplying constant.

Bowditch rule

A method of adjusting a closed traverse by distributing the total closing error in proportion to the length of each side; also called the compass rule.

M20 concrete

A concrete grade with characteristic compressive strength of 20 N/mm² at 28 days; IS 456 specifies M20 as the minimum grade for reinforced concrete work.

El Niño

A climate pattern marked by warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean; often associated with weaker southwest monsoon rainfall over India and drought conditions.