SSC JE Civil key terms

The maximum pressure a soil mass can safely carry at its base without shear failure or excessive settlement. Shallow foundations are designed so the applied pressure stays below this value with a factor of safety.

The ratio of a material's or structure's ultimate strength to the working load or stress it actually experiences. Higher values are used where loads are uncertain or failure would be catastrophic.

The downward vertical movement of a structure's base caused by compression of the supporting soil. Differential settlement between parts of a building is more damaging than uniform settlement.

A field test measuring the workability or consistency of fresh concrete by the drop in height of a concrete cone when the mould is lifted. It is quick but not suitable for very dry or very wet mixes.

The mass of water divided by the mass of cement in a concrete mix. Lowering it increases strength and durability but reduces workability, so it is the key control on concrete quality.

How easily fresh concrete can be mixed, transported, placed and compacted without segregation. It is assessed by tests such as slump, compaction factor and vee-bee, and depends mainly on water content.

A concrete mix specified by fixed volume proportions of cement, sand and coarse aggregate, such as 1:2:4. Used for ordinary grades where batching by weight is not required.

The mass of aggregate per unit of bulk volume, including the voids between particles. It is used to convert between weight and volume when batching concrete and in mix design calculations.

The distance between the centres of supports, or the clear span plus effective depth, whichever is smaller, used in structural design calculations for beams and slabs.

The internal moment at a section of a beam equal to the algebraic sum of moments of all forces on one side of that section. It produces bending stress varying linearly across the depth.

The internal force at a beam section equal to the algebraic sum of all transverse forces acting on one side of the section. Its diagram helps locate points of maximum shear for design.

The ratio of a section's moment of inertia about its centroidal axis to the distance to the extreme fibre. It measures the section's resistance to bending and appears in the bending stress formula.

A geometric property of a cross-section equal to the sum of areas times the square of their distance from a chosen axis. It governs resistance to bending and deflection.

A beam resting on two supports at its ends, free to rotate but restrained vertically. Its maximum bending moment under a central point load is load times span divided by four.

A design approach in which stresses under service loads are kept below permissible values using a factor of safety on material strength. It assumes elastic behaviour and is now largely limited to special structures.

A design philosophy checking that a structure will not become unfit for use, either by collapse (ultimate limit state) or by excessive deflection or cracking (serviceability limit state), using partial safety factors.

A multiplier applied separately to loads and to material strengths in limit state design to account for uncertainty and variability. Load factors exceed one while material strength factors are below one.

The perpendicular distance between the compressive and tensile resultant forces in a reinforced concrete section. The resisting moment equals the tensile force multiplied by this distance.

The volume of irrigation water required to mature one hectare of a given crop, usually expressed in hectares per cubic metre per second of continuous supply. It is the reciprocal of delta.

The total depth of irrigation water, usually in centimetres or metres, needed over a crop's growing season. It is used with base period to compute the discharge required for a canal.

A line on a map joining points of equal elevation above a datum. Closely spaced contours indicate steep ground, while widely spaced ones indicate gentle slopes.

A fixed, permanently marked point of known reduced level used as a reference for levelling and surveying operations. Temporary bench marks are established near a work site.

The elevation of a point expressed relative to a chosen datum, obtained by adding or subtracting staff readings from a known height of instrument.

A fluid property describing its resistance to internal shear flow, measured as shear stress divided by velocity gradient. It decreases with rising temperature for liquids but increases for gases.

A dimensionless ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces in fluid flow, used to predict whether flow is laminar or turbulent. Flow in a pipe is generally laminar below about 2000.

A reasoning question presenting a sequence of numbers following a hidden rule, asking for the next or missing term. Candidates identify the pattern through differences, ratios or alternating operations.

A reasoning topic where words or letters are converted into a code using a rule, and the candidate must decode given words or encode new ones. Common rules involve letter shifts and reversals.

A reasoning question stating a relationship between two items and asking for a matching pair. The candidate must identify the precise relation, such as part-to-whole or cause-to-effect.

A logical reasoning problem giving two or more premises and asking which conclusions follow necessarily. Answers rely on set relationships and valid deduction, not on real-world truth.

A diagram using overlapping circles to represent sets and their relationships. It is widely used to solve syllogism and classification questions quickly and reliably.

A reasoning topic in which family relationships are described in words or symbols and the candidate must determine how two people are related. Drawing a family tree helps avoid errors.

A reasoning topic involving movement in compass directions, where the candidate tracks position and orientation to find final distance or facing direction. Sketching the path is the standard approach.

Basic rights guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution, including equality, freedom of speech, and protection of life and personal liberty. They are enforceable through courts.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution directing the state towards social and economic welfare. They are not enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance.

The system of local self-government in rural India established by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, with three tiers at village, block and district levels.

The seasonal reversal of prevailing winds that brings most of India's annual rainfall, driven by differential heating of land and sea. The southwest monsoon arrives around June.

The latitude approximately 23.5 degrees north of the equator, passing through India. It marks the northern limit of the sun's apparent overhead passage and influences climate zones.

The property of a material by which it returns to its original shape after the load causing deformation is removed. Within the elastic limit, stress is proportional to strain.

The ratio of tensile or compressive stress to the corresponding strain within the elastic limit. It measures a material's stiffness; steel has a much higher value than concrete.