Question

the soil tends to collapse straight down when a trench is dug in _____.
○ gravel
○ sandy soil
○ dry loam
○ wet clay

Explanation:

Wet clay has cohesive properties but when a trench is dug, due to its high water content and the nature of clay particles, it can lose stability and collapse straight down. Gravel, sandy soil, and dry loam have different soil mechanics properties; gravel and sandy soil have more granular structure with less cohesion (so they might slump or have different failure modes), and dry loam is more stable in terms of vertical collapse compared to wet clay.

Answer:

D. wet clay