Question

The total pressure in a soil mass consists of _____________ distinct components.

(a) 3

(b) 4

(c) 2

(d) 5

This question was posed to me in an internship interview.

I would like to ask this question from Stress Condition in Soil :Effective and Actual Pressure topic in portion Soil Water Effective and Neutral Stresses of Geotechnical Engineering I

Answer 1

Right choice is (c) 2

For explanation I would say: i.  Effective pressure or intergranular pressure.

ii.  Neutral pressure or pore pressure, are the two components of total pressure.