10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free QSM questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Qualified Stormwater Manager blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A builder is constructing a single home on a 0.4-acre lot inside a 30-acre residential subdivision that is being developed in phases. Regarding NPDES construction stormwater permit coverage, the builder:
Correct answer: A - Must obtain coverage under the common plan provision
A project must place fill material in a jurisdictional wetland to build an access road. This activity is authorized under which Clean Water Act section, and by which agency?
Correct answer: C - Section 404, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
A cut slope drops 15 feet in elevation over a horizontal distance of 45 feet. Expressed as a percent grade and as a slope ratio, this slope is:
Correct answer: C - 33 percent, or a 3:1 slope
A contractor applies straw mulch and a tackifier to a bare graded slope. Within the RUSLE equation (A = R x K x LS x C x P), this action primarily modifies which factor?
Correct answer: D - C, the cover-management factor
Which soil texture is generally the MOST susceptible to detachment and erosion by flowing water?
Correct answer: B - Silt, because the particles are fine yet lack cohesion
A soil's mapped hydrologic soil group is a fixed property of the site and cannot be effectively changed by construction activity.
Correct answer: B - False
A project manager states that the site is fully protected because silt fence surrounds the entire perimeter and every storm drain inlet has a filter insert. The most significant weakness in this approach is that:
Correct answer: A - Only sediment control is in place, with no erosion control
During an inspection a QSM observes numerous small parallel channels about three inches deep on a graded slope, shallow enough to be removed by routine regrading. This condition indicates:
Correct answer: B - Rill erosion, meaning sheet flow has begun to concentrate
A correctly sized and well-maintained sediment basin on a clay-rich site still discharges visibly turbid water after every storm. The MOST likely explanation is:
Correct answer: D - Clay particles settle too slowly for gravity treatment alone
Water ponding on the upslope side of a properly installed silt fence is expected and indicates the fence is functioning as intended.
Correct answer: A - True
The QSM exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
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