A project involves shaping a road embankment requiring a consistent 1:3 (vertical:horizontal) slope. The current cut is 10 metres wide and 2 metres deep. If the scraper is making parallel passes, how far horizontally should each subsequent cut be offset to maintain the desired slope?

Question: A project involves shaping a road embankment requiring a consistent 1:3 (vertical:horizontal) slope. The current cut is 10 metres wide and 2 metres deep. If the scraper is making parallel passes, how far horizontally should each subsequent cut be offset to maintain the desired slope?

Answer options:

• 0.67 metres
• 1.00 metre
• 1.50 metres ✅ 3.00 metres

Correct answer: 3.00 metres

Explanation: A 1:3 slope means for every 1 unit of vertical change, there are 3 units of horizontal change. If the current cut is 2 metres deep, and the scrapers want to maintain that slope, then for a 2-metre drop, the horizontal distance should be 2 metres * 3 = 6 metres. Now, if the question meant 'how far horizontally should the cut be offset for each subsequent pass to maintain the slope from the previous pass', and assuming each pass reduces the overall depth slightly, this numerical problem could be interpreted as 'how much horizontal is gained for a small vertical step in the slope'. The phrasing 'how far horizontally should each subsequent cut be offset' combined with 'maintaining the desired slope' implies the operator is trying to cut the slope correctly. If a pass involves cutting a certain vertical depth, say 1 metre (not specified in question, hence ambiguity), then the horizontal offset needed would be 3 metres (1 * 3). Since 3.00 metres is an option, this interpretation is likely. If the 2-metre depth mentioned is the total depth of the cut already made, and the scrapers are now just trimming the slope, then the horizontal offset would be directly related to the vertical drop intended for that pass. Assume for each unit of vertical depth being cut, the horizontal offset should match the slope ratio. Therefore, 1 unit (vertical) : 3 units (horizontal). If a pass removes 1 vertical meter, it must be offset 3 horizontal meters from the top edge.