When a specific depth of soil is removed on a site, what is this process called?

• A. Leveling
• B. Banking
• C. Cutting
• D. Filling

Answer: (C)

Cutting is the process of removing soil to lower the ground to a required depth. In site grading, you cut to create foundations, trenches, or slopes where the existing soil sits above the design level. The material taken out is typically hauled away or reused elsewhere on the site. This differs from filling, which adds soil to raise the ground, and from leveling, which aims to make the surface even and may involve both cutting and filling as needed. Banking would involve piling soil to form an embankment rather than removing it.