Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Practice Exam

What is the opposite of reliction?

1. Erosion

2. Water level rise

3. Avulsion

4. Alluvium

The correct answer is: Water level rise

Reliction refers to the process by which land is left exposed due to the receding of a body of water, effectively increasing the land area. This phenomenon occurs when a body of water decreases in volume or shifts its position, resulting in a new shoreline. The opposite of this process would be an increase in water level, which leads to a decrease in the land area exposed, effectively flooding previously visible land. Water level rise is the correct answer because it entails a situation where water encroaches upon land, which contrasts with the concept of reliction where land is exposed as water recedes. In this context, a rise in water level would lead to the inundation of land that was previously accessible, making it the opposite of reliction. The other choices, such as erosion, avulsion, and alluvium, do not capture this relationship. Erosion refers to the wearing away of land due to physical processes, while avulsion is a sudden change in the course of a river, which may lead to land being reclaimed or lost, but does not specifically represent a gradual rise in water levels. Alluvium is sediment deposited by flowing water and does not represent a process opposing reliction directly.