Which statement correctly describes the borrow region on a mass diagram?

Which statement correctly describes the borrow region on a mass diagram?

• A. The region above the zero line
• B. The region below the zero line
• C. The region at the zero line
• D. The region where excavation equals embankment

Answer: (B)

In a mass diagram, you’re weighing how much earth you must move and where. Positive values mean you need material for embankment (fill), while negative values mean you have excavation (cut). The zero line marks balance: where cumulative cut equals cumulative fill up to that point. The borrow region is the part of the diagram that sits below the zero line. That negative area shows more excavation than fill has been accounted for up to that distance, so there’s a net surplus of material to remove (or relocate) rather than to place elsewhere. In other words, material is being borrowed away from the site for balance elsewhere, which is why this region is identified as the borrow region. Regions above the zero line would indicate a need to bring in material to fill, while a return to the zero line indicates a balanced balance.

In a mass diagram, you’re weighing how much earth you must move and where. Positive values mean you need material for embankment (fill), while negative values mean you have excavation (cut). The zero line marks balance: where cumulative cut equals cumulative fill up to that point.

The borrow region is the part of the diagram that sits below the zero line. That negative area shows more excavation than fill has been accounted for up to that distance, so there’s a net surplus of material to remove (or relocate) rather than to place elsewhere. In other words, material is being borrowed away from the site for balance elsewhere, which is why this region is identified as the borrow region. Regions above the zero line would indicate a need to bring in material to fill, while a return to the zero line indicates a balanced balance.