Question 1

Describe the goals and effects of industrial agriculture.

Accepted Answer

The injection of large amounts of fossil fuels, mechanization of traditional farming techniques for growing and transporting crops, and the development of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides have greatly expanded humanity's ability to produce food and have been instrumental in allowing food production to keep pace with population growth. However, efficiency has dictated that crops be grown in monocultures, with huge amounts of land devoted to a single crop species. This has resulted in increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, resulting in a host of negative environmental impacts. The Green Revolution, which promised greater yields of staple crops, especially in developing nations, has indeed delivered as promised but has damaged soils in the process and, with heavy dependence on pesticides and fertilizers, has become increasingly expensive for poorer farmers to practice.

Question 2

_______________ is the loss of more than 10% of soil productivity in arid areas due to such factors as erosion, soil compaction, overgrazing, and forest removal.

Accepted Answer

A) Salinization 
B) Alkalinization 
C) Climatization 
D) Desertification 
E) Stratification 
A) Salinization 
B) Alkalinization 
C) Climatization 
D) Desertification 
E) Stratification D

Question 3

_______________ refers to the agricultural practices in which the members of a farming family produce only enough food for themselves and do not make use of large- scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and technology.

Accepted Answer

A) Subsidence agriculture 
B) Intensive traditional agriculture 
C) Subsistence agriculture 
D) Advanced organic farming 
E) Reduced tillage agriculture 
A) Subsidence agriculture 
B) Intensive traditional agriculture 
C) Subsistence agriculture 
D) Advanced organic farming 
E) Reduced tillage agriculture C

Question 4

Leaching and the rate of movement of water would be greatest in a soil classified as _______________

Accepted Answer

A) sandy 
B) silty 
C) hypersaline 
D) organic 
E) clay 
A) sandy 
B) silty 
C) hypersaline 
D) organic 
E) clay

Question 5

The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) grow cattle feed instead of commercial crops 
B) grow native crops such as corn and beans 
C) stop growing tobacco 
D) stop cultivating highly erodible cropland 
E) grow soybeans 
A) grow cattle feed instead of commercial crops 
B) grow native crops such as corn and beans 
C) stop growing tobacco 
D) stop cultivating highly erodible cropland 
E) grow soybeans

Question 6

The U.S. agency charged with slowing soil degradation is the _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) Conservation Integration Service 
B) Soil Degradation Minimization Service 
C) Natural Resources Conservation Service 
D) Soil Aggregation Service 
E) Agricultural Standards Agency 
A) Conservation Integration Service 
B) Soil Degradation Minimization Service 
C) Natural Resources Conservation Service 
D) Soil Aggregation Service 
E) Agricultural Standards Agency

Question 7

Shelterbelts are to _______________ as terraces are to _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) water erosion; wind erosion 
B) wind erosion; water erosion 
C) stratification; salinization 
D) salinization; stratification 
E) leaching; desertification 
A) water erosion; wind erosion 
B) wind erosion; water erosion 
C) stratification; salinization 
D) salinization; stratification 
E) leaching; desertification

Question 8

pH influences _______________

Accepted Answer

A) soil clumpiness 
B) soil compaction 
C) the number of soil horizons 
D) plant growth 
E) erosion 
A) soil clumpiness 
B) soil compaction 
C) the number of soil horizons 
D) plant growth 
E) erosion

Question 9

Read the following scenario and answer the question below.
Early People and Agricultural Beginnings
Long ago, two sisters were talking as they returned from their morning trip to collect mushrooms, seeds, berries, and green leaves for the day's meals. The younger woman was watching the progress of a small rabbit as it hopped across the path and toward the clan's trash midden (refuse heap), where broken tools (made of bone, stone, or shell)were tossed, and where discarded food was thrown. She noticed the rabbit stop and begin nibbling at the many new, green shoots sprouting across one side of the midden. She walked over to look, and she saw that some of last year's discarded dried fruits were growing. Surprised and interested, she called her sister over to discuss this find.
-Which of the following choices is something brought about by the beginning of agriculture?

Accepted Answer

A) The ability of the few to feed the many meant that everyone was expected to concentrate on increased food production. 
B) The ability to rely on crops every year allowed even farmers to have much more free time, resulting in the development of crafts, architecture, and other "urban" professions. 
C) Low density of people over large areas meant that diseases did not spread in settlements. 
D) A nomadic lifestyle, which meant moving frequently from one place to another. 
E) Needing to protect and defend the group's land and crops meant that people became more peaceful, resulting in the disbanding of military groups. 
A) The ability of the few to feed the many meant that everyone was expected to concentrate on increased food production. 
B) The ability to rely on crops every year allowed even farmers to have much more free time, resulting in the development of crafts, architecture, and other "urban" professions. 
C) Low density of people over large areas meant that diseases did not spread in settlements. 
D) A nomadic lifestyle, which meant moving frequently from one place to another. 
E) Needing to protect and defend the group's land and crops meant that people became more peaceful, resulting in the disbanding of military groups.

Question 10

The fundamental geological material for soils in a particular area

Accepted Answer

A) E horizon 
B) soil 
C) dirt 
D) A horizon 
E) horizon
F)intercropping
G)shelterbelts
H)rangeland
I)parent material
J)profile 
A) E horizon 
B) soil 
C) dirt 
D) A horizon 
E) horizon
F)intercropping
G)shelterbelts
H)rangeland
I)parent material
J)profile

Question 11

Tommy and Teagan are learning the process of good home gardening and decide to help their parents as best as they can. Every day they walk along rows of bean plants, carefully inspecting each plant for insects, and removing any that they find. However, the bean plants do not grow well, and few beans form. Their parents notice the poor beans, inspect the plants and soil, and tell the children that walking around the plants every day has hurt the plants by _______________

Accepted Answer

A) contaminating the soil with toxins leaching from their shoes 
B) reducing the nutrient minerals in the soil 
C) converting the topsoil into clay 
D) increasing soil aeration and killing soil microorganisms 
E) compacting the soil, decreasing aeration and infiltration 
A) contaminating the soil with toxins leaching from their shoes 
B) reducing the nutrient minerals in the soil 
C) converting the topsoil into clay 
D) increasing soil aeration and killing soil microorganisms 
E) compacting the soil, decreasing aeration and infiltration

Question 12

Until about 10,000 years ago, our species depended on _______________

Accepted Answer

A) hunting and gathering 
B) cattle 
C) hunting and herding 
D) crops 
E) crops and cattle 
A) hunting and gathering 
B) cattle 
C) hunting and herding 
D) crops 
E) crops and cattle

Question 13

Industrial agriculture _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) increased our ability to obtain more food from the same area 
B) is necessary today for all cultures 
C) had no impact on agriculture 
D) permanently improved soils, providing more food from less space 
E) rapidly deteriorated soils, requiring continuous movement to new croplands 
A) increased our ability to obtain more food from the same area 
B) is necessary today for all cultures 
C) had no impact on agriculture 
D) permanently improved soils, providing more food from less space 
E) rapidly deteriorated soils, requiring continuous movement to new croplands

Question 14

Read the following scenario and answer the question below.
Early People and Agricultural Beginnings
Long ago, two sisters were talking as they returned from their morning trip to collect mushrooms, seeds, berries, and green leaves for the day's meals. The younger woman was watching the progress of a small rabbit as it hopped across the path and toward the clan's trash midden (refuse heap), where broken tools (made of bone, stone, or shell)were tossed, and where discarded food was thrown. She noticed the rabbit stop and begin nibbling at the many new, green shoots sprouting across one side of the midden. She walked over to look, and she saw that some of last year's discarded dried fruits were growing. Surprised and interested, she called her sister over to discuss this find.
-It is probably true that _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) this group was quite large 
B) this group was living in a village they had established many years earlier 
C) this group already has a good agricultural system 
D) until now, this group had not considered deliberately planting seeds 
E) until now, this group had not considered hunting 
A) this group was quite large 
B) this group was living in a village they had established many years earlier 
C) this group already has a good agricultural system 
D) until now, this group had not considered deliberately planting seeds 
E) until now, this group had not considered hunting

Question 15

Read the following scenario and answer the question below.
Early People and Agricultural Beginnings
Long ago, two sisters were talking as they returned from their morning trip to collect mushrooms, seeds, berries, and green leaves for the day's meals. The younger woman was watching the progress of a small rabbit as it hopped across the path and toward the clan's trash midden (refuse heap), where broken tools (made of bone, stone, or shell)were tossed, and where discarded food was thrown. She noticed the rabbit stop and begin nibbling at the many new, green shoots sprouting across one side of the midden. She walked over to look, and she saw that some of last year's discarded dried fruits were growing. Surprised and interested, she called her sister over to discuss this find.
-The next step in this story would likely be that this woman and her sister ______________

Accepted Answer

A) began to seek out old middens to find and eat the things growing there 
B) started a full- scale garden, digging the soil and enriching it with food wastes 
C) began to deliberately plant seeds near their village to make food gathering easier in the future 
D) began to trade seeds with people from other villages 
E) began to save, sort, and name different types of seeds 
A) began to seek out old middens to find and eat the things growing there 
B) started a full- scale garden, digging the soil and enriching it with food wastes 
C) began to deliberately plant seeds near their village to make food gathering easier in the future 
D) began to trade seeds with people from other villages 
E) began to save, sort, and name different types of seeds

Question 16

Monoculture farming _______________

Accepted Answer

A) is a development of industrial agriculture 
B) is typical of Native American farming techniques 
C) requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides 
D) is always accompanied by no- till agriculture 
E) accounts for less than 1% of U.S. croplands 
A) is a development of industrial agriculture 
B) is typical of Native American farming techniques 
C) requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides 
D) is always accompanied by no- till agriculture 
E) accounts for less than 1% of U.S. croplands

Question 17

Planting _______________ between regular crops will help replace depleted nitrogen.

Accepted Answer

A) aquatic plants 
B) pineapples 
C) corn 
D) legumes 
E) wheat 
A) aquatic plants 
B) pineapples 
C) corn 
D) legumes 
E) wheat

Question 18

Corn (maize)was first domesticated in present- day _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) Brazil 
B) Mexico 
C) Spain 
D) China 
E) Portugal 
A) Brazil 
B) Mexico 
C) Spain 
D) China 
E) Portugal

Question 19

Erosion can result in a vicious cycle of worsening erosion because _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) plants are less likely to grow in eroded soil 
B) the accumulation of humus makes erosion more likely 
C) greater weathering of parent material will occur 
D) rainwater increasingly soaks into the ground 
E) the pH of the soil increases as erosion continues 
A) plants are less likely to grow in eroded soil 
B) the accumulation of humus makes erosion more likely 
C) greater weathering of parent material will occur 
D) rainwater increasingly soaks into the ground 
E) the pH of the soil increases as erosion continues

Question 20

Decomposers are most likely found in the _______________

Accepted Answer

A) E and B horizons 
B) C and E horizons 
C) A and O horizons 
D) B and C horizons 
E) C and R horizons 
A) E and B horizons 
B) C and E horizons 
C) A and O horizons 
D) B and C horizons 
E) C and R horizons

Describe the goals and effects of industrial agriculture.

_______________ is the loss of more than 10% of soil productivity in arid areas due to such factors as erosion, soil compaction, overgrazing, and forest removal.

_______________ refers to the agricultural practices in which the members of a farming family produce only enough food for themselves and do not make use of large- scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and technology.

Leaching and the rate of movement of water would be greatest in a soil classified as _______________

The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to _______________.

The U.S. agency charged with slowing soil degradation is the _______________.

Shelterbelts are to _ as terraces are to _.

pH influences _______________

The fundamental geological material for soils in a particular area

Until about 10,000 years ago, our species depended on _______________

Industrial agriculture _______________.

Monoculture farming _______________

Planting _______________ between regular crops will help replace depleted nitrogen.

Corn (maize)was first domesticated in present- day _______________.

Erosion can result in a vicious cycle of worsening erosion because _______________.

Decomposers are most likely found in the _______________

Science and Sustainability: an Introduction to Environmental Science

Earths Physical Systems: Matter, Energy, and Geology

Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology

Ethics, Economics, and Sustainable Development

Environmental Policy: Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Human Population

Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Freshwater Systems and Resources

Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources

Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

Global Climate Change

Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Conventional Energy Alternatives

New Renewable Energy Alternatives

Managing Our Waste

Minerals and Mining

Sustainable Solutions

Filters

Exam 9: Soil and Agriculture

Describe the goals and effects of industrial agriculture.

_______________ is the loss of more than 10% of soil productivity in arid areas due to such factors as erosion, soil compaction, overgrazing, and forest removal.

_______________ refers to the agricultural practices in which the members of a farming family produce only enough food for themselves and do not make use of large- scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and technology.

Leaching and the rate of movement of water would be greatest in a soil classified as _______________

The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to _______________.

The U.S. agency charged with slowing soil degradation is the _______________.

Shelterbelts are to _______________ as terraces are to _______________.

pH influences _______________

The fundamental geological material for soils in a particular area

Until about 10,000 years ago, our species depended on _______________

Industrial agriculture _______________.

Monoculture farming _______________

Planting _______________ between regular crops will help replace depleted nitrogen.

Corn (maize)was first domesticated in present- day _______________.

Erosion can result in a vicious cycle of worsening erosion because _______________.

Decomposers are most likely found in the _______________

Science and Sustainability: an Introduction to Environmental Science

Earths Physical Systems: Matter, Energy, and Geology

Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology

Ethics, Economics, and Sustainable Development

Environmental Policy: Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Human Population

Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Freshwater Systems and Resources

Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources

Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

Global Climate Change

Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Conventional Energy Alternatives

New Renewable Energy Alternatives

Managing Our Waste

Minerals and Mining

Sustainable Solutions

Filters

Shelterbelts are to _ as terraces are to _.