Chapter 10 Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices

Multiple Choice Questions - Choose the best answer for only 35 of the following.
1) Which of the following is the most correct definition of soil?
A. A complex of minerals that provide energy for plant growth
B. A complex mixture of organic matter, minerals and living organisms
C. A mass of dead organic matter and detritus; dirt
D. An elaborate mixture of organic matter and minerals
2) Spaces between sand particles give sandy soil
A. The ability to hold water
B. Low permeability to air
C. Good drainage
D. The ability to store minerals
3) The critical organic component of soil that gives it its structure is termed
A. Clay
B. Humus

C. Parent material
D. Heavy soil

4) Which of the following cannot be found in soil?

A. Algae and bacteria
B. Insects and bacteria
C. Insects and fungus
D. All of these are found in soil
5) Topsoil contains predominantly
A. Organic material
B. Mineral material
C. Insoluble minerals and sand
D. Mixed organic material and mineral particles
6) Which of the following would have nearly zero topsoil?
A. Virgin prairies
B. Deserts

C. Tropical rainforests
D. Tundra

7) The parent material layer of a soil is composed of weathered

A. Humus
B. Organic detritus and roots
C. Residual aluminum and iron
D. Rock fragments
8) The stratified horizontal layers of soils are called soil

A. Profiles
C. Textures
B. Horizons
D. Type
9) Soil leaching involves
A. Rainwater seeping through soil and dissolving nutrients
B. The accumulation of organic matter in the uppermost soil layers
C. The elimination of pore space in soil
D. The microorganisms and their movements through the soil to aerate it
10) In developed countries, the most recent increases in agricultural productivity have come from
A. Irrigation in arid areas
B. Increased fertilization
C. New crop varieties
D. Irrigation, increased fertilization and new crop varieties
11) Wind erosion is most likely to cause problems in
A. Open, arid regions
B. Fertile river bottoms with annual floods
C. Agricultural regions in the far north
D. Protected, arid regions
12) An effective way to measure soil erosion in a region is to measure the
A. Amount of dust in the air
B. Sediment load of rivers
C. Amount lost on crop fields
D. Distance the dust travels
13) The efficiency of irrigation water use is ______ in most countries. One of the reasons for this is
______.
A. High; the careful use of water because it is so expensive
B. High; the technology to distribute the water where it is needed is available
C. Low; the lack of availability of technology to distribute the water where it is needed
D. Low; evaporative losses from unprotected water channeling
14) Waterlogging results from
A. Toxic metal accumulation
B. Excessive irrigation
C. Excessive plowing
D. Natural wind erosion processes
15) Salinization is a common agricultural problem in what type of region?
A. Arid
B. Cold
C. Humid
D. Tropical
16) Legumes are plants whose roots contain bacteria that can fix ___________ and naturally fertilize the
plant.

A. Nitrogen
B. Phosphorus

C. Potassium
D. Oxygen

Pest organisms tend to be

A. Specialist species
B. Generalist species

C. Migratory species
D. Endemic species

17) DDT accumulation in North American eagles, pelicans and other birds disrupted birds' calcium
metabolism, causing
A. Infertility
B. Thin eggshells

C. Severe nerve damage

D. Adult deformities

18) DDT is
A. Equally toxic to mammals and insects
B. Soluble only in water
C. Cheap to produce and easy to apply
D. Highly biodegradable
19) A broad-spectrum biocide is designed to kill
A. A wide range of plants
B. Microbes that are neither plant nor animal
C. A wide range of living organisms
D. Specifically multicellular organisms
20) Why is it useful to classify pesticides by their chemical structure?
A. It is easier to keep them organized by type
B. Scientists have done this for years and it would be inefficient to change it now
C. Similar chemical structures often relate to similar toxicological characteristics
D. This is how they are named and looking them up for reference is easier
21) Inorganic pesticides are generally
A. Highly toxic and remain in the soil for a long time
B. Highly toxic and break down soon in the environment
C. Moderately toxic and remain in the soil for a long time
D. Moderately toxic and break down soon in the environment
22) Natural organic pesticides are not
A. Extracted from plants
B. Toxic to humans
C. Safe for all animals
D. Stable in their natural form
23) In terms of agriculture, pesticides have lead to _____ for consumers.
A. Lower monetary costs
B. More attractive produce

C. Better produce quality

D. All of these are correct

24) Approximately ______ percent of the pesticides we use never reach the intended target.

A. 15
C. 75
B. 20
D. 90
25) Pest resurgence is part of the problem of pesticide resistance and happens when a pest organism
A. That was dormant during pesticide application becomes active and produces offspring
B. Adapts to the pesticide and produces tolerant offspring
C. Adapts to the pesticide and produces even more pesticide-tolerant offspring
D. That is tolerant to the pesticide survives and produces tolerant offspring
26) Pesticide resistance occurs when a population of pests
A. Becomes too numerous for chemicals to control
B. Genetically changes (through natural selection) and is no longer affected by the chemicals
C. Grows extremely large because of chemical misapplications
D. Is not affected by chemicals because the pesticide chemicals do not break down in the environment
27) The pesticide treadmill occurs when
A. A virus transfers pesticide resistance to a new species
B. Constantly decreasing doses of pesticides are needed to control pests
C. Nontarget agricultural species are destroyed by insecticides
D. Constantly increasing doses of pesticides are needed to control pests
28) When a new pesticide is developed the best thing to do is to use it
A. Sparingly so pests will not develop a resistance
B. Widely and liberally, to knock out pests
C. Widely and liberally, so pests will not develop a resistance
D. Liberally then sparingly to prevent resistance and knock out pests
29) Why are pest predator populations so adversely affected by broad-spectrum pesticides?
A. In general, predators are more susceptible to the pesticides
B. There is less food for the predators when the pest species is destroyed
C. Predators in higher trophic levels are more likely to be wiped out than lower trophic levels
D. Broad-spectrum pesticides leave more residues than other pesticides and these kill the predators
30) Organic pollutants called ________________ are showing up in many different places worldwide, far
from their original source. This has led to a widespread movement to ________________.
A. Persistent organic pollutants; ban twelve of them in developed countries
B. Mobile organic pollutants; ban twelve of them worldwide
C. Persistent organic pollutants; reduce the use of twelve of them
D. Mobile organic pollutants; reduce the use of twelve of them
31) Knowledge of the life cycle of an insect population enables biological controls to be used in place of
current pesticide use. An example includes the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which affects
_______ of moths and butterflies.
A. All stages
B. The larval stage

C. The pupa stage

D. The eggs

32) With respect to chemical pest controls, integrated pest management (IPM) uses
A. None
B. The maximum amount as determined by economic thresholds
C. Broad-spectrum products
D. The minimum amount necessary as a last resort
33) In order to institute an integrated pest management program, it is necessary to
A. Have large amounts of money
B. Use large amounts of space
C. Have many different kinds of crops
D. Understand local plants and animals
34) Which of the following things that you can do to reduce pesticide residues in your diet is related to
bioaccumulation?
A. Peel fruits and vegetables when possible
B. Trim the fat from meat, chicken and fish
C. Cook foods that you think have been exposed to chemicals
D. Ask for organically grown produce at a farmer's market
35) Contour plowing and strip farming are methods designed to
A. Prevent weed spreading
B. Improve plowing efficiency
C. Improve harvesting efficiency
D. Prevent water and soil loss
36) Which of the following is the best way to ensure soil health?
A. Maintaining clean, open ground between rows
B. Strip farming and leaving residues on fields after harvest
C. Clearing fields immediately after harvesting
D. Establishing ridges running up and down hills
37) Which of these is not a benefit found with reduced tillage farming?
A. Water conservation
B. Soil preservation

C. Increased crop yields

D. Decreased insects and weeds

38) The benefits of leaving crop residues on a field after harvest include
A. Protecting soil organisms
B. Reducing evaporation
C. Breaking the erosive effects of wind and water
D. All of these are correct
39) Annual row crops such as __________ cause the highest erosion rates because _____________.
A. Corn and coffee; they use so many nutrients
B. Wheat and coffee; they need so much water
C. Tea and beans; plowing in the fall is required for planting of these annual spring crops
D. Corn and beans; soil is left bare for the majority of the year

Open Response. In short, well-crafted paragraphs answer three (3) of the following six questions.
40) Why are agricultural cows, chickens, and pigs in the US fed corn?
41) Why are vegetables so much more expensive than other food products?
42) What are the benefits of buying grass-fed beef?
43) Describe some things that you can do to alleviate the problems caused by our current food system.
44) The average mean travels 1500 miles from farm to supermarket. Why? Is this good or bad? For you?
For ecology? For economics?
45) Why do so many U.S. families eat fast food, even though they know it is not healthy?

Chapter 10 Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices

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Open Response. In short, well-crafted paragraphs answer three (3) of the following six questions.
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