Soils Test 2

3) If you dug a deep hole in your back yard and water started to seep into the hole it would fill the hole up to ________. A) the water table B) field capacity C) the infiltration rate

A

7) Alluvial fans are usually characterized by ________ soils. A) sandy and gravelly B) poorly drained C) clay textured

A

Based on the figure on the last page, which legal land description is correct? A) T19N, R 15E, sec 28, NE1/4, B) T19N, R15E, sec 15, NW ¼, E1/2 C) T19N, R11W, sec 12, NW1/4

A

Capillarity in soils ________. A) involves both adhesion and cohesion B) is independent of the matric potential in soils C) is enhanced by the symmetrical nature of the water molecule

A

Clay accumulation is most pronounced in the ________. A) B horizon B) O horizon C) E horizon

A

Drainage pipe comes in 200 ft long rolls. The number of rolls needed to construct a uniform buried drainage system for a nearly level 20 hectare field will depend primarily on ________. A) the texture and structure of the soil B) rate of capillary movement in the soil C) the slope of the drain lines

A

If the soil water potential is postive, it is due to A) gravitational potential B) matric potential C) osmotice potential

A

In which of the following epipedons is the organic matter level generally highest in a mineral soil? A) mollic B) ochric C) histic

A

In which soil orders most likely formed under prairevegetation? A) Mollisols B) Entisols C) Alfisols

A

Plant roots obtain access to soil water in which of the following ways? A) Water flows to the roots by capillarity. B) The roots contract and leave room in the pores for the water to move in. C) Water vapor moves from the wet soil areas to the root surfaces.

A

The following are characteristics of a water molecule. A) It has a positive and a negative side. B) It is attracted to surfaces with negative but not positive charges. C) The two H atoms are on diametrically opposite ends of the molecule.

A

The lower layers in a soil profile are the: A) the least highly weathered B) the most highly weathered C) at the same weathering stage as the upper layers

A

The map units on a detailed soil map in a county soil survey report (same as Web Soil Survey) are most likely to be labeled with names from which category of Soil Taxonomy? A) series B) subgroup C) order

A

The most common form of on-site waste water treatment for homes not hooked up to sewer lines is the ________. A) septic tank and drain field B) electrical induction sterilization C) active composting method

A

The subordinate distinctions of t and g (i.e. Btg) mean A) the soil has an argillic horizon and is gleyed B) the soil has an argillic horizon and is dominated by garosite C) the soil has been tilled and is gleyed

A

Which of the following categories of Soil Taxonomy provides the greatest specificity of soil properties? A) family B) great group C) order

A

An ultisol can look like a mollisol or alfisol but it is different in that it has a A) a lot of iron and aluminum oxides B) low base saturation C) high base saturation

B

Argillic horizons are characterized by ________. A) organic matter accumulation B) accumulation of silicate clays C) high levels of iron and aluminum oxides

B

In soils of which great group would you most likely find wide surface cracks during periods of dry weather? A) Kandiaquults B) Calciusterts C) Argiaquolls

B

In which of the following horizons has the process of illuviation most likely occurred? A) A horizon B) B horizon C) E horizon

B

In which of the following situations would you expect downward movement of soil water through the profile to be most rapid? A) sandy loam in upper layers with a layer of coarse gravel underneath B) uniformly textured sandy loam profile C) sandy loam in upper layers with a clay band underneath

B

Silicate clay accumulation is most common in the ________. A) A horizon B) B horizon C) E horizon

B

The matric potential of soil water ________. A) is little affected by soil solids B) is not influenced appreciably by the force of gravity C) is lower in a sandy soil with 20 percent soil water than in a clay soil with same percentage of moisture

B

Two soil samples, A and B, at different soil moisture levels are placed in contact with each other. Water will more likely move from soil A to soil B if their water potentials, expressed in kPa, are ________. A) A=-5; B=-5 B) A=+5; B=-5 C) A=-100; B=-50

B

Which of the categories in the Soil Taxonomy system indicates genetic factors? A) suborder B) family C) series

B

Which of the following best characterizes the field capacity of a soil? A) maximum capacity of a soil to hold water B) water content of a soil with water potential of about -0.1 bar C) soil with water potential of -15 bar

B

A soil has a thick black A horizon, a distinct B horizon, has reasonably stable soil structure, and was formed under grassland natural vegetation. In which suborder is it most likely classed? A) udults B) ustalfs C) udolls

C

A soil pedon is ________. A) a category of Soil Taxonomy B) generally larger in area than a polypedon C) a three-dimensional unit that embodies the primary characteristics of an individual soil

C

Alluvial parent materials are best described as ________. A) materials formed by weathering of rocks and minerals in place. B) upland materials formed with relatively little chemical weathering. C) materials transported by wind or water

C

An A horizon with a sharp, distinct boundary at about 6 inches due cultivation would most likely have which subordinate distinction A) e B) sb C) p

C

Climate is an important soil forming factor because A) reactions speed up when the soil is frozen B) rainfall is not important in soil formation C) temperature and moisture control chemical, biological and physical rates

C

Given that a soil sampled from a field weighs 200g. After drying the soil only weighs 160g. What is the gravimetric moisture content of the soil? A) 75% B) 33% C) 25%

C

Given the family: fine-sandy, smectitic, mesic Aquic Haplaudalf, what do you know about this soil A) it is dominated by kaolinitic clays B) it has a deep A horizon C) it likely formed under aforest

C

Land drainage is beneficial because ________. A) it increases the water-to-air ratio in the soil pores B) it increases the alternate of expansion and contraction due to freezing and thawing of soils C) it increases the depth of root penetration in the soil

C

Of the various types of drain systems, open ditch systems are most practical and economical for use on ________. A) Vertisols B) soils with a deep water table C) poorly drained soils with sandy profiles

C

Secondary minerals are most prominent in the ________ fraction of soils. A) sand B) silt C) clay

C

The expression, P - ET - SS estimates the ________ a watershed. A) soil water content of B) evaporation from C) discharge volume from

C

Which of the following are the five factors influencing soil formation? A) valence state, translocation, tranformation, dissolution, additions B) translocation, transformation, additions, losses, oxidation C) living organisms, topography, parent materials, climate, time

C

Which of the landscape positions would have the least horizonation (fewest number of horizons. A) uplands B) bottomland C) slopes

C

Which of the following will increase the evaporation (E) from the soil surface? A) the use of no-till culture B) plastic mulch C) adding straw mulch to the soil surface D) stubble mulch farming E) none of the above

E

Epipedons are diagnostic subsurface horizons that are one of the primary means of classifying soils in the United States. T or F

F

The categories of Soil Taxonomy can be listed from the broadest (first) and most specific (last) as: order, suborder, great group, subgroup, series, family.  T or F

F

A polypedon, or individual soil, is a group of closely related pedons that conceptually approximates what in the United States is called a soil series. T or F

T

Andisols are found mostly near recently active volcanoes. T or F

T

Gypsum or nylon electrical resistance blocks are most useful in estimating the soil water content if the soil is quite dry. T or F

T

Organic matter distribution in the profile is a significant criterion for differentiating epipedons. T or F

T

The broadest category of classification in Soil Taxonomy specifies 12 soil orders, 11 of which are for mineral soils. T or F

T

The osmotic potential is dependent upon the presence of salts and other solutes in the soil T or F

T

The polarity of water helps account for the attraction of water molecules for each other. T or F

T

The two most significant characteristics of the classification system used in the United States are a unique system of terminology and focus on measurable soil properties as a primary basis for the classification. T or F

T