Chp 7 Agriculture
During the Columbian exchange, which one of the following products found its way from the Old World to the New World? a) tobacco b) potatoes c)citrus d) cacao e) turkey
C. While we often associate the Spanish discovery of the Americas with the looting of mines and plundering of agricultural products, the Americas also benefitted from the arrival of many European products. Citrus is one of them, which had been grown in the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Also arriving for the first time to the New World were most modern varieties of livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and even chickens - as well as all the diseases that are associated with those animals.
The most important reason for the rising use of alternative energy crops such as ethanol and biodiesel has been a) the rapid increase in the price of oil b) the public relations efforts of alternative energy advocates c) the large amount of waste oil from deep fryers d) the slash and burn agriculture occurring in Brazil that has seen the growth of millions of acres of new sugar cane e) the improvement in irrigation techniques
A. From 1998 o 2013, the price of oil nearly quadrupled. This put intense pressure upon communities to discover alternate forms of energy that weren't as expensive. Brazil struck upon ethanol, a sugar-cane derivative that powers its vehicles. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil. Driving behind a biodiesel vehicle smells like driving behind a fast-food restaurant. Select A.
The process of soil salinization is most likely to occur in areas where there is a) excessive irrigation in dry-land agricultural zones b) deforestation in temperate climate zones c) irrigation near ocean or sea coasts d) plowing of loess soils e) long-term use of fertilizers and pesticides
A. excessive irrigation in dry-land agricultural zones
As industrialized countries continue to develop economically, agriculture in these First-World states tends to have the following characteristics a) larger farm size and increasing corporate ownership of farms b)larger farm size and more government ownership of farms c)smaller farm size and a diversity of crops on each farm d) smaller farm size and fewer family-owned farms e)larger farm size and increasing number of family-owned farms
A. larger farm size and increasing corporate ownership of farms
substance agriculture is most likely to be a) very intensive b) marked by high amounts of labor inputs c) performed on small plots of land d) conducted in areas with high physiologic density e) susceptible to famine caused by drought or armed conflict
B. Extensive subsistence agriculture occurs in places where there is not much labor put into the land. This is owed to lack of modern technology, lack of population, or lack of arable land. Therefore, there are low amounts of labor input in these regions, not high.
Which of the following lists includes New World agricultural products that came to Europe in the Columbian exchange after 1492? a)horses, cattle, wheat b)maize (corn) potatoes and turkeys c)yams, melons, chickens d)noodles, mushrooms, geese e)coffee, sugar, hogs
B. Maize (corn), potatoes and turkeys. This definition example questions regarding the "Columbian exchange" asks you to specify which products went from the New World (the Americas) to the Old World (Europe) after permanent settlement was established by the Spanish on the mainland Americas in the early 1500s. All the other answer choices are incorrect. There were no horses or chicken in the Americas prior to the 1500s. The noodle was developed in China. Coffee was domesticated in the Middle East.
All of the following can contribute to desertification EXCEPT a) overgrazing b) slash and burn agriculture c) deforestation d) soil salinization 3) extensive pastoralism
B. Overgrazing, deforestation, soil salinization, and extensive pastoralism can lead to desertification so they can all be eliminated. Slash and burn agriculture, B, is generally related to rainforests and involves the cutting and burning of forest plants to create fields. While bad in its own right, slash and burn agriculture does not lead to desertification.
What effect did the publication of the Communist Manifesto have upon Russian agriculture? a) an improvement in the standard of living for all farmers everywhere b) the eventual collectivization of farms by the Soviet system c) an immediate decline in the level of agricultural efficiency d) a return to a feudal arrangement wherein wealthy aristocrats owned most of the land e) the selection of wheat over corn because of its perception as the grain of the common man
B. Published in the middle of the nineteenth century, The Communist Manifesto fueled the Communist Revolution. A major part of that was the collectivization of farms, one of the first Five Year Plans to be introduced in the Soviet Union by General Secretary Joseph Stalin in the late 1920s. It was a way, according to the policies of socialist leaders, to boost agricultural production through the organization of land and labor into large-scale collective farms (known as kolkhozy). At the same time, Stalin argued that collectivization would free poor peasants from economic servitude and wholesale deportation of farmers to Siberia in order to implement the plan. Millions who remained did not die of starvation, but the centuries-old system of farming has destroyed one of the most fertile regions of the world. Choose B.
The traditional method of farming in woodland area that has been practiced for centuries but now poses an environmental problem in tropical rain-forest regions is a) raised-field agriculture b) slash and burn agriculture c) multi-cropping d) aquaculture e) factory farming
B. Slash and burn agriculture
A small family-run farm in an LDC that produces a variety of crops including corn, vegetables, eggs, and milk would most likely be an example of a) crop rotation b) subsistence farming c) export-based agriculture d) monoculture e) plantation farming
B. Subsistence farming
One option for small family-owned farms to increase the market value of their crops would be a) eliminate irrigation and rely upon natural rainfall b)switch to organic farming practices with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers c)use biofuels such as vegetable-based diesel for their farm equipment d)switch to growing traditional staple crops such as corn and use fertilizers e)export their crops to Third-world locations such as Sub-Saharan Africa
B. Switch to organic farming practices with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers
In the Third World, plantation crops like bananas, coffee, and sugar are examples of a)subsistence agriculture b)import substitution c)export-based agriculture d)specialty agriculture e)value-added agriculture
C)export-based agriculture
Mediterranean agricultural products are grown in the United States primarily in a) Hawaii b) the Upper Midwest c) Central and Southern California d) the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area e) the Atlantic Coastal Plain
C. Central and Southern California
to increase agricultural productivity and increase the pest-resistance of many crops, in recent decades agro-industry firms have developed a)heirloom varieties b)organic farming c)genetically engineered foods d)value-added agriculture e)chemical fertilizers
C. Genetically engineered foods
A small scale farmer who successfully survived the farm crisis in rural areas would NOT have a) initiated a marketing campaign demonstrating his commitment to animal welfare b) begun to sell non-GMO certified products c) switched from a diverse range of crops to corn-and-soybean monoculture d) invested heirloom varieties of produce e) purchased open pastures or large outdoor pens for free range poultry
C. You can't beat the giants of agribusiness at what they do best - and what they do best is corn-and-soybean monoculture. They've got efficiencies of scale that small-scale farmers can only dream of. Instead, small-scale farmers tend to succeed based on specialty niches either based on nontraditional production or nontraditional, ancient techniques. Choose C.
The following are all factors in the Green Revolution EXCEPT a) pesticides b)chemical fertilizers c)low cost human labor d)plant hybridization e) mechanical irrigation
C. low cost human labor
Which plant was the dominant staple crop for the culture hearths of Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the rest of the Fertile Crescent? a) corn (maize) b) potatoes c)yams d)wheat e)rice
D. Wheat
Which of the following was introduced to the Old World as part of the Columbian exchange? a)wheat b) apples c) horses d) peanuts e) goats
D. When Central and South America were conquered in the early 1500's, a number of crops and livestock were transferred to the New World from the Old World and vice-versa. Choices (A) (B) (C) and (E) are all examples of things that came to the New World from the Old World. The only item that was introduced to the Old World as part of the Columbian exchange was peanuts (D)
all of the following characteristics mark the Third Agricultural Revolution EXCEPT a) the internationalization of industrialized farming b) the use of larger, more powerful agricultural equipment c) research in biotechnology and food processing d) the invention of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides e) the growth of the Green Revolution
D. While fertilizers and pesticides may seem to be modern inventions, they've actually been around for many decades. The first pesticide, DDT, was invented in 1939, while Justus von Liebig promoted the use of ammonia in agriculture as far back as the 1850's. Both dates fall within the Second Agricultural Revolution, which also included drastically reduced labor requirements thanks to the invention of trucks, tractors, and pumps. Choice D is the correct answer.
The largest effect of increased mechanization has been a) a lack of reliance on cash crops b) a division of arable land among more individual farmers c) an increased reliance on immigrant labor d) a diversification of agricultural crops e) a reduced need for farm laborers
E. A reduced need for farm laborers.
The concept of transhumance is associated with a) stage two of the Demographic Transition Model b)Buddhist spiritual practices c) pastoralism d) subsistence farming e) hunting and gathering societies
E. During stage one of the Demographic Transition Model, groups of hunters and gatherers moved seasonally to avoid cold, escape flooding, follow animal herds, and find native plants in season. This is the idea behind transhumance. Stage Two of the DTM, pastoralism, and subsistence farming are all signs of more advanced civilizations. Buddhist spiritual practices are irrelevant. The correct answer is E.
agribusiness
corporate agriculture, the predominant form of agriculture today; large scale farms run by multinational corporations are replacing small family farms
Von Thunens Model
describes a pattern of land use in which the most labor intensive crops and animals are located closest to the central village
Agriculture
one part of the primary economy and the predominant means of economic productivity in stage two and third-world countries. it can be classified as either intensive or extensive
Second Agricultural Revolution
technological advancement in agriculture during and after the Industrial Revolution drastically increased food production while reducing labor requirements
Green Revolution
the innovations of the Second Agricultural Revolution reached Third-World countries in the 1950's and 1960s. The expanded agricultural output supported a population boom that would have otherwise been unsustainable
According to von Thunen's model, land use is defined primarily by a) walkable communities that do not rely upon motorized transportation for daily life b) the commodification of highlands and other peripheral areas for grazing c)a greater density of medicinal crops that edible crops d) the replanting of forests at greater distance from town that tradition dictates e)an inverse relationship between he value of the labor and the distance from the center of town
E. If you think about it, von Thunen's model measures land using common sense- the land closest to the town would require the most work. This assumes that humans don't want to walk any more than necessary. The proximity to human settlements is also a factor in the cost of that product when it arrives to market
Which of the following requires a lot of labor, focuses on a small plot of land, or both? a) extensive agriculture b) pastoralism c) hunting and gathering d) nomadic herding e) intensive agriculture
E. Intensive agriculture, E, both requires a lot of labor input and is focused on a small plot of land. Extensive agriculture, A, requires limited labor input, is spread across large areas of land, or both. Pastoralism, B, and nomadic herding, D, are types o agriculture based on the seasonal movement of animals. Finally, hunting and gathering, C, is a nomadic form of agriculture, in which individuals move to areas where food and water are abundant
two examples of value added agricultural products produced on european farms would be a)corn and wheat b) rice and beans c) cattle and hogs d)chickens and farm-raised fish e)cheese and wine
E. This definition example question requires you to now the concept of value added agriculture and to apply the proper examples. All of the examples in A through D are standard forms of primary agricultural products that are most often sent to secondary facilities to process the foodstuffs. Cheese and wine, by contrast, are made from products that are most often harvested or collected on the farm and then processed into secondary goods, thus adding financial value to the farm's output.
First Agricultural Revolution
Humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to organized planting, which led to the domestication of plants and development of horticulture
Third Agricultural Revolution
The dawn of industrialized agribusiness, the use of larger and more powerful machinery, and expanded economic activity around farms
