mc soils

What is the greatest potential benefit of composting municipal solid waste in the US? Select one: a. This compost can help restore degraded soils in agricultural and range areas. b. Composting can reduce the amount of materials in landfills. c. Composting can reduce the amount of waste materials incinerated. d. Composting can improve the quality of soils in urban parks and recreational areas. e. Composting will reduce the amount of materials thrown out in the trash in residential areas.

a. This compost can help restore degraded soils in agricultural and range areas.

Which soil characteristic most directly affects the availability of mineral nutrients to plants growing in that soil? Select one: a. pH of the soil. b. Soil texture. c. Size of the soil particles themselves. d. Water-holding capacity. e. Workability of the soil.

a. pH of the soil.

What is the Conservation Reserve program? Select one: a. It encourages farmers to store soil in soil banks. b. It pays farmers to stop farming highly erodible land. c. It buys grain from farmers to stockpile for later use. d. It encourages farmers to create new farmland in national forests.

b. It pays farmers to stop farming highly erodible land.

Which material is NOT a component of the layered material known as soil? Select one: a. Organic material. b. Living plant roots. c. Water. d. Air. e. Mineral particles.

b. Living plant roots.

What determines a soil's texture? Select one: a. Mineral composition. b. Relative proportions of different particle sizes. c. Type of humus. d. Water content.b.

b. Relative proportions of different particle sizes.

The breakdown of large rocks into smaller pieces is ________. Select one: a. mineralization b. affected by rainfall, freezing and thawing c. unaffected by winds d. a major cause of topsoil erosion e. primarily caused by topsoil erosion

b. affected by rainfall, freezing and thawing

The removal of dissolved minerals from soil as water moves downward is called: Select one: a. illuviation. b. leaching. c. deposition. d. decomposition. e. decompression.

b. leaching.

A region's surface features, such as the presence or absence of mountains and valleys is Select one: a. geography b. topography c. geology d. climatology

b. topography

Which of these practices will help conserve soil? Select one: a. Remove native grasses and trees to prevent their use of nutrients. b. Plant in long straight rows to allow automated observation. c. After harvesting a crop, leave the rest of the plant material in the field. d. Grow only one type of crop in order to reduce the use of nutrients.

c. After harvesting a crop, leave the rest of the plant material in the field.

Which of these practices will help conserve soils? Select one: a. Remove native grasses and trees to prevent their use of nutrients. b. Plant in long straight rows to allow automated observation. c. After harvesting leave the rest of the plant material in the field. d. Grow only one type of crop in order to reduce the use of nutrients.

c. After harvesting leave the rest of the plant material in the field.

What is the primary goal of most soil conservation practices? Select one: a. Increase crop yields. b. Increase rate of soil formation. c. Decrease soil erosion. d. Reduce amount of land used for agriculture.

c. Decrease soil erosion.

Which of the following did NOT contribute to the American Dust Bowl? Select one: a. Removal of native grasses. b. Seven years of less than normal precipitation. c. Extensive irrigation. d. High winds. e. Crop failures.

c. Extensive irrigation.

Which of these types of organisms form mycorrhizal associations with plants? Select one: a. Worms. b. Bacteria. c. Fungi. d. Insects. e. Humus.

c. Fungi.

Which are the best agricultural soils? Select one: a. High clay soils. b. High sand soils. c. Loams. d. Humus.

c. Loams.

How can the nutrient poor tropical soils support the lush tropical rainforest biome? Select one: a. The poor quality of tropical rainforest soils is a myth; these soils are actually among the most nutrient-rich soils on Earth. b. The dense forest canopy limits rainfall reaching the forest floor so there is little leaching of nutrients from the soil. c. Organic material, and the nutrients it contains, is recycled rapidly back into the vegetation and little material remains to form soil. d. Tropical rainforest plants have evolved metabolic strategies that enable them to live in the almost total absence of nutrients. e. High rainfall provides a continuous source of new nutrients.

c. Organic material, and the nutrients it contains, is recycled rapidly back into the vegetation and little material remains to form soil.

Which is an important part of the process of soil formation? Select one: a. Erosion. b. Leaching. c. Weathering. d. Oxidation.

c. Weathering.

Humus is Select one: a. artificial fertilizer applied to monocultures b. a layer sometimes found in a soil horizon that is created by eluviation; it causes serious problems in agricultural fields c. composed of organic compounds and is necessary for fertile soils and for holding soil moisture d. caused by agricultural runoff into waterways or into the water table

c. composed of organic compounds and is necessary for fertile soils and for holding soil moisture

The Great Green Wall intends to reduce both the frequency and severity of dust storms in northern China because Select one: a. trees slow the wind's velocity, decreasing wind erosion b. moist soil on the forest floor discourages soil from being picked up and carried away by wind c. there is not longer soil erosion in that area d. A and B e. A, B, and C

d. A and B

Soil texture affects Select one: a. aeration of the soil b. tilage (workability of soil) c. water retention d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Which statement is NOT true regarding soil erosion? Select one: a. Soil erosion can be reduced by leaving abundant plant cover on the land. b. Soil erosion reduces soil fertility by removing the top soil layers. c. Soil erosion on slopes promotes further slope erosion. d. Soil erosion limits plant growth. e. Soil erosion is primarily a problem in developing nations with semi-arid climates.

e. Soil erosion is primarily a problem in developing nations with semi-arid climates.

The deposition of dissolved minerals into the B horizon is called Select one: a. deposition b. decomposition c. leaching d. weathering e. illuviation

e. illuviation