Soil Science Exam 1(actual exam questions)
In which soil horizon do eluviated materials accumulate? a. B horizon b. A horizon c. C horizon d. O horizon
A
The lithosphere is made up of a. rock b. plants and animals c. water d. air
A
The process of eluviation has most strongly occurred in the ____ horizon. a. E b. B c. A d. C
A
The soil horizon with the highest silicate clay accumulation is the ___ horizon. a. Bt b. Bw c. A d. E
A
Which horizon of a mature soil profile would have the greatest clay content? a. B b. E c. C d. A e. O
A
Which of the following is not an epipedon? a. Oxic b. Histic c. Ochric d. Mollic
A
A/An ____ horizon is generally the first to form in immature soil parent materials. a. Bt b. A c. Bw d. E
B
Compared to finer textured rocks, those with coarser texture (larger crystals) are expected to have a. greater rates of weathering b. slower rates of weathering c. greater contents of mafic minerals d. greater plant nutrient content
B
Organic matter accumulation is most pronounced in the _____. a. B horizon b. A horizon c. C horizon d. E horizon
B
Physical weathering ____. a. is the same as chemical weathering b. increases the surface area of soil minerals c. releases essential plant nutrients d. is the result of water mixing with the carbon dioxide respired by plants and microorganisms
B
Select the appropriate soil order: The most highly weathered soils. Anything that can weather, has weathered, leaving large accumulations of iron and aluminum and virtually no primary minerals. a. Ultisols b. Oxisols c. Inceptisols d. Alfisols
B
Soil age can best be determined by which factor? a Topography b. The presence or absence of specific horizons c. Parent material d. Surface color
B
The deep, wind-deposited, silt-sized material near Kansas City represents which type of parent material? a. Till b. Loess c. Lacustrine d. Alluvium
B
Weathering of primary minerals to form secondary minerals is an example of what type of soil-forming process? a. Losses b. Transformations c. Additions d. Translocations
B
Which is not one of the soil forming processes? a. Additions b. Parent Material c. transformation d. Translocations
B
Which of the following term/horizon combinations describes the zone of maximum clay accumulation in soils of humid regions? a. Eluvial, B horizon b. Illuvial, B horizon c. Illuvial, E horizon d. Eluvial, A horizon e. Illuvial, A horizon
B
Which suborder has the lowest moisture level? a. Aquent b. Calcid c. Udept d. Ustox
B
_____ is not considered one of the 5 major factors influencing soil formation. a. Native parent materials b. Elemental valence state c. Living organisms d. Topography e. Climate
B
Select the appropriate soil order: A true B horizon is present. The subsoil has a base saturation greater than 35%. a. Oxisols b. Inceptisols c. Alfisols d. Ultisols
C
Select the appropriate soil order: Organic matter has translocated from the "topsoil" and accumulated in a subsoil zone of illuviation a. Histosols b. Mollisols c. Spodosols d. Inceptisols
C
The agent responsible for depositing lacustrine parent material is a. wind b. humans c. water d. gravity
C
Which horizon would be the first to form in an Entisol? a. Bt b. B c. A d. E
C
Which soil profile horizon is the last to form? a. B b. C c. E d. A
C
Which soil profile horizon would be formed as a result of intense eluviation processes and be typical of Spodosols? a. B b. A c. E d. C
C
Erosion is an example of which of the 4 soil forming processes? a. Transformations b. Additions c. Translocations d. Losses
D
In a load of 10 cubic meters of topsoil, approximately how many cubic meters of the volume would be solid material? a. 1 b. 4 c. 7.5 d. 5 3. 2.5
D
In which of the following soil orders would recent alluvium most likely be a common parent material? a. Aridisols b. Alfisols c. Ultisols d. Entisols e. Andisols
D
Organic parent materials are formed under the following conditions. a. Restricted aeration b. Permanently standing water c. Poorly drained marshes, bogs, and swamps d. All of the above
D
Red colors in the subsurface horizons are caused by ____. a. manganese b. organic matter c. aluminum oxides d. iron oxides
D
Residual parent materials would most likely be found ____. a. on a stream terrace b. on a glacial lake plain c. at the base of a steep hill d. at the summit of a steep hill e. in a peat-land
D
Select the appropriate epipedon: A layer of organic soil that is not saturated with water for more than 30 days. a. Umbric b. Mollic c. Melanic d. Folistic e. Histic
D
Soils classified as Inceptisols have the least well-developed profiles of those in any order in the Soil Taxonomy system. a. True b. False, made true by changing Inceptisols to Oxisols c. False, made true by changing inceptisols to Alfisols d. Dang it! It's just false!
D
The water in the soil typically differs from pure water because the soil water___. a. contains organic compounds b. contains mineral nutrients c. is restrained in its flow by attraction to particle surfaces d. all of the above e. none of the above
D
Which of the following is a mineral soil lacking a B horizon? a. Loamy, mixed, dysic, thermic Terric Haplosaprists b. Coarse-loamy, Siliceous, active, acid, thermic, cumulic humaquepts c. Sandy, Siliceous, Thermic Aeric Alaqouds d. Coarse-loamy, Mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic typic sulfaaquents
D
Which of the following pH values represents the most acid condition? a.10.0 b. 6.0 c. 7.0 d. 1.0
D
Which of the following soil forming processes describes a transport phenomena whereby soil materials change location in the profile. a. Carbonation b. Hydrolysis c. Dissolution d. Illuviation
D
The conversion of igneous and metamorphic rock to sediments is brought about by _____. a. Diffusion b. Oxidation c. Fusion d. Clusteration e. Erosion
E
The horizon of maximum loss by leaching would be? a. C b. A c. B d. R e. E
E
Soils can recycle organic compounds, but not inorganic elements. True/False
False
Soils in the oxisols order are deeply weathered and have deep subsurface horizons of silicon oxide. True/False
False
Subsoil is typically equivalent to the O horizon. True/False
False
The C horizons are generally more completely weathered than the other horizons. True/False
False
The broadest category of classification in Soil taxonomy specifies 12 soil orders, 4 of which are primarily comprised of organic soils. True/False
False
The depth of a soil profile is dependent on the climate. Cold dry conditions promote rapid weathering and consequently soils developed under these conditions are deeper than soil developed under wet and warm conditions. True/False
False
The facotrs of soil formation act remarkably independent, with little interaction, thus creating similar soils. True/False
False
Vertisols are often the preferred soils for construction. True/False
False
Andisols are found mostly near recently active volcanoes. True/False
True
Effective precipitation is a measure of the amount of water that flows into and through the soil profile. True/False
True
The B horizon is often thought of as the zone of illuviation. True/False
True
The broadest category of classification in Soil Taxonomy specifies 12 soil orders. One order describes frozen soils. One order describes organic soils. The remaining 10 orders describe mineral soils. True/ False
True
