Deck 12: Soils

Question 1

________ is the soil order covering the greatest surface area on Earth.

A) Vertisols
B) Mollisols
C) Aridosols
D) Entisols
E) Spodosols

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Among layers of the soil, the one with the most organic material is ________.

A) O
B) A
C) B
D) C
E) R

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The measure of a soil's capacity to hold water and air is called ________.

A) porosity
B) permeability
C) peds
D) its profile
E) foaminess

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A major determinant of a soil's water holding capacity is its ________.

A) colloids
B) pH value
C) soil profile
D) structure
E) microorganisms

Question 5

The A or A/O horizon combination is sometimes called the ________.

A) silica
B) epipedon
C) eluviation
D) podzol
E) illuviation

Question 6

The highest rated soils for overall agricultural productivity are the ________.

A) Histosols
B) Mollisols
C) Alfisols
D) Oxisols
E) Spodosols

Question 7

The most weathered and leached of all soils are the ________.

A) Spodosols
B) Alfisols
C) Inceptisols
D) Aridisols
E) Oxisols

Question 8

The soils characterized by plentiful partly decayed plant material are ________.

A) Histosols
B) Mollisols
C) Vertisols
D) Spodosols
E) Oxisols

Question 9

The soils which are red with a surface layer containing much aluminum and iron are ________.

A) Oxisols
B) Aridisols
C) Spodosols
D) Histosols
E) Ultisols

Question 10

________ is a soil texture in which none of the three main soil separates dominates the other two.

A) Adobe
B) Humus
C) Loess
D) Loam
E) Podzol

Question 11

The soil classification system currently in use in the United States is called the ________.

A) Great Soil Group
B) Soil Taxonomy
C) Latin System
D) Edaphic Index
E) Pedogenic Factor

Question 12

Roughly one-half of the volume of an "average" soil type is composed of ________.

A) organic material
B) clay
C) pore spaces
D) cations
E) rocky fragments

Question 13

Mollisols and ________ are the two most agriculturally productive soil orders.

A) Oxisols
B) Alfisols
C) Entisols
D) Inceptisols
E) Vertisols

Question 14

The main value of the extensive terminology of the Soil Taxonomy is its ________.

A) lack of subdivisions
B) basis in the genesis of soils
C) acceptance in every country in the world
D) basis in observable characteristics
E) status as being the first soil classification

Question 15

The weathered layer of loose inorganic material overlaying unfragmented rock below is ________.

A) separates
B) regolith
C) clay
D) peds
E) horizons

Question 16

The pedogenic regime associated with the tropical moist climates is ________.

A) podzolization
B) salinization
C) laterization
D) gleization
E) calcification

Question 17

The main soil order adapted to wet-dry cycles and having clayey surfaces is ________.

A) Entisols
B) Mollisols
C) Inceptisols
D) Vertisols
E) Aridisols

Question 18

The pedogenic regime typified by silica removal and iron-aluminum concentration near the surface is ________.

A) laterization
B) podzolization
C) gleization
D) calcification
E) salinization

Question 19

________ are soils of many widely scattered locations whose common characteristic is a lack of maturity.

A) Aridisols
B) Ultisols
C) Entisols
D) Vertisols
E) Oxisols

Question 20

Based on the pH scale soils are neutral at ________.

A) 7.0
B) 7.5
C) 8.0
D) 6.5
E) 6.0

Question 21

Mollisols are, on the whole, the most ________ of all soil orders.

A) productive
B) limited
C) polar
D) equatorial
E) neutral

Question 22

The pedogenic regime associated with high annual precipitation and temperature is ________.

A) gleization
B) laterization
C) calcification
D) salinization
E) none of the above

Question 23

On the standard pH scale, the number 10 indicates a(n) ________ soil.

A) acid
B) neutral
C) basic
D) fine-textured
E) porous

Question 24

The smallest-sized pieces of a soil are ________.

A) sands
B) gravels
C) clays
D) silts
E) cobbles

Question 25

The dynamic relationship between precipitation and evaporation in any given location is the ________.

A) capillary action
B) leaching
C) illuviation
D) soil-water balance
E) all of the above

Question 26

The unconsolidated parent material beyond the reach of most roots is ________.

A) the A horizon
B) loam
C) the C horizon
D) solum
E) the F horizon

Question 27

Soil structure is usually determined by clumps called ________.

A) colloids
B) peds
C) loam
D) solum
E) catenas

Question 28

The main "type" of water plants use is ________.

A) vadose
B) artesian
C) hydroscopic
D) capillary
E) aquiclude

Question 29

Which of the following terms is usually associated with soil moisture?

A) wilting point
B) pore spaces
C) field capacity
D) groundwater
E) soil-water budget

Question 30

Which pH reading is suitable for most plants and soil microorganisms?

A) 0
B) 3
C) 5
D) 7
E) 10

Question 31

Like ________, humus is a catalyst for chemical reactions and a reservoir for plant nutrients and soil water.

A) clay
B) mud
C) silt
D) cations
E) iron

Question 32

Which is a main soil-forming factor?

A) climatic
B) geologic
C) topographic
D) chronological
E) all of the above

Question 33

For all soil orders the surface layer is the ________.

A) epipedon
B) solum
C) bedrock
D) cation
E) hardpan

Question 34

The unconsolidated parent materials beneath the level of roots is called the ________ horizon of soil.

A) O
B) A
C) B
D) C
E) bedrock

Question 35

The true soil layer is known as ________.

A) loam
B) an Oxisol
C) the solum
D) the interstices
E) all of the above

Question 36

An immature order of soils with faint characteristics, not yet prominent enough to produce diagnostic horizons is a/an ________.

A) Inceptisol
B) Epipedon
C) Aridisol
D) Mollisol
E) Oxisol

Question 37

This type of water is held to soil particles by adhesion and is normally unavailable to plants.

A) combined water
B) hygroscopic water
C) gravitational water
D) capillary water
E) all of the above

Question 38

The size groups within the standard classification of soil particle sizes are termed ________.

A) epipedons
B) separates
C) cations
D) humus
E) pedons

Question 39

Mature tropical soils are generally noteworthy for their ________ color.

A) black
B) tan
C) red
D) white
E) gray

Question 40

Ultisols generally lack ________.

A) clay
B) iron
C) humus
D) aluminum
E) phosphorus

Question 41

A soil with a large percentage of clay would be ________ and ________.

A) porous, permeable
B) non-porous, non-permeable
C) porous, non-permeable
D) non-porous, permeable
E) none of the above

Question 42

An important soil order, the ________ are mainly restricted to the tropics.

A) Oxisols
B) Aridisols
C) Mollisols
D) Ultisols
E) Histosols

Question 43

________ brings soil materials from the A horizon to the B horizon.

A) Translocation
B) Loss
C) Addition
D) Transformation
E) Porosity

Question 44

Soils are considered part of the

A) lithosphere.
B) hydrosphere.
C) geosphere.
D) atmosphere.
E) biosphere.

Question 45

Globally, the influence of this soil-forming factor fades with time.

A) geologic
B) biological
C) chemical
D) climatic
E) topographic

Question 46

Organic matter usually comprises about ________ percent of total soil volume.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 25
D) 35
E) 95

Question 47

In terms of topography, the deepest soils

A) are on flat land.
B) are on the sides of hills.
C) are where erosion is fastest.
D) are on steep hills with sandstone bedrock.
E) can be found in any of the above locations.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a property of soil clay?

A) occurs as thin laminar sheets
B) made primarily of silt
C) colloidal in size
D) Many chemical reactions occur on its surfaces.
E) It is able to hold water to itself.

Question 49

The existence of a B horizon is an indication of a(n) ________ soil.

A) immature
B) colloidal
C) zonal
D) episodic
E) mature

Question 50

A dense layer, often forming in the B horizon under calcification is ________.

A) solum
B) regolith
C) a hardpan
D) a latosol
E) vadose

Question 51

The lowest level of the Soil Taxonomy soil classification system is the ________.

A) family
B) cation
C) series
D) group
E) subgroup

Question 52

Air within the soil is usually highly saturated and rich in ________.

A) oxygen
B) argon
C) carbon dioxide
D) aluminum
E) none of the above

Question 53

Soils made up of mainly ________ do not develop a true soil structure.

A) peds
B) sand
C) loam
D) humus
E) none of the above

Question 54

The main pedogenic regimes do NOT include ________.

A) calcification
B) colloidization
C) podzolization
D) salinization
E) gleization

Question 55

The soil-forming factor which is said to make soil more than "just dirt" is the ________ factor.

A) climatic
B) biological
C) topographic
D) geologic
E) chronological

Question 56

The term "clay" is a reference to

A) structure.
B) loam.
C) texture.
D) chemistry.
E) biota.

Question 57

In terms of a typical soil-water balance, which season is associated with a soil water surplus?

A) summer
B) spring
C) the one with the greatest evapotranspiration
D) the one which is warmest
E) none of the above

Question 58

A soil with a high cation exchange would likely be

A) dark in color.
B) very sandy.
C) fertile.
D) impermeable.
E) thin.

Question 59

A soil containing only an A horizon atop partially altered parent material is said to be ________.

A) solum
B) acidic
C) series
D) immature
E) phreatic

Question 60

The difference between field capacity and the wilting point is called ________.

A) soil moisture
B) available soil moisture
C) groundwater
D) runoff
E) capillary water

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT true of soil air?

A) rich in carbon dioxide
B) poor in oxygen
C) nearly saturated
D) insignificant air movement
E) full of nutrients

Question 62

Humus has a consistency not unlike that of ________.

A) putty
B) sponges
C) gelatin
D) rock
E) roast beef

Question 63

The minerals that form cations are known as ________.

A) anions
B) electrons
C) bases
D) clays
E) loams

Question 64

Which are the least well developed of all soil orders?

A) Alfisols
B) Mollisols
C) Oxisols
D) Entisols
E) Vertisols

Question 65

Which soil-forming factor is much more important than the others in "causing" the specific soil of a location?

A) climatic
B) geologic
C) chronological
D) biological
E) none of the above

Question 66

Which of the following is a soil component?

A) fine, fragmented mineral particles
B) water
C) air
D) dead and rotting plant parts
E) all of the above

Question 67

________ is a measure of the ease with which water moves through the soil.

A) Permeability
B) Porosity
C) The wilting point
D) The field capacity
E) The capillarity

Question 68

Which of the following represents an addition to soil water?

A) percolation
B) evaporation
C) transpiration
D) weathering
E) none of the above

Question 69

Dead plant parts are known as ________ when they accumulate on the surface of the soil.

A) humus
B) organic debris
C) microorganisms
D) nutrients
E) litter

Question 70

Three-quarters of the soil's metabolic activity is generated by ________.

A) earthworms
B) trees
C) mammals
D) microorganisms
E) humans

Question 71

In the soil, which of the separates are associated with significant chemical activity?

A) sand
B) silt
C) clay
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 72

If you lived in Texas or California and your house foundation crumbled because the soil swelled when it was wet and cracked when it was dry, chances are that the soil would be a(n)

A) Alfisol.
B) Mollisol.
C) Oxisol.
D) Entisol.
E) Vertisol.

Question 73

Eluvial materials are deposited in the soil's ________ horizon.

A) O
B) B
C) A
D) R
E) E

Question 74

A soil series is ________.

A) the most general level of the Soil Taxonomy
B) limited to about 10 types worldwide
C) usually deeper than a soil pedon
D) the same thing as a soil order
E) none of the above

Question 75

Much soil material is actually wasted bits of rocks and composed of ________.

A) humus
B) loam
C) silica
D) hydrogen
E) air

Question 76

An Alfisol is most closely related to

A) an Andisol.
B) the tropical desert.
C) heavy weathering.
D) the tundra.
E) transitional environments.

Question 77

A Histosol would most likely be found in

A) a tropical rainforest environment.
B) a tropical desert environment.
C) a region in which erosion exceeds soil formation.
D) a region in which humans have disturbed the soils.
E) places which were glaciated during the Pleistocene.

Question 78

Most soil development takes place ________.

A) within seconds
B) within hours
C) within days
D) within years
E) on scales of time longer than human life spans

Question 79

The flat platelets which are clay particles are ________.

A) the largest particles in the soil
B) chemically inert
C) called cations
D) negatively charged
E) relatively rare compared to other soil materials

Question 80

Which pedogenic regime is most closely associated with the drier prairies of North America?

A) gleization
B) salinization
C) laterization
D) calcification
E) podzolization