Deck 9: Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

Question 1

refers to the agricultural practices in which the members of a farming family produce only enough food for their family's own subsistence and do not make use of large -scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and technology.

A) Traditional agriculture
B) Subsidence agriculture
C) Advanced organic farming
D) Reduced tillage agriculture
E) Postindustrial agriculture

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Leaching and the rate of movement of water would be greatest in a soil classified as _.

A) sand
B) silt
C) clay
D) organic
E) hypersaline

Answer 2

A

Question 3

is the buildup of salts in soils, often as a result of overirrigation.

A) Weathering
B) Erosion
C) Leaching
D) Salinization
E) Evaporation

Answer 3

D

Question 4

is the federal agency responsible for preventing soil erosion and protecting waterways in agricultural areas of the United States.

A) Natural Resources Conservation Service
B) Agricultural Standards Agency
C) Agricultural Conservation Service
D) Soil Degradation Minimization Service
E) Soil and Water Conservation Service

Question 5

Until about 10,000 years ago, our species depended on .

A) crops
B) hunting and herding
C) cattle and goats
D) hunting and gathering
E) crops and cattle

Question 6

Most rangeland in the U.S. is managed by .

A) the Conservation Reserve Program
B) the Department of Rangeland Management
C) the Bureau of Land Management
D) private ranchers
E) the Environmental Protection Agency

Question 7

Compaction of soil in a garden harms plants by .

A) increasing aeration, decreasing infiltration, and increasing runoff
B) decreasing aeration, increasing infiltration, and decreasing runoff
C) increasing the amount of clay, decreasing the amount of silt, and decreasing infiltration
D) increasing aeration, increasing infiltration, and decreasing runoff
E) decreasing aeration, decreasing infiltration, and increasing runoff

Question 8

Industrial agriculture _ .

A) permanently improved soils, providing more food from less space
B) is necessary today for all cultures
C) rapidly deteriorated soils, requiring continuous movement to new croplands
D) had no impact on agriculture
E) increased our ability to obtain more food from the same area

Question 9

Which of the following soils would be classified as clay loam?

A) 70% clay, 10% silt, and 20% sand
B) 60% clay, 70% sand, and 30% silt
C) 70% silt and 30% sand
D) 30% clay, 40% sand, and 30% silt
E) 60% clay and 40% silt

Question 10

pH influences .

A) soil compaction
B) erosion
C) soil clumpiness
D) the number of soil horizons
E) plant growth

Question 11

The breakdown of large rocks into smaller pieces is .

A) called mineralization
B) affected by rainfall, freezing, and thawing
C) primarily caused by topsoil erosion
D) a major cause of topsoil erosion
E) unaffected by winds

Question 12

Soil that is 30% silt could be classified as any of the following EXCEPT .

A) clay loam
B) silt loam
C) sandy loam
D) loam
E) clay

Question 13

We lose 5 to 7 million hectares of productive cropland per year to .

A) abandonment, feralization, and other factors
B) soil degradation
C) forest replanting and regeneration
D) soil conservation efforts
E) recreational land use

Question 14

A soil deficient in humus would have .

A) very low levels of biological activity
B) no cations
C) a large amount of vegetative detritus at the surface
D) a very low mineral content
E) many decomposers and be able to hold considerable moisture

Question 15

Factors involved in soil formation include _ .

A) nitrogen -fixing bacteria and grazing by herbivores
B) erosion, level terrain, and the absence of rooted vegetation
C) tropical climate, acid precipitation, and frequent wildfires
D) seasonal changes in the tides
E) weathering of parent material and the addition of organic material

Question 16

Shelterbelts are to as terraces are to .

A) stratification; salinization
B) water erosion; wind erosion
C) leaching; desertification
D) salinization; stratification
E) wind erosion; water erosion

Question 17

The O horizon is .

A) primarily loam
B) usually more sand than silt or clay
C) composed primarily of bedrock
D) composed of equal amounts of bedrock and organic material
E) primarily composed of organic materials

Question 18

Leaching .

A) can help plant growth only if done properly
B) removes water -soluble nutrients from topsoil
C) is a common agricultural practice to improve soil
D) adds nutrients to soil naturally
E) is caused by movement of water upward through soil from the water table

Question 19

is the loss of more than 10% of soil productivity in arid areas due to such factors as erosion, soil compaction, overgrazing, and forest removal.

A) Stratification
B) Climatization
C) Salinization
D) Alkalinization
E) Desertification

Question 20

Tommy and Teagan are learning the process of good home gardening and decide to help their parents as best as they can. Every day they walk along rows of bean plants, carefully inspecting each plant for harmful insects, and removing any that they find. However, the bean plants do not grow well, and few beans form. Their parents notice the poor beans, inspect the plants and soil, and tell the children that walking around the plants every day has hurt the plants by .

A) converting the topsoil into clay
B) contaminating the soil with toxins leaching from their shoes
C) reducing the nutrient minerals in the soil
D) compacting the soil, decreasing aeration and infiltration
E) increasing soil aeration and killing soil microorganisms

Question 21

No -till farming would be most beneficial for farmers .

A) with steeply sloped fields
B) using contour strip cropping
C) who plant a cash crop every third year
D) who typically experience minimal soil erosion
E) whose cropland is in the Conservation Reserve Program

Question 22

Which of the following is pollinated by bees?

A) pine trees
B) corn
C) alfalfa
D) wheat
E) switchgrass

Question 23

Irrigation can result in the salinization of soils because .

A) irrigation is typically used in areas where windblown salts from sea spray can accumulate when the protective vegetation is removed
B) shortages of fresh water require the use of saltwater for irrigation
C) the irrigation water washes away soil leaving behind concentrated salts
D) salts in the water are deposited on the soil surface as water evaporates
E) many of the plants grown in these regions excrete salts into the soil

Question 24

Twenty years have passed since the young woman first noticed seeds sprouting in the midden. Which of the following could now be TRUE?

A) The group had been very warlike and were now more peaceful, tending their lands.
B) The group had been nomadic, moving frequently to gather wild foods and hunt, but are now more sedentary, growing crops.
C) The group had been traders in stone tools and were now traders in simple agricultural implements and seeds.
D) The group had been quite large and ate a great deal of meat, but there were now fewer of them since their diet consisted mostly of vegetables.
E) The group had been sedentary but was now nomadic, looking for good places to settle for a season and grow crops.

Question 25

The results of the overapplication of fertilization can include _ .

A) crops spreading rapidly into nearby areas
B) large crop yields per acre
C) very large fruits and vegetables
D) very fertile soils in future years
E) eutrophication in nearby waters

Question 26

The next step in this story would likely be that this woman and her sister .

A) began to trade seeds with people from other villages
B) began to deliberately plant seeds near their village to make food gathering easier in the future
C) started a full -scale garden, digging the soil and enriching it with food wastes
D) began to save, sort, and name different types of seeds
E) began to seek out old middens to find and eat the things growing there

Question 27

Inorganic fertilizers are .

A) are either mined or manufactured
B) less likely to be used on cropland today than they were 100 years ago
C) less likely to leach from soil than organic fertilizers
D) used in place of organic fertilizers by farmers who are concerned about surface water and groundwater pollution
E) applied to cropland in the form of manure and compost

Question 28

Researchers at the Malpai Borderlands in southern New Mexico and Arizona have found evidence that .

A) the region cannot sustain any level of commercial ranching
B) ranchers have been planting mesquite to replace lost grasslands
C) ancient nomadic tribes permanently altered the landscape by settling down and ranching in one area
D) fire suppression has played a major role in the degradation of the rangeland in the area
E) desertification has resulted in soil compaction and erosion

Question 29

Erosion can result in a positive feedback loop because _.

A) rainwater increasingly soaks into the ground
B) the pH of the soil increases as erosion continues
C) greater weathering of parent material will occur
D) the accumulation of humus makes erosion more likely
E) plants are less likely to grow in eroded soil

Question 30

Grasses and conifer trees are pollinated by _ _.

A) bees and wasps
B) water
C) the wind
D) ants
E) flies

Question 31

Drip irrigation is _ .

A) more than twice as efficient at conserving water as traditional conventional irrigation
B) more likely to result in soil salinization than other irrigation techniques
C) used in aquaculture
D) typically used in combination with flood -and -furrow irrigation
E) only half as efficient at conserving water as center -pivot irrigation

Question 32

Decomposers are most likely found in the .

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