Deck 10: Food, Soil, and Pest Management

Question 1

Which of the following types of agriculture is most characteristic of developed countries?

A) plantation agriculture
B) traditional agriculture
C) industrialized agriculture
D) minimum-tillage agriculture
E) maximum-tillage agriculture

Answer 1

industrialized agriculture

Question 2

Which of the following is a likely scenario for an organic farm?

A) use of synthetic pesticides
B) use of synthetic fertilizers
C) use of genetically engineered seeds
D) use feed additives
E) use of feed that contains no antibiotics

Answer 2

use of feed that contains no antibiotics

Question 3

Because root systems at different depths in a given area of soil capture nutrients and soil efficiently we can say that

A) polyculture lessens the need for fertilizer
B) polyculture lessens the need for fertilizer and water
C) polyculture increases the need for fertilizer but not water
D) polyculture increases the need for water but not fertilizer
E) polyculture lessens the need for pollinators

Answer 3

polyculture lessens the need for fertilizer and water

Question 4

The majority of soil organic matter is concentrated in the

A) O horizon of leaf litter
B) A horizon of topsoil
C) O and A horizons
D) C horizon
E) B horizon

Question 5

Which macronutrient in the human diet helps to build and repair body tissues?

A) Proteins
B) Carbohydrates
C) Oils
D) Fats
E) both oils and proteins

Question 6

Which of the following types of agriculture is most characteristic of developing countries?

A) plantation agriculture
B) traditional agriculture
C) industrialized agriculture
D) minimum-tillage agriculture
E) high-input agriculture

Question 7

Which of the following is a micronutrient, which without sufficient quantities in a diet can result in goiter?

A) Protein
B) Carbohydrates
C) vitamin A
D) vitamin C
E) Iodine

Question 8

Which of the following associations is incorrect?

A) croplands and grains
B) aquaculture and seafood
C) rangelands and meat
D) feedlots and shellfish
E) fishery and commercial harvesting

Question 9

Which of the following problems with nutrition do you think is most prevalent in the United States?

A) Malnutrition
B) under nutrition
C) Micronutrition
D) chronic hunger
E) Overnutrition

Question 10

Since 1950, aquaculture production has

A) declined by half
B) increased almost seven-fold
C) increased over 40-fold
D) stayed exactly the same as the wild fish catch
E) declined by about 10%

Question 11

Which of the following would not be used to describe polyculture?

A) Plants mature at various times.
B) The plot of land is left unmanaged for long periods of time.
C) Fertilizer use and water use are reduced.
D) Pesticides are rarely needed.
E) It produces higher yields than high-input monocultures.

Question 12

All of the following crops are commonly grown in plantation agriculture except

A) Corn
B) Bananas
C) palm oil
D) Coffee
E) Sugarcane

Question 13

Which of the following is the list of macronutrients needed to sustain good health?

A) vitamin A, C, and iodine
B) vitamin A, C, and E
C) iodine, protein, and carbohydrate
D) protein, carbohydrate, and fats
E) protein, carbohydrate, and nucleic acids

Question 14

Which of the following terms does not belong with the others?

A) organic food
B) sustainable agriculture
C) animals raised on 100% organic feed
D) natural food
E) label of 100% organic

Question 15

What proportion of food products sold on U.S. supermarket shelves contains some form of genetically engineered crop?

A) 20%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 60%
E) 70%

Question 16

The term malnutrition refers to people who

A) eat less than the basic minimum number of daily calories
B) eat balanced meals
C) eat too much
D) suffer from lack of protein and other key nutrients
E) eat too much protein

Question 17

The following grains are among the world's major food crops except

A) Wheat
B) Soybean
C) Rice
D) Corn
E) wheat and corn are major food crops, but not soybeans or rice

Question 18

Our economic systems promote unsustainable forms of industrialized agriculture because

A) they so successfully provide healthy food to our populations
B) they do not include most of the harmful environmental and health costs of such food production in the market prices
C) they are so effective in cutting costs
D) they provide so many jobs
E) the food production is so efficient

Question 19

Monoculture is a method of growing food that is utilized solely in

A) industrialized agriculture
B) Polyculture
C) traditional subsistence agriculture
D) traditional intensive agriculture
E) both industrialized agriculture and traditional intensive agriculture

Question 20

Which of the following is the root cause of food insecurity?

A) insufficient food resources being produced globally
B) rapid climate change
C) Poverty
D) political disputes over natural resources
E) poor organization of government agencies

Question 21

The world's 30,000 known species of spiders

A) kill more livestock with poisonous bites than any other threat.
B) have to be controlled in order for integrated pest management to work properly
C) are a threat not only to livestock, but also to rural farmers because they nest in sheds where equipment is stored and later retrieved.
D) kill far more crop-eating insects every year than humans do by using chemicals.
E) Are at the bottom of the food chain in agricultural settings and so provide important food for birds that control caterpillar populations.

Question 22

Biological control of pests

A) costs more money than pesticides to use
B) is toxic to use
C) is fast-acting
D) is not toxic to use
E) has never been very effective

Question 23

Which of the following can lead to desertification?

A) conservation tillage
B) severe and prolonged drought
C) crop rotation
D) polyculture farming
E) terraced crop arrangements

Question 24

Which of the following statements is a weakness of using pheromones?

A) They are costly and time-consuming to produce.
B) They are more effective in the juvenile stage than the adult stage.
C) Insects develop resistance to pheromones.
D) They are biologically magnified in nontarget species.
E) They only work in large amounts.

Question 25

Most soil erosion is caused by

A) wind and moving water
B) Photosynthesis
C) earthquakes
D) volcanoes
E) excess heat

Question 26

Integrated pest management ____ than pesticides.

A) requires more expert knowledge about individual pest-crop situations
B) is faster acting
C) requires more fertilizer and irrigation
D) is more expensive
E) requires more labor

Question 27

A hormone is

A) a new form of chemical insecticide awaiting approval by FIFRA
B) a strong herbicide
C) a species-specific chemical sex attractant
D) a chemical that controls an organism's growth and development
E) a strong pesticide

Question 28

According to pesticide proponents, pesticides

A) work fast
B) increase profit for farmers
C) save lives and work fast
D) increase food supplies and profit for farmers
E) work fast, increase profit, save lives, and increase food supplies

Question 29

A pheromone is

A) a new form of chemical insecticide awaiting approval by FIFRA
B) a strong herbicide
C) a species-specific chemical sex attractant
D) a bloodstream chemical that controls an organism's growth and development
E) a safe, natural pesticide

Question 30

How many units of energy are required to produce one unit of grain-fed beef?

A) One
B) 10
C) 15
D) 25
E) 35

Question 31

Salt buildup may

A) increase crop growth
B) increase yields
C) eventually kill weeds
D) eventually make the land unproductive
E) initially decrease yield, but later increase yield

Question 32

Since 1945, approximately ____ species of insects and rodents have developed resistance to one or more insecticides.

A) 50
B) 500
C) 1,000
D) 2,000
E) 5,000

Question 33

Which of the following approaches would be the least beneficial in trying to reduce insect damage?

A) rotating crops
B) genetic engineering of crops
C) planting monocultures
D) bringing in natural enemies
E) planting polycultures

Question 34

Killing wild predators is an example of a(n) ______________problem caused by industrialized food production.

A) biodiversity loss
B) soil
C) human health
D) air pollution
E) water

Question 35

Which of the following best describes how the process of irrigation can lead to salinization of soils?

A) Water associated with irrigation flows from uphill. The salts that were in the soil uphill end up being brought to the lower elevations.
B) Water associated with irrigation contains small amounts of dissolved salts. Evaporation leaves behind increasing concentrations of these salts.
C) Irrigation water contains salts. Evaporation allows the salts to be lifted away, reducing the levels of salts in the soil.
D) Irrigation water is treated with dissolved salts to promote plant growth. Over time the plants become saturated with salts and do not need this macronutrient.
E) Irrigation is primarily accomplished through the use of abundant sea water, which contains high concentrations of salts.

Question 36

An integrated pest management program attempts to

A) increase inputs of fertilizer and irrigation water
B) reduce crop damage to an economically tolerable level
C) increase pesticide use
D) decrease yields and increase costs
E) increase the development of disease-resistant pests

Question 37

Which one of the following items is a major disadvantage of animal feed lots?

A) Less land is required to feed the animals.
B) Use of antibiotics can increase genetic resistance to microbes in humans.
C) Soil erosion is reduced.
D) Overgrazing is reduced.
E) Biodiversity is protected.

Question 38

The Environmental Working Group estimates that you could reduce your pesticide intake by up to 90% by eating only 100% organic

A) tomatoes and lettuce
B) lettuce, imported grapes, sweet bell peppers, peaches, apples and celery
C) nectarines, cherries, strawberries, spinach, pears and potatoes
D) choices a and b are both correct
E) choices b and c are both correct

Question 39

The amount of irrigated land used to produce food crops has increased since 1950. It can also be said that:

A) The amount of irrigated land per person has increased since 1950.
B) The amount of irrigated land per person has decreased since 1950.
C) The amount of irrigated land per person has stayed the same since 1950.
D) The amount of irrigated land per person for this time period is not known.
E) The amount of irrigated land per person has increased in some areas and decreased in others.

Question 40

Strains of genetically modified food crops can hybridize with wild crop varieties when

A) The process is carefully controlled in an agricultural lab.
B) Pollen blows from the genetically modified crop and spreads among wild varieties.
C) Pollen is transferred by the farmer from one crop to the other.
D) It is not possible for a genetically modified plant to hybridize with a wild species.
E) More than one of these answers is correct

Question 41

Which choice reflects the correct sequence of animal efficiency at converting grain into protein, from the most efficient animal to the least?

A) fish, chicken, pigs, beef cattle
B) chicken, fish, beef cattle, pigs
C) pigs, chicken, fish, beef cattle
D) beef cattle, fish, chicken, pigs
E) These animals are all equally efficient at converting grain into protein.

Question 42

Government subsidies to fishing fleets

A) promote overfishing
B) promote the reduction of aquatic biodiversity
C) promote overfishing and reduction of aquatic biodiversity
D) reduce the use of bottom-trawling harvests
E) are currently less than $100,000 per year

Question 43

Which of the following is central to most of the efforts to conserve topsoil?

A) an emphasis on agricultural practices that enhance monocultures
B) annual crop rotations
C) keeping the soil covered by vegetation
D) preventing insect pests from destroying valuable crops
E) conversion of croplands into pasturelands or feedlots

Question 44

Switching to integrated pest management in the United States

A) will be easy to do because it is very simple
B) is hindered by government subsidies for using chemicals and by opposition from chemical manufacturers
C) is difficult because it only works for a few pests
D) is strongly opposed by environmentalists
E) is easy to accomplish but is opposed by organic farmers

Question 45

Aquaculture would be more sustainable if

A) consumers chose to eat fish species that are primary consumers instead of secondary consumers
B) consumers chose to eat top predators
C) fish farms were located near mangrove forests
D) fish farms were located near estuaries
E) chemical pesticides were used to control common fish diseases

Question 46

Sustainable agriculture is characterized by all of the following except

A) soil salinization
B) crop rotation
C) soil conservation
D) integrated pest management
E) promoting polyculture practices

Question 47

In order to switch to sustainable agriculture, which of the following practices would not be favorable?

A) Give subsidies and tax breaks to those that use the method.
B) Shift to full-cost pricing.
C) Increase government support of research on sustainable agriculture.
D) Expand the use of the crops of the green revolution.
E) Discourage monocultures.

Question 48

All of the following are true about subsidies for food production except

A) Subsidies in developed countries average $571,000 per minute.
B) Milk production quadrupled in New Zealand after farm subsidies were ended.
C) Food prices in developed countries are kept artificially low.
D) Developing countries also receive large amounts of subsidies for growing food.
E) Some analysts recommend replacing traditional subsidies with subsidies that promote sustainable agricultural practices.

Question 49

The largest contributor to the ecological foot print of most individuals in affluent nations is

A) recreational hunting and fishing
B) vacations via air travel
C) residential heating
D) meat production and consumption
E) purchasing more clothing and accessories than are needed

Question 50

Which of the following is not one of the three major types of organic fertilizer?

A) green manure
B) sewage sludge
C) compost
D) animal manure
E) All of these are major types of organic fertilizers.

Question 51

The sale and use of pesticides in the United States is regulated by which agencies?

A) FDA, EPA, and USDA
B) USDA, FDA, and ATF
C) CIA, FDA, and USDA
D) FBI, FDA, and EPA
E) EPA, ATF, and FBI

Question 52

Perhaps the most important thing about Rachel Carson's investigative work on the environmental effects of pesticides, and her publication "Silent Spring," is

A) the number of errors in the book
B) her failure to include a discussion about Integrated Pest Management
C) that it laid the groundwork for later, more serious work
D) that many historians consider her work to be an important contribution to the modern environmental movement emerging in the United States
E) that it is a remarkable book considering it was written by a person without any scientific training

Question 53

Conservation tillage

A) increases labor costs
B) increases erosion
C) increases energy consumption
D) accelerates water loss from the soil
E) decreases erosion

Question 54

Which of the following is a characteristic of polyaquaculture?

A) Only herbivorous fish are raised.
B) Only carnivorous fish are raised.
C) Fish and shrimp are raised in ponds along with algae, seaweed, and shellfish.
D) Fish are raised in estuaries where the flushing action of rivers keeps the wastes moving away from the fish.
E) Multiple kinds of shellfish (crab, shrimp, mussels) are raised in the same pond.

Question 55

In alley cropping:

A) Crops are planted between hedgerows of trees or shrubs that are used for fruits or fuelwood.
B) Terraces are built to prevent swift water runoff.
C) Plowing runs across slopes.
D) Special tillers are used so the topsoil is not disturbed.
E) A row of crops alternates in strips with another row of crops.

Question 56

The process least likely to conserve soil nutrients is

A) crop rotation
B) fertilizing with compost
C) fertilizing with green manure
D) fertilizing with animal manure
E) irrigation

Question 57

Topsoil in the United States is eroding about ____ times faster than it can form.

A) 2
B) 4
C) 8
D) 17
E) 22

Question 58

The National Academy of Sciences has estimated that 98% of the potential risk of developing cancer from pesticide residue on food grown in the U.S. could be eliminated if

A) the entire industrialized agriculture business switched to integrated pest management
B) genetically modified foods were grown exclusively
C) pheromone traps were used more effectively to capture pests
D) EPA standards for pre-1972 pesticides were as strict as standards for later pesticides
E) the government banned just one of the worst pesticides from use

Question 59

You spend an evening with friends who have invited you for dinner and are gourmet cooks. During the conversation over dinner, you learn that the food being served was all locally grown and purchased through a CSA that your hosts participate in. Your hosts could be called

A) environmental activists
B) bioprospectors
C) omnivores
D) backyard gardeners
E) locavores

Question 60

In the United States, the use of synthetic pesticides has increased 10-fold between 1942 and 1997. For the same time period, the crop loss to insects has

A) declined by 10%
B) increased by 2%
C) almost doubled from 10% to 13%
D) stayed at exactly the same percentage
E) declined by 50%

Question 61

Some nations have experienced an increase in certain crop yields after greatly cutting pesticide use.

Question 62

There are sufficient food resources being produced to meet the basic nutritional requirements of every person on the planet.

Question 63

Overgrazing by cattle can ultimately result in water pollution.

Question 64

Plantation agriculture is used primarily to reduce soil erosion and restore soil fertility.

Question 65

Health problems faced by those who are overfed are completely different from the health problems faced by those who are underfed.

Question 66

Per unit area, the application of synthetic pesticides is higher on typical crop fields than it is on the average lawn.

Question 67

Organic agriculture is globally export-oriented because it also embraces cultural diversity.

Question 68

Compared to conventional tillage, conservation tillage

A) reduces fuel and tillage costs
B) accelerates water loss from the soil
C) causes soil compaction
D) requires increased use of herbicides
E) can qualify the farmer for more government subsidies

Question 69

Farmers use alley cropping with row patterns nearly level around hills-not up and down-to dissuade soil erosion.

Question 70

There are no technological substitutes for fertile and uncontaminated topsoil.

Question 71

Since 1942 the use of synthetic pesticides has increased 10-fold. In spite of this fact, food supply damage due to pests has increased during that time.

Question 72

To be classified as organically grown, animals must be free-ranging.

Question 73

It takes about one unit of nonrenewable fossil fuel energy to put one unit of food energy on the table.

Question 74

A disadvantage to the green revolution is the intensive use of commercial inorganic fertilizers.

Question 75

Which of the following are ways that individuals can support sustainable agriculture through their choices and behaviors?

A) waste less food
B) eat locally grown food and meat
C) waste less food and compost food wastes
D) waste less food, eat less meat, compost food wastes and eat locally grown food
E) use a drip system for watering in your own garden

Question 76

Food production worldwide is now less than in previous decades.

Question 77

Malnourished individuals may become more prone to infections, and eventually may develop a specific deficiency disease.

Question 78

Research shows that, on average, low-input polycultures produce higher crop yields than high-input monocultures.

Question 79

Pesticides have a positive benefit in terms of public health because fungi, insects, and noncrop plants can contaminate crops with many natural toxins.

Question 80

Over time, the extensive addition of water through irrigation practices can actually lead to desertification.