Deck 15: Feeding a Hungry World

Question 1

Which of the following is not correct?

A)The question of ownership when it comes to germplasm,is not controversial internationally.
B)It is hoped that land races of valuable crops retrieved from ICARDA will thrive as they once did in local environments.
C)Today,a foundation continues to promote the cultivation of heirloom varieties of rice,one of which likely originated from Indonesia.
D)Ethiopia is the only primary center of genetic diversity for the coffee tree,although Colombia is the leading coffee-producing nation.
E)Only 250 to 300 of the 50,000 edible species of plants are actually used for human food.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is correct?

A)The large-scale growing of high-demand crops,such as soybean and rapeseed,has increased the risks associated with monoculture.
B)Half of the wheat acreage in the United States is planted with just 9 varieties.
C)Some researchers believe that the future in agriculture is to move away from the instability and unnaturalness of annual,monocultural cultivation,and model agriculture after natural ecosystems.
D)The National Plant Germplasm System has more than 500,000 seed samples,representing 8,000 species.
E)All of the above are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The main crop of interest for development during World War II was which of the following?

A)rubber trees
B)disease-resistant wheat
C)gum trees
D)latex-producing euphorbia
E)high-yield potatoes

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Who is considered the Father of the Green Revolution?

A)Norman Borlaug
B)Thomas Hunt Morgan
C)Charles Darwin
D)Gregor Mendel
E)James Watson

Question 5

Maize differs from the plant ancestor from which it evolved by which of the following?

A)the size of its stalks.
B)its root system.
C)the size and number of its ears.
D)its nonshattering habit.
E)All of these are correct.

Question 6

CIMMYT is an acronym for which of the following:

A)a devastating disease of wheat
B)a program for developing high-yielding dwarf varieties of wheat
C)a program to develop genetically modified strains of maize
D)an organization dedicated to bringing an end to world hunger
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 7

Which of the following was not developed from Brassica oleracea?

A)cabbage
B)broccoli
C)corn
D)cauliflower
E)Brussels sprouts

Question 8

One advantage of high-yielding wheat developed during the Green Revolution was which of the following?

A)resistance to late blight.
B)resistance to plant lodging.
C)their nonshattering heads.
D)the development of dwarf varieties
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 9

The evolution of maize involves which of the following ancestral plants?

A)teosinte.
B)brassica.
C)corn-like sunflowers.
D)quinoa.
E)amaranth.

Question 10

Which of the following is correct?

A)The United States has an obesity epidemic.
B)Over 800 million people in the world are hungry and malnourished.
C)Since the earliest of recorded history,humans have practiced plant breeding by artificial selection.
D)The wild perennial grass teosinte gave rise to modern corn.
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 11

What process is undermining the development of disease-resistant varieties of plants?

A)genetically modified plants
B)widespread weed invasion
C)the continuous evolution of pests and pathogens
D)the input of too much pesticide and herbicide
E)monocropping

Question 12

The cheapest and most effective method for producing healthy plants is which of the following?

A)large inputs of fertilizers
B)large-scale spraying of pesticides
C)development of disease-resistant varieties
D)large-scale spraying of herbicides
E)the practice of monoculture

Question 13

The basic scientific basis for understanding plant breeding was not fully understood until the work of ________ was accepted.

A)Charles Darwin
B)Gregor Mendel
C)Watson and Crick
D)Barbara McClintock
E)Linnaeus

Question 14

Approximately how many people in the world are receiving insufficient food to meet their daily requirements?

A)8 million
B)80 million
C)800 million
D)8 billion
E)80 billion

Question 15

The biggest loss of crop plants is due to which of the following?

A)herbaceous insect pests
B)fungal diseases
C)theft by malnourished humans
D)viral diseases
E)mold

Question 16

What was the principle crop behind the Green Revolution?

A)maize
B)rice
C)potato
D)wheat
E)barley

Question 17

Which of the following is correct about the history of the Green Revolution?

A)The earliest involvement of U.S.scientists came in the early 1940s.
B)The original purpose of the Green Revolution was to strengthen the agricultural practices used in Latin America.
C)Insecticides,herbicides,and fungicides were all needed to maximize yield and were originally seen as a panacea in the Green Revolution.
D)For maximum yield,the miracle crops also required ample water.
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 18

Why did early farmers likely select grain plants with nonshattering grain heads to cultivate?

A)Seeds produced in nonshattering heads were not eaten by herbivores.
B)Seeds produced in nonshattering heads did not have mutations.
C)Seeds produced in nonshattering heads were not scattered on the ground.
D)Seeds produced in nonshatterring heads were larger and tastier.
E)All of these are reasons could explain why early farmers selected plants with nonshattering heads.

Question 19

Artificial selection has led to the development of many different crops from the wild type of which of these plants?

A)Brassica oleacea
B)Quercus palustris
C)Acer saccharum
D)Aesclepias syriaca
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 20

Which of the following is an issue of concern about the Green Revolution?

A)the necessary heavy inputs of fertilizer and pesticides
B)the expense is too great for many poor farmers
C)the high energy cost of producing fertilizers
D)environmental and health effects associated with chemical inputs
E)All of these are issues of concern about the Green Revolution

Question 21

Which of the following associations is not correct?

A)Oca :: tuber crop from the Andes
B)Tarwi :: Lupinus mutabilis
C)Naranjilla :: high in protein and fats
D)Amaranth :: Important staple in pre-Columbian era
E)Chia :: Salvia hispanica

Question 22

Probably the most serious environmental factor limiting crop productivity is which of the following?

A)use of GM plants
B)evolution of pests resistant to pesticides
C)increasing salinity of soils
D)invasion of weeds from tropical areas
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 23

What is Panicum sonorum?

A)an improved variety of wheat
B)the species that resulted from a cross between wheat and rye
C)an heirloom variety of grass once a Native American staple
D)the scientific name for rice
E)an heirloom variety of rice once grown in the Southern United States

Question 24

Which of the following farming practices encouraged the widespread use of monoculture?

A)genetically uniform plant species.
B)increased mechanization of farm machinery.
C)intense fertilization of crops.
D)intense use of herbicides and pesticides.
E)All of these encouraged the widespread use of monoculture.

Question 25

Cyphomandra betacea is a solanaceous plant known as which of the following?

A)tomato
B)tomarillo
C)soybean
D)tarwi
E)chia

Question 26

India,has lost 75% of the 30,000 land races of rice it once had.What led to the loss of all of those land races of rice?

A)an epidemic of the disease bakanae
B)dependence on high-yielding crops
C)switching from rice as a staple to corn and potatoes
D)an invasion of Norwegian rats
E)the widespread use of herbicides

Question 27

Fifty percent of cotton grown in the United States is of ________ varieties.

A)3
B)4
C)6
D)9
E)12

Question 28

The use of chemical nitrogen fertilizer can be reduced by the use of all of the following except one.Choose the exception.

A)organic fertilizers
B)free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria
C)improved varieties of plants
D)genetically engineering the nitrogen fixation process
E)controlling lightning strikes

Question 29

Which of the following is a major western United States aquifer that is being depleted due to agricultural demands?

A)Mahomet Aquifer
B)Ogallala Aquifer
C)Turlock Basin
D)Edwards Aquifer
E)Lake Okeechobee

Question 30

What is the population of the world in billions as of April 2018?

A)6)1
B)7)6
C)8)0
D)9)6
E)11.8

Question 31

A mass of actively dividing cells in tissue culture is called a(n)________.

A)explant
B)clone
C)callus
D)growth regulator
E)organoid

Question 32

The small circular bits of DNA in bacteria that have been used as vectors to introduce genes in genetic engineering are called ________.

A)genomes
B)plasmids
C)callus
D)chromosomes
E)centromeres

Question 33

This plant has leaves and fruits that are edible.Fruits are achenes and are high in lysine and methionine and the fatty acid linoleic acid.This plant is called ________.

A)Chenopodium quinoa
B)Amaranthus caudatus
C)Lupinus mutabilis
D)Solanum quitoense
E)Oxalis tuberosa

Question 34

All of the following species are matched correctly with their common name except one.Choose the exception.

A)Oryza ivara :: pig's weed
B)Lupinus mutabilis :: quinoa
C)Solanum quitoense :: naranjilla
D)Oxalis tuberosa :: New Zealand yam
E)Cyphomandra betacea :: tamarillo

Question 35

Monoculture has been the underlying cause of which of the following disasters?

A)the Irish potato famine
B)the destruction of Sri Lankan coffee plantations
C)the corn leaf blight epidemic
D)the extensive loss of Florida citrus trees
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 36

The best way to reduce soil erosion is by the following which farming practice?

A)conventional tillage
B)maximal tillage
C)reduced tillage
D)no tillage farming
E)All of the above are correct.

Question 37

This high-altitude plant is a tall white-flowered perennial with round,orange berries.The flesh of the fruit is vivid green and are rich in vitamins A and C.This plant is which of the following?

A)Chenopodium quinoa
B)Amaranthus caudatus
C)Lupinus mutabilis
D)Solanum quitoense
E)Oxalis tuberosa

Question 38

While some say the solution to human malnutrition and starvation is greater food production,critics say the real problem is which of the following?

A)food distribution
B)the practice of monocropping
C)the use of GM crops
D)growing traditional staple crops
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 39

What general process results in soils becoming increasingly saline?

A)the use of salt producing plants
B)the underuse of fertilizers
C)global warming
D)the evaporation of water
E)monoculture agriculture

Question 40

What is germplasm?

A)another term for traditional varieties
B)the effect of a fungal infection
C)the general term for any plant pathogen
D)the genetic information of a plant that makes it unique
E)the end result of genetic erosion

Question 41

Germplasm is the loss of valuable genetic heritage due to the extinction of wild and traditional varieties.

Question 42

Loss of plant genetic diversity can be blamed on which of the following?

A)monocultural practices
B)plant disease
C)the Green Revolution
D)all of the above
E)both A and C

Question 43

Approximately 93% of the U.S.soybean crop has been genetically engineered for which of the following characteristics?

A)insect resistance
B)herbicide resistance
C)higher yield
D)better taste
E)better color

Question 44

Protoplasm is the entire genetic information of an organism.

Question 45

Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1970 for the work to develop dwarf varieties of major food crops.

Question 46

Organisms that contain a "foreign" gene in each of their cells are called transmogrified.

Question 47

The tree tomato or tamarillo is known for its versatility;adding sugar makes it a dessert but the addition of vinegar or pepper makes it suitable for soups or stews.

Question 48

Monoculture is the practice of growing a single variety of a crop in a field.

Question 49

Which of the following would be a strategy to stop genetic erosion?

A)Collect seeds of traditional varieties for storage in a seed bank.
B)Introduce monoculture to maximize agricultural efficiency.
C)Introduce industrialized agricultural techniques.
D)Limit agriculture to the cultivation of major domesticated crops.
E)Create new varieties using recombinant DNA.

Question 50

What fruit triggered the world's most famous mutiny?

A)banana
B)pineapple
C)breadfruit
D)tomato
E)lima beans

Question 51

A genetically engineered crop that is being developed to eliminate blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is which of the following?

A)Bt corn
B)golden rice
C)high oleic acid soybean
D)disease resistant potato
E)herbicide resistant soybean

Question 52

Overall,almost 10 million hectares of land are lost annually because of salinity;this may be the most serious environmental factor limiting productivity.

Question 53

Local varieties of a crop are known as germplasm or traditional varieties.

Question 54

Identify the Andean crop with edible seeds and leaves that was known by the Incas as the "mother grain."

A)amaranth
B)tarwi
C)breadfruit
D)quinoa
E)acorns

Question 55

The answer to feeding the world's population must be found in the regions where most of the people live and where most of the future population growth is expected.

Question 56

The human population of the world will continue to decrease well into the twenty-second century.

Question 57

Sustainable agriculture is a mixed species system in which crops can be harvested without degradation of the environment.

Question 58

Three factors that have encouraged the wide scale practice of monoculture are 1)mechanization 2)improved crop varieties,and the 3)use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Question 59

A mass of actively dividing cells in tissue culture can develop into a plant if ________.

A)sucrose is added
B)plant hormones are added
C)minerals are added
D)herbicides are added
E)plasmids are added

Question 60

Transfer of specific genes from one variety to another within the same species or between closely related species is termed:

A)cisgenesis
B)endosymbiosis
C)Genetic nondisjunction
D)Marker assisted selection
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 61

Seeds of domesticated plants and their wild relatives are deposited as a resource for plant breeders in germplasm.

Question 62

________ is a high protein seed crop that can be eaten whole or ground into flour;its use was banned by the Spanish conquistadors because of its association with religious practices of the Aztecs.

Question 63

In many plants,foreign genes are introduced using a Ti plasmid,a small circular strand of DNA found in bacterial cells.

Question 64

In 1999 a group of scientists speculated that Bt corn might be a threat to the environment by harming populations of ________ butterflies that laid their eggs on milkweeds found around Bt cornfields.

Question 65

For many genetically engineered crops a plasmid from the bacterium ________ has been used as a vector to transfer foreign genes into the crop.

Question 66

The introduction of Bacillus thuringiensis genes into crop plants transfers the trait of ________ resistance.

Question 67

The first genetically engineered crop that was marketed in the U.S.was a ________ modified for longer shelf life.

Question 68

In 1997,Monsanto began developing genetically modified wheat with herbicide resistance with the expressed intention of creating a worldwide monoculture.

Question 69

An alternative to the white potato,________ is an Andean crop whose rhizomes resemble wrinkled carrots.

Question 70

One benefit of developing edible vaccines through genetic engineering is that there will be no need for ________ of the vaccine.

Question 71

Genetically engineered rapeseed plants have been developed that can produce lauric acid,a fatty acid used in the manufacturing of ________ and/or ________.

Question 72

The widespread adoption of Bt corn is due to its ability to control a number of insect pests that attack corn,especially the ________.

Question 73

A massive recall of food products made from StarLink corn was triggered because it was thought that the ________ toxin in this variety might be a possible food allergen.