Deck 10: Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices

Question 1

Which of the following CANNOT be found in soil?

A)Fungus and algae
B)Algae and bacteria
C)Insects and bacteria
D)Insects and fungus
E)All of these are found in soil

Answer 1

All of these are found in soil

Question 2

Which of the following is the most correct definition of soil?

A)A complex of minerals that provide energy for the growth of plants
B)A complex mixture of organic matter, minerals, and living organisms
C)A mass of dead organic matter and detritus: dirt
D)An elaborate mixture of organic matter and minerals
E)All of these adequately describe soil

Answer 2

A complex mixture of organic matter, minerals, and living organisms

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true of the Brazilian Cerrado?

A)It is a fertile rainforest
B)It has more than 100,000 species of plants and animals
C)Its soil is acidic and nutrient poor
D)It is a major source of soybeans
E)It is one of the fastest growing agricultural areas in the world

Answer 3

It is a fertile rainforest

Question 4

The richest farming soils that form under the grasslands of central North America and under moist deciduous forests are the ________.

A)Latisols and aridisols
B)Ultisols and mollisols
C)Mollisols and alfisols
D)Entisols and ultisols
E)Alfisols and ultisols

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a component of soil texture?

A)Sand
B)Organics
C)Silt
D)Clay

Question 6

What is the correct order of the soil horizons from top down?

A)O, A, E, B
B)A, B, E, O
C)A, E, O, B
D)O, E, A, B

Question 7

What type of soil is sticky, elastic, and impermeable?

A)Sands
B)Organic matter
C)Living organisms
D)Clay
E)A large particle size

Question 8

The stratified horizontal layers of soils are called soil _________.

A)Profiles
B)Horizons
C)Textures
D)Types
E)Classifications

Question 9

Wind erosion is most likely to cause problems in

A)Forested grazing lands on high mountains
B)Open, arid regions
C)Fertile river bottoms with annual floods
D)Agricultural regions in the far north
E)Protected, arid regions

Question 10

Topsoil contains predominantly

A)Organic material
B)Mineral material
C)Plant roots
D)Insoluble minerals and sand
E)Mixed organic material and mineral particles

Question 11

When compared to sand and gravel, small soil particles (clay and silt) have ______ pore space.

A)More
B)About the same
C)Less
D)Significantly more
E)It depends on the other minerals that are present

Question 12

Which of the following would have nearly zero topsoil?

A)Virgin prairies
B)Deserts
C)Tropical rainforests
D)Tundra
E)None of these is correct

Question 13

In developed countries, the most recent increases in agricultural productivity have come from

A)Irrigation in arid areas
B)Increased fertilization
C)New crop varieties
D)An increase in the land being used for agriculture
E)Irrigation, increased fertilization, and new crop varieties

Question 14

Soil organisms usually stay __________ the soil.

A)Deep below the surface of
B)Near the middle of
C)Close to the surface of
D)Spread uniformly throughout
E)About half stay close to the surface and the other half stay deep below the surface of the soil

Question 15

Which of the following are NOT forms of chemical deterioration of soil?

A)Salinization
B)Waterlogging
C)Nutrient depletion
D)Pollution
E)Acidification

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a correct match?

A)A Horizon: Topsoil
B)B Horizon: Parent Material
C)E Horizon: Eluviation
D)O Horizon: Humus

Question 17

Mineral particles in the soil are derived from

A)Underlying bedrock
B)Materials transported and deposited by glaciers
C)Materials transported and deposited by rivers
D)Materials transported and deposited by wind
E)All of these are correct

Question 18

Rill erosion can lead to

A) Sheet erosion
B) Wind erosion
C) Gully erosion
D) Soil compaction
E)Salinization and waterlogging

Question 19

Spaces between sand particles give sandy soil

A)The ability to hold water
B)Low permeability to air
C)Good drainage
D)The ability to store minerals
E)Low permeability to water

Question 20

The parent material layer of a soil is composed of weathered ______.

A)Humus
B)Organic detritus and roots
C)Residual aluminum and iron
D)Soil
E)Rock fragments

Question 21

Which is the BEST cropping method for reducing erosion?

A) Rotating corn, wheat and clover
B) Growing corn continuously
C) Growing wheat continuously
D) Growing clover continuously
E) None of these is more effective in reducing erosion

Question 22

Significant agricultural monetary losses are due to the destruction of _____ through pesticide spray drift and residues on flowers.

A)Ladybird beetles
B)Honeybees
C)Praying mantises
D)Monarch butterflies
E)Bacillus thuringiensis

Question 23

DDT is

A)Equally toxic to mammals and insects
B)Soluble only in water
C)Cheap to produce and easy to apply
D)Highly biodegradable
E)All of these are correct

Question 24

The efficiency of irrigation water use is ______ in most countries.One of the reasons for this is ______.

A)High; the abundance of water
B)High; the careful use of water because it is so expensive
C)High; the technology to distribute the water where it is needed
D)Low; the lack of availability of technology to distribute the water where it is needed
E)Low; evaporative losses from unprotected water channeling

Question 25

Pest organisms tend to be

A)Specialist species
B)Generalist species
C)Migratory species
D)Endemic species

Question 26

Another word for cover crops is

A)Mulch
B)Strip farming
C)Green manure
D)Shade planting
E)All of these are correct

Question 27

Which of these is NOT a benefit found with reduced tillage farming?

A)Water conservation
B)Soil preservation
C)Increased crop yields
D)Soil aeration
E)Decreased insects and weeds

Question 28

Which of the following uses the LEAST amount of energy in industrialized farming practices?

A)Fuel for tractors and other machines
B)Production of chemical fertilizer
C)Use of pesticides
D)Drying the crops in the field
E)Transporting the crops to market

Question 29

The benefits of leaving crop residues on a field after harvest include

A)Protecting soil organisms
B)Reducing evaporation
C)Breaking the erosive effects of wind and water
D)All of these are correct

Question 30

Which of the following has been used historically to reduce agricultural pests?

A)Planting insect repelling plant and flowers.
B)Salt
C)Lime
D)Sulfur ointments
E)All of these methods have been used as pest control

Question 31

Alcohol and pickling solutions were probably widely developed because they

A)Neutralize toxins in foods
B)Preserve food due to their pesticidal properties
C)Have more interesting flavors than other solutions for seasoning
D)Are effective insecticides in the home
E)All of these are good reasons why alcohol and pickling solutions were used

Question 32

Salinization is a common agricultural problem in what type of region?

A)Arid
B)Cold
C)Tropical
D)Humid
E)Windy

Question 33

Which of the following is the BEST way to ensure soil health?

A)Maintaining clean, open ground between rows
B)Strip farming and leaving residues on fields after harvest
C)Clearing fields immediately after harvesting
D)Establishing ridges running up and down hills
E)All of these are good practices in ensuring soil health

Question 34

A broad-spectrum biocide is designed to kill

A)A wide range of plants
B)Microbes that are neither plant nor animal
C)A wide range of living organisms
D)Specifically multicellular organisms
E)Specifically unicellular organisms

Question 35

One of the drawbacks of leaving crop residues on a field after harvest is increased

A)Cost due to the high cost of fertilizers
B)Pest and disease problems
C)Salinization
D)Energy use of machinery
E)Wind erosion

Question 36

About what portion of world freshwater withdrawals is used for agriculture?

A)1/10
B)2/3
C)3/4
D)9/10
E)1/2

Question 37

Contour plowing and strip farming are methods designed to

A)Prevent weed spreading
B)Improve plowing efficiency
C)Improve harvesting efficiency
D)Prevent water and soil loss
E)Make farms more attractive

Question 38

Annual row crops such as __________ cause the highest erosion rates because _____________.

A)Corn and coffee; they use so many nutrients
B)Wheat and coffee; they need so much water
C)Tea and beans; plowing in the fall is required for planting of these annual spring crops
D)Beans and coffee; trees are usually cut down for the fields
E)Corn and beans; soil is left bare for the majority of the year

Question 39

An effective way to measure soil erosion in a region is to measure the

A) Amount of dust in the air
B) Sediment load of rivers
C) Amount lost on crop fields
D) Distance the dust travels
E)All of these are effective ways to measure the loss

Question 40

DDT accumulation distrupted calcium metabolism in the North American eagle, as well as other birds, causing

A)Infertility
B)Thin eggshells
C)Severe nerve damage
D)Adult deformities
E)All of these are correct

Question 41

Most of the pesticides applied in the United States are used in

A)Landscaping for private homes
B)Agriculture
C)Controlling pests in private homes
D)Landscaping for both private homes and businesses
E)Controlling pests in businesses (e.g., restaurants)

Question 42

In general, microbial agents are

A)Wide spectrum agents
B)Used in place of chemical pesticides
C)Small molecules that gasify easily
D)Small molecules that penetrate rapidly into a variety of materials
E)Persistent in the soil for a long time

Question 43

Organophosphates operate by attacking an organism's ________ system.

A)Muscular
B)Blood
C)Immune
D)Nervous
E)Skeletal

Question 44

Pesticide resistance occurs when a population of pests

A)Becomes too numerous for chemicals to control
B)Genetically changes (through natural selection) and is no longer affected by the chemicals
C)Grows extremely large because of chemical misapplications
D)Is not affected by chemicals because the pesticide chemicals do not break down in the environment
E)Is completely wiped out by the pesticide chemicals

Question 45

Which of the following diseases CANNOT be decreased with the use of insecticides in the environment?

A)Malaria
B)Sleeping sickness
C)Bronchitis
D)Yellow fever
E)West Nile virus

Question 46

Approximately ______ percent of the pesticides applied with machine sprayers never reach the intended target.

A)15
B)20
C)75
D)50
E)90

Question 47

Can an organism be resistant to a chemical that it has never been exposed to?

A)Yes, genes for pesticide resistance can be transferred through vectors such as viruses
B)Yes, pesticide resistance does not require chemical exposure and eventually all organisms become resistant
C)Yes, the pesticide treadmill causes pesticide resistance
D)No, there is probably some exposure that we are not aware of
E)No, it is not possible for an organism be resistant to a chemical that it has never been exposed to

Question 48

Why is it useful to classify pesticides by their chemical structure?

A)It is easier to keep them organized by type
B)Scientists have done this for years and it would be inefficient to change it now
C)Similar chemical structures often relate to similar toxicological characteristics
D)This is how they are named and looking them up for reference is easier
E)This is how they are named and the regulations use these names

Question 49

Organophosphates and _________ are similar in that they lack environmental persistence and have low bioaccumulation.

A)Chlorinated hydrocarbons
B)Carbamates
C)Inorganic pesticides
D)Fumigants
E)Natural organic pesticides

Question 50

In terms of agriculture, pesticides have led to _____ for consumers.

A)Lower monetary costs
B)More attractive produce
C)Better produce quality
D)More availability of produce
E)All of these are correct

Question 51

The pesticide treadmill occurs when

A)A virus transfers pesticide resistance to a new species
B)Constantly decreasing doses of pesticides are needed to control pests
C)Nontarget agricultural species are destroyed by insecticides
D)Predators of the pest species are killed by broadcast spraying
E)Constantly increasing doses of pesticides are needed to control pests

Question 52

Pest resurgence is part of the problem of pesticide resistance and happens when a pest organism

A)That was dormant during pesticide application becomes active and produces offspring
B)Adapts to the pesticide and produces tolerant offspring
C)Adapts to the pesticide and produces even more pesticide-tolerant offspring
D)That is tolerant to the pesticide survives and produces tolerant offspring
E)Receives a gene for pesticide tolerance through a virus infection

Question 53

Natural organic pesticides are NOT

A)Extracted from plants
B)Toxic to humans
C)Safe for all animals
D)Stable in their natural form
E)All of these are characteristics of natural organic pesticides

Question 54

DDT is a

A)Chlorinated hydrocarbon (organochloride)
B)Natural organic pesticide
C)Chlorinated inorganic pesticide
D)Organophosphate
E)Carbamate

Question 55

Chlorinated hydrocarbons have ____ toxicity for sensitive organisms and remain in the soil for a _______ time.

A)High; long
B)High; short
C)Low; short
D)Low; long
E)Medium; long

Question 56

In the graph, which of the populations first began to show pesticide resistance?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D
E)It is impossible to answer the question with the provided data

Question 57

Which of the following pesticide types is extremely toxic to workers who apply them?

A)Chlorinated hydrocarbons
B)Carbamates
C)Inorganic pesticides
D)Fumigants
E)Natural organic pesticides

Question 58

Which of the following usually has the MOST intensive use of pesticides?

A)A soybean field
B)A golf course
C)An average U.S.kitchen
D)A corn field
E)All of these are comparable

Question 59

Inorganic pesticides are generally

A)Highly toxic and remain in the soil for a long time
B)Highly toxic and break down soon in the environment
C)Moderately toxic and remain in the soil for a long time
D)Moderately toxic and break down soon in the environment
E)Toxic to insects but safe for humans

Question 60

Which of the following are inorganic pesticides?

A)Rotenone and nicotine
B)Arsenic, copper, and mercury
C)Carbon tetrachloride and ethylene dibromide
D)DDT and mothballs
E)A complex of chemicals from the chrysanthemum

Question 61

Organic pollutants called ________________ are showing up in many different places worldwide, far from their original source.This has led to a widespread movement to ________________.

A)Persistent organic pollutants; ban twelve of them in developed countries
B)Mobile organic pollutants; ban twelve of them worldwide
C)Persistent organic pollutants; reduce the use of twelve of them
D)Mobile organic pollutants; reduce the use of twelve of them
E)Persistent organic pollutants; make them less persistent

Question 62

Some plants make natural pesticides and insect repellants.

Question 63

Children are more susceptible to pesticides because they spend more time in direct contact with places that pesticides may accumulate (e.g., carpet, grass, etc.).

Question 64

Looking at the graph and given what you know about pesticide resistance, what do you think will probably happen to curve "b" in the future?

A)It will level off
B)It will continue to increase
C)It will decrease
D)It will increase a small amount, and then level off
E)It is impossible to answer the question with the provided data

Question 65

Pesticides based on a naturally occurring microbial toxin rupture the digestive tract lining of beetles and caterpillars.

Question 66

Knowledge of the life cycle of an insect population enables biological controls to be used in place of current pesticide use.An example includes the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which affects _______ of moths and butterflies.

A)All stages
B)The larval stage
C)The pupa stage
D)The eggs
E)The larval and pupa stages

Question 67

Behavioral changes as an alternative to current pesticide use would NOT include

A)Switching from monoculture fields to mixed polyculture fields
B)Rotating crops
C)Flooding fields before planting
D)Habitat diversification
E)Switch to a herbicide tolerant GMO crop.

Question 68

When pesticide residues are found in such remote areas as the St.Lawrence estuary, which of the following is probably NOT responsible?

A)Bioaccumulation
B)Pesticide persistence
C)The grasshopper effect
D)Bioaccumulation and pesticide persistence
E)All of these could be responsible

Question 69

When a new pesticide is developed the best thing to do is to use it

A)Sparingly, so pests will not develop a resistance
B)Widely and liberally to knock out pests
C)Widely and liberally, so pests will not develop a resistance
D)Liberally then sparingly to prevent resistance and knock out pests
E)Sparingly then liberally to prevent resistance and knock out pests

Question 70

Economic thresholds are not considered in integrated pest management.

Question 71

With respect to chemical pest controls, integrated pest management (IPM) uses

A)None
B)The maximum amount as determined by economic thresholds
C)Broad-spectrum products
D)The minimum amount necessary as a last resort
E)The maximum amount as determined by organic standards

Question 72

In developing countries, the farm workers who account for the majority of illness and death from the most toxic agricultural chemicals are usually the workers who

A)Use machines to harvest grains
B)Transport the chemicals
C)Handpick fruits and vegetables
D)Plow the fields because the pesticide residues are in the dust that can be inhaled

Question 73

Which of the following things that you can do to reduce pesticide residues in your diet is related to bioaccumulation?

A)Peel fruits and vegetables when possible
B)Trim the fat from meat, chicken, and fish
C)Cook foods that you think have been exposed to chemicals
D)Ask for organically grown produce at a farmer's market
E)All of these are related to bioaccumulation

Question 74

Which of the following alternative methods is NOT helpful in reducing your exposure to pesticides?

A)Accept slightly blemished fruits and vegetables
B)Purchase praying mantises and ladybugs to protect garden plants
C)Use only natural chemicals as pesticides
D)Wash aphid-infested vegetation with pure water
E)Keep wood piles away from the outside of the house

Question 75

Terracing is more sustainable than conventional farming, but is also more expensive.

Question 76

Why are pest predator populations so adversely affected by broad-spectrum pesticides?

A)In general, predators are more susceptible to the pesticides
B)There is less food for the predators when the pest species is destroyed
C)Predators in higher trophic levels are more likely to be wiped out than lower trophic levels
D)Broad-spectrum pesticides leave more residues than other pesticides and kill the predators
E)Predator populations are not more likely to be adversely affected

Question 77

In order to institute an integrated pest management program, it is necessary to

A)Have large amount of money
B)Use large amount of space
C)Have many different kinds of crops
D)Burn all fields to eliminate biological elements
E)Understand local plants and animals

Question 78

The process that happens when pesticide residues evaporate from soil and water in warm areas, and then condense in and precipitate in colder regions is called

A)Bioaccumulation
B)Pesticide rain
C)The grasshopper effect
D)Pesticide persistence and mobility
E)The pesticide treadmill

Question 79

Which of the following can be a chronic effect of pesticides on humans?

A)Cancer
B)Fetal deformities
C)Immune system problems
D)Parkinson's disease
E)All of these are correct

Question 80

Pesticides used in food production are regulated in the U.S.entirely by the Food and Drug Administration.