Introduction to Soil Science Final
Exam
Course Introduction
Introduction to Soil Science provides a comprehensive overview of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils and their significance within natural and managed ecosystems. The course covers soil formation and classification, soil-water interactions, nutrient cycling, and the impacts of soil management practices on agricultural productivity and environmental quality. Students will explore the vital role of soils in plant growth, water filtration, carbon storage, and ecosystem sustainability, gaining foundational knowledge essential for careers in agriculture, environmental science, and land management.
Recommended Textbook
The Nature and Properties of Soils 14th Edition by Nyle C. Brady
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20 Chapters
838 Verified Questions
838 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Soils Around US
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compared to silt, clay-sized soil particles are characterized by ______.
A)greater attraction for water
B)greater proportion of primary minerals
C)less tendency to form hard clods when dry
D)less capacity to hold nutrients in plant-available forms
Answer: A
Q2) The dark brown and black humus found in many soils does not mix well with clay minerals so there is very little contact between these two soil components.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Hydroponics will likely be a key element in enabling the world to feed and clothe its increasing human population in the next few decades.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Formation of Soils From Parent Materials
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Sample Questions
Q1) Granite is an example of a(n) ________.
A)primary mineral
B)sedimentary rock
C)secondary mineral
D)igneous rock
E)eolian parent material
Answer: D
Q2) The reaction: mica + H<sub>2</sub>O \(\to\) K<sup>+</sup> + OH<sup>-</sup> + acid clay is an example of ________.
A)hydrolysis
B)acid solution weathering
C)oxidation
D)hydration
E)exfoliation
Answer: A
Q3) The O horizons of a soil are dominantly organic horizons occurring above mineral horizons.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Soil Classification
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Sample Questions
Q1) An argillic horizon is a diagnostic horizon characterized by the subsurface accumulation of silicate clays.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) In which of the following epipedons is the organic matter level generally lowest?
A)mollic
B)umbric
C)histic
D)ochric
E)melanic
Answer: D
Q3) Andisols are found mostly near recently active volcanoes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Soil Architecture and Physical Properties
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a dry soil high in certain types of ____ is moistened, it is likely to swell up with enough force to crack pavements and building foundations.
A)humus
B)iron
C)clay
D)silt
E)any of the above
Q2) A landscaping contractor wants to change the texture of a silt loam soil to meet the specifications for a loam.S/he would most likely do so by adding ______ to the soil and mixing it well.
A)humus
B)compost
C)clay
D)sand
E)either A or B
Q3) Flocculation is the process by which certain chemicals in the soil stabilize large soil aggregates.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plant roots gain access to soil water primarily by the growth of the roots into moist soil.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The polarity of water helps account for the attraction of water molecules for each other.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The property of cohesion in water stems from the attraction of water molecules for soil solids.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The effect of soil organic matter on the amount of water available to plants is due to organic matter influence on total soil porosity as well as to the water-supplying power of the soil organic matter.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Capillary movement is made possible by the processes of cohesion and adhesion. A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Soil and the Hydrologic Cycle
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following locations in the United States would have the highest evaporation (E) from the soil surface in July?
A)a bare, unirrigated dry land soil in Colorado
B)an unirrigated soil in South Carolina growing cotton
C)a furrow-irrigated cotton field in Arizona
D)a forest woodland in Illinois
E)a corn field in New York
Q2) Eutrophication is enhanced by the presence of pesticides in the water draining from agricultural soils.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Evaporation from the soil surface (E) is determined to a large degree by soil surface wetness.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Conservation tillage can have a significant direct effect on transpiration of water from a rapidly growing crop of corn.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Soil Aeration and Temperature
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Sample Questions
Q1) In natural wetlands one would expect the redox potential to be high because of the low oxygen content.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Forest fires result in sufficiently high soil temperatures to cause the vaporization and movement of certain organic compounds in soils.The main effect of these compounds is to _____.
A)reduce water infiltration and percolation through the profile
B)enhance soil structural stability
C)increase pH
D)decrease water losses by surface runoff
E)increase soil organic matter
Q3) The primary characteristic of subsoils that accounts for the ability of ground circulating heat pumps to moderate temperatures in houses in both summer and winter is _____.
A)the high redox potential of the soil
B)the high heat of the evapotranspiration
C)the ready conduction of heat in the soil
D)the high specific heat of the soil
E)the low oxygen content of the subsoil
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Chapter 8: Soil Colloids: Seat of Soil Chemical and Physical
Activity
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The leaf-like structure of silicate clays involves two kinds of horizontal sheets, one dominated by a plane of silicon atoms, the other by a plane of aluminum and/or magnesium.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A 2:1 type silicate clay has one octahedral sheet sandwiched between two tetrahedral sheets.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A tetrahedral sheet is characterized by a plane of aluminum atoms surrounded by oxygen and hydroxyl groups.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Soil colloids are too small to be seen with an ordinary light microscope. A)True
B)False
Q5) Kaolinite is most prevalent in soils developed from volcanic ejecta (Andisols).
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Soil Acidity
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Sample Questions
Q1) The higher the cation exchange capacity of a soil, the greater is its buffer capacity.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following would occur when lime is added to the surface of a soil at pH 6.0?
A)Earthworms would help move the limestone down into the soil profile.
B)Conservation tillage would increase the pH of the subsoil.
C)CO<sub>2</sub> from root and microbial respiration would quickly solubilize the CaCO<sub>3</sub> and increase its rate of downward movement.
D)Aluminum toxicity would increase in the vicinity of the limestone.
E)The release of H<sup>+</sup> ions from the exchange complex would help reduce the soil pH.
Q3) The presence of neutral salts in an alkaline soil has a tendency to increase the pH of the soil.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter
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Sample Questions
Q1) A homeowner in New Mexico attempted to grow azaleas in a well drained soil (pH 7.5) but the plants were stunted and the leaves were yellow.What is the most likely cause of this constraint?
A)P deficiency
B)Mn toxicity
C)Fe deficiency
D)Ca toxicity
E)Na toxicity
Q2) Gypsum plus irrigation reduces the pH of sodic soils by replacing sodium from the exchange complex and removing it from the soil.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The source of salts for some naturally occurring saline soils are ancient fossil deposits of salts in old lake beds.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Organisms and Ecology of the Soil
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most soil organisms are heterotrophs.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following organisms can commonly be seen with the unaided eye in organic matter-rich soils?
A)fungi
B)bacteria
C)Nematodes
D)actinomycetes
E)none of the above
Q3) The deeper that they are placed in the soil, the more rapidly organic compounds such as pesticides are decomposed by the soil microflora.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Earthworms generally are most abundant in sandy, acid soils typically under coniferous forest vegetation.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Soil Organic Matter
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Sample Questions
Q1) As decomposition of added organic material proceeds, the C/N ratio in the remaining undecomposed material steadily increases.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Given this Table of plant residue analyses, choose the "highest quality" residue in terms of suitability to support an active community of soil organisms and rapid nutrient cycling.
\(\begin{array}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|}
\hline & \mathrm{A} & \mathrm{B} & \mathrm{C} & \mathrm{D} & \mathrm{E} \\
\hline \text { C/N ratio } & 15 & 15 & 15 & 45 & 45 \\
\hline \text { Polyphenol content, \% } & 0.5 & 6.0 & 6.0 & 0.5 & 0.5 \\
\hline \text { Lignin content, \% } & 10 & 40 & 10 & 40 & 10 \\
\hline
\end{array}\)
Q3) Under natural vegetation, about 60 to 90% of soil organic matter is in the _____fraction.
A)active
B)slow
C)passive
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Nitrogen and Sulfur Economy of Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) Unlike Rhizobium bacteria, Bradyrhizobium bacteria are effective at fixing N, regardless of the type of plants present.
A)True
B)False
Q2) To be practical, a nitrification inhibitor should kill or inhibit _____.
A)Nitrosomonas
B)Nitrobacter
C)either A or B
D)none of the above
Q3) Ammonia losses are likely to be greatest if a nitrogen source is placed about 10 cm deep in ____
A)an acid, sandy loam soil
B)a calcareous sandy loam soil
C)an acid, clay loam soil
D)a calcareous clay loam soil
Q4) Nitrification requires the presence of a source of readily available carbon, such as manure.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Soil Phosphorus and Potassium
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Sample Questions
Q1) Luxury consumption of potassium most often occurs in coniferous forests growing on low potassium soils where the ecosystem can least afford it.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Other things being equal, a soil with 30% clay of the ____ type would be expected to have the greatest phosphorus -fixing capacity.
A)allophanic
B)2:1
C)1:1
D)crystalline iron oxide
Q3) In a soil with a very low potential buffering capacity, the most efficient approach to using potassium fertilizer would be to apply frequent small doses rather than a single large dose.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Application of phosphorus fertilizer usually makes plants more susceptible to diseases.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 15: Micronutrients and Other Trace Elements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which method of application generally would require the greatest amount of iron to alleviate an iron deficiency in an orange grove?
A)application of iron chelate to the soil in localized pockets
B)application of iron chelate to soil evenly with thorough mixing
C)foliar spray of iron chelate
D)application of iron sulfate to soil in localized pockets
E)application of iron sulfate to soil evenly with thorough mixing
Q2) Molybdenum occurs in the soil solution as a complex anion similar to that formed by phosphorus.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Dicot plants are thought to remove chelated micronutrients from their organic ligands before taking metallic cations into their roots.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The data in the following Table suggest the occurrence of a positive synergism between two nutrients.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Practical Nutrient Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) Perforation placement is usually used to fertilize _____.
A)row crops
B)turfgrass
C)landscape trees
D)forests
Q2) Of the macronutrients, which can be most correctly said to be a renewable resource?
A)potassium
B)nitrogen
C)phosphorus
D)calcium
E)iron
Q3) Integrated nutrient management seeks to apply, as fertilizer, enough of each nutrient to replace that removed from the soil by plant uptake.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Most chemical fertilizers are inorganic salts.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 17: Soil Erosion and Its Control
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Revised Universal Soil-Loss Equation (RUSLE) is more site-specific, more accurate in predicting soil loss, and more quickly compares alternative procedures than does USLE.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Saltation is the process of wind movement of salt-affected soils from one location to another in arid regions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the United States, losses of soil due to wind and water erosion decreased by nearly 40% between 1982 and 2003.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Vegetative barriers planted on the contour have been found to create low-cost "natural" terraces.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Soils and Chemical Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the design of a _______ type landfill, biodegradation and colloid adsorption are important mechanisms of reducing pollution potential.
A)natural attenuation
B)containment
C)both natural attenuation and containment
D)neither natural attenuation and containment
Q2) The greatest environmental or social cost of pesticide use in the United States is the damage to sport and commercial fishing.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The adsorption of many pesticides is greater in strongly acid soils than in neutral to alkaline soils.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One disadvantage of bioremediation is that this technology is usually much more expensive than standard engineering approaches for decontaminating polluted soils.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 19: Geographic Soils Information
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Sample Questions
Q1) A lithosequence is _______.
A)a group of soils found together in a landscape that differ principally because of differences in the geologic material in which they formed
B)a sequence of steps required to make a lithographic map using information from field observations and air photos
C)a set of soils ranging from well drained to poorly drained
D)the proper order of sampling in a transect for determining soil boundaries in the field
Q2) Soil mappers use a transect to find the boundaries between adjacent soils in a landscape.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A 20 km long road would be a line __ cm long on a 1:200,000 scale map.
A)2
B)10
C)20
D)40
E)100
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Page 21
Chapter 20: Prospects for Global Soil Quality
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Sample Questions
Q1) Africa lags far behind other developing areas in the use of chemical fertilizers.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following describes world food production trends?
A)From 1965 to 2005 world food production per person declined.
B)Since 1990 the increase in food production has accelerated.
C)The world food problem results from declining capacity of soils to produce food.
D)Most of the increase in food production in the last 30 years has come from increases in the area of cultivated land.
E)The world's capacity to produce food is higher today than it has ever been.
Q3) Which of the following are not among the major constraints on increasing food production per capita in Africa?
A)Food producing areas are far from population centers.
B)Erratic rainfall distribution and frequent droughts.
C)Very rapid increases in human population numbers.
D)Fertilizer use is very low.
E)Insufficient area of productive soils.
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