Plant and Soil Relationships
Test Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores the intricate interactions between plants and the soils in which they grow, emphasizing the chemical, physical, and biological properties of soils that influence plant health and productivity. Students will examine nutrient cycling, water movement, soil structure, and the role of microbes in both natural and managed ecosystems. The course also addresses how soil management practices impact plant growth, environmental sustainability, and agricultural productivity, providing a foundation for understanding how to optimize plant-soil systems for food production and ecosystem health.
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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Sample Questions
Q1) The layers of contrasting material found when one digs a hole in the ground are called _______.
A)pseudoliths
B)regoliths
C)pedons
D)horizons
E)soil structure
Answer: D
Q2) Natural soils (as opposed to modern farm soils) can recycle organic compounds, but not inorganic elements.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Practices that tend to increase the amount of organic matter in soils would be expected to reduce the global greenhouse effect.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Formation of Soils From Parent Materials
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53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In most B horizons one of the dominant processes of soil formation has been eluviation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Igneous rocks are formed when molten magma cools and solidifies.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) "Biotite-->clay-->iron oxide" represents a ________.
A)catena
B)weathering sequence
C)silicate mineral sequence
D)both A and B
E)none of the above
Answer: B
Q4) Iron and aluminum oxides are major components of igneous rocks.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 3: Soil Classification
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47 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Oxisols are more highly weathered than are the soils of any other order.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Soil Taxonomy, the classification system used in the United States, was developed by C.
E.Marbut and associates in the 1940s.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) In soils of which great group would you most likely find wide surface cracks during periods of dry weather?
A)Calciusterts
B)Albaqualfs
C)Argiaquolls
D)Kandiaquults
E)Haplustox
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Soil Architecture and Physical Properties
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Sample Questions
Q1) A friable soil is usually more likely to be indurated.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The drainage class of a soil (the degree to which the soil becomes water-saturated during the year) can be judged by the presence and location of gley in the soil profile.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Compared to a similar soil under native vegetation, a soil with a long history of conventionally tilled cropping would have less micropore space.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Flocculation is the process by which certain chemicals in the soil stabilize large soil aggregates.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The plasticity index is used to determine soil texture.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water will move from one site in a soil with a water potential of -5 kPa to an adjacent site with a water potential of -40 kPa.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The osmotic potential would likely be lowest in soils of which of the following orders
A)Aridisols
B)Histosols
C)Oxisols
D)Ultisols
E)Spodosols
Q3) Capillarity in soils _____.
A)involves both adhesion and cohesion
B)is enhanced by the symmetrical nature of the water molecule
C)is independent of the matric potential in soils
D)is not involved in the process of water uptake from soils
E)does not account for unsaturated water movement in soils
Q4) 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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44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The expression, P - ET -SS estimates the ________ a watershed.
A)soil water content of B)discharge volume from C)evaporation from D)interception in
Q2) Vapor loss from a south-facing slope in Australia would likely be higher than from a north-facing slope.
A)True
B)False
Q3) If you dug a deep hole in your back yard and water started to seep into the hole it would fill the hole up to ________.
A)the infiltration rate
B)the percolation rate
C)field capacity
D)the water Table
E)the liquid limit
Q4) Corn plants are generally more efficient in the use of water than is alfalfa.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Soil Aeration and Temperature
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Sample Questions
Q1) Soil A has a redox potential of 400 mV, soil B -200 mV.Of the two soils, Soil A is more apt to be characterized by an abundance of _____.
A)Fe<sup>2+</sup> ions
B)Mn<sup>2+</sup> ions
C)H<sup>+</sup><sup> </sup>ions
D)S<sup>2-</sup> ions
E)molecular oxygen
Q2) Soil temperatures under an organic mulch will likely be lower than that of bare soils in the summer but higher than that of bare soils in the winter.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The bulk of gaseous interchange in soils takes place by _____.
A)mass flow
B)partial pressure of N<sub>2</sub>
C)diffusion
D)dissolution in water
E)respiration
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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) A 2:1 type silicate clay has one octahedral sheet sandwiched between two tetrahedral sheets.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which cation would you expect to be mostly tightly held in a soil at pH 4.5?
A)K<sup>+</sup>
B)Ca<sup>2+</sup>
C)Al<sup>3+</sup>
D)Mg<sup>2+</sup>
E)Na<sup>+</sup>
Q3) While kaolinite particles are larger than those of other major silicate clays, the surface area of kaolinite per kilogram is much smaller than that of the 2:1 type minerals.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The primary source of charge for 2:1 type clay minerals is ionization of the surface hydroxyl groups on the tetrahedral sheets.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Soil Acidity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Residual soil acidity is that acidity remaining in the soil after limestone has been applied.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following human actions is most apt to result in a long term increase in soil pH?
A)application of NH<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup> containing fertilizers
B)application of farm manure
C)irrigation with high sodium salt-containing waters
D)emission of gases from automobiles
E)application of unlimed sewage sludge
Q3) Assume you want to grow azaleas in a soil with a pH of 6.0.The application of which of the following would be most appropriate to make this soil suitable for this ornamental?
A)chicken manure
B)limestone
C)elemental sulfur
D)iron oxide
E)hydrated lime
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Soils of Dry Regions: Alkalinity, Salinity, and Sodicity
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Sample Questions
Q1) The high pH of sodic soils is due to the high saturation of the colloidal complex with calcium.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Saline soils are characteristic of arid and semiarid areas with poor internal drainage.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A farmer started irrigating a soil some 10 years ago but in recent years yields have declined and the soil physical condition has deteriorated.Which of the following most likely accounts for this situation?
A)high content of Ca and Mg in the irrigation water
B)failure to use conservation tillage to reduce salt accumulation at the soil surface
C)high SAR of the irrigation water
D)excessive drainage of the soil
E)high gypsum content in the soil
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Chapter 11: Organisms and Ecology of the Soil
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Many members of which group of soil microorganisms are anaerobic heterotrophs?
A)actinomycetes
B)bacteria
C)fungi
D)both A and C
E)all of the above
Q3) All but a few nematodes are pests, attacking either economic or wild plants.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Most soil organisms are heterotrophs.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Actinomycetes tend to dominate soils that are either very acid, very cold, or very dry.
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) Green plant residues such as grass clippings or a green manure crop generally have a water content of about ____% by weight.
A)10
B)25
C)45
D)75
E)95
Q3) Humus indirectly affects plant growth through its effects on soil physical and chemical properties, but humic substances have not been shown to affect plant growth processes directly.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Sandy soils generally are higher in organic matter than fine textured soils.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Nitrogen and Sulfur Economy of Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most nitrogen leaching to groundwater is in the form of ammonium.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In most temperate, humid regions, the period of greatest potential for nitrate leaching is during the summer when nitrogen fertilizer is applied to crops.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The principal form of sulfur taken up by plants is ____.
A)sulfate
B)sulfur esters
C)sulfides
D)elemental sulfur
E)gypsum
Q4) Methemoglobinemia is principally a potential threat to _____.
A)babies drinking water high in sulfate
B)adults drinking water high in sulfate
C)babies drinking water high in nitrate
D)adults drinking water high in nitrate
E)all of the above
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Chapter 14: Soil Phosphorus and Potassium
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Sample Questions
Q1) The sites in certain clay minerals which fix potassium ions are also capable of fixing which other ion?
A)NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>
B)NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup>
C)H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>-</sup>
D)Ca<sup>2+</sup>
E)H<sup>+</sup>
Q2) Application of phosphorus fertilizer usually makes plants more susceptible to diseases.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In acid soils the principal chemical form of potassium available for plant uptake is
A)K<sub>2</sub>O
B)H<sub>2</sub>KO<sub>2</sub><sup>-</sup>
C)K<sup>+</sup>
D)HKO<sub>2</sub><sup>2-</sup>
E)P<sup>-</sup>
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Page 16
Chapter 15: Micronutrients and Other Trace Elements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Simply spraying a solution to coat the seeds before planting often provides enough of which micronutrient to meet the needs of the crop?
A)B
B)Mo
C)Cu
D)Mn
E)Zn
Q2) It is common for some plants growing on a particular soil to suffer from a micronutrient deficiency while other plants growing on the same soil are well supplied with the nutrient in question.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Iron deficiency is most likely to occur under which of the following soil conditions?
A)soil with pH 4.3 and subject to frequent flooding
B)leached humid region sandy soil limed to pH 8.0
C)well drained humid region loamy sand (Spodosol) with pH 5.0
D)muck soil (Saprist) with pH 5.5
E)silt loam Mollisol with pH 7.5
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Chapter 16: Practical Nutrient Management
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Sample Questions
Q1) Based on the data given in the Table, if the revegetation site were limed and fertilized with nitrogen, would you also recommend the addition of P fertilizer to improve tree growth?
A)no
B)yes
C)no basis to judge
Q2) The forestry industry uses fertilizers most often to treat old growth stands that will produce valuable lumber
A)True
B)False
Q3) The place where the manure pile was stored last year, a narrow strip that used to be a limestone gravel farm road, and the spot where fertilizer is usually transferred from a nurse truck to the tractor spreader are all examples of parts of a 25 hectare field that should be treated as follows when sampling soil for the soil test lab.
A)included, like all other areas, in the sample sent in for analysis
B)carefully avoided while sampling
C)more intensively sampled (more cores per hectare) than other areas
D)sampled more deeply than other areas
E)sampled and sent in separately
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Page 18
Chapter 17: Soil Erosion and Its Control
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Sample Questions
Q1) The surface soil pH is generally higher on no-tillage plots than on comparable conventionally tilled plots.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Conservation tillage systems are said to have all of the following advantages but one over conventional tillage systems
A)its labor and energy requirements are lower
B)it encourages higher microbial population numbers in the soil
C)it involves the use of less toxic weed control practices
D)it increases the hydraulic conductivity of the soil
E)it reduces soil erosion
Q3) About what percentage of the total non-federal government owned rural lands is considered suitable for cultivation according to USDA land use capability classes (if appropriate management practices are employed)?
A)75%
B)55%
C)35%
D)20%
E)2%
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Page 19
Chapter 18: Soils and Chemical Pollution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Draining a chromium-contaminated wetland would be likely to immobilize the metal so that environmental chromium toxicity problems would be minimized.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of sewage sludge that can be applied on agricultural land by setting limits on ____.
A)the concentrations of metals in the sludge to be applied
B)the rate of metal application to any parcel of land in any one year
C)the total accumulative amount of metals that can be applied to a parcel of land, regardless of when the metals are applied
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
Q3) Clay, especially of the 2:1 types, tends to adsorb larger quantities of organic chemicals per gram than does the organic matter component of soils.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 19: Geographic Soils Information
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Sample Questions
Q1) The information in a modern county soil survey report is generally used to _____ when designing a construction project.
A)locate favorable sites
B)replace laborious on-site soil investigation
C)indicate areas that require more intense on-site investigation than others
D)draw up the design plans for building foundations
E)both A and C are correct
Q2) Precision fertilizer applications systems take into consideration the different fertility levels within an agricultural field and integrate the use of soil testing with _______.
A)geo-positioning systems
B)computer controlled variable rate spreaders
C)intensive soil sampling
D)computer mapping
E)all of the above
Q3) As one walks down a drainage catena augering holes in the soils, one expects to find gray colors and mottles nearer to the soil surface.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 20: Prospects for Global Soil Quality
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Shifting cultivation is a relatively new cropping system, first used in the 1960s.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Slash-and-burn agriculture is primarily a system of water conservation and cycling. A)True
B)False
Q4) Significant amounts of nitrates are adsorbed in some Oxisols by clay layers below the depths that most crop root systems can reach.
A)True
B)False
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