Ch13 Test Bank Soil

Environmental Science, 15e (Enger)

Chapter 13 Soil

1) The surface of the Earth is altered by

A) plate tectonics.

B) abrasion.

C) chemical weathering.

D) erosion.

E) All of the options are correct.

2) ________ and high moisture increase the decomposition rate of organic matter.

A) High sunlight

B) High pH

C) High parent material

D) High temperatures

3) Which of the following is NOT a typical soil component?

A) Air

B) Climate

C) Bacteria

D) Water

4) In regions with ________, basic ions are leached from the soil and more acidic materials are left behind.

A) high rainfall

B) high temperatures

C) low rainfall

D) permafrost

5) Which of the following does NOT influence the kind of soil that develops on a site?

A) Temperature

B) Rainfall

C) The atmosphere

D) Wind

6) Two processes which chemically alter parent material are

A) oxidation and hydrolysis.

B) decomposition and oxidation.

C) hydrolysis and liming.

D) freezing and thawing.

7) Which soil profile contains material leached from other horizons?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) D

8) Which of the following is a correct statement about soil structure?

A) Soils with high amounts of clay are highly friable.

B) The particle size of the parent material determines the soil's ability to hold water and air.

C) Sandy soils hold water.

D) Soil organisms decrease the pore space in soils.

9) All of the following affect the thickness of the soil that develops on a site EXCEPT

A) the parent material.

B) the slope of the land.

C) rate of decomposition of organic matter.

D) rainfall.

10) Maintaining good soil quality involves

A) practices that limit compaction of the soil.

B) planting different crops in a field in different years.

C) adding new organic matter in the form of manure or by incorporating crop residue into the soil.

D) All of these statements are correct.

11) By avoiding excessive tillage, soil quality is enhanced by

A) minimizing loss of organic matter.

B) increasing compaction.

C) disrupting the lives of soil organisms.

D) minimizing loss of organic matter, increasing compaction and disrupting the lives of soil organisms.

12) Which of the following statement about soil conservation is accurate?

A) Terracing reduces soil erosion.

B) Waterways allow water to run off the land rapidly.

C) Strip farming is used on level ground.

D) Terracing reduces soil erosion, waterways allow water to run off the land rapidly and strip farming is used on level ground.

13) Which of the following do plants need to live?

A) water

B) carbon dioxide

C) oxygen

D) All of these are correct.

14) Soil building begins with the physical fragmentation of layers of rock. This fragmentation process is known as

A) erosion.

B) weathering.

C) breakage.

D) None of these statements is correct.

15) What is the name of the process in which the chemical structure of rock is altered when it combines with water molecules to form new compounds?

A) aeration

B) chemical weathering

C) hydrolysis

D) oxidation

16) Humus

A) is formed from organic matter.

B) decreases the pH of the soil.

C) helps to form pores that help aerate the soil.

D) All of the statements are correct.

17) Organisms affect the soil in which of the following ways?

A) by releasing nutrients

B) by burrowing

C) through decomposition

D) All of these are correct.

18) A grassland soil ________ than a woodland soil.

A) has a thicker A horizon

B) has a greater diversity of invertebrates

C) has less organic matter

D) has fewer air spaces

19) Which of the following is NOT a physical process affecting break down of parent material?

A) freezing and thawing

B) glaciers

C) drought

D) flowing water

20) Which horizon has the highest amount of organic matter?

A) A

B) B

C) C

21) The A horizon

A) is a loam.

B) contains more nutrients than the B horizon.

C) contains fewer organisms than the B horizon.

D) has a different parent material than the B horizon.

22) Which of the following is able to reduce both wind and water soil erosion?

A) leaving crop residue on the soil

B) wind breaks

C) terracing

D) None of the answers are correct.

23) Conservation tillage methods ________ than conventional tillage.

A) require more plowing

B) use more fuel

C) require more time

D) experience less topsoil loss

24) Soil erosion is linked to which of the following environmental issues?

A) air pollution

B) water pollution

C) soil pollution

D) greenhouse effect

25) The primary purpose of conservation tillage is to

A) reduce the number of times a field is plowed.

B) add nutrients to the soil.

C) incorporate organic material into the soil.

D) allow surface water to flow more evenly.

26) Which farming practice(s) reduce(s) soil erosion?

A) planting wind breaks

B) contour farming and terracing

C) planting cover crops

D) planting wind breaks, contour farming and terracing, and planting cover crops

27) Land unsuitable for crops may be used for which of the following?

A) grazing

B) recreation

C) lumber

D) All of these are correct.

28) Land and soil are related in which of the following ways?

A) They are really the same thing.

B) Soil is found on the surface of the land.

C) Land is formed by geologic process and soil is not.

D) None of these statements is correct.

29) Organic food ________ than conventionally grown food.

A) is less expensive

B) is more nutritious

C) is less likely to contain pesticides

D) uses less labor

30) Desert soils

A) have poorly developed horizons.

B) accumulate more litter than other soils.

C) have a thick B horizon.

D) None of the statements is correct.

31) Which of the following is typically a pioneer organism that colonizes the surface of bare rocks?

A) humus

B) algae

C) lichens

D) fungi

Which of the following best matches the description?

32) The crust and solid outer mantle of the earth.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

33) A thin flowing layer of the earth just below the outer mantle.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

34) Physical and chemical processes involved in the breakdown of parent material into soil.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

35) The size of the particles that make up soil.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

36) Ability of soil to crumble.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

37) Soil organic matter.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

38) Horizontal layer of soil.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

39) Material that is weathered to become the mineral part of the soil.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

40) The way soil particles clump together.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

41) Series of layers seen as one digs down into soil.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

42) Soil type with good drainage and texture that is ideal for agriculture.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

43) Process of breaking up large particles by chemical reactions.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

44) Movement of minerals from the A horizon to the B horizon.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

45) Process of breaking up large particles by physical forces.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

46) Planting of trees to prevent wind erosion.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

47) Method of tilling and planting at right angles to the slope.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

48) Level area constructed on steep slopes for agricultural purposes.

A) weathering

B) parent material

C) friable

D) soil profile

E) humus

F) chemical weathering

G) terrace

H) soil structure

J) mechanical weathering

K) leaching

L) contour farming

M) loam

N) horizon

O) windbreak

P) soil texture

Q) lithosphere

R) asthenosphere

49) Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic material, living organisms, air, and water.

50) Oxidation and hydrolysis can chemically alter parent material.

51) The mineral portion of the soil consists of humus and the roots of plants.

52) Fragmentation of parent material occurs from freezing and thawing of water within pores and cracks.

53) Soil structure refers to the way various soil particles clump together.

54) Most plants grow well in very acidic soils.

55) Forest soils typically have a deep A horizon and shallow B horizon.

56) Desert soils have very poorly developed horizons.

57) Grassland soils usually have a shallow A horizon and a deep B horizon.

58) Strip farming is a type of soil conservation or quality management practice.

59) River bottoms and delta regions have a very deep topsoil layer.

60) Loam soil is primarily clay with small amounts of sand and silt.

61) Conservation tillage is an agricultural method that assures maximum water conservation.

62) Waterways with little vegetation generally increase erosion.

63) Misuse of land reduces its soil fertility and causes air- and water-quality problems.

64) Most roots grow down to the C horizon.

65) Depletion of soil fertility is a major cause of low per capita food production in Africa.

66) Geologic processes build and erode the earth's surface.

67) An important function of soil is to buffer and detoxify chemicals.

68) Physical, chemical, and biological factors contribute to soil formation.

69) Humus is not important to soil fertility.

70) There is essentially no difference between soil texture and soil structure.

71) Terracing, waterways, and windbreaks can help reduce soil erosion.

72) Misuse of soil can reduce soil fertility.

73) Land that cannot be cultivated will not be productive for other uses.

74) Soil quality management can enhance organic matter, manage pests, and prevent soil compaction.

75) Phytoremediation is:

A) A style of land use planning in agriculture

B) A method crop rotation

C) Use of specialized plants to clean up the environment

D) Use of plants to increase agricultural production

76) Natural or native landscaping is intended to balance our needs and aesthetics with those of:

A) Local community laws

B) Agricultural policies

C) Native American customs

D) The environment

77) Organic green waste includes:

A) Yard waste

B) Food scraps

C) Biodegradable products

D) All of the statements are correct.

78) Phytoremediation is:

A) A slow process that may take many growing seasons to reduce pollution

B) Only possible in areas with mild climates

C) A process that can reduce pollution in less than a year

D) A process that has been used only in rural areas