Title: Default for Exam 1 - Chapters 1 - 5 (60 Points)
Course: MASTER-AGRI-1153-HB-Kern

Q: When looking at topography as a soil forming factor, the three greatest influences in topography include elevation, ___________, and landscape position.
- slope
- parent material
- climate
- vegitation
A: slope

Q: When characterizing soil, it is necessary to imagine it as a three dimensional unit called a pedon.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Ideally, soil organic matter by volume should be around 5%.  However, in most cases, it is usually closer to 10%.
- True
- False
A: False

Q: Soil structure that is termed as "Platy" could be caused by compaction.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Usually black or brown in color, humus is a collection of very complex organic compounds in the soil that accumulate because they are relatively resistant to decay.  Humus is good for plant growth as it attracts and holds nutrient ions and water molecules that the plants can later take advantage of.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Capillarity determines how water moves and is retained in the soil.  Surface tension (the greater attraction of water molecules for each other than for the air above) of water has a dramatic influence on capillarity.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Three major factors affect soil color.  Those factors are organic matter content, water content, and the presence and oxidation states of iron and manganese oxides.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Which has the greatest surface area by volume?
- sand
- silt
- clay
- gravel
A: clay

Q: Scientists will often dig a large hole called a soil pit, usually several feet deep and 3 to 4 feet wide to expose the soil horizons for examination.  The verticle section exposing a set of soil horizons in the wall of the pit is referred as the _______________.
- stratosphere
- profile
- horizon
- biomass
A: profile

Q: The amount of soil water available for plant uptake is determined by a number of factors including water content-potential relationship for each soil horizon, soil strength, density, soil depth, rooting depth and layering.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Soil texture is determined by the amount of these three soil particles
- sand, gravel, humus
- gravel, organic matter, clay
- sand, silt, clay
- silt, humus, organic matter
A: sand, silt, clay

Q: The five soil forming factors are listed as climate, topography, living organisms, parent material and __________.
A: time

Q: Which of the following would refer to a soil formed by wind?
- eolian
- loess
- dune sand
- aerosolic dust
- all answers are correct
A: all answers are correct

Q: The mass of a unit volume of dry soil is referred to as ______ density.
A: bulk

Q: The graph that represents the percentages of sand, silt, and clay in relation to each other is called the soil _________ triangle.
A: texture

Q: Air typically accounts for _______% of the total soil volume.
- 0%
- 5%
- 25%
- 50%
A: 25%

Q: The O Horizon gets it name from the amount of ______________ present.
- Oxygen
- Organic matter
- Oxidization
- Obsidian rock
A: Organic matter

Q: The largest soil particle is:
- sand
- silt
- clay
- organic matter
A: sand

Q: Plant roots obtain which of the following from the soil?  Mark all that apply.
- Air and water
- None of the above
- Temperature moderation
- Chlorophyll
A: Air and water; Temperature moderation

Q: Scientists classify the earth's rocks as igneous, sedimentary and ________________.
- metamorphic
- quartz
- marble
- limestone
A: metamorphic

Q: Select the correct answer.
- Subsoil | B Horizon
- Topsoil | A Horizon
- Organic layers of fallen leaves and other plant and animal remains at the soil surface | O Horizon
- Intensely weathered and leached soils, usually just below the A horizon and above the subsoil. | E Horizon
- Consists primarily of parent material, the least weathered part of the soil profile | C Horizon

Q: The Physical condition of the soil in relation to plant growth is called _______________.
- tillage
- evaporation
- crust
- tilth
A: tilth

Q: Clay is the soil particle that has colloidal properties as it possesses electromagnetic charges that attract positive and negative ions as well as water, making clay the seat of most of the soil's chemical and physical activity.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: Soil has an important role as a natural body that serves as an interface between the worlds of rock (lithosphere), water (hydrosphere), air (atmosphere) and living things (biosphere).
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The type of soil formed from gravity carrying poorly sorted soil and rock fragments downslope from heights above is called ________________.
- colluvium
- alluvium
- Loess
- Glacial till
A: colluvium

Q: When water causes soil deposition in the form of floodplains, fans and deltas, it is referred to as _____________ deposits.
- glacial till
- colluvial
- eolian
- alluvial
A: alluvial

Q: __________________ weathering occurs on rocks when the presence of geological agents such as water and oxygen work with biological agents such as the acids produced by plants during growth metabolism
- Biogeochemical
- Alluvial
- Mechanical
- Topographical
A: Biogeochemical

Q: Mollisols are formed from the accumulation of calcium-rich organic matter, largely from the root systems of prairie grasses.  Where in the United States would you most likely find these soils?
- great plains
- Rocky mountains
- California desert
- Florida everglades
A: great plains

Q: Soil compaction has no effect on root development within the soil.
- True
- False
A: False

Q: The two primary soil orders that are found are
- Histosols, Entisols
- Oxisols, Aridisols
- Mollisols, Alfisols
- Entisols, Mollisols
A: Entisols, Mollisols

Q: The three non mineral Macronutrients that come to the plant primarily from air and water are:
- water, oxygen and nitrogen
- carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
- nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
- Magnesium, calcium and sulphur
A: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Q: During physical and chemical weathering, exfoliation occurs on some rocks.  This is described as the peeling away of the outer layers of the of the rock causing it to look like the leaves of cabbage.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: A device used to measure the water potential in the soil is called a ___________.
- gravitymeter
- barometer
- tensiometer
- none of the choices are correct
A: tensiometer

Q: Sand has the greatest permeability.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: The smallest soil particle is:
- sand
- silt
- clay
- organic matter
A: clay

Q: Soils supply us with nearly all of our food, with the exception of what can be harvested from the oceans.
- True
- False
A: True

Q: What is the name of the Nebraska State Soil?
- Kearney
- Lincoln
- Hastings
- Holdrege
A: Holdrege

Q: There are a total of _________ soil orders used in determining the soil taxonomy.
A: 12 / twelve

Q: The definition of ____________ is a mixture of sand, silt and clay particles that exhibit properties of each of the three, not necessarily equally.
- fragment soil
- loam
- gravel
- none of these
A: loam

Q: Freshly deposited wind blown soil would have a soil structure of
- single grain
- platy
- massive
- columnar
A: single grain