Deck 7: Food and Agriculture

Question 1

The layer of soil that is a mixture of minerals and organic material is the

A)O horizon.
B)A horizon.
C)humus.
D)E horizon.
E)primary layer.

Answer 1

A horizon.

Question 2

The three crops that humans rely on for the majority of nutrients and calories are

A)potatoes,wheat,and oats.
B)wheat,rice,and maize.
C)barley,oats,and rye.
D)maize,oats,and rice.
E)oats,beans,and barley.

Answer 2

wheat,rice,and maize.

Question 3

Undernourished parents often raise children who are undernourished because the parents

A)transfer genetic deficiencies to their children.
B)do not know any better.
C)cannot afford to feed their children properly.
D)do not have access to information about nutrition.
E)All of these are reasons for the vicious cycle.

Answer 3

cannot afford to feed their children properly.

Question 4

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

A)irrigation in arid areas.
B)building up soil reserves on farms worldwide.
C)clearing rainforests.
D)an increase on the land being used for agriculture,especially in developed countries.
E)new crop varieties and intensified farming.

Question 5

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 6

________ can be defined as the transfer of genes for desirable traits,such as pest resistance,into crop plants from other organisms.

A)Natural selection
B)Evolutionary engineering
C)Genetic engineering
D)Genetic resistance
E)Genetic modification

Question 7

Obesity is a disease that affects

A)poor,developing nations.
B)wealthy,developed nations.
C)individuals in every nation equally.
D)nations that utilize beef and rice as major food sources.

Question 8

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 region.

Question 9

What are two common diseases that result from protein deficiencies?

A)dysentery and diarrhea
B)dysentery and scurvy
C)scurvy and pellagra
D)goiter and cretinism
E)marasmus and kwashiorkor

Question 10

What is the theoretical basis of the statement that we could feed more people if we would eat grain rather than feeding it to livestock?

A)the First Law of Thermodynamics
B)the Second Law of Thermodynamics
C)ecofeminism
D)biocentrism
E)anthropocentrism

Question 11

The energy needed to process and distribute food in the US is as much as ________ times the amount that is used to actually farm the crops.

A)0)5
B)2
C)3)5
D)5
E)8

Question 12

All are common modern agricultural methods,except

A)aquaculture farms.
B)plowing with machines.
C)irrigating with drip systems.
D)using chemical fertilizers.
E)plowing fields.

Question 13

Vitamin A deficiencies are associated with

A)anemia.
B)weak bones.
C)a lack of energy,or listlessness.
D)poorly developed neural systems in embryos.
E)dry eyes and retinal degeneration.

Question 14

Which of the following are forms of chemical deterioration of soil?

A)salinization and acidification
B)waterlogging and laterization
C)compaction and nutrient depletion
D)pollution and waterlogging
E)water and wind erosion

Question 15

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 16

Famines are most often serious when there is

A)a very serious drought.
B)no room to expand agriculture.
C)steady population growth.
D)drought and war together.
E)an attempt by indigenous people to return to old traditions and lands.

Question 17

The approximate energy yield of carbohydrates is 4 calories/gram;fats yield about 9 calories/gram,and proteins about 4 calories/gram.Jack and Sarah consumed the following for lunch: Jack-100 grams protein,20 grams fat,75 grams carbohydrates;
Sarah- 75 grams protein,10 grams fats,75 grams carbohydrates.
How many Calories each did Jack and Sarah consume?

A)Jack: 890 Calories,Sarah: 670 Calories
B)Jack: 880 Calories,Sarah: 680 Calories
C)Jack: 900 Calories,Sarah: 650 Calories
D)Jack: 900 Calories,Sarah: 680 Calories
E)Jack: 880 Calories,Sarah: 690 Calories

Question 18

Waterlogging results from

A)toxic metal accumulation.
B)excessive irrigation.
C)excessive plowing.
D)high evaporation processes.
E)natural water erosion processes.

Question 19

Goiter is a common disease resulting from a shortage of dietary

A)protein.
B)iodine.
C)iron.
D)vitamin A.
E)folic acid.

Question 20

High responder crops of the green revolution produce tremendous yields

A)even in severe drought conditions.
B)with primitive farming techniques and no chemical use.
C)in response to fertilizers,pesticides,and irrigation.
D)in all conditions where standard crops fail.
E)in response to fertilizers,pesticides,and irrigation and only "good" yields in less than ideal situations.

Question 21

You can participate in sustainable agriculture by

A)buying local produce.
B)eating lower on the food chain.
C)participating in CSAs.
D)eating locally lower on the food chain and participating in CSAs.

Question 22

Which is a disadvantage of conservation tillage methods?

A)increased irrigation requirements
B)less efficient use of fertilizer
C)increased pests and weeds
D)decreased crop yields
E)None of these are correct.

Question 23

How is food security related to environmental factors?

A)In areas where subsistence farming is the major source of nutrition,severe drought,flood,or insect outbreaks can destroy food crops.
B)In high poverty areas,families have less buying power for nutritious food.
C)When programs to support purchasing nutritious food are eliminated,families struggle to secure enough nutritious food.
D)Within families,there can be unequal food security with women and children receiving the poorest diet.
E)When unemployment is high,food security decreases.

Question 24

Sustainable farming

A)is cheaper and safer than conventional farming.
B)is safe,although it causes weed problems.
C)uses fewer chemicals but more water than conventional methods.
D)is an invention of modern agricultural research.
E)is safer than conventional farming,but much more expensive.

Question 25

Alfalfa and clover are two legumes commonly planted as cover crops after the cash crop is harvested.Besides providing roots that will help keep soil in place,what would make these plants good cover crops?

A)Being legumes,they have a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria to add nitrogen to the soil.
B)They are easily mowed,which adds less work to the farmers in the spring.
C)Their flowers attract bees,which will help the cash crops grow in the future.
D)Alfalfa is another cash crop that can be harvested and sold for food.
E)They use up any leftover fertilizer.

Question 26

What is the advantage of genetically modified crops (GMOs)?

A)they can be designed to resist drought
B)they offer improved resistance to pests and diseases
C)they can be engineered to improve yield
D)they can be altered to produce vaccines
E)All of these are benefits to GMOs.

Question 27

The USDA estimates ________ percent of conventionally grown foods are contaminated with pesticide residue.

A)11
B)23
C)34
D)58
E)73

Question 28

Methods of managing topography include all but which of the following?

A)terracing
B)contour plowing
C)deep tilling
D)strip-farming

Question 29

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 and loosening
E)decreased insects and weeds

Question 30

A natural form of fertilizer would be

A)manure.
B)phosphorous application.
C)nitrogen.
D)corn plantings.
E)genetically modified crop plantings.

Question 31

The biggest worry about a genetically modified Atlantic salmon with extra growth hormones is that it will introduce these hormones into our diet.

Question 32

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 33

More than 70% of all soybeans,corn,and cotton grown in the United States are genetically modified.

Question 34

How is the increase in corn and soy production related to livestock production for meat?

A)Much of the grain produced is fed to animals raised for meat.
B)The same farms that grow the corn and soy also raise livestock.
C)There is no relationship between the two variables.
D)Corn and soy products are often eaten by people in the same meals as meat products.
E)Livestock are rotated into the fields where corn and soy are produced to fertilize the fields.

Question 35

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)are made by taking bits of DNA from different sources to create desired characteristics in an organism.

Question 36

Fifty years ago,there were several hundred varieties of wheat grown in the Middle East.Now a few of the more modern high responder varieties have replaced the indigenous species.What are the implications of this change?

A)The productivity of wheat should continue to rise and increase the availability of food per person.
B)Genetic resources are diminished and an epidemic of wheat disease is highly likely due to the reliance on few species.
C)The high responder varieties will need specialized harvesting methods because they are so productive.
D)The biodiversity of wheat species has increased because of the introduction of few hybrid species.
E)High responder varieties require less water.

Question 37

Studies of topsoil erosion on Iowa farmland shows that as much as 50 metric tons are lost per hectare during winter and spring rains.This loss is due to the loss of millimeters of soil from across the entire surface of the fields.Which type of erosion would this be?

A)sheet or rill erosion
B)gully erosion
C)streambank erosion
D)wind erosion
E)field erosion

Question 38

The number of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)and the acreage devoted to growing them has decreased in the past fifteen years because of the huge number of opponents.