Deck 11: Agriculture

Question 1

Agriculture dates back ________ years ago.

A) 12,000-14,000
B) 6,000-9,000
C) 9,000-11,000
D) 2,000-4,000

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The development of agriculture encouraged ________.

A) a transition towards nomadic lifestyles
B) less trade between communities
C) establishment of large permanent settlements
D) All of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Permanent cropland refers to ________.

A) fallowland or pasture that has been used to grow crops within any five-year period
B) land where crops do not require annual replanting
C) land where crops require annual replanting
D) lands that are used primarily for grazing livestock

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Approximately ________ of the land area of the world is in use for agricultural purposes.

A) one-third
B) 90 per cent
C) 50 per cent
D) one-tenth

Question 5

The Green Revolution is ________.

A) the global intensification of agricultural production
B) the distribution of poverty worldwide
C) the rapid expansion of forest lands worldwide
D) a global environmental movement

Question 6

Since cultivation began, up to________ of the carbon originally present in the surface soil layer has been lost.

A) 30 per cent
B) 23 per cent
C) 42 per cent
D) 19 per cent

Question 7

Agricultural subsidies paid by industrialized nations ________.

A) discriminate against producers in less-developed countries
B) go to the largest farmers in the wealthiest countries
C) inhibit change in agricultural practices
D) All of the above

Question 8

People are considered undernourished if ________.

A) their poor dietary practices lead to high levels of obesity
B) their caloric intake is less then 90 per cent of the recommended level for their size and activity level
C) health impacts associated with poor diet, such as blindness, become apparent
D) their caloric intake is adequate but deficient in other requirements, such as vitamins

Question 9

Malnourishment is common in ________.

A) North America
B) South America
C) Europe
D) South Asia

Question 10

Agriculture accounts for ________ of Canada's GHGs emissions.

A) 13-15 per cent
B) 9-11 per cent
C) 8-10 per cent
D) 5-7 per cent

Question 11

Eating at the lowest level on the agricultural food chain is beneficial because ________.

A) you maximize the amount of usable energy in the food system
B) plants use more energy to grow than animals
C) crops are easier to farm than animals
D) grains provide more valuable nutrients than meat

Question 12

Since cropland cultivation began in Canada, ________ tonnes of soil organic carbon has been lost.

A) 5 billion
B) 5 million
C) 1 million
D) 1 billion

Question 13

________ of the energy given as feed to livestock is lost to belching and other gaseous contributions.

A) 5 per cent
B) 20 per cent
C) 15 per cent
D) 10 per cent

Question 14

Demitarians refers to people who ________.

A) eat significantly more meat and dairy products compared to the average person in their country
B) aim to eat only native plant and animal species
C) eat only products that fall naturally from a plant
D) aim to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy products by half

Question 15

The Green Revolution is characterized by ________.

A) organic farming methods
B) the introduction of higher-yield seeds
C) a reliance on auxiliary energy flows
D) Both b and c

Question 16

The development of higher-yielding or otherwise "improved" crops through cross-breeding of different varieties or strains is called ________.

A) genetic modification
B) hybridization
C) commercialization
D) None of the above

Question 17

The development of higher-yielding or otherwise "improved" crops through combining specific genes from different varieties, strains, or unrelated species is called ________.

A) commercialization
B) hybridization
C) genetic modification
D) None of the above

Question 18

________ is NOT an auxiliary energy flow to agro-ecosystems.

A) An irrigation system
B) Solar input
C) Fertilizer
D) Fossil fuel input

Question 19

The production of food solely for the farm household is called ________.

A) local farming
B) green farming
C) subsistence farming
D) organic farming

Question 20

The production of 1 tonne of grain requires ________ tonnes of water.

A) 100
B) 10,000
C) 1,000
D) 10

Question 21

A gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis that codes for a toxin has been inserted into soybean plants in order to ________.

A) increase the soybean's resistance to insects
B) increase the plant's cold tolerance
C) decrease the plant's toxicity
D) directly increase the growth rate of the soybean

Question 22

The development of pigs that produce lower phosphorus manure is the outcome of ________.

A) hybridization
B) the Green Revolution
C) the use of biocides
D) genetic modification

Question 23

Biofuels ________.

A) generate a fraction of the pollutants of traditional fuels
B) take land away from food production
C) are derived from plants
D) All of the above

Question 24

Canadians' meat consumption is ________ than the global average.

A) more
B) less
C) the same
D) much less

Question 25

The Livestock Revolution has led to ________.

A) intensive farm operations
B) dependence on outside supplies of feed
C) reliance on industrial feedlots
D) All of the above

Question 26

Monoculture crops are made up of ________.

A) a single species, with a high level of genetic diversity
B) more than one species, all of which are native
C) more than one species, none of which is found in nature
D) a single species, often with each individual having the same genetic code

Question 27

Plowing alters soil ________.

A) by mixing with air
B) through auxiliary flows
C) chemically
D) physically

Question 28

Organic farmland represents ________ of the world's farmland.

A) 2.2 per cent
B) 0.8 per cent
C) 2.0 per cent
D) 1.4 per cent

Question 29

The dominant crops grown in Canada are ________.

A) soybean, barley, canola, and wheat
B) wheat, rice, and corn
C) hay, corn, rice, and soybean
D) barley, canola, rice, and rye

Question 30

The concern associated with urbanization and agriculture in Canada is that ________.

A) the amount of arable land free from severe constraints on crop production is small, totalling less than 5 per cent
B) urbanization of agricultural land often affects specialty crops that have limited ability to flourish in Canada
C) juxtaposition of prime agricultural land and the main urban centres has meant that suburban expansion leads to losses in agricultural land
D) All of the above

Question 31

Soil erosion rate is affected by ________.

A) the speed of surface water flow
B) the wind speed
C) the amount of natural vegetation
D) All of the above

Question 32

Soil acidification is accelerated by ________.

A) the application of fertilizers
B) the application of lime
C) the use of biocides
D) the use of heavy machinery on wet soils

Question 33

The deposition of salts in irrigated soils is called ________.

A) salinization
B) acid deposition
C) mobilization
D) compaction

Question 34

Resistance in a population of insects develops because ________.

A) climate change has caused new insects to move into the area, making current biocides useless
B) chemical reactions between some biocides and fertilizers reduces the effectiveness of the biocide
C) population numbers of disease-bearing insects, such as mosquitoes, have been reduced, allowing other insect species to flourish
D) a small number of individuals of a population survive the application of biocides and reproduce, leading to increased number of naturally resistant insects

Question 35

Rachel Carson's 1962 book, Silent Spring, publicized the environmental problems associated with ________.

A) biocide use
B) soil erosion
C) fertilizer use
D) monoculture cropping

Question 36

Aldrin, chlordane, and DDT are all examples of ________.

A) carbamates
B) botanicals
C) chlorinated hydrocarbons
D) organophosphates

Question 37

Species with ________ are most susceptible to bioaccumulation.

A) high fecundity
B) long lifespans
C) low fecundity
D) short lifespans

Question 38

________ would be expected to have the highest concentration of DDT.

A) Beluga whales
B) Algae
C) Atlantic salmon
D) Zooplankton

Question 39

Inuit mothers are concerned about breastfeeding their babies because of the health effects of ________.

A) grasshoppers
B) persistent organochlorine pesticides (POPs)
C) GHG emissions
D) All of the above

Question 40

Persistent and volatile pollutants evaporate into the air in warmer climates and travel in the atmosphere toward cooler areas, condensing out again when the temperature drops. This phenomenon is known as ________

A) the butterfly effect
B) persistent organochlorine pesticides (POPs)
C) bioaccumulation
D) the grasshopper effect

Question 41

When the combined effects of chemicals are greater than the sum of their individual effects, this is called ________.

A) persistence
B) synergism
C) bioaccumulation
D) biomagnification

Question 42

Primary responsibility in Canada for regulating biocides is held by ________.

A) provincial and territorial governments
B) the federal government
C) farming organizations
D) chemical manufacturers

Question 43

To respond to cosmetic use of pesticides, Ontario instigated ________.

A) a ruling that municipalities do not have the authority to enact laws banning pesticides
B) a strict ban on the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes
C) a ban of some cosmetic pesticide products
D) a voluntary, educational approach to reducing the cosmetic use of pesticides

Question 44

Intensive livestock operations can lead to ________.

A) nutrient loading in streams, rivers, and other water bodies, spurring the growth of algae
B) odour and air pollution in the form of methane, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, and ammonia
C) contamination of drinking water from manure pathogens
D) All of the above

Question 45

Integrated pest management is ________.

A) used to reduce the losses caused by diseases
B) used to minimize the negative impacts of pest control
C) a process that uses different types of pests to manage crops
D) Both a and b
E) Both a and c

Question 46

Recycling plant nutrient sources and using nitrogen fixing bacteria to maximize nutrient use efficiency is called ________.

A) integral plant management
B) integrated pest management
C) integrated plant nutrient systems
D) integrated nutrient fixation

Question 47

The use of no-till agriculture and reduced areas of summer fallow has led to ________.

A) increasing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural land in Canada
B) limited change in the amount of greenhouse gas stored or emitted from agricultural land
C) Canadian cropland changing from a greenhouse gas sink to a greenhouse gas source
D) Canadian cropland changing from a greenhouse gas source to a greenhouse gas sink

Question 48

________ is the most common soil conservation practice in Canada.

A) Crop rotation
B) Grassed waterways
C) Strip cropping
D) Contour cultivation

Question 49

Compared to conventional farming practices, organic farming systems are ________.

A) more energy efficient per unit crop
B) similar in energy efficiency per unit crop
C) open nutrient cycles
D) less energy efficient per unit crop

Question 50

As food miles increase ________.

A) rural unemployment grows
B) local food insecurity increases
C) greenhouse gas emissions increase
D) All of the above

Question 51

Agriculture is the dominant influence on the global landscape.

Question 52

The Green Revolution will ultimately lead to long-term productivity losses.

Question 53

Agriculture subsidies paid to farmers generally help to promote equity and environmental stewardship.

Question 54

As with natural food chains, the longer the agricultural chain, the greater the energy loss.

Question 55

All areas currently used as rangeland can be converted to cropland to increase the production of food.

Question 56

One of the most significant impacts of agriculture is greenhouse gas production.

Question 57

The Green Revolution has not significantly impacted the number of people suffering from chronic food shortages.

Question 58

Canada requires that genetically modified foods be labelled before being sold in retail stores.

Question 59

Globally, Canada has some of the highest rates of fertilizer usage per hectare.

Question 60

Biofuels can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions but also reduce land available for food production.

Question 61

Biofuel production does not require the use of fossil fuels.

Question 62

Auxiliary energy flows used in modern agricultural systems are often in excess of those derived from natural sources.

Question 63

Summer fallow is used to reduce moisture loss due to evapotranspiration.

Question 64

Biocides have helped to control the spread of malaria.

Question 65

The Arctic has remained relatively free of toxins and pollutants associated with agricultural production.

Question 66

Hexachlorocyclohexanes are found in high concentrations north of the Arctic Circle.

Question 67

Intensive livestock operations contribute to water pollution.

Question 68

Integrated pest management approaches might use bacteria, viruses and fungi to control pests.

Question 69

Different crops planted in strips parallel to a slope are referred to as strip cropping.

Question 70

Organic farming increases the density of earthworms in the soil.

Question 71

What are the social implications of agriculture development?

Question 72

List five approaches for addressing the challenge of increasing the quantity and quality of affordable foods to allay global hunger.

Question 73

One rationale for a vegetarian diet is that by eating lower on the food chain, consumers allow for the amount of usable energy in the food system to be maximized. Is this always true on rangeland?

Question 74

What is the evidence that ours is not the first time period in which humans have altered atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations?

Question 75

What areas of uncertainty remain regarding the potential impacts of genetically modified organisms?

Question 76

What are biofuels? What are the benefits and drawbacks of biofuels?

Question 77

Briefly describe how agricultural activity contributes to environmental challenges associated with land degradation in Canada

Question 78

What is the grasshopper effect?

Question 79

What is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification? Provide an example of each.

Question 80

List five of eight goals of organic agriculture.