Deck 23: Classification and Mapping of Soils

Question 1

The highest classification level in soil taxonomy is __.

A) soil division
B) soil order
C) soil group
D) soil family

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which Köppen climate type is associated with aridisols?

A) Aw
B) BW
C) Cw
D) Dw
E) none of these

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What type of ash is associated with andisols?

A) wooden
B) lime
C) volcanic
D) alluvial
E) colluvial

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Spodosol soils are most associated with which Köppen climate classification?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) ET

Question 5

The ____ soil order is most common in permafrost regions of the subarctic.

A) mollisols
B) gelisols
C) glacisols
D) alfisols

Question 6

The tall grasslands of North America produce rich, deep fertile soils of the ____soil order.

A) mollisols
B) gelisols
C) andisols
D) oxisols

Question 7

The deep red in tropical soils is due to the accumulation of ______ in the B layer.

A) red organics
B) magnesium oxide
C) sulfur oxide
D) iron oxide

Question 8

How are the soil orders entisols, histosols, vertisols, inceptisols, gelisols, and andisols similar?

A) they are strongly associated with certain climates
B) they are strongly associated with glacial activity
C) they are strongly associated with fluvial action
D) they are not associated strongly with certain climates

Question 9

The ____ soil order is defined by its lack of a B layer and a weakly developed soil.

A) andisols
B) oxisols
C) entisols
D) inceptisols
E) podosols

Question 10

Why do oxisols have such low fertility?

A) percolating water leaches the soil
B) organic matter is quickly lost
C) low concentrations of iron and aluminum
D) both (a) and (b)
E) both (a) and (c)

Question 11

The typical soil order for tropical rainforests is:

A) oxisols
B) spodosols
C) ultisols
D) mollisols
E) vertisols

Question 12

Which soil order is associated with peat or muck and common in wetlands?

A) gelisols
B) histosols
C) mollisols
D) muckisols
E) entisols

Question 13

Which soil order has only the early development of a B horizon?

A) entisols
B) aridisols
C) inceptisols
D) oxisols
E) betasols

Question 14

Most of the rainforests of the Amazon and Congo basins contain ____ soil order.

A) mollisols
B) alfisols
C) oxisols
D) spodosols
E) entisols

Question 15

The wheat belts of North America and the steppes of Russia contain highly productive ___ soil order.

A) mollisols
B) alfisols
C) oxisols
D) spodosols
E) entisols

Question 16

Heavy clay soils of the ____ order along the Red River of N. Dakota grow sugar beets often crack in dry weather.

A) mollisols
B) alfisols
C) spodosols
D) vertisols
E) entisols

Question 17

In SE China and the U.S., where Cfa Köppen climate dominates, the soil type tends to be of the ___ order.

A) mollisols
B) alfisols
C) spodosols
D) vertisols
E) ultisols

Question 18

Which soil orders are most strongly influenced by parent material than any other single factor?

A) andisols
B) spodosols
C) ultisols
D) oxisols
E) vertisols

Question 19

Why do aridisols have a surface layer low in organic matter?

A) lack of iron and aluminum compounds
B) lack of accumulated salts
C) minimal vegetation
D) too much vegetative cover

Question 20

All areas of the world with similar climates have similar soil orders.

Question 21

Because of high rainfall and warm temperatures, rainforests have highly productive soils for agriculture.