Deck 10: Food, Soil, and Pest Management

Question 1

Organic farming is practiced on _____ of U.S. a.cropland and _____ of European cropland.

A)10%, 6-18%
B)0.1%, 6-18%
C)18%, 10%
D)10%, 10%
E)1.0%, 5%

Answer 1

0.1%, 6-18%

Question 2

Since 1950, aquaculture production has

A)declined by half
B)increased almost seven-fold
C)increased over 40-fold
D)stayed exactly the same as the wild fish catch
E)declined by about 10%

Answer 2

increased over 40-fold

Question 3

What proportion of food products sold on U.S. a.supermarket shelves contains some form of genetically engineered crop?

A)one-fifth
B)one-third
C)one-half
D)two-thirds
E)three-quarters

Answer 3

three-quarters

Question 4

Which of the following are not part of organic agriculture practices?

A)synthetic pesticides
B)synthetic fertilizers
C)genetically engineered seeds
D)feed additives
E)all of these answers

Question 5

Which statement is the best fit to describe an aspect of industrialized agriculture?

A)Insecticides and herbicides are rarely needed.
B)Food is produced for global consumption.
C)Farmers grow several different crops on the same plot simultaneously.
D)Humans and draft animals provide the labor.
E)Polyculture is an underlying theme in all operations.

Question 6

The majority of soil organic matter is concentrated in the

A)O horizon of leaf litter
B)A horizon of topsoil
C)O and A horizons
D)C horizon
E)B horizon

Question 7

Which of the following is a micronutrient, which without sufficient quantities in a diet can result in goiter?

A)protein
B)carbohydrates
C)vitamin A
D)vitamin C
E)iodine

Question 8

The following grains are among the world's major food crops except

A)wheat
B)soybean
C)rice
D)corn
E)All of these answers are grains that are major food crops.

Question 9

Which of the following types of agriculture is most characteristic of developed countries?

A)plantation agriculture
B)traditional agriculture
C)industrialized agriculture
D)minimum-tillage agriculture
E)maximum-tillage agriculture

Question 10

The term malnutrition refers to people who

A)eat less than the basic minimum number of daily calories
B)eat balanced meals
C)eat too much
D)suffer from lack of protein and other key nutrients
E)eat too much protein

Question 11

All of the following crops are commonly grown in plantation agriculture except

A)corn
B)bananas
C)palm oil
D)coffee
E)sugarcane

Question 12

Which of the following types of agriculture is most characteristic of developing countries?

A)plantation agriculture
B)traditional agriculture
C)industrialized agriculture
D)minimum-tillage agriculture
E)high-input agriculture

Question 13

Which of the following is the list of macronutrients needed to sustain good health?

A)vitamin A, C, and iodine
B)vitamin A, C, and E
C)iodine, protein, and carbohydrate
D)protein, carbohydrate, and fats
E)protein, carbohydrate, and nucleic acids

Question 14

Which of the following is the root cause of food insecurity?

A)insufficient food resources being produced globally
B)rapid climate change
C)poverty
D)political disputes over natural resources
E)poor organization of government agencies

Question 15

Which of the following would not be used to describe polyculture?

A)Plants mature at various times.
B)The plot of land is left unmanaged for long periods of time.
C)Fertilizer use and water use are reduced.
D)Pesticides are rarely needed.
E)It produces higher yields than high-input monocultures.

Question 16

All of the following are diseases related to diet in America today, except

A)heart disease
B)swine flu
C)Type 2 diabetes
D)stroke
E)some forms of cancer

Question 17

Anemia can be the result of a deficiency in

A)cobalt
B)iodine
C)iron
D)calcium
E)oxygen

Question 18

Monoculture is a method of growing food that is utilized solely in

A)industrialized agriculture
B)polyculture
C)traditional subsistence agriculture
D)traditional intensive agriculture
E)both industrialized agriculture and traditional intensive agriculture

Question 19

Which of the following associations is incorrect?

A)croplands and grains
B)aquaculture and seafood
C)rangelands and meat
D)feedlots and shellfish
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 20

A drawback of traditional crossbreeding of plants for major food crops that is not a problem in genetically engineered food crops is the fact that

A)they never produce very high yields
B)it takes 15 years or more to produce a commercially valuable crop variety
C)only genetically similar species can be crossbred
D)all of these answers are correct
E)they never produce very high yields and only genetically similar species can be crossbred

Question 21

Salt buildup may

A)increase crop growth
B)increase yields
C)eventually kill weeds
D)eventually make the land unproductive
E)none of these answers

Question 22

Which of the following best describes how the process of irrigation can lead to salinization of soils?

A)Water associated with irrigation flows from uphill. a.The salts that were in the soil uphill end up being brought to the lower elevations.
B)Water associated with irrigation contains small amounts of dissolved salts. a.Evaporation leaves behind increasing concentrations of these salts.
C)Irrigation water contains salts. a.Evaporation allows the salts to be lifted away, reducing the levels of salts in the soil.
D)Irrigation water is treated with dissolved salts to promote plant growth. a.Over time the plants become saturated with salts and do not need this macronutrient.
E)Irrigation is primarily accomplished through the use of abundant sea water, which contains high concentrations of salts.

Question 23

According to pesticide proponents, pesticides

A)work fast
B)increase profit for farmers
C)save lives
D)increase food supplies
E)all of these answers

Question 24

A hormone is

A)a new form of chemical insecticide awaiting approval by FIFRA
B)a strong herbicide
C)a species-specific chemical sex attractant
D)a chemical that controls an organism's growth and development
E)a strong pesticide

Question 25

Which of the following can lead to desertification?

A)conservation tillage
B)severe and prolonged drought
C)crop rotation
D)polyculture farming
E)none of these answers

Question 26

Most soil erosion is caused by

A)wind and moving water
B)photosynthesis
C)earthquakes
D)volcanoes
E)excess heat

Question 27

Biological control of pests

A)costs more money than pesticides to use
B)is toxic to use
C)is fast-acting
D)is not toxic to use
E)has never been very effective

Question 28

Integrated pest management ____ than pesticides.

A)requires more expert knowledge about individual pest-crop situations
B)is faster acting
C)requires more fertilizer and irrigation
D)is more expensive
E)none of these answers

Question 29

The amount of irrigated land used to produce food crops has increased since 1950. a.It can also be said that:

A)The amount of irrigated land per person has increased since 1950.
B)The amount of irrigated land per person has decreased since 1950.
C)The amount of irrigated land per person has stayed the same since 1950.
D)The amount of irrigated land per person for this time period is not known.
E)The amount of irrigated land per person has increased in some areas and decreased in others.

Question 30

Since 1945, approximately ____ species of insects have developed resistance to one or more insecticides.

A)50
B)500
C)1,000
D)2,000
E)5,000

Question 31

Broad-spectrum pesticides may increase the number of a pest species through

A)development of genetic resistance
B)killing of predators of the pest species
C)killing of parasites that may have kept the population of the pest low
D)both killing of predators of the pest species and killing of parasites that may have kept the population of the pest low
E)all of these answers are correct

Question 32

Which of the following statements is a weakness of using pheromones?

A)They are costly and time-consuming to produce.
B)They are more effective in the juvenile stage than the adult stage.
C)Insects develop resistance to pheromones.
D)They are biologically magnified in nontarget species.
E)They only work in large amounts.

Question 33

Which of the following is a serious problem associated with the use of modern synthetic pesticides?

A)Pest organisms can become genetically resistant.
B)They can become extremely expensive for farmers to utilize.
C)These pesticides often kill beneficial insect populations.
D)They pollute the environment.
E)All of these answers.

Question 34

How many units of energy are required to produce one unit of grain-fed beef?

A)one
B)10
C)15
D)25
E)35

Question 35

Switching to integrated pest management

A)will be easy to do because it is very simple
B)is opposed by politically and economically powerful agricultural chemical companies
C)is difficult because it only works for a few pests
D)is strongly opposed by environmentalists
E)all of these answers

Question 36

Perhaps the most important thing about Rachel Carson's investigative work on the environmental effects of pesticides, and her publication "Silent Spring," is

A)the number of errors in the book
B)her failure to include a discussion about Integrated Pest Management
C)that it laid the groundwork for later, more serious work
D)that it eventually led to the banning of many pesticides in the United States and other countries
E)that it is a remarkable book considering it was written by a person without any scientific training

Question 37

Which of the following approaches would be the least beneficial in trying to reduce insect damage?

A)rotating crops
B)genetic engineering of crops
C)planting monocultures
D)bringing in natural enemies
E)planting polycultures

Question 38

A pheromone is

A)a new form of chemical insecticide awaiting approval by FIFRA
B)a strong herbicide
C)a species-specific chemical sex attractant
D)a bloodstream chemical that controls an organism's growth and development
E)a safe, natural pesticide

Question 39

An integrated pest management program attempts to

A)increase inputs of fertilizer and irrigation water
B)reduce crop damage to an economically tolerable level
C)increase pesticide use
D)decrease yields and increase costs
E)increase the development of disease-resistant pests

Question 40

Strains of genetically modified food crops can hybridize with wild crop varieties when

A)The process is carefully controlled in an agricultural lab.
B)Pollen blows from the genetically modified crop and spreads among wild varieties.
C)Pollen is transferred by the farmer from one crop to the other.
D)It is not possible for a genetically modified plant to hybridize with a wild species.
E)More than one of these answers is correct

Question 41

In the United States, the use of pesticides has increased 33-fold since 1942. a.About 31% of crops were lost to pests in the 1940s.

A)Today the percentage of food crops lost to pests is less than in the 1940s, due to the increased pesticide use
B)more than in the 1940s, at about 37%
C)the same as in the 1940s
D)There is no data to allow a comparison of this type.
E)more than in the 1940s, at about 40%

Question 42

Which of the following are ways that individuals can support sustainable agriculture through their choices and behaviors?

A)waste less food
B)eat locally grown food
C)eat less meat
D)compost food wastes
E)all of these answers

Question 43

Aquaculture would be more sustainable if

A)consumers chose to eat fish species that are primary consumers instead of secondary consumers
B)consumers chose to eat top predators
C)fish farms were located near mangrove forests
D)fish farms were located near estuaries
E)chemical pesticides were used to control common fish diseases

Question 44

The National Academy of Sciences has estimated that 98% of the potential risk of developing cancer from pesticide residue on food grown in the U.S. a.could be eliminated if

A)the entire industrialized agriculture business switched to integrated pest management
B)genetically modified foods were grown exclusively
C)pheromone traps were used more effectively to capture pests
D)EPA standards for pre-1972 pesticides were as strict as standards for later pesticides
E)none of these answers

Question 45

The term locavore refers to

A)the eating habits of people who love to eat
B)people who participate in CSAs and commit to buying locally grown food
C)growing food in partially used parking lots
D)backyard gardeners
E)storytellers who relate historical information to their communities

Question 46

Which of the following is not one of the three major types of organic fertilizer?

A)green manure
B)sewage sludge
C)compost
D)animal manure
E)All of these are major types of organic fertilizers.

Question 47

Soil in the United States is eroding about ____ times faster than it can form.

A)2
B)4
C)8
D)17
E)22

Question 48

Which choice reflects the correct sequence of animal efficiency at converting grain into protein, from the most efficient animal to the least?

A)fish, chicken, pigs, beef cattle
B)chicken, fish, beef cattle, pigs
C)pigs, chicken, fish, beef cattle
D)beef cattle, fish, chicken, pigs
E)These animals are all equally efficient at converting grain into protein.

Question 49

Sustainable agriculture is characterized by all of the following except

A)soil salinization
B)crop rotation
C)soil conservation
D)integrated pest management
E)promoting polyculture practices

Question 50

All of the following are true about subsidies for food production except

A)Subsidies in developed countries average $533,000 per minute.
B)Milk production quadrupled in New Zealand after farm subsidies were ended.
C)Food prices in developed countries are kept artificially low.
D)Developing countries also receive large amounts of subsidies for growing food.
E)All of these statements are true.

Question 51

The process least likely to conserve soil nutrients is

A)crop rotation
B)fertilizing with compost
C)fertilizing with green manure
D)fertilizing with animal manure
E)irrigation

Question 52

Sustainable agriculture

A)uses pesticides
B)minimizes soil erosion
C)requires high inputs of fossil fuel
D)relies mainly on chemical fertilizers
E)wastes water

Question 53

Which of the following is a characteristic of polyaquaculture?

A)Only herbivorous fish are raised.
B)Only carnivorous fish are raised.
C)Fish and shrimp are raised in ponds along with algae, seaweed, and shellfish.
D)Fish are raised in estuaries where the flushing action of rivers keeps the wastes moving away from the fish.
E)None of these answers.

Question 54

Which of the following is central to most of the efforts to conserve topsoil?

A)an emphasis on agricultural practices that enhance monocultures
B)annual crop rotations
C)keeping the soil covered by vegetation
D)preventing insect pests from destroying valuable crops
E)conversion of croplands into pasturelands or feedlots

Question 55

The sale and use of pesticides in the United States is regulated by which agencies?

A)FDA, EPA, and USDA
B)USDA, FDA, and ATF
C)CIA, FDA, and USDA
D)FBI, FDA, and EPA
E)EPA, ATF, and FBI

Question 56

In alley cropping:

A)Crops are planted between hedgerows of trees or shrubs that are used for fruits or fuelwood.
B)Terraces are built to prevent swift water runoff.
C)Plowing runs across slopes.
D)Special tillers are used so the topsoil is not disturbed.
E)A row of crops alternates in strips with another row of crops.

Question 57

The largest contributor to the ecological foot print of most individuals in affluent nations is

A)recreational hunting and fishing
B)vacations via air travel
C)residential heating
D)meat production and consumption
E)purchasing more clothing and accessories than are needed

Question 58

Food security can be improved by

A)creating programs to reduce poverty and chronic malnutrition
B)relying more on locally grown food
C)cutting down on food waste
D)all of these answers are correct
E)relying more on locally grown food and cutting down on food waste

Question 59

Conservation tillage

A)increases labor costs
B)increases erosion
C)increases energy consumption
D)accelerates water loss from the soil
E)decreases erosion

Question 60

In order to switch to sustainable agriculture, which of the following practices would not be favorable?

A)Give subsidies and tax breaks to those that use the method.
B)Shift to full-cost pricing.
C)Increase government support of research on sustainable agriculture.
D)Expand the use of the crops of the green revolution.
E)Discourage monocultures.

Question 61

Per unit area, the application of synthetic pesticides is higher on typical crop fields than it is on the average lawn.

Question 62

It takes about one unit of nonrenewable fossil fuel energy to put one unit of food energy on the table.

Question 63

Multiple cropping is a high-input approach that dramatically increased yields of food crops between 1950 and 1970.

Question 64

Farmers use alley cropping with row patterns nearly level around hills-not up and down-to dissuade soil erosion.

Question 65

A recent review of 286 systems employing organic agriculture in 57 countries found that their average yield was 70% higher than that from conventional agriculture.

Question 66

There are sufficient food resources being produced to meet the basic nutritional requirements of every person on the planet.

Question 67

Pesticides have a positive benefit in terms of public health because fungi, insects, and noncrop plants can contaminate crops with many natural toxins.

Question 68

Overgrazing by cattle can ultimately result in water pollution.

Question 69

Antibiotics and growth hormones are basic practices in meat production for both conventional and organic agriculture.

Question 70

Health problems faced by those who are overfed are completely different from the health problems faced by those who are underfed.

Question 71

Plantation agriculture is used primarily to reduce soil erosion and restore soil fertility.

Question 72

Since 1942 the use of synthetic pesticides has increased 33-fold.
a.In spite of this fact, food supply damage due to pests has increased during that time.

Question 73

Compared to conventional tillage, conservation tillage

A)reduces fuel and tillage costs
B)accelerates water loss from the soil
C)causes soil compaction
D)requires increased use of herbicides
E)all of these answers

Question 74

Food production worldwide is now less than in previous decades.

Question 75

Some nations have experienced an increase in certain crop yields after greatly cutting pesticide use.

Question 76

A disadvantage to the green revolution is the intensive use of commercial inorganic fertilizers.

Question 77

There are no technological substitutes for fertile and uncontaminated topsoil.

Question 78

A benefit of intense industrialized agriculture in the United States is that it maximizes yields on acres in production so that large areas of forest, grasslands, and wetlands can remain unconverted.

Question 79

Over time, the extensive addition of water through irrigation practices can actually lead to desertification.

Question 80

Malnourished individuals may become more prone to infections, and eventually may develop a specific deficiency disease.