Deck 15: Feeding a Hungry World

Question 1

The scientific basis for understanding plant breeding was not fully understood until the work of _______ was accepted.

A)Charles Darwin
B)Gregor Mendel
C)Watson and Crick
D)Barbara McClintock
E)Linnaeus

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What process is undermining the development of disease-resistant varieties of plants?

A)genetically modified plants
B)widespread weed invasion
C)the continuous evolution of pests and pathogens
D)the input of too much pesticide and herbicide
E)monocropping

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What was the principle crop behind the Green Revolution?

A)maize
B)rice
C)potato
D)wheat
E)barley

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Maize differs from the ancient ancestor from which it was evolved by

A)the size of its stalks.
B)its root system.
C)the size and number of its ears.
D)its nonshattering habit.
E)more than one of thesE.

Question 5

Probably the most serious environmental factor limiting crop productivity is the

A)use of GM plants.
B)evolution of pests resistant to pesticides.
C)increasing salinity of soils.
D)invasion of weeds from tropical areas.

Question 6

While some say the solution to human malnutrition and starvation is greater food production,critics say the real problem is

A)food distribution.
B)the practice of monocropping.
C)the use of GM crops.
D)growing traditional staple crops.

Question 7

Approximately how many people in the world are receiving insufficient food to meet their daily requirements?

A)8 million
B)80 million
C)800 million
D)8 billion
E)80 billion

Question 8

The cheapest and most effective method for producing healthy plants is

A)large inputs of fertilizers.
B)large-scale spraying of pesticides.
C)development of disease- resistant varieties.
D)large-scale spraying of herbicides.
E)the practice of monoculturE.

Question 9

Which of the following was not developed from Brassica oleracea?

A)cabbage
B)broccoli
C)corn
D)cauliflower
E)brussel sprouts

Question 10

Which of the following is a major western United States aquifer that is being depleted due to agricultural demands?

A)Mahomet Aquifer
B)Ogallala Aquifer
C)Turlock Basin
D)Edwards Aquifer

Question 11

What is the population of the world in billions as of April 2015?

A)6.1
B)7.3
C)8.0
D)9.6
E)11.8

Question 12

Who is considered the Father of the Green Revolution?

A)Norman Borlaug
B)Thomas Hunt Morgan
C)Charles Darwin
D)Gregor Mendel
E)James Watson

Question 13

The biggest loss of crop plants is to

A)insect pests.
B)fungal diseases.
C)theft by malnourished humans.
D)viral diseases.
E)mold.

Question 14

Maize was evolved from

A)teosinte.
B)brassica.
C)corn-like sunflowers.
D)quinoa.
E)amaranth.

Question 15

Why did early farmers select grain plants with nonshattering heads to cultivate?

A)seeds produced in nonshattering heads were not eaten by herbivores
B)seeds produced in nonshattering heads did not have mutations
C)seeds produced in nonshatttering heads were not scattered on the ground
D)seeds produced in nonshatterring heads were larger and tastier
E)all of these are reasons why farmers selected plants with nonshattering heads

Question 16

The main crop of interest for development during World War II was

A)rubber trees.
B)disease-resistant wheat.
C)gum trees.
D)latex producing euphorbia.
E)high-yield potatoes.

Question 17

CIMMYT is an acronym for

A)a devastating disease of wheat.
B)a program for developing high-yielding dwarf varieties of wheat.
C)a program to develop genetically modified strains of maize.
D)an organization dedicated to bringing an end to world hunger.

Question 18

What process results in soils becoming saline?

A)the use of salt producing plants
B)the underuse of fertilizers
C)global warming
D)the evaporation of water
E)monocropping

Question 19

One advantage of high-yielding wheat developed for the Green Revolution was

A)resistance to late blight.
B)resistance to lodging.
C)their nonshattering heads.
D)the development of dwarf varieties.

Question 20

Which of the following is an issue of concern about the Green Revolution?

A)the necessary heavy inputs of fertilizer and pesticides
B)the expense is too great for many poor farmers
C)the high energy cost of producing fertilizers
D)environmental and health effects associated with chemical inputs
E)all of these are issues of concern about the Green Revolution

Question 21

What is germplasm?

A)another term for traditional varieties
B)the effect of a fungal infection
C)the general term for any plant pathogen
D)the genetic information of a plant that makes it unique
E)the end result of genetic erosion

Question 22

Which of the following would be a strategy to stop genetic erosion?

A)collect seeds of traditional varieties for storage in a seed bank
B)introduce monoculture to maximize agricultural efficiency
C)introduction of industrialized agricultural techniques
D)limit agriculture to the cultivation of major domesticated crops

Question 23

The small circular bits of DNA in bacteria that have been used as vectors to introduce genes in genetic engineering are called:

A)genomes
B)plasmids
C)callus
D)chromosomes

Question 24

A genetically engineered crop that is being developed to eliminate blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is:

A)Bt corn
B)golden rice
C)high oleic acid soybean
D)disease resistant potato
E)herbicide resistant soybean

Question 25

A mass of actively dividing cells in tissue culture can develop into a plant if:

A)sucrose is added
B)plant hormones are added
C)minerals are added
D)herbicides are added
E)plasmids are added

Question 26

What fruit triggered the world's most famous mutiny?

A)banana
B)pineapple
C)breadfruit
D)tomato

Question 27

India,has lost 75% of the 30000 land races of rice it once had.What led to the loss of all of those land races of rice?

A)an epidemic of the disease bakanae
B)dependence on high-yielding crops
C)Indians switched from rice as a staple to corn and potatoes
D)an invasion of Norwegian rats
E)the widespread use of herbicides

Question 28

Loss of genetic diversity can be blamed on:

A)monocultural practices
B)plant disease
C)the Green Revolution
D)all of the above
E)both (a)and (c)

Question 29

Approximately 93% of the U.S.soybean crop has been genetically engineered for:

A)insect resistance
B)herbicide resistance
C)higher yield
D)better taste
E)better color

Question 30

Identify the Andean crop with edible seeds and leaves that was known by the Incas as the "mother grain."

A)amaranth
B)tarwi
C)breadfruit
D)quinoa

Question 31

The use of chemical nitrogen fertilizer can be reduced by the use of all of the following except one.Choose the exception.

A)organic fertilizers.
B)free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria.
C)improved strains of Bacillus thuringiensis.
D)genetically engineering the nitrogen fixation process.

Question 32

This plant has leaves and fruits that are edible.Fruits are achenes and are high in lysine and methionine and the fatty acid linoleic acid.This plant is

A)Chenopodium quinoa
B)Amaranthus caudatus
C)Lupinus mutabilis
D)Solanum quitoense
E)Oxalis tuberosa

Question 33

Fifty percent of cotton grown in the United States is of ______ varieties.

A)3
B)4
C)6
D)9
E)12

Question 34

Which of the following encouraged the widespread use of monoculture?

A)genetically uniform plant species
B)increased mechanization of farm machinery.
C)intense fertilization of crops.
D)intense use of herbicides and pesticides
E)all of these encouraged the widespread use of monoculture

Question 35

What is Panicum sonorum?

A)an improved variety of wheat
B)the species that resulted from a cross between wheat and rye
C)an heirloom variety of grass once a Native American staple
D)the scientific name for rice
E)an heirloom variety of rice once grown in the Southern United States

Question 36

All of the following species are matched correctly with their common name except one.Choose the exception.

A)Oryza ivara - pig's weed
B)Lupinus mutabilis - quinoa
C)Solanum quitoense - naranjilla
D)Oxalis tuberosa - New Zealand yam
E)Cyphomandra betacea - tamarillo

Question 37

The tree tomato or tamarillo is known for its versatility - adding sugar makes it a dessert but the addition of vinegar or pepper makes it suitable for soups or stews.

Question 38

A mass of actively dividing cells in tissue culture is called:

A)an explant
B)a clone
C)callus
D)growth regulator

Question 39

The best way to reduce soil erosion is by the practice of

A)conventional tillage.
B)maximal tillage.
C)reduced tillage.
D)no tillage.

Question 40

Monoculture has been the underlying cause of

A)the Irish potato famine.
B)the destruction of Sri Lankan coffee plantations.
C)the corn leaf blight epidemiC.
D)the extensive loss of Florida citrus trees.
E)all of thesE.

Question 41

Seeds of domesticated plants and their wild relatives are deposited as a resource for plant breeders in germplasm.

Question 42

The introduction of Bacillus thuringiensis genes into crop plants transfers the trait of ________ resistance.

Question 43

Genetically engineered rapeseed plants have been developed that can produce lauric acid,a fatty acid used in the manufacturing of _________.

Question 44

A massive recall of food products made from StarLink corn was triggered because it was thought that the _______ toxin in this variety might be a possible food allergen.

Question 45

Protoplasm is the entire genetic information of an organism.

Question 46

Germplasm is the loss of valuable genetic heritage due to the extinction of wild and traditional varieties.

Question 47

In 1999 a group of scientists speculated that Bt corn might be a threat to the environment by harming populations of ______ butterflies found around cornfields.

Question 48

The widespread adoption of Bt corn is due to its ability to control a number of insect pests that attack corn,especially the European _______.

Question 49

Monoculture is the practice of growing a single variety of a crop in a field.

Question 50

The first genetically engineered crop that was marketed in the U.S.was a _______ modified for longer shelf life.

Question 51

Three factors that have encouraged the wide scale practice of monoculture are mechanization improved crop varieties,and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Question 52

_______ is a high protein seed crop that can be eaten whole or ground into flour;its use was banned by the Spanish conquistadors because of its association with religious practices of the Aztecs.

Question 53

For many genetically engineered crops a plasmid from the bacterium _______ has been used as a vector to transfer foreign genes into the crop.

Question 54

Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1970 for the work to develop ___dwarf_______ varieties of major food crops.

Question 55

Sustainable agriculture is a mixed species system in which crops can be harvested without degradation of the environment.

Question 56

One benefit of developing edible vaccines through genetic engineering is that there will be no need for _______ of the vaccine.

Question 57

Local varieties of a crop are known as germplasm or traditional varieties.

Question 58

An alternative to the white potato,______ is an Andean crop whose rhizomes resemble wrinkled carrots.