Deck 11: The Global Distribution and Character of Soils

Question 1

The solid,nonliving part of the Earth is the

A) atmosphere.
B) biosphere.
C) hydrosphere.
D) lithosphere.
E) exosphere.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following are contained within soil?

A) inorganic material
B) organic material
C) magma
D) air
E) water

Answer 2

A,B,D,E

Question 3

The inorganic materials in soil are derived predominantly from

A) air.
B) rocks and minerals.
C) partially decomposed organisms.
D) meteorites.
E) precipitates from groundwater.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When the pore spaces in soil are mainly filled with water,the soils are said to be

A) fertile.
B) muck.
C) saturated.
D) translocated.
E) eroded.

Question 5

Broken rock debris in the process of soil formation that overlies solid bedrock is called

A) solum.
B) loam.
C) caliche.
D) regolith.
E) peds.

Question 6

Which of the following statements are true about humus?

A) Humus stabilizes the soil.
B) Humus aids in the retention of moisture.
C) Humus supports microorganisms.
D) Humus is made from the weathered rock material.
E) Humus causes deep soil horizons to dry out and destabilizes the soil.

Question 7

Fill in the blank to make each statement true (answers may be more than one word).
i)The ______[1]_______ is the maximum amount of water the soil can hold after gravitational water has moved away.
ii)______[2]_______ is the threshold amount of soil water below which plants can no longer absorb water.
iii)Balancing the ______[3]________ involves the amount of precipitation,evapotranspitation,and water storage and loss.

Question 8

Select all of the following statements that are true:

A) Illuviation, the process of dissolution and downward mobilization of minerals in the soil, causes zones of the soil to become leached.
B) Another name for leaching of soils is eluviation.
C) Solifluction is a process where iron oxidizes, resulting in soils that appear a rusty color.
D) Illuvial zones are portions of the soil profile where minerals are deposited.
E) Bioturbation always causes a soil to become more heterogeneous.

Question 9

Partially decomposed organic matter in the soil is

A) regolith.
B) bedrock.
C) caliche.
D) solum.
E) humus.

Question 10

The balance of soil water that involves the amount of precipitation,evapotranspiration,and water storage and loss is the:

A) hydrologic cycle
B) carbon cycle
C) soil-water budget
D) soil horizon
E) energy budget

Question 11

The force that causes water to rise in small tubular conduits within the soil is

A) capillary action.
B) field capacity.
C) surface tension.
D) the wilting point.
E) evapotranspiration.

Question 12

The main gas in soil is

A) argon.
B) oxygen.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) methane.
E) nitrogen.

Question 13

Fill in the blank to make each of the following statements true.
i)Minerals can be dissolved and mobilized downward by a process called _____[1]_____.
ii)When minerals reach an area below the zone of leaching,they can sometimes recrystallize,a process known as _____[2]_______.

Question 14

The uppermost layer of the Earth's surface containing mineral and organic matter capable of supporting plants is

A) soil.
B) batholith.
C) regolith.
D) rock.
E) magma.

Question 15

The contracting force that occurs when the water surface meets the air and acts like an elastic skin is

A) field capacity.
B) surface tension.
C) capillary action.
D) solifluction.
E) evapotranspiration.

Question 16

Soil-forming factors include

A) relief and time.
B) organisms.
C) climate.
D) parent materials.
E) All of these.

Question 17

The sediment or weathered bedrock in which the soil forms is the

A) asthenosphere.
B) parent material.
C) caliche.
D) solum.
E) epipedon.

Question 18

The threshold amount of soil water below which plants can no longer absorb water is the:

A) field capacity
B) wilting point
C) capillary action
D) surface tension
E) solifluction

Question 19

The process of losing water from the soil to the air from both the ground and from plants is called

A) albedo.
B) wilting.
C) capillary action.
D) discharge.
E) evapotranspiration.

Question 20

The maximum amount of water the soil can hold after gravitational water has moved away is the:

A) field capacity
B) wilting point
C) surface tension
D) capillary action
E) evapotranspiration

Question 21

When looking at a soil ___[1]___ (vertical cut into the soil),there are one or more ___[2]____ (distinct layers in a soil)which result from soil-forming processes.
Answer 1 Choices:
gradient
profile
relief
Answer 2 Choices:
chroma
horizons
orders

Question 22

The mixing of soil by plants and burrowing animals is called

A) geophagy.
B) bioturbation.
C) geodesy.
D) diastrophism.
E) seismology.

Question 23

Which of the following are examples of cations?

A) calcium
B) colloids
C) magnesium
D) potassium
E) iron

Question 24

Soil that is high in iron-bearing minerals is often

A) white.
B) black.
C) yellow.
D) red.
E) gray.

Question 25

Which of the following are pedogenic processes?

A) additions
B) translocations
C) metamorphism
D) deletions
E) transformations

Question 26

The difference between the high and low elevations of an area is the

A) gradient.
B) slope.
C) topology.
D) relief.
E) incline.

Question 27

Select all of the following roles that organisms play in soil:

A) decomposing organic matter
B) mixing and aeration
C) leaching soils of nutrients
D) recycling soil elements through consumption and waste production
E) becoming humus

Question 28

Rank from largest to smallest:

A) sand, silt, and clay.
B) silt, sand, and clay.
C) silt, clay, and sand.
D) sand, clay, and silt.
E) clay, sand, and silt.

Question 29

The layers of an undisturbed and well-developed soil profile from top to bottom would be

A) A, B, C, E, O, R.
B) O, A, E, B, C, R.
C) A, B, C, E, R, O.
D) O, R, A, B, C, E.
E) O, R, E, A, B, C.

Question 30

Which of the following are types of soil structure?

A) granular
B) silty clay
C) loam
D) blocky
E) platy

Question 31

A Munsell chart is used to

A) describe soil color.
B) determine slope and relief.
C) identify texture.
D) measure pH.
E) describe soil structure.

Question 32

Select all of the following reasons that relief is important to soil.

A) Steeper slopes erode more slowly.
B) Erosion due to runoff is more likely in hilly terrain.
C) Soils are thicker on steep slopes.
D) Leaching is promoted in the flatter areas.
E) Material moves from flat areas to steeper areas.

Question 33

Generally,the MOST important factor in soil development is

A) time.
B) organisms.
C) climate.
D) parent materials.
E) relief.

Question 34

Soil that is high in humus is often

A) white.
B) black.
C) yellow.
D) red.
E) orange.

Question 35

Very small,evenly divided solids that do not settle in solution are called

A) colloids.
B) chroma.
C) sand.
D) epipedons.
E) solum.

Question 36

A clump of soil is called a(n)

A) colloid.
B) ped.
C) grain.
D) loam.
E) epipedon.

Question 37

Select all of the characteristics that describe colloids:

A) Colloids are only composed of inorganic material.
B) Soil high in colloids will likely have a higher water-holding capacity than a similar soil with fewer colloids.
C) A soil with abundant colloids is more likely to have a high cation exchange capacity compared to a soil with few colloids.
D) Colloids are chemically inactive.
E) Colloids can exist in inorganic and organic form.

Question 38

_________ are positively charged ions.

A) Solum
B) Cations
C) Chroma
D) Colloids
E) Epipedon

Question 39

White soils usually are high in

A) iron.
B) humus.
C) calcium.
D) olivine.
E) taconite.

Question 40

Soil classification from larger to smaller according to the U.S.system is

A) great groups, series, orders, suborders, families.
B) orders, suborders, great groups, series, families.
C) great groups, orders, families, suborders, series.
D) families, orders, suborders, great groups, series.
E) families, great groups, orders, suborders, series.

Question 41

A regional soil-forming process in tropical and subtropical environments that results in extensive eluviation of minerals except for iron and aluminum is

A) podzolization.
B) laterization.
C) calcification.
D) salinization.
E) gleization.

Question 42

The soil order noted for its brick-like qualities,leaching of the silica,red,yellow,or yellowish colors,thin A horizon,and low fertility is

A) alfisols.
B) oxisols.
C) vertisols.
D) spodosols.
E) mollisols.

Question 43

How many soil orders are there?

Question 44

The surface horizon of a soil profile is a(n)

A) family.
B) ped.
C) cation.
D) loam.
E) epipedon.

Question 45

A regional soil-forming process in cool,humid environments that results from the eluviation if iron,aluminum,and organic acids to form well-developed E and Bs horizons is

A) laterization.
B) podzolization.
C) calcification.
D) gleization.
E) salinization.

Question 46

B horizons that are enriched in eluviated clay are described as being

A) argillic.
B) albic.
C) oxic.
D) spodic.
E) salic

Question 47

Ultisols are characterized by which of the following?

A) reddish color
B) spodic horizon
C) argillic horizons
D) ability to sustain continuous agriculture
E) low clay content throughout the entire soil

Question 48

Small humps and ridges associated with vertisols are called

A) permafrost.
B) orstein.
C) caliche.
D) erratics.
E) gilgai.

Question 49

The soil order shown on the map is

A) andisols.
B) ultisols.
C) oxisols.
D) mollisols.
E) aridisols.

Question 50

The number of soil orders in the world according to the U.S.system is

A) 25.
B) 19.
C) 12.
D) 10.
E) 8.

Question 51

The method of soil classification based on physical,chemical,and biological properties is called soil ______

A) horizon.
B) biomes.
C) taxonomy.
D) divisions.
E) epipedon.

Question 52

Which of the following are characteristics of vertisols?

A) extremely high sand content
B) abundance of expandable clays
C) slickensides on the peds
D) not likely to change appearance during wet and dry seasons
E) presence of gilgai

Question 53

The soil order noted for its laterization is

A) alfisols.
B) gelisols.
C) spodosols.
D) oxisols.
E) entisols.

Question 54

Which of the following layers are included in the solum?

A) C
B) A
C) E
D) B
E) R

Question 55

The soils generally found in seasonal midlatitude regions that formed through podzolization and have an alkaline argillic horizon are called

A) alfisols.
B) oxisols.
C) mollisols.
D) aridisols.
E) entisols.

Question 56

The U.S.federal agency tasked with managing and sustaining the resources such as soil is now called the

A) Soil Conservation Service.
B) Geologic Survey.
C) Census Bureau.
D) Natural Resource Conservation Service.
E) Department of Homeland Security.

Question 57

The soil order shown on the map is

A) andisols.
B) alfisols.
C) oxisols.
D) aridisols.
E) ultisols.

Question 58

Oxisols have which of the following characteristics?

A) thin A horizon
B) low fertility
C) brick-like qualities
D) very little leaching of silica
E) oxic soil horizon

Question 59

The study of soil as a natural resource is

A) seismology.
B) paleontology.
C) soil science (pedology).
D) topology.
E) pediatry.

Question 60

Soils that have one or more weakly developed horizons due to some alteration and removal of soluble minerals are

A) inceptisols.
B) entisols.
C) aridisols.
D) andisols.
E) gelisols.

Question 61

From west to east across the central United States,the soils are

A) spodosols, aridisols, ultisols.
B) aridisols, mollisols, alfisols.
C) mollisols, ultisols, oxisols.
D) oxisols, ultisols, entisols.
E) andisols, mollisols, ultisols.

Question 62

Acidic soils associated with coniferous forests,gray E horizons,and distinctive B horizons are

A) oxisols.
B) histosols.
C) mollisols.
D) spodosols.
E) entisols.

Question 63

Soils that are very weakly developed and have no distinct horizons are

A) aridisols.
B) andisols.
C) inceptisols.
D) gelisols.
E) entisols.

Question 64

Midlatitude deciduous forests are BEST associated with

A) alfisols.
B) mollisols.
C) aridisols.
D) oxisols.
E) gelisols.

Question 65

The soil order shown on the map is

A) andisols.
B) inceptisols.
C) alfisols.
D) gelisols.
E) entisols.

Question 66

The soil order shown on the map is

A) alfisols.
B) gelisols.
C) inceptisols.
D) spodosols.
E) entisols.

Question 67

Soils that are highly organic and important for truck farming (market gardening)are

A) histosols.
B) vertisols.
C) spodosols.
D) aridisols.
E) entisols.

Question 68

A regional soil-forming process in which soluble salts are cycled within the soil is

A) podzolization.
B) gleization.
C) calcification.
D) laterization.
E) salinization.

Question 69

Tropical rainforests are BEST associated with

A) alfisols.
B) mollisols.
C) aridisols.
D) oxisols.
E) gelisols.

Question 70

Write in the name of the horizon that each of the following statement describes:
i)mineral soil horizon characterized by the illuvial accumulation of aluminum,iron,and organic carbon [1]
ii)diagnostic horizon of podzolization from which class and free iron oxides have been removed,resulting in a light-colored E horizon [2]
iii)diagnostic horizon that is enriched in illuviated calcium carbonate [3]
iv)hard,cemented layer of calcium carbonate deposits in a calcic horizon of the soil [4]
v)diagnostic horizon that forms due to the recrystallization of secondary salts [5]

Question 71

A regional soil-forming process in which calcium carbonate is cycled within the soil is

A) gleization.
B) laterization.
C) calcification.
D) podzolization.
E) salinization.

Question 72

The BEST climate association with aridisols is

A) Mediterranean dry-summer.
B) hot low-latitude and cold midlatitude desert.
C) tropical savanna.
D) subarctic and tundra.
E) cold midlatitude steppe and humid continental mild-summer.

Question 73

The soil BEST associated with tundra is

A) entisols.
B) gelisols.
C) mollisols.
D) histosols.
E) inceptisols.

Question 74

The soil order shown on the map is

A) alfisols.
B) mollisols.
C) aridisols.
D) spodosols.
E) entisols.

Question 75

Which of the following are characteristics of mollisols?

A) form through calcification
B) contain mollic epipedons that overlie mineral matter that is more than half saturated with base ions
C) commonly associated with polar regions
D) the most fertile and productive soils
E) associated with grasslands

Question 76

Soil that is permanently frozen is called

A) marl.
B) slickensides.
C) caliche.
D) orbstein.
E) permafrost.

Question 77

The soil order shown on the map is

A) alfisols.
B) ultisols.
C) spodosols.
D) mollisols.
E) inceptisols.

Question 78

The soil order shown on the map is

A) aridisols.
B) mollisols.
C) inceptisols.
D) andisols.
E) entisols.

Question 79

The soil order shown on the map is

A) andisols.
B) ultisols.
C) histosols.
D) aridisols.
E) entisols.

Question 80

Soil-forming processes are called pedogenic processes.