SSCE/WASSCE/GCE PASS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON SOIL
OBJECTIVES / MULTIPLE CHOICES
1.
5 g of oven dried soil was
heated in a furnace for 24 hours. After cooling, it weighed 4.8 g. What is the
amount of humus in the soil?
A. 40.0g per 100 g dry soil
B. 4.4g per 100g dry soil
C. 4.0 g per 100g dry soil
D. 0.4g per 100g dry soil
2.
Most irrigated lands often
become unproductive in later years because ofA. loss of fertility
B. increase in salinity
C. soil erosion
D. loss of water
3.
Farmers practice crop rotation because it
A. helps to prevent soil erosion
B. allows two crops to be planted at
the same time
C. helps to conserve soil fertility
D. is an alternate to shifting
cultivation
4.
Fertilizers are lost from
the soil through
A. sheet erosion and evaporation
B. leaching, underground seepages
and run-off
C. sheet erosion, gully erosion and
wind erosion
D. wind erosion and heavy rainfall
5.
Soil with the finest
particles is called
A. silt
B. clay
C. sand
D. gravel
6.
Soil fertility can be
conserved and renewed by
A. yearly monocropping
B. crop rotation and cover crops
C. bush burning to remove unwanted
debris
D. avoiding artificial manures
7.
In a soil sample, the
relative amounts of the different soil particles can best be determined by the
process of
A. filtration
B. centrifugation
C. precipitation
D. sedimentation
8.
Soil micro-organisms are
beneficial because of their involvement in
A. photosynthesis
B. translocation
C. cycling of nutrients
D. respiration using soil air
9. In an experiment to estimate the volume of air in a soil sample
using a measuring cylinder, it was found that:
initial volume of water .... = p cm3
volume of soil before mixing with water = q cm3
initial volume of water .... = p cm3
volume of soil before mixing with water = q cm3
initial volume of water .... = p cm3
volume of soil before mixing with water = q cm3
Final volume of water after adding
soil = r cm3. From the data above, which of the following deductions
is correct?
A. r = p + q
B. r > p + q
C. q = r - p
D. r< p + q
10. The addition of lime to clayey soil serves to
A. aid water retention
B. close up the texture
C. prevent water logging
D. improve capillary action
11. Soil fertility can best be conserved by the activities of
A. Earthworm
B. Man
C. Rodent
D. Microbes
12. Which of the following farm practices can cause loss of soil
fertility?
A. Mulching
B. intensive cropping
C. Use of fertilizers
D. Terracing
13. The soil type that will be most difficult to plough in a wet season
is one that is
A. loamy
B. clayey
C. sandy
D. silty
14. A farm practice that results in the loss of soil fertility is.
A. mixed farming
B. bush fallowing
C. shifting cultivation
D. continuous cropping
15. The importance of practicing crop rotation in agriculture is to
A. maintain soil fertility
B. improve the nutritional value of
crops
C. control soil erosion
D. ensure the growth of crops
16. The soil type that contains nutrients which are not readily
available for plants is
A. alluvial
B. clayey
C. sandy
D. loamy
17. The increasing order of the particle size in following soil type is
A. clay → sand → silt →gravel
B. silt → sand → clay → gravel
C. clay → silt → sand → gravel
D. silt → clay → sand → gravel
18. A crucible of 5 g m weighed 10 gm after filling with fresh soil. it
is then heated in an oven at 100°c for 1 hour. After cooling in a desiccator,
the weight was 8 gm. The percentage of water in the soil is
A. 80%
B. 60%
C. 20%
D. 40%
19. In an experiment to determine the percentage of air in a soil
sample, the following readings were recorded:
volume of water in measuring cylinder = 500 cm3
volume of water in measuring cylinder = 500 cm3
volume of water in measuring cylinder = 500 cm3
volume of soil added to water = 350
cm3
volume of water & soil after stirring = 800 cm3
percentage of air in the soil sample is
A. 6.25%
B. 10.36%
C. 14.28%
D. 43.28%
20.
The figure above represents
an experiment with three types of soil. The experiment demonstrates
A. soil attraction of water
B. soil porosity
C. soil capillarity
D. draining capacity of soils
Answers
|
1. C
|
6. B
|
11. D
|
16. B
|
|
2. A
|
7. D
|
12. B
|
17. B
|
|
3. C
|
8. C
|
13. B
|
18. D
|
|
4. B
|
9. A
|
14. D
|
19. A
|
|
5. B
|
10. D
|
15. A
|
20. C
|
THEORY
1.
Discuss
(a) five ways in
which soil may lose its fertility
(b) five ways in
which soil fertility may be maintained or renewed.
Solution
Refer to the blog content
2.
(SSCE, 1997) (a) What is meant by soil?
(b) Explain why
loam is a fertile soil
(c) What are the
effects of
(i) adding animal
manure to the soil?
(ii) adding lime
to the soil?
Solution
(a) Refer to the blog content
(b) Fertile soil provides adequate conditions for plant growth. Loam
is fertile because it comprised of a mixture of clay, sand and silt with a
suitable proportion of humus. The mixture of these particles of different of
sizes, ensures adequate nutrients are available to plants. The proportions of these particles also allow
the soil to combine the necessary water-holding properties without reducing
aeration, and also prevent water logging. The humus or remains of dead organism
acts as a base of a decay chain.
(c) (i) The manure provides nitrogenous materials which is converted
to ammonium compounds and are acted upon by nitrifying bacteria. The manure
improves the water holding capacity of the soil.
(ii) Lime is added to the soil to reduce alter its pH. It also aids
the clay particles to clump together into large crumbs, which have larger air
spaces between them and provides better drainage and aeration.
3.
(WASSCE 2007 Q6) (a) List four soil
constituents.
(b) State four
characteristics of fertile soil.
(c) Describe four
ways in which soil fertility can be maintained.
Solution
(a)
Organic matter (humus), living
organism, minerals salt, air, water, soil particles
(b)
& (c) Refer to the blog content
4.
(WASSCE 2014 Q3) (d) State six methods of
conserving soil.
Solution
Refer to the blog content
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