Multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer.
- The most common yet often overlooked product of weathering is
a) scree.
b) bedrock.
c) flora and fauna.
d) soil.
- Under most climatic regimes, chemical weathering is a slow process that, over geological time, leads to the formation of
a) massive talus slopes.
b) sand dunes from exfoliated rock.
c) climax vegetation communities.
d) deep, zonal soils.
- The steeper the slopes, the
a) deeper the soils.
b) shallower the soils.
c) less are the problems of soil creep.
d) more dense is the vegetation.
- In mountainous areas, vegetation and soils change quickly as altitude increases because
a) soils diminish with altitude.
b) temperatures decrease with altitude.
c) evaporation increases with altitude.
d) precipitation decreases with altitude.
- Rain forests, steppes, and humid continental climates tend to develop soils that are, respectively,
a) chernozems, red earths, and podzols.
b) podzols, red earths, and chernozems.
c) red earths, chernozems, and podzols.
d) chernozems, podzols, and red earths.
- The soil associated with prairie grassland vegetation is most likely to be
a) podzol.
b) latosol.
c) alluvium.
d) chernozem.
- Short grass, few trees, and chernozem soils characterize the vegetation of regions with a
a) steppe climate.
b) subtropical climate.
c) Mediterranean climate.
d) savanna climate.
- What soil is easily recognized by distinctive ash-grey layers in the upper horizon?
a) podzol
b) laterite
c) chernozem
d) brown earth
- Vegetation adapts to savanna climates by all of the following EXCEPT
a) increasing the size of leaves.
b) minimizing the rate of transpiration.
c) losing leaves during the dry season.
d) developing specialized root systems.
- The most important reason to keep a vegetative cover on prairie soils is
a) to speed up the run-off rate.
b) to absorb nutrients in the soil.
c) to provide insulation to keep the soils warm.
d) to slow down the evaporation / transpiration rate.
- The dominant soil-forming process associated with a coniferous forest biome is
a) leaching.
b) waterlogging.
c) decomposition.
d) capillary action.
- Which biome would be seasonaly wet and dry, and have drought-resistant vegetation, grasslands and hot temperatures?
a) Mediterranean
b) steppe grassland
c) low latitude desert
d) savanna
- Which biome would have convection weather patterns, seasonal temperature extremes and chernozem soils?
a) Mediterranean
b) steppe grassland
c) low latitude desert
d) savanna
- Which biome would have cold ocean currents and off-shore winds, grow xerophytic plants and have capillary action dominate?
a) Mediterranean
b) steppe grassland
c) low latitude desert
d) savanna
- The region with the LEAST number of vegetation species is the
a) Mediterranean.
b) steppe grassland.
c) low latitude desert.
d) savanna woodland.
- The biome with the LEAST annual precipitation is
a) coastal rainforest.
b) prairie grassland.
c) deciduous forest.
d) savanna woodland.
- "Loess" is
a) a deep, zonal soil.
b) a wet, sticky silt found at the mouth of an alluvial delta.
c) a dark soil rich in organic nutrients and needed for farming.
d) fine fertile soil blown by wind and deposited on land.
- Loess soils can be BEST described as
a) very thinly layered.
b) occurring on all continents.
c) highly valued for agriculture.
d) usually highly acidic in composition.
- Fine fertile soil blown by wind and deposited on land is called
a) a dune.
b) silt.
c) loess.
d) deflation.
- In a region of hills and plains, it is usual for soils to
a) develop a predictable pattern of similar, related soils.
b) differentiate according to their geology.
c) be the same on hilltops as in the valleys.
d) erode only on the steepest slopes.
- When exposed soil is left to nature, it is usually colonized by a changing sequence of plants that eventually leads to a climax form of vegetation. The process of arriving at a climax community is known as plant
a) evolution.
b) ecology.
c) survival.
d) succession.
- In all but the most extreme environments (such as swamps), the most important factor in the development of a climax form of vegetation appears to be
a) soil.
b) precipitation.
c) climate.
d) sunshine.
- A good agricultural loam soil is composed of air, water, organic matter, and the following mixture of mineral matter:
a) 20% sand, 20% silt, 60% clay.
b) 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay.
c) 50% sand, 50% silt, 0% clay.
d) 0% sand, 60% silt, 40% clay.
- Valuable crop plants such as corn, coffee and coconuts have been cultivated
a) only where they are indigenous.
b) wherever people have developed modern farms.
c) around the world where climates are suitable.
d) on tropical and Mediterranean islands.
- Slash and burn farmers in the tropics have learned they can clear and farm small areas for only a few years before soils are impoverished, but that nature can be relied upon to
a) reforest abandoned areas within a few years.
b) renew the soil as soon as farming stops.
c) recolonize the farmed area with a climax coniferous forest.
d) create a savanna grassland where forest had grown.
- In a healthy soil, millions of small animals and microorganisms
a) constantly recycle nutrients.
b) break sand down into clay.
c) pose a threat to germinating seeds.
d) consume humus before plants can absorb it.
- Humus is decomposed organic matter that makes topsoils darker and
a) reduces soil density thus encouraging erosion.
b) leaches away rapidly in mid-lattitude grassland regions.
c) acts as a "gum" that holds soil particles together.
d) changes the structure of the B horizon.
- The soil type containing the highest percentage of humus is
a) tundra.
b) podzol.
c) chernozem.
d) laterite.
- Lawns which have grass clippings left where they fall require less fertilizer
a) because nutrients are recycled.
b) because clippings retain water and water traps nutrients.
c) because the energy flow is only one way.
d) because the accumulated clippings cause the grass to grow higher.
- Decomposition of organic matter in soils is mainly achieved by
a) bacteria and fungi.
b) producers and nutrient accumulation.
c) herbivores and grazing animals.
d) scavengers.
- Bacteria and fungi are important in maintaining productive soils because they
a) break down the parent material which is essentail to plants.
b) help move nutrients up from the subsoil to the upper layers.
c) decompose organic material and produce a range of nutrients.
d) photosynthesize the essential elements necessary forr good plant growth.
- In an ecosystem, which of the following is "biotic"?
a) solar energy
b) ground water
c) chemicals in the soil
d) leaf litter and humus
- The most widespread land use practice that has accelerated soil erosion in North America
a) is planting crops that remove soil nitrogen.
b) is grazing livestock on steep mountain slopes.
c) is cultivating land in areas with unreliable precipitation.
d) is growing crops that increase organic matter in the soil.
- A characteristic of the water cycle is that it
a) distributes water evenly between root regions.
b) changes in volume between winter and summer.
c) links the energy flows of the biosphere with the litosphere.
d) links the energy flows of the atmosphere with the hydrosphere.
- Humans have the LEAST impact on the global ecosystem in the
a) biosphere.
b) atmosphere.
c) lithoshere.
d) hydroshere.
- The Industrial Revolution is associated with a REDUCTION in
a) the growth of cities.
b) fossil fuel energy use.
c) the number of farm workers.
d) human dependence on natural resources.
- The most serious effect of gene pool depletion is
a) adaption of species.
b) extinction of species.
c) diversification of species.
d) gene manilulation of species.
a)
b)
c)
d)
a)
b)
c)
d)
Answer key 1. _ 6. _ 11. _ 16. _ 21. _ 26. _ 31. _ 36. _ 41. _ 2. _ 7. _ 12. _ 17. _ 22. _ 27. _ 32. _ 37. _ 42. _ 3. _ 8. _ 13. _ 18. _ 23. _ 28. _ 33. _ 38. _ 43. _ 4. _ 9. _ 14. _ 19. _ 24. _ 29. _ 34. _ 39. _ 44. _ 5. _ 10. _ 15. _ 20. _ 25. _ 30. _ 35. _ 40. _ 45. _
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