Master Gardener Handbook Quiz on Chapter 4: Soils
and Fertilizers
Questions
1) Soils are dynamic ecosystems composed of solids,
liquids, and _________.
2) Soil texture describes the proportion of sand, silt, and
____ - sized particles in soil.
3) Soil management practices cannot improve or degrade
a soil’s structure.
True______
False____
4) Organic matter makes up what percent, by weight, of
most soils’ solid material?
a) 2 to 5 percent
b) 5 to 10 percent
c) 10 to 20 percent
d) 20 to 30 percent
5) Humus is a good nutrient or energy source for soils.
True______
False______
6) Soil air is typically higher in carbon dioxide and lower
in oxygen than the atmosphere.
True______
False________
7) The processes that help form soil include (choose the
INCORRECT answer):
a)
b)
c)
d)
Revised for 2012
addition
transformation
transpiration
translocation
8) There are approximately _____different soils in
Maryland alone.
a) 1,000
b) 3,000
c) 10,000
d) 22,000
9) _____ ______ is the name for a biochemical reaction
in which soils store certain kinds of materials and
release them at a later date.
10)
The movement of nitrogen by water through and
beneath the root zone is known as runoff.
True_____
False_____
11)
Most soils in the Mid-Atlantic states are ______ in
their natural state.
12)
A ________ material is one that contains calcium
and/or magnesium and raises the pH of a soil when
applied to the soil.
13) Soil tests typically do not contain information about:
a) a measure of plant-available nutrients
b) the amount of nitrogen in the soil
c) relative nutrient status
d) nutrient recommendations
14) A fertilizer is a material that must contain a mixture
of nutrients.
True_____
False_______
15) The guarantee of 16-0-0-22Ca on a fertilizer bag
means that this particular bag contains 16 percent
nitrogen and 22 percent_______.
Answers on next page
Revised for 2012
Master Gardener Handbook Quiz on Chapter 4
Answers:
Page in Handbook
51
1.
gases
2.
clay
52
3.
False
52
4.
a. (2 to 5 percent)
53
5.
False
53
6.
True
54
7.
c. transpiration
56
8.
b. (3,000)
57
9.
cation exchange
59
10. False (leaching)
61
11. acidic
63
12. liming
64
13. b. (There is no reliable pre-plant soil test for
nitrogen)
65
14. False (can contain a single nutrient)
66
15. calcium
67
Revised for 2012