Master Gardener Handbook Quiz on Chapter 6:
Composting
Questions
1) Composting is the controlled, biological, and chemical
decomposition of _________ matter.
2) Compost suppresses some soil-borne diseases.
True_______
False_____
3) Microbes work most efficiently at 140 to 160 degrees
Fahrenheit.
True______
False______
4) The mixture of materials containing ________ parts of
carbon to one part of nitrogen is considered ideal for
composting:
a) 10
b) 20
c) 30
d) 50
5) Brown materials, such as fallen leaves, are low in
carbon.
True_______
False_____
6) Composting needs oxygen to occur.
True_____
False______
7) One of the following materials does NOT belong in a
compost pile:
a) egg shells
b) wood ash
c) cat manure
d) farm animal manure
8) Microbes function best when composting materials are
about as _______ as a wrung-out sponge.
Revised for 2012
9) A compost pile should not be higher or wider than 3 ft.
by 3 ft.
True____
False______
10) Full sun is necessary for a composting system.
True______
False________
11) Tumbler units work best when:
a) space is limited
b) appearance is important
c) unwanted pests could be attracted when kitchen scraps
are the prime ingredient
d) all of the above
12) Temperatures above _______ degrees F. kill
composting microbes.
13) Compost can be incorporated into a garden soil at a
rate of between 25-50 bushels per __________ square
feet of area.
a) 500
b) 1,000
c) 2,500
d) 5,000
14) Organic mulch should not be applied more thickly
than 3 to 5 inches around trees and shrubs.
True_____
False_____
15) A possible cause of an ammonia odor from a compost
bin might be a lack of _______.
Answers on next page
Revised for 2012
Master Gardener Handbook Chapter 6
Answers
Page in Handbook
1) organic
85
2) True
85
3) False (130 to 140 degrees F.)
86
4) c. 30
87
5) False (high in carbon)
87
6) False (can occur with or without oxygen)
88
7) c. cat manure
87, 88
8) damp
88
9) False (5 ft. X 5 Ft.)
89
10) False (Microbes, not sun, drive
the decomposition process.)
89
11) d. all of the above
91
12) 160 degrees
93
13) b. 1,000
94
14) False (2 to 3 inches)
95
15) carbon
95
Revised for 2012