Traditional Composting Quiz Answer Key
1. True or False
You must maintain a hot compost pile in order to produce finished compost.
2. True or False
You must use a compost activator to produce compost.
3. True or False
Traditional composting works well for apartment dwellers.
4. Put a check by each item that can be safely composted at home. For all other items indicate
preferred method of disposal.
Material
Can Be Safely
Composted at Home
Baby diapers
Bacon grease
Cellophane
Chicken bones
Coffee grounds & filters
Cooked meat
Cotton tee shirts
Egg shells
Grass clippings
Junk mail
Milk cartons, plastic
Newspapers
Orange peels
Paper plates
Polyester pillowcase
Rabbit manure
Raw meat
Road kill
Rotten tomatoes
Soda can
Sprouted potatoes
Used cat box litter
Vegetable peelings
Answer Key Traditional Composting Quiz Key
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Preferred Method of
Disposal
Put in garbage
Ask local landfill for
suggestions, some have
specific drop off
locations others just
want you to put in
container in trash
pickup
Reuse or put in
garbage
Put in trash
X
Put in trash
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Rinse and recycle
Or recycle
Use for another
purpose such as
cleaning rags, crafts, or
put in garbage
X
Put in garbage
Put in garbage
X
recycle
X
Put in garbage
X
Contextual Biology Integrated Projects
Created by the Center for Occupational Research and Development
http://www.cordonline.net/HiESTbiology
5. Which of the following will speed up your compost operation?
a. Keep you compost pile soggy wet.
b. Include layers of big branches to allow for aeration.
c. Maintain a C-N ratio at or above 100:1.
d. Chop raw materials into smaller pieces to increase surface area.
6. These bacteria work best in temperatures around 55°F.
a. Mesophiic
b. Thermophilic
c. Anaerobic
d. Aerobic
e. Psycrohpilic
7. These bacteria work best in environments with oxygen.
a. Mesophiic
b. Thermophilic
c. Anaerobic
d. Aerobic
e. Psycrohpilic
8. These bacteria start working when your compost pile heats up over 100°F.
a. Mesophiic
b. Thermophilic
c. Anaerobic
d. Aerobic
e. Psycrohpilic
9. The byproducts produced when these bacteria break down wastes include hydrogen sulfide and
other smelly compounds.
a. Mesophiic
b. Thermophilic
c. Anaerobic
d. Aerobic
e. Psycrohpilic
10. These bacteria would predominate in room temperature environments.
a. Mesophiic
b. Thermophilic
c. Anaerobic
d. Aerobic
e. Psycrohpilic
11. Describe the uses and benefits of compost and composting. Use back of sheet if needed.
Accept any reasonable answer such as: Composting keeps organic materials out of the landfill.
Compost can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil structure, porosity, and density, thus
creating a better plant root environment. It improves water holding capacity in sandy soils, it supplies a
Answer Key Traditional Composting Quiz Key
Page 2 of 3
Contextual Biology Integrated Projects
Created by the Center for Occupational Research and Development
http://www.cordonline.net/HiESTbiology
variety of nutrients to plants, and it improves and stabilizes soil pH. Note: Student answers will depend
on the research that they did.
Answer Key Traditional Composting Quiz Key
Page 3 of 3
Contextual Biology Integrated Projects
Created by the Center for Occupational Research and Development
http://www.cordonline.net/HiESTbiology