Republic of the Philippines

CARCAR CITY COLLEGE

Luanluan Street, Poblacion I, Carcar City, Cebu
Tel # 487-0063/487-9077
carcarcitycollege.edu.ph
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

SOIL 2
Subject/Course

I. Matching Type
Direction: Match Column A with that of Column B. Write only the CAPITAL LETTER of your choice answer on your paper.
Strictly No Erasure.

COLUMN A COLUMN A
___1. He is a German chemist who laid the foundation a. Soil fertility
of the modern fertilizer industry. b. boron
___2. It is the capacity of the soil to receive, store, and c. Law of Minimum
transmit energy to support plant growth? d. soil
___3. What is the other terms for macronutrients? e. Major nutrients
___4. HPO4= is the ionic forms of what elements? f. calcium deficiency
___5. He is a chemist who found that soil could adsorb g. J Thomas Way
both cations and anions. h. soil productivity
___6. This element function is involved in cell wall i. 100-200 ppm
structure, pollen development and nutrient j. Mitscherlich’s Law of Diminishing
uptake. Return
___7. What is the critical level of Magnesium in the soil k. Justus Liebig
range? l. manganese deficiency
___8. This deficiency is characterized by general m. calcium
paleness of the leaves with dead spots scattered n. Phosphorus
over the leaf surface. o. Sergei Winogradsky
___9. It serves as a vital medium for plant growth, by p. 125-200 ppm
providing essential nutrients that are crucial for
plant growth and development.
___10. This Law stated that when plants are supplied
with adequate amount of all but one limiting
element, their growth is proportional to the
amount of this one limiting element.
II. Multiple Choice:
Direction: Read the sentence carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on your paper. Use
CAPITAL LETTER only. Strictly no erasures.

11. Which of the following is NOT a primary macronutrient essential for plant growth?
a. nitrogen b. Potassium c. Phosphorus d. Calcium
12. Which of the is a primary function of organic matter in soil?
a. To provide structure c. To supply essential nutrients
b. To increase water retention d. All of the above
13. Which words BELOW best describe Soil pH:
a. Soil acidity b. Soil fertility c. Soil texture d. Soil structure
14. Which of the following is a common method for improving soil fertility?
a. Adding compost c. Using cover crops
b. Applying chemical fertilizers d. All of the above
15. Which sentence below gave the importance of doing soil testing?
a. Determining nutrient deficiencies c. Applying fertilizers effectively
b. Selecting appropriate crops d. All of the above
16. Which of the following factors can influence a plant's susceptibility to nutrient deficiencies?
a. Soil pH b. Soil texture c. Climate d. All of the above
17. A deficiency in magnesium often results in:
a. Stunted growth c. purple discoloration of stems
b. Chlorosis between the veins of leaves d. Delayed flowering
18. This micronutrient is essential for chlorophyll synthesis?
a. Iron b. Manganese c. Zinc d. Copper
19. The term “mass flow” is refer to:
a. the concentration near the root relative to the surrounding soil solution
b. the movement of nutrient to the root system
 c. the movement of ions with soil water
d. the concentration of ions in the soil
20. Nutrient leaching in soil profiles is most likely to occur in:
a. Sandy soils b. Clayey soils c. Loamy soils d. All of the above
21. Nutrient distribution in soil profiles is primarily influenced by:
a. Soil texture b. Soil structure c. Soil organic matter d. All of the above
22. Soil fertility is a measure of:
a. The soil's ability to support plant growth c. The soil's texture
b. The soil's organic matter content d. The soil's pH
23. The Law of the Minimum states that:
a. The growth of a plant is limited by the nutrient that is most abundant in the soil
b. The growth of a plant is limited by the nutrient that is least abundant in the soil
c. The growth of a plant is limited by the nutrient that is most available to the plant
d. The growth of a plant is limited by the nutrient that is least available to the plant
24. He published the book Columella’s Husbandry.
a. Lucius Junius Maderatus Columella c. Lucius Hunius Moderatus Columella
b. Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella d. Lucius Junius Muderatos Columella
25. He is a Greek historian who first to expound merits of green-manuring crops.
a. Xenophone b. Xenophon c. Xenopone d. None of the above

III. Modified True or False

Direction: Write T if the statement is True. If the statement is false, write and underline the word/phrase which makes it
wrong, and write the correct word/phrase beside the underlined word on your paper.
_______________ 26. In the mechanism of ion uptake, root interception is a process largely dependent on
the root growth in the soil.
_______________ 27. The term “Soil Productivity” is refer to the capacity of the soil to supply nutrients to the
plant.
_______________28. Soil fertility decline is primarily caused by erosion, nutrient depletion and inefficient soil
management.
_______________29. Zinc deficiency in plants is most commonly characterized by its terminal buds becoming
light green at the base, stems and leaves seems brittle.
_______________30. The use of cover crops can add organic matter to the soil, improving soil fertility and
making it healthy for biological activity.
_______________31. Yellow stripping of the leaves between the veins is one of the symptoms can be seen if a
plant is deficient with zinc.
_______________32. Soil ability to hold nutrient and water can be affected by it soil texture.
_______________33. In the concept of Liebig, he emphasized that by decreasing the abundance of nutrients other than
the limiting one will not enhance plant growth unless the limiting nutrient is also adequately
supplied.
_______________34. While essential to plant, an excess of certain nutrient can be harmful to plant.
_______________35. Soil productivity is determined by the magnitude of organic matter present in the soil.

IV. Essay
Direction: Please answer briefly and concisely the following questions. Please be guided by the
rubrics below.
Areas of 3 2 1
Assessment
Ideas Ideas are very Ideas are too general Ideas are vague or
organized and unclear
consistent
Organization Organized Some organization; No organization; lack
beg/mid/end attempt at a beg/mid/end
beg/mid/end
Perception Writing shows a Writing shows Writing shows little
clear understanding adequate understanding
understanding

36-38. Discuss the criteria for determining the essentiality of nutrient elements in plants.
39-41. Differentiate inherent/natural fertility vs. acquired fertility.
42-44. Discuss the importance of soil fertility in relation to crop productivity.
45-47. Supposedly you have a one hectare of farmland that have been severely degraded due to years of
 intensive agricultural activity. The soil is compacted, nutrient-deficient, and prone to waterlogging. What
are you going to do to improve the soil fertility of your soil.
48-50. How to increase soil fertility if it is already degraded?

Prepared by:

ANAGYN T. TAPIA
Instructor

Checked by:

ARNOLD C. VALLESER
Program Head

DOLLY ANN B. DELA CRUZ-CARACA, LPT, MAED-ET

Director, Quality Assurance
Coordinator, IMDLM

Approved by:

LEONARDO E. LACOSTALE PhD

Dean, Academic Affairs