SRS INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY

(Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore)

Senankottai Post, Vedasandur - 624 710, Dindigul District.

Degree: B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture Semester: III

Year: 2017 Duration: 1 hr.
Marks: 20
SAC 201 Soil Resource Inventory (1+1) (2017 syllabus)

I choose the best answer

1. The soil derived from the_______word solum which means floor.

a) Latin b) English c) Spanish d) Urdu

2. ________________is the unconsolidated mineral material on the immediate surface of the

earth

a) Rock b) magma c) soil d)lava

3. A cross sectional area of soil is called

a) Pedon b) profile c) regolith d) poly pedon

4. _____________________ denotes the availability of elements to plants necessary for its

growth.

a)Soil fertility b) soil physics c) soil chemistry d) soil biology

5. ____________________is the capacity of a soil to produce crops

a) Soil fertility b) soil pedology c) soil productivity d) none of these

6. __________________is essentially the study and mapping of soils in their natural

environment

a) Land use planning b) soil survey c) soil analysis d) pedology

7. Climate is acting as __________________soil forming factor on the soil

a) Passive b) active c) negative d) positive

8. ______________is an example for passive soil forming factor

a) Rock b) parent material c) time d) vegetation

9. It is the grouping of soils based on their productivity for the purpose of taxation
a) Income classification b) economic classification
c) physical classification d) none of these

10. The diagnostic surface horizons are called________________

a) Epipedons b) endopedons c) ochric d) alluvium

11. The diagnostic sub surface horizons are called______________

a) Epipedons b) endopedons c) ochric d) alluvium

12. A thin organic horizon with very high organic matter content __________

a) Histic epipedon b)melanic epipedon

c)Folistic epipedon d)none of these

13. A thick, dark coloured, soft mineral horizon with high base saturation and strong structure

a) Mollic epipedon b) melanic epipedon

c)Folistic epipedon d)none of these

14. __________number of epipedons are described in soil systematics

a) 8 b) 9 c) 12 d) 10

15. A surface horizons fails to meet the definitions of any of the other epipedon

a) Melanic epipedon b) ochric epipedon c) melanic epipedon d) folistic epipedon

II Fill in the blanks

1. Calcification is the process of precipitation and accumulation of________________

a) Calcium carbonate b)Calcium sulphate

c)Calcium chloride d)Calcium oxide

2.__________survey comprises very detailed study of some selected strips soil

a) Detailed soil b) semi-detailed soil

c) Reconnaissance d) Rapid reconnaissance

3._______ maps is based on observations and results obtained from traverses conducted
throughout the study region.

a) Reconnaissance maps b) semi-detailed soil

c) Detailed d) Rapid reconnaissance

4.___________ maps are the result of very precise, detailed studies

a) Reconnaissance b) semi-detailed

c) Detailed d) Rapid reconnaissance

5.Maps at the scale of 1:1,000,000 is called ___________________

a) Small scale maps b) Large scale map

c) Medium scale map d) Very large scale map

6.________ occurs when soils are frequently wet for long periods of time

a) Soil microbes b) Soil mottling

c) Soil Consistency d) Soil Catena

7. _______order having the histic epipedons

a) Entisol b) Inceptisol c) Histosol d) Oxisol

8._________are very recently developed mineral soils with no diagnostic horizon

a) Entisol b) Inceptisol c) Histosol d) Oxisol

9._________are formed under grassland vegetation in semi-arid to humid climatic conditions

a) Mollisol b) Andisol c) Histosol d) Oxisol

10.________________soils are formed in arid, hot or cold regions

a) Entisol b) Inceptisol c) Histosol d) Aridisol

11.________________soils is base rich, timbered, mineral soils of sub humid and humid
regions

a) Alfisol b) Inceptisol c) Aridisol d) Oxisol

12. The processes of decalcification, eluviation and illuviation are basic for the development
of __________

a)Gellisol b) Inceptisol c) Alfisol d) Oxisol

13. The process of podsolization is responsible for the formation of _________

a) Spodosol b) Inceptisol c) Histosol d) Entisol

14._______are base-poor, timbered, mineral soils of humid region developed under high
rainfall

a) Ultisol b) Inceptisol c) Aridisol d) Oxisol

15. A soil __________can be identified as a consociation or an area dominated by a single
taxon, such as soil series.

a)Map unit b) Map scale c) Map d) Map legend

Match the followings

1. River a)marine

2. Lake b) colluviums

3. Ocean c) alluvium

4. Wind d) dunes

5. Gravity e) lacustrine

Ans- 1-c 2-e 3-a 4-d 5-b

1. Ice a) detailed soil survey

2. Grid survey - b) reconnaissance soil survey

3. Pilot project- c) moraine

4. Resource inventory d) mapping small area

5. Cadestral map e) 1:5,000

Ans: 1-c 2-d 3-a 4-b 5-e

1. Topographical map a) high organic matter

2. Anthropic epipedon b) farming and organic matter

3. Histic epipedon c) 1:25,000

4. Plaggen epipedon d) man-made surface horizon

5. Ochric epipedon e) dry and high colour value

Ans: 1-c 2-b 3-a 4-d 5-e

Short notes

1. It is the study of soil from the stand point of higher plants. It consists the various
properties of the soil in relation to plant production

1._____________defines the soil in terms of higher plants

a)Pedology b)Edaphology c)Petrology d)Petrography

2.__________is the surface horizon of mineral soil having maximum organic matter

a)O horizon b)A horizon c) C horizon d) B horizon

3. A soil horizon usually beneath the A or E horizon

a)O horizon b) A horizon c) C horizon d) B horizon

4.A mineral horizon generally beneath the solum

a)O horizon b) A horizon c) C horizon d) B horizon

2. It is the mobilization and translocation of certain constituents viz., clay, Fe 2O3, Al2O3,
SiO2, humus and CaCO3, other salts etc.from one point of soil body to another.

1.__________denotes washesout of the soil constituents from the soil horizon

a) Eluviation b)Illuviation c)Horizonation d) Gleying

2.________denotes accumulation of the soil constituents from the soil horizon

a) Eluviation b)Illuviation c)Horizonation d) Gleying

3. The process of reduction of iron and manganese compounds

a) Eluviation b)Illuviation c)Horizonation d) Gleying

4.Differentiation of soil into different horizons along the depth of the soil body

a) Eluviation b)Illuviation c)Horizonation d) Gleying

3.

Order

Sub order

Great group

Sub group

Family

Series

1.__________comparable to great soil groups of the genetic system

a)Order b)Sub order c)Great group d)Sub group

2.A basic category,based on diagnostic subsurface horizons

a)Order b)Sub order c)Great group d)Sub group

3.The lowest and the most specific category

a)Order b)Family c)Series d)Sub group

4.A practical category for making predictions and land use plans

a)Order b)Family c)Series d)Sub group

4. These include grassland soils of the sub humid regions with deep, dark well
structured soil.They have developed on lime-rich parent material in which there has
been decomposition and accumulation of large amounts of organic matter

1. Very high content of organic matter

a)Histosols b) Vertisol c)Andisol d)Gelisol

2. Cracking or swell-shrink clays

a)Histosols b)Vertisol c)Andisol d)Gelisol

3. Dark organic surface layer underlain by permafrost

 a)Histosols b) Vertisol c)Spodosol d)Gelisol

4. They are characterized by a bleached, wood ash coloured E horizon

a)Spodosol b)Inceptisol c)Andisol d)Gelisol

5.In soil taxonomy,there are 12 soil orders including the newly proposed gelisols.A basic
system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil survey was published in
1975

1. Argillic horizon but with low base saturation

a)Spodosol b) Vertisol c) Ultisol d) Oxisol

2. Argillic horizon but with high base saturation

a)Alfisol b) Vertisol c) Ultisol d)Gelisol

3.No distinct horizon

a)Entisol b)Aridisol c)Ultisol d)Oxisol

4.Highly weathered soils

a)Spodosol b)Vertisol c)Ultisol d)Oxisol

6. Hue is the colour such as red,green,blue,etc.In the munsell system these are given
letter codes

1.______dominant spectral colour and is related to wavelength of light

a)Hue b)Value c)Chroma d)Catena

2._______it is a measure of degree of darkness or lightness of colour

a)Hue b)Value c)Chroma d)Catena

3._________is a sequence of different soil profiles that occur down a slope

a)Hue b)Value c)Chroma d)Catena

4.________it is a measure of the purity or strength of spectral colour

a)Hue b)Value c) Chroma d)Catena

7.Soil temperature regime is one of the important properties that control plant growth
and soil formation.

1. Mean annual soil temperature 0 to 8°C

a)Cryic b) Mesic c) Thermic d) Hyperthermic

2. Mean annual soil temperature 8°C to 15°C

 a) Mesic b)Cryic c) Thermic d) Hyperthermic

3. Mean annual soil temperature 15°C to 22°C

a) Mesic b) Thermic c) Cryic d) Hyperthermic

4. Mean annual soil temperature 15°C to 22°C

a)Cryic b)Mesic c)Thermic

d)Hyperthermic

8.The less basic the mineral, the more stable it is the presence of ferrous iron or other
oxidisable cations greatly reduces the structural stability

1. Example for easily weathered mineral

a) Zircon b)Quartz c)Olivine d)Magnetite

2.Example for moderately weathered mineral

a) Zircon b)Quartz c)Olivine d)Magnetite

3.Example for very stable mineral

a) Zircon b)Gypsum c)Olivine d)Magnetite

4.____________is dominant in humid tropics

a) Kaolin b) Quartz c)Montmorillonite d)Gypsum

9. The liquid phase provides mechanical support and nutrients to the plants. The liquid
phase supply water and along with it dissolved nutrients to plant plants.

1. The mineral matter occupies_______ in soil composition by volume

a) 5% b)45% c)30% d)20%

2. The organic matter occupies_______ in soil composition by volume

a) 5% b)45% c)30% d)20%

3. Example for physical weathering

a) Exfoliation b)Hydrolysis c)Carbonation d)Solution

4. It is an important process of chemical weathering

a) Exfoliation b)Hydrolysis c)Carbonation d)Solution

10.Land Capability Classification is an interpretative grouping of soils based on the

factors that limit the land use for agriculture

1. Class II indicates the colour

 a) Green b) Brown c)Yellow d)Purple

2. Class IV indicates the colour

a) Pink b) Orange c)Yellow d)Purple

3. Class VII indicates the colour

a) Green b) Red c)Brown d)Purple

4. Class V indicates the colour

a) Dark grey b) Orange c)Brown d)Purple

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