Soil Basics
What is soil?
a) Just dirt from outside
b) Solid rock that cannot break down
c) Pure sand deposited by oceans
d) A layer on the Earth's crust made of minerals, organic matter, water, and air
d) A layer on the Earth's crust made of minerals, organic matter, water, and air?
What is the single most desirable soil parent material in Illinois, formed from windblown soil after glaciers melted?
a) Alluvium
b) Loess
c) Outwash
d) Bedrock
b) Loess
Which soil horizon is known as topsoil and is the surface layer where organic matter accumulates?
a) O Horizon
b) B Horizon
c) C Horizon
d) A Horizon
d) A Horizon
Which soil particle is the largest and can be compared in size to a beach ball?
a) Clay
b) Sand
c) Silt
d) Gravel
b) Sand
How many total chemical nutrients are considered essential for plant growth?
a) 3
b) 16
c) 13
d) 6
b) 16
Which two non-solid components fill up the open pore space in healthy soil?
a) Air and Water
b) Rocks and Minerals
c) Leaves and Roots
d) Sand and Clay
a) Air and Water
Which major glacier came thousands of years first and covered almost the entire state of Illinois?
a) The Illinoisan Glacier
b) The Wisconsinan Glacier
c) The Alaskan Glacier
d) The Alpine Glacier
a) The Illinoisan Glacier
Which soil horizon is known as subsoil or the "zone of accumulation"?
a) B Horizon
b) A Horizon
c) C Horizon
d) R Horizon
a) B Horizon
Which soil particle is medium-sized, compared in size to a tennis ball, and feels smooth like flour or velvet?
a) Silt
b) Sand
c) Clay
d) Loess
a) Silt
What plant deficiency symptom is characterized by the yellowing of plant tissues due to lack of chlorophyll?
a) Chlorosis
b) Necrosis
c) Mottling
d) Stunting
a) Chlorosis
What component of soil comes from partially decomposed leaves, plants, and animals, giving soil its dark color?
a) Mineral matter
b) Bedrock
c) Sand
d) Organic matter
d) The Alpine Glacier
d) Organic matter
Which glacier came later and covered slightly more than the northeastern third of Illinois?
a) The Illinoisan Glacier
b) The Canadian Glacier
c) The Wisconsinan Glacier
d) The Pacific Glacier
c) The Wisconsinan Glacier
What term refers to the combined A and B horizons where almost all plant roots grow?
a) Substratum
b) Bedrock
c) Solum
d) Topsoil
c) Solum
Which soil particle is the smallest, compared in size to a ping-pong ball, and feels sticky when wet?
a) Sand
b) Silt
c) Clay
d) Pebble
c) Clay
A purple tinge appearing on plant leaves is a classic symptom of a deficiency in which nutrient?
a) Nitrogen
b) Potassium
c) Calcium
d) Phosphorus
d) Phosphorus
True or False: Soil tilth refers to how easy or difficult a soil is to cultivate and work.
True
Parent material physically moved and deposited directly by a glacier that contains unsorted rocks and boulders is called:
a) Loess
b) Outwash
c) Alluvium
d) Glacial Till
d) Glacial Till
Identify the horizon letter for this description: "The substratum layer of weathered rock chunks and parent material that has not yet turned into true soil."
C Horizon
What process describes water soaking into the surface of the soil?
a) Percolation
b) Infiltration
c) Leaching
d) Translocation
b) Infiltration
Subsoil that has spots of both gray and bright reddish-brown colors is described as _________, which tells us that the water table goes up and down during the year.
Mottled
Complete the basic needs provided by soil: "____ (holds the plant firmly in place)."
Anchorage
Water-borne parent material deposited on bottomlands during stream flooding is called:
a) Alluvium
b) Loess
c) Bedrock
d) Organic matter
a) Alluvium
Identify the horizon letter for this description: "The solid, unweathered rock layer found at the very bottom of the soil profile (such as limestone or granite)."
R Horizon (Bedrock)
Which type of soil water is held in micropores against gravity and serves as the main source of water for plants?
a) Gravitational water
b) Hygroscopic water
c) Capillary water
d) Runoff water
c) Capillary water
The loss of water-soluble nutrients and chemicals as water moves down through soil is called:
a) Infiltration
b) Leaching
c) Soil tilth
d) Photosynthesis
b) Leaching