Study Guide

Field 005: Agriscience
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

Expand All | Collapse All

Competency 0001
Understand the role of communication and leadership in agriscience education.

Which of the following is the best example of an exploratory Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE)?

  1. researching how temperature affects seed germination rates
  2. obtaining a summer internship at a small business that sells seeds online
  3. starting a neighborhood pet-sitting and dog-walking business
  4. visiting a university farm to learn about methods of sustainable agriculture
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of types and characteristics of Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs). An SAE is a supervised activity that is planned by the student with the help of the teacher. The goal of an SAE is to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities. There are three types of SAEs: entrepreneurship, placement, and exploratory. Exploratory SAEs are designed to increase career awareness or agricultural literacy through exploration activities. Visiting a farm to learn about methods of sustainable agriculture is an example of a literacy SAE since it develops an understanding and appreciation of the growth and care of plants and animals.
Competency 0002
Understand careers and career development in agriculture.

One important way in which an internship differs from job shadowing in students' career preparation is that an internship is more likely to provide a student with the opportunity to:

  1. learn about the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities involved in a particular job or business.
  2. make contacts with individuals who may provide useful connections when the student is job hunting.
  3. become familiar with specific educational and skill requirements that are important to the job.
  4. gain actual work experience in job tasks and explore whether the work suits the student's interests.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of strategies for career exploration. An internship allows a student to spend a greater amount of time exploring the parameters of a job than does job shadowing or informational interviewing. During an internship a student can expect to get hands-on work experience with tasks involved in the job. This experience helps the student determine how the job fits with his or her goals and interests and also provides work experience that can be included on a résumé.
Competency 0003
Understand core business concepts in agriculture.

A full-time employee of a large nursery and garden center decides to change to part time in order to buy a small farm and open a farm stand to sell the produce. Which of the following is the best example of an opportunity cost of this decision?

  1. the amount of savings that the employee must use to open the business and keep it operating
  2. the loss of income that the employee will incur as a result of the shift from full-time to part-time employment
  3. the fees and interest on loans used to purchase the land and equipment needed to start the business
  4. the difference between the expenses and revenues of the farm stand during its first year of operation
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of economic principles and concepts and their application to agribusiness. Opportunity costs occur when someone must choose among several mutually exclusive alternatives. When one alternative is chosen, the gain that might have been realized from choosing other alternatives must be sacrificed. In this case, the employee chooses to buy a small farm and sell the produce. This choice precludes continuing as a full-time employee at the garden center. Thus, one opportunity cost of the choice is the loss of income that results from switching from full- to part-time employment.
Competency 0004
Understand business management in agriculture.

A high school senior who has interned for two summers with a local landscaping business loves the work and decides she would like to start her own landscaping business after graduation. Which of the following steps should the student take first to determine the feasibility of this idea?

  1. researching the demand for landscaping services in the area and whether it is met by existing providers of those services
  2. meeting with a loan officer at a bank to discuss the possibility of a loan to cover the costs of equipment purchases and start-up marketing
  3. networking with her internship employer, other business contacts, friends, and family members to locate potential clients
  4. preparing a list of the advantages and disadvantages of business ownership and analyzing how those fit with her personal goals
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of entrepreneurship and strategies for starting a new business. A new business is most likely to succeed if there is some unmet demand for the product it offers. Before starting a business, one important step would be to research the market to assess the existing supply and demand for the services or products the business will offer.
Competency 0005
Understand agricultural marketing.

A producer of specialty fruit products understands that customers are attracted to the company's products because they perceive them as high quality, healthful, and prestigious. Which of the following pricing strategies is this producer most likely to use?

  1. cost-plus pricing
  2. psychological pricing
  3. value-based pricing
  4. premium pricing
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to apply basic principles of product pricing to agricultural products and services. Value-based prices are determined by the perceived value the product has for the consumer, rather than by the costs of production, competition pricing, or other factors. The perceived value is based on customers' beliefs about what the product is worth, the quality and prestige of the product, and what other alternatives the customer may have.
Competency 0006
Understand the biology of plants.

A primary function of the plant hormones in the group known as gibberellins is the:

  1. stimulation of cell division.
  2. production of terminal buds.
  3. differentiation of tissues.
  4. promotion of root growth.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of factors that affect plant growth. Gibberellins are a group of natural plant hormones that stimulate cell division and promote stem elongation. They are also involved in processes such as flower initiation, fruit growth, overcoming dormancy, and senescence.
Competency 0007
Identify soils and crop production.

7. A producer would like to improve the water-conserving ability of the soil on the farm's cropland. Which of the following steps would be most effective in achieving this goal?

  1. installing an irrigation system
  2. increasing the amount of chemical fertilizers used
  3. adding organic matter to the soil
  4. tilling the soil more thoroughly and frequently
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of soil management practices and methods for soil conservation and erosion control. In addition to supplying nutrients to growing plants, organic matter is able to absorb and hold large amounts of water. In the case of a soil that tends to dry out quickly, the addition of organic matter, often in the form of animal or green manure, slows the rate at which water drains downward out of the reach of plants or evaporates from the soil surface. This means that the water is available to the growing crop plants for a longer period of time and may reduce the amount of irrigation that is necessary.
Competency 0008
Understand principles of horticulture.

Which of the following is likely to be one of the operating principles of a greenhouse that uses a strategy of integrated pest management to control pests?

  1. The use of all insecticides is prohibited within the greenhouse.
  2. Plant pests are allowed to exist as long as their numbers are below the economic threshold.
  3. All plants must be grown without the use of chemical fertilizers.
  4. Nonnative plant species are grown to minimize pest populations.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of greenhouse and nursery management. Integrated pest management uses a combination of physical, chemical, and biological methods to keep pest populations at an acceptable level. The goal of integrated pest management is not to destroy all pests, but to prevent them from causing significant injury to the crop. A greenhouse operated according to principles of integrated pest management would carefully monitor pest populations, intervening to control them only when their numbers became unacceptably high.
Competency 0009
Understand the biology of animals.

Use the graph below to answer the question that follows.

According to the graph, conception is most likely to occur if the cow is bred in the evening of which of the following days?

  1. Sunday
  2. Monday
  3. Tuesday
  4. Wednesday
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the underlying growth processes and stages of growth in animals. In cattle, fertilization becomes possible at ovulation, which occurs approximately 12 hours after the end of estrus. In the graph above, this takes place on Sunday afternoon. Since an egg cell lives approximately 12 hours if not fertilized, this cow would need to be bred on Sunday evening to make conception likely.
Competency 0010
Understand animal production.

As part of a balanced ration for hogs, soybean meal is often used as a supplement to corn primarily to:

  1. provide a source of carbohydrates.
  2. correct the amino acid deficiencies of corn.
  3. serve as a vitamin supplement.
  4. provide the extra roughage that hogs require.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of animal nutrition and feeding practices. Although corn is an excellent source of carbohydrates, it lacks a number of amino acids required to produce the complete proteins that are necessary for the normal development of bones and muscles. The amino acids found in soybean meal complement those found in corn, so a diet that includes yellow corn and soybean meal, when combined in the proper proportions, will satisfy a hog's requirements for all the essential amino acids except methionine.
Competency 0011
Understand natural resource management.

The concept of ecological succession can best help explain which of the following questions in agriculture?

  1. How do insect pests develop resistance to a particular pesticide that has been overused?
  2. Why are certain types of plants more likely than others to be common weeds in an agricultural field?
  3. How does soil temperature affect nutrient uptake by crop plants?
  4. Why does following a strict crop-rotation schedule help control insect pests and diseases?
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of basic ecological systems. Ecological succession refers to the ordered replacement of one type of vegetation with another over time. The first plants that arrive in a bare field are opportunistic annuals that grow quickly, produce many seeds, and require direct sunlight. These are replaced with perennial herbs, grasses, and shrubs, which, in turn, give way to fast-growing trees. The final stage of succession, or climax, is a stable assemblage of plants that are best suited to the local conditions of temperature, moisture, and soil fertility. In the boreal forest, the climax stage may consist largely of spruce and other conifers, while in the Great Plains, tall grasses, which are more drought resistant than trees, may form the climax state. Since most agricultural fields represent a very early stage of succession, they are typically colonized by fast-growing annual species, which we generally refer to as weeds.
Competency 0012
Understand mechanical systems in agriculture.

A fruit grower who is faced with limited water supplies and rising water costs would like to select an irrigation method that minimizes nonproductive water loss. Which of the following irrigation methods would best help the grower achieve this goal?

  1. flood irrigation
  2. sprinkler irrigation
  3. drip irrigation
  4. furrow irrigation
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of irrigation systems common in agriculture. Drip irrigation delivers water to individual plants under very low pressure by means of plastic tubing. The water trickles from strategically spaced openings in the tubing. This slow but constant delivery of water reduces water loss from evaporation and runoff. In the field, drip irrigation is commonly used on crops that are widely spaced, such as fruit trees.