Study Guide

Field 009: Career and Technical Education—Agriculture
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Objective 0001
Agricultural Business, Economics, Finance, and Marketing (Standard 1)

1. A farmer decides to stop growing crop A and instead use the land to grow crop B. The amount of potential profit lost by not growing crop A represents the farmer's:

  1. opportunity costs.
  2. variable costs.
  3. marginal costs.
  4. fixed costs.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of economic principles and concepts, including supply and demand, opportunity costs, and diminishing returns, and their application to agricultural business. Individuals and businesses are often presented with choices that are mutually exclusive. When a choice is made, as in to grow a particular crop, opportunity cost represents the value of the next best alternative that is forgone when making the choice—growing crop B involves not growing crop A. The farmer may make more money by growing crop B, but at the cost of the profit that would have been made by growing crop A.
Objective 0001
Agricultural Business, Economics, Finance, and Marketing (Standard 1)

2. The federal government subsidizes the cost of insurance that covers the loss of revenue to a farmer as a result of:

  1. damage to a crop due to a severe drought.
  2. higher costs for distributing and marketing a product.
  3. a drop in prices due to oversupply of a commodity.
  4. lower prices due to competition with foreign producers.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of principles of financial and risk management in agricultural business, including basic banking procedures and the types, sources, and costs of credit and insurance. Farmers can choose many different types of private insurance to minimize their risk of loss due to crop failure. In addition, a subsidized multi-peril federal insurance program administered by the Risk Management Agency and authorized by the Federal Crop Insurance Act offers subsidized insurance to most farmers that covers damages to crop yield due to natural disasters such as drought, floods, or hail.
Objective 0002
Animal Science (Standard 2)

3. Adding urea to corn silage that is fed to dairy cows is generally done to:

  1. inhibit the overgrowth of bacteria in the cows' digestive tracts by decreasing the pH of gastric juices.
  2. increase the nitrogen available to the bacteria that synthesize amino acids in the cows' rumens.
  3. prevent the growth of molds and fungi that may make the silage unpalatable to the cows.
  4. add high-quality carbohydrates to the silage to increase the amount of digestible energy in the feed.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of animal nutrition, including nutrient chemistry, functions, sources, and requirements; feed types and composition; and animal feeding practices. Urea is a compound of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. In ruminants, such as dairy cows, the nitrogen in the urea is used by bacteria in the rumen to synthesize essential amino acids that must be acquired from external sources by nonruminant animals.
Objective 0002
Animal Science (Standard 2)

4. Which of the following best explains why overgrazing by sheep is more likely to cause permanent harm to arid rangeland than overgrazing by cattle or horses?

  1. Sheep are able to crop plants closer to the ground than cattle or horses, which is more likely to kill plants and leave the soil bare and susceptible to erosion.
  2. Sheep feed on a wider variety of plants than cattle or horses, which may reduce the biodiversity of the range and lead to dominance by one or two species.
  3. Sheep dung has higher nitrogen content than that of cattle or horses, which may burn growing plants and leave patches of bare soil that are susceptible to wind erosion.
  4. Sheep hooves are sharper than those of cattle or horses, which may lead to churned soil and prevent seeding and regrowth of plants in damaged pastures.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of effects of animal production systems on the environment and strategies and practices for minimizing environmental damage and sustaining the environment. With a much narrower face, sheep are able to crop plants closer to the ground than cattle. Their efficient anterior dentition, which substitutes a horny pad for the upper front teeth, allows sheep to graze more closely than horses. For these reasons, sheep are more likely to crop the growing bud at the center of most grasses rather than just eating the outer leaves. This often kills the plant, leaving the soil bare and subject to erosion.
Objective 0003
Plant and Soil Science (Standard 3)

5. In general, fungal diseases of crops such as fusarium wilt in tomatoes, corn smut in corn, and stem rust of wheat are best controlled by:

  1. spraying with insecticides to control vectors.
  2. rotating the susceptible crops with crops that are not susceptible.
  3. planting resistant varieties.
  4. spraying with fungicides as soon as symptoms appear.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of types, causes, and symptoms of common diseases and pests that affect crop and horticultural plants and methods for their prevention, treatment, and control. Fungal diseases are most often spread by spores that are carried by the wind (e.g., stem rust) or are present in the soil (e.g., fusarium wilt). Spores carried by the wind can be dispersed for long distances, while soil fungi are often ubiquitous in the environment. Once symptoms are noticed, it is generally too late to spray with fungicides to control an infection. For these reasons, the most practical method of controlling fungal diseases is to breed and plant resistant varieties in areas where the disease is a problem.
Objective 0003
Plant and Soil Science (Standard 3)

6. Corn and soybeans often follow one another in a crop rotation schedule because:

  1. corn and soybeans have similar insect pests that respond to the same methods of control.
  2. soybeans grow very densely and will shade out many of the weeds that grow in a cornfield.
  3. corn is a heavy user of nitrogen and soybeans can help replenish nitrogen in the soil.
  4. soybeans require humus-rich soil and corn residues add organic matter to the soil when plowed under.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of classification, characteristics, components, and properties of soil; effects of crop production on soil; and methods of soil conservation and management. As legumes, soybeans form a symbiotic association with bacteria of the Rhizobium genus. The bacteria colonize plant cells within root nodules and convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, which can be used to form organic nitrogenous compounds for use by the plant. Hence, soybean plants grown from seed inoculated with Rhizobium will help replenish nitrogen in the soil for use by a crop such as corn, which is a heavy user of nitrogen.
Objective 0004
Food Science (Standard 4)

7. Which of the following classes of pesticides are responsible for most acute cases of pesticide poisoning and are considered to be most dangerous to humans because of their effects as potent human neurotoxins?

  1. organophosphates
  2. carbamates
  3. chlorinated hydrocarbons
  4. pyrethrins
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to identify types of hazardous substances, such as heavy metals and pesticide residues, commonly found in food products; sources of these substances; and effects of consumers ingesting these substances with food. Organophosphate pesticides (e.g., parathion) irreversibly inactivate acetylcholinesterase which is essential to nerve function in insects, mammals, and many other animals. As potent neurotoxins, they are considered to be the most dangerous pesticide to humans, causing most of the deaths due to pesticide poisoning among farm workers.
Objective 0005
Genetics and Biotechnology (Standard 5)

8. Scientists have incorporated a growth gene from Chinook salmon into the Atlantic salmon genome. A transgenic Atlantic salmon eats year-round instead of only in the spring and summer, allowing it to reach market size in 16 to 18 months instead of 3 years. The most important concern with the widespread use of transgenic Atlantic salmon in aquaculture operations is that:

  1. consumption of the Chinook growth gene could lead to increased appetite and obesity in humans that consume the fish.
  2. transgenic Atlantic salmon will be inferior in both nutrition and taste to farmed nontransgenic Atlantic salmon.
  3. farmed transgenic Atlantic salmon could escape and the gene could be established in wild Atlantic salmon populations.
  4. an increased supply of transgenic Atlantic salmon could increase the price worldwide for farmed nontransgenic Atlantic salmon.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of history of biotechnology; social, political, environmental, regulatory, and ethical issues in biotechnology; and issues surrounding conducting and reporting biotechnological research. The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture is controversial for several reasons. Some argue that consumption of GMOs may have adverse effects on human health, while others cite potential environmental damage. In the case of GMO salmon, the primary concern is that escaped farmed salmon may introduce the genetic modification into the wild salmon gene pool with unforeseen consequences.
Objective 0005
Genetics and Biotechnology (Standard 5)

9. Which of the following best explains the process by which genetic engineering techniques are used to produce large quantities of the drug antithrombin in the milk of goats?

  1. Genetic engineering techniques are used to identify goats that are large producers of antithrombin and clone the animals to produce a herd of goats that secrete the protein in their milk.
  2. A genetically engineered DNA segment coding for antithrombin is injected into a goat embryo that is implanted into a surrogate mother, thus creating transgenic goats that secrete the protein in their milk.
  3. A normal human gene that codes for antithrombin is inserted into the genetic code of adult goats and these genes are then turned on in the goats' mammary glands to initiate secretion of the protein in their milk.
  4. A genetically engineered DNA segment coding for antithrombin is transferred to bacteria, which are then cultured and injected into the mammary glands of normal goats where they produce the protein in the milk.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of applications of biotechnology and genetic engineering to improve agricultural products, produce large quantities of hormones or other substances, and increase the efficiency of agricultural production systems. Genetic engineering involves the removal of one gene or gene sequence from one organism and introducing it into another organism. In this case, the DNA segment coding for human antithrombin is introduced into the cell nucleus of a goat embryo. As the embryo develops and its cells multiply, they will carry the antithrombin gene, and the protein will be secreted in milk produced by the goat.
Objective 0006
Agricultural Mechanics, Engineering, Construction, and Technology (Standard 6)

10. Which of the following scientific principles is most relevant to the production of power in an internal combustion engine?

  1. Friction in a system generates heat.
  2. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.
  3. Momentum within a system is conserved.
  4. Gases expand when they are heated.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of principles of engineering, science, mathematics, and physics and their application to agricultural mechanics and technology. An internal combustion machine contains a number of cylinders, each of which contains a moveable piston. During the ignition stroke of the machine, the piston is positioned near the end of the cylinder, reducing its volume. When a mixture of gasoline (or other fuel) and air is ignited in this space, the resulting explosion rapidly heats the air inside the cylinder causing it to expand and drive the piston forward.
Objective 0007
Environmental Science and Natural Resources Management (Standard 7)

11. A farmer grows a bushel of corn that contains a certain amount of energy. The corn can either be ground up into meal for human consumption or fed to a pig that will later be consumed by humans. Humans will receive more energy from the corn if the corn is:

  1. fed to a pig because a pound of pork contains more calories than a pound of corn.
  2. made into meal because energy is lost as heat during the metabolic processes of the pig.
  3. fed to a pig because heat is lost when the corn is ground up into meal.
  4. made into meal because humans are more efficient at extracting energy from grains than are pigs.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of energy, water, and nutrient cycles and their relevance to agriculture. A basic tenet of ecological theory is that energy is lost as heat as it travels up the food chain. In this case the energy in the corn represents the primary production level of a trophic pyramid. If a human eats the corn as corn meal, the human is acting as a primary consumer. If the human feeds the corn to a pig and eats the pig, the human is acting as a secondary consumer and some of the original energy in the corn has been lost as heat during the metabolic processes of the pig.
Objective 0007
Environmental Science and Natural Resources Management (Standard 7)

12. Use the passage below to answer the question that follows.

On the slopes of mountains from Arizona to Alberta, large areas of reddish-brown trees stand out against the green. The reddish-brown areas are stands of lodgepole pine that have been killed by the worst recorded infestation of mountain pine beetles in history. The trees are weakened by drought and cannot effectively repel the beetles. Moreover, a series of mild winters has reduced mortality in overwintering beetles and allowed them to begin breeding earlier in the spring and later into the fall. Instead of one generation a summer, beetles in Colorado now complete three generations, overwhelming the defenses of the trees with their numbers.

The passage best illustrates:

  1. why humans must intervene when natural disasters threaten to disrupt an ecosystem in a region.
  2. how relationships between populations of predator and prey species often follow natural boom and bust cycles.
  3. why monocultures and other uniform ecosystems are susceptible to major disruption by insect pests.
  4. how global climate change can affect the biodiversity and the composition of ecosystems in a region.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of causes of habitat loss and reduction of biodiversity, strategies for conserving and replacing habitat, and principles of wildlife and fisheries management. Global climate change can have profound effects on habitat and wildlife diversity in an ecosystem. In this case, more mountain pine beetles survive warmer winters. Furthermore, shorter winters have allowed an increase in the number of generations that hatch during the summer months. The larger number of beetles have overwhelmed the natural defenses of the lodgepole pine and caused a significant decrease in the pine population.
Objective 0008
Core Knowledge and Skills for Agriculture Teachers (Standard 8)

13. A student is raising rabbits for a supervised agricultural experience (SAE). The student has 10 young rabbits of one breed and 10 of another breed. The student feeds one feed formulation to 5 of the rabbits of each breed and another formulation to the remaining 5 rabbits of each breed. The student gives each rabbit the same amount of space, water, and bedding material. Each rabbit is weighed every three days and the weight gain is plotted as a line graph. Which of the following is the dependent variable in this experiment?

  1. the breed of rabbit
  2. the weight gain for each rabbit
  3. the feed formulation
  4. the age of each rabbit at each weighing
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of interdisciplinary strategies, scientific processes and methods, and procedures used in laboratory and fieldwork investigations in the advanced life sciences. In an experiment, independent variables are factors that the experimenter manipulates so that they vary in different sample groups. A dependent variable represents the differences that can be measured that are due to differences in the independent variables. In this experiment, the independent variable is the feed formulation that is given to each of the four groups. The goal of the experiment is to determine if the differences in feed will result in differences in weight gain of the rabbits in the four groups and the dependent variable is the weight gain of each rabbit.
Objective 0009
Agricultural Education Program (Standard 9)

14. A student's entrepreneurship supervised agricultural experience (SAE) involves raising chickens and selling the eggs at a local farmers' market. The agricultural education teacher can best assess the success of the student's SAE by:

  1. reviewing production and financial records kept by the student and interviewing the student about problems and the solutions that arose during the SAE.
  2. creating a comprehensive criterion-referenced test that covers various aspects of poultry production as well as common business and accounting practices.
  3. comparing the price received for the eggs with the price of local eggs sold elsewhere to determine if the student's business was competitive with other local producers.
  4. examining the cost of inputs, including the cost of labor, and the gross income from the sale of the eggs to determine if a profit was made by the student's business.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of strategies and procedures for coordinating and supervising students' SAEs and for assessing student learning during their SAEs. In this case the student is engaged in an entrepreneurship SAE. When assessing the success of the SAE, the advisor should consider as many variables as possible. Reviewing production and financial records allows the advisor to evaluate both the student's knowledge of how to keep these records, and the student's success at running the business. Interviewing the student about problems that arose and solutions that were carried out allows the advisor to assess the student's ability to identify and respond to circumstances that he or she did not foresee when planning the experience.
Objective 0010
Agriculture Instruction and Assessment (Standard 10)

15. An agriculture teacher is teaching a course on natural resource management. The teacher would like to deepen students' understanding of the interrelated aspects of the environment as they relate to resource management practices while also promoting the development of higher-order thinking skills. The teacher could best accomplish this goal by asking students to:

  1. identify factors that contribute to soil erosion and practices to minimize different types of erosion.
  2. construct a graph that shows the effects of annual precipitation and seasonal temperature fluctuation on the growth of a crop.
  3. apply techniques for managing and reclaiming wastewater and for determining water quality.
  4. predict the effects that changes in the population size of one species will have on the relationships of other species in an ecosystem.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of instructional strategies for promoting student learning and fostering the development of critical-thinking, higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and performance skills in agricultural education. Predicting how changes in one variable will affect changes in another variable requires students to make use of higher-order thinking skills, in part because students must consider multiple scenarios involving different sets of variables. Students must evaluate how variables interact and choose among a series of likely scenarios.