Soils

If a soil particle is big, meaning it has a larger pore space, how will the water flow?

• Fast
• Slow
• It won't move at all
• Medium

Most plants grow best in soil that contains a lot of:

• sand
• bedrock
• humus
• subsoil

What is loam made of?

• Sand and stone
• Bits of rock
• Dead plants and animals
• Humus, sand, silt, and clay

Which type of soil drains the slowest?

• silt
• clay
• sand
• loam

A tree leaf becomes part of humus when it:

• dies and falls on the ground
• is eaten by birds and animals
• is carried away by a river
• begins to grow in spring

The first layer of soil, called the A horizon is also known as?

• Bedrock
• Parent Material
• Topsoil
• Subsoil

When there are not enough plants to hold topsoil in place, water and  _______ carry the topsoil away, leaving the subsoil exposed

• sunlight
• birds
• magnetic fields
• wind

You dig a small hole in the soil and the next day it rains. The hole fills with water, but does not empty even after several days of dry weather. What is the soil mostly made of?

• clay
• sand
• humus
• silt

Which of the following best describes soil erosion?

• the breakdown of soil by chemicals
• the improvement of soil quality by fertilizers
•  the breakdown of soil by water, wind or ice
• the movement of soil by wind, water or gravity

Horizontal layers of soil are also known as:

• Soil Profiles
• Soil Horizons
• Soil sheets
• Soil cores