Soil #1

A student gathers the materials in the diagram to test properties of soil. The question that the student is most likely trying to investigate is –

• Do all soils have the same mass?

• Which soils grow the best plants?

• Which soil holds the most water?

• Which soil feels softest?

Several students investigate the characteristics of soil. The students observe samples of common soils. In one sample they observe that water drains through the soil easily. When they rub the soil between their fingers, it feels rough and scratchy, and its particles feel hard. The soil the students observed is most likely —

• clay

• silt

• loam

• sand

Some students added 500 milliliters of water to equal amounts of four different samples of soil.

In this investigation, which sample of soil held the most water?

• Soil W

• Soil X

• Soil Y

• Soil Z

Which type of soil can hold the greatest amount of water?

• sand

• silt

• clay

• loam

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

A student wants to find out which type of soil holds the most water. He uses four identical pots with holes in the bottom. He fills each pot with a different type of soil and waters the pots with the same amount of water. How can he find out how much water stays in the soil in each pot?

• By planting seeds and measuring plant growth in each pot

• By measuring the amount of water that drains from each pot

• By observing which soil looks wettest after the water has been added to the pots

• By feeling the soil before and after adding water to each pot.

Soil is made of

• weathered rocks and minerals

• dead plants and animals

• air and water

• all of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Many plants cannot grow in sandy soil. Why is this true?

• Sandy soil does not hold enough water.

• Air cannot pass through sandy soil.

• Roots cannot easily push through sandy soil.

• Sandy soil has too many nutrients.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

It is important for soil to retain water to 

• withstand weathering

• erode more slowly

• help plants to grow

• keep it from being dry

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

_______ is the type of soil used most often with plants and on farms. It is a mixture of clay, sand, and silt.

• loam

• humus

• soil

• dirt

Which of the following is the BEST way to test a soil's ability to hold water?

• adding soil to a beaker full of water and seeing if the soil sinks

• pouring water through a funnel of soil and seeing how much water drips out

• stirring soil into a bowl of water and seeing if the soil disappears

• mixing water with a pile of soil and seeing if the water changes temperature