Properties of Soil Review

Tim is planning on creating a garden. Which type of soil would be best for planting?

• Soil that is a mixture of sand, silt and clay with humus.

• Soil that is a mixture of silt and clay.

• Soil that is mostly sand with a lot of humus.

• Soil that is mostly sand and clay with a few rocks.

Answer explanation

Soil that has a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and humus is the best type of soil for plant growth because it has a lot of nutrients and retains just the right amount of water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Based on the image, which soil retained the most amount of water?

• Soil 1

• Soil 2

• Soil 3

• Soil 4

Answer explanation

Soil 3 retained the most amount of water because it has the least amount of water in the graduated cylinder.

Which property of soil could students determine by rubbing a soil sample between their fingers?

• The texture of soil.

• The color of soil.

• The capacity of soil.

• The odor of soil.

Answer explanation

Texture is the way that something feels. By rubbing soil between your fingers, you are determining the texture of soil.

Equal amounts of four different brands of soil were put into separate pots with holes in the bottom. 200 milliliters of water was poured into each pot, and the water that drained from the bottoms of the pots was collected and measured. Which brand of soil retained the most water?

• GroPlant

• Super Soil

• DynaDirt

• Quick Seed

Answer explanation

GroPlant retained the most water because it is charted with the smallest amount of collected water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Students are comparing samples of different soils to the bars on a chart their teacher gave them. What property of soil are they are trying to determine using this chart?

• Odor

• Texture

• Color

• Shape

Answer explanation

The chart given to the students has 4 different colors. The small sample of soil is matched with one of the colors.

Students test the amount of water retained by different types of soil. Equal amounts of soil were added to four funnels with filters, then the same volume of water was poured through each soil sample. To determine the amount of water retained by each soil sample, the student would –

• Add the amount of each soil sample to the water poured in.

• Divide the total water poured in by the number of samples.

• Subtract the water collected from the water poured in.

• Multiply the water poured in by the number of soil samples.

Answer explanation

In order to know how much water was retained in each soil sample, you would have to subtract the water that was collected from the water that was poured in.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Which soil sample would most likely support growth of plants that require a minimum of 20 milliliters of water per day but a maximum of 26 milliliters of water per day?

• Soil A

• Soil B

• Soil C

• Soil D

Answer explanation

Soil D had 25 milliliters of water retained which is the only soil in between 20 milliliters and 26 milliliters.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

What does the image of the experiment represent?

• The differences in texture between wet and dry soils.

• How well different soils retain water.

• How much water is needed to dissolve different soils.

• The amount of time it takes different soils to dry.

Answer explanation

The experiment being done in the image is to see how much water is being retained in each soil.

An experiment with four types of soil was filled in a funnel inside some beakers. Then, 500 milliliters of water was poured in each funnel. Which soil retained the least amount of water?

• Potting Soil

• Clay

• Sand

• Pebbles

Answer explanation

Pebbles retained the least amount of water because it had the largest number of millimeters of water collected.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

Ana and Mari are examining soil types and how well they retain water. They placed one cup of soil inside a paper filter inside the funnel then poured 100mL of water through the soil. Based on their observations below, which soil retained the least amount of water?

• Soil A

• Soil B

• Soil C

• Soil D

Answer explanation

Soil B retained the least amount of water because it has the most amount of water in the graduated cylinder.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4