Soils

Which of the following is not a property of soil?

• color

• density

• texture

• capacity to retain water

The layer of soil consisting of decayed plants and animals is called ______

• topsoil

• loam

• humus

• bedrock

There IS a relationship between capacity to retain water and ability to support plant life.

• true

• false

What type of soil has the best capacity to retain water?

• sand

• silt

• clay

• a mixture of all (loam)

Humus is ______ allowing it to support plant life.

• loam

• nutrient-rich

• topsoil

• dense

Which of the following is NOT one of the three layers of soil?

• topsoil

• bedrock

• undersoil

• subsoil

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of soil?

• sand

• clay

• mud

• silt

____ is a type of soil most often used with plants. It is a mixture of clay, sand and silt.

• loam

• mud

• humus

• dirt

Humus is ______

• the dead parts of plants and animals in soil

• a food we eat with pretzels

• the tiny particles inside of soil

• the roots that come off of a plant and live in soil

Ellen grabs topsoil in her hand. She rolls it into a ball. The soil feels gritty and the ball falls apart. What part of the topsoil most likely made the topsoil feel gritty?

• clay

• silt

• sand

• humus