Soil

Students are placing different soil samples in front of a fan to see which kind of soil is moved most easily by wind. What piece of safety equipment would be most important during this investigation?

• Fire extinguisher

• Gloves

• First-aid kit

• Goggles

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Alexis is studying the texture of the particles in different types of soil. She is comparing soils with clay, sand, gravel, and silt in order to determine which soil has the largest particles.

Which ones list the soils in decreasing order?

• sand, gravel, clay, silt

• gravel, sand, silt, clay

• sand, gravel, silt, clay

• gravel, sand, clay, silt

While observing soil samples, students noticed that water poured easily through sand, but it did not easily pour through the clay soil. What caused the clay soil to retain more water than the sand?

• The clay soil is a darker color than sand.

• Plants that grow in clay soil don't need a lot of water.

• Clay soil has large particles that keep water from flowing through.

• The soil particles in clay are small and packed closely together.

Carlos designs an experiment to see how the school garden soil retains water. He measures 200 grams of the soil and places it in the can with holes. He pours 50 mL of water into the can. Refer to the soil experiment above. If the soil stops most of the water from flowing deeper, how much water would the student expect to measure at the end of the experiment?

• 5 mL

• 25 mL

• 45 mL

• 50 mL

The Texas Sage is a drought tolerant plant grown in many nurseries. Drought tolerant plants are able to survive and thrive in areas without much rainfall or water retained.

Based on the data table above, in which soil would the Texas Sage be least likely to thrive?

• sand

• clay

• peat

• clay loam

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

In some areas of Texas, solid layers of rock called bedrock are beneath a thin layer of soil. Trees need to grow long, deep roots to get lots of water and hold the tree in place. Based on the information above, are the areas in Texas with bedrock beneath the soil a good place for trees to grow?

• Trees will grow well with bedrock because the roots can wrap around the rock.

• Trees will not grow well with bedrock because the roots will not grow deep

• Trees will grow well with bedrock because the roots can grow sideways instead of down.

• Trees will not grow well because the roots will break the rock.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

In many parts of Texas, the soil forms a smooth thick mud when it rains. The water is more likely to runoff than absorb into the ground due to the lack of drainage through the soil. The soil type is most likely —

• clay

• silt

• loam

• sand

We observed several soil samples. One sample was light-colored and had large grains that felt rough and scratchy. Water drained easily through this soil.

Which of the following plants would grow best in this soil?

• cactus

• ferns

• grass

• lettuce

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

When identifying the texture of a soil, you are determining —

• the type of rock underneath the soil

• the age of the soil

• the size of the grains in the soil

• the crops the soil supports

What is one property of soil that you can use the sense of sight?

• color

• texture

• ability to retain water

• crops it supports