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Worksheets

Soil Texture and Structure

Total questions: 39

Worksheet time: 10hrs 45mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is mineral matter

a)

inorganic material in the soil

b)

a chart used to differentiate several classes

c)

when a ribbon of soil forms easily and remains long

d)

the finenss or coarseness of a soil

2.

What is the largest mineral particle size

a)

silt

b)

clay

c)

sand

d)

soil texture

3.

What is the smallest soil particle size?

a)

clay

b)

silt

c)

sand

d)

texture

4.

What soil particle creates large pore spaces that improve aeration?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

5.

Which soil particle lacks the ability to hold nutrients and are not fertile?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

6.

Which soil particle creates small pore spaces resulting in poor aeration and water drainage?

a)

Sand

b)

Silt

c)

Clay

7.

Which soil particle forms hard clumps when dry an sticky when wet?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

8.

Which soil particle feels like flour when dry and smooth like velvet when moist?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

9.

Which soil particle feels gritty to the touch?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

10.

What is soil texture?

a)

the chart used to differentiate several classes of soil

b)

the fineness or coarseness of a soil

c)

the in field method to classify soil texture by feel

d)

the inorganic material in soil

11.

What is the texture triangle?

a)

soil clusters

b)

a chart used to differentiate several classes of soil

c)

the in field method to classify soil texture by feel

d)

the ability of a soil to retain water

12.

What is the soil type for a soil sample with 50% clay, 30% sand, and 20% silt?

a)

clay

b)

clay loam

c)

sandy clay loam

d)

silty clay

13.

What is the soil type for a soil with 32% clay, 27% sand,and 41% silt?

a)

clay

b)

clay loam

c)

sandy clay loam

d)

silt

14.

What type of soil is 28% clay, 63% sand, 9% silt?

a)

silty clay

b)

clay

c)

loamy sand

d)

sandy clay loam

15.

How many basic textural classes are there when dealing with the texture triangle?

a)

5

b)

7

c)

10

d)

12

16.

What is the in field method used to classify soil texture?

a)

texture triangle

b)

ribbon method

c)

mineral matter

d)

soil structure

17.

How many textural classes are there for the ribbon method?

a)

5

b)

7

c)

10

d)

12

18.

What is water holding capacity?

a)

the ability in which soil is tilled

b)

the inorganic material in the soil

c)

the arrangement of soil particles into aggregates

d)

the ability of soil to retain water

19.

What is soil structure?

a)

soil clusters

b)

inorganic material in soil

c)

the fineness and coarseness of soil

d)

the arrangement of soil particles into aggregates

20.

What are soil clusters called?

a)

aggregates

b)

peds

c)

clods

d)

sand

21.

What are naturally occurring soil clusters called?

a)

peds

b)

clods

c)

aggregates

d)

crumbs

22.

What are clumps of soil cased by tillage called?

a)

peds

b)

aggregates

c)

clods

d)

single grain

23.

Which type of soil structure consists of block like structures. These structures look like dice.

a)

blocky

b)

crumb

c)

massive

d)

single grain

24.

Which soil structure type is very large with no apparent structure. The soil particles cling together in very large structures.

a)

single grain

b)

massive

c)

granular

d)

blocky

25.

What soil structure forms very small clumps. These clumps are very porous and weakly held together.

a)

platy

b)

prismatic

c)

crumb

d)

single grain

26.

What soil structure consists of individual vertical units. This structure is different from columnar structure in the fact that these are much longer.

a)

columnar

b)

granular

c)

prismatic

d)

granular

27.

What soil structure forms units that are plate-like. these structures are usually horizontal and over lap each other.

a)

granular

b)

massive

c)

blocky

d)

platy

28.

What soil structure has no apparent structure. This structure is sand-like particles that does not form aggregates.

a)

single grain

b)

massive

c)

granular

d)

platy

29.

What soil structure consists of spherical units that are strongly held together?

a)

crumb

b)

granular

c)

platy

d)

single grain

30.

What soil structure type is similar to the prismatic structure except is have very distinct and rounded tops?

a)

prismatic

b)

crumb

c)

massive

d)

columnar

31.

Using the texture triangle, what soil type consists of 32% clay, 37% sand, and 31% silt?

a)

sandy clay

b)

sandy clay loam

c)

silty clay loam

d)

clay loam

32.

Using the soil texture triangle, what soil type consists of 15% clay, 47% silt, and 38% sand?

a)

sand

b)

loam

c)

clay loam

d)

sandy loam

33.

Using the texture triangle, what type of soil consists of 6% clay, 17% sand, and 77% silt?

a)

sand

b)

silt

c)

clay

d)

silt loam

34.

Using the texture triangle, what type of soil consists of 39% clay, 52% silt, and 9% sand?

a)

sandy loam

b)

silty clay loam

c)

silty clay

d)

sandy clay

35.

Using the ribbon method, what kind of texture would be present if the soil created a ribbon of 1 inch?

a)

moderately course texture

b)

medium texture

c)

moderately fine textured

d)

fine texture

36.

Using the ribbon method, what soil texture would it be considered if you had a soil that did not create a ribbon and feels gritty, but is not completely sand?

a)

course texture

b)

moderately course texture

c)

medium texture

d)

fine texture

37.

Using the ribbon method, what soil texture is considered when no ribbon is formed due to the sample breaking less that 3/4 inches long?

a)

moderately fine texture

b)

medium texture

c)

moderately course texture

d)

course texture

38.

Why is soil texture important?

a)

because it is difficult for plants to survive in bad soil structure.

b)

because texture is how the soil feels

c)

because texture adds nutrients to the soil

d)

texture determines the soil characteristics that affect plant growth

39.

Why is soil structure important?

a)

because different separates have different masses and have corresponding pore spaces

b)

because structure can be damaged by driving heavy machinery over soils

c)

because structure affects air and water movement in the soil and nutrient availability for plants

d)

because aggregates form