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WorksheetsLockeD! - 4.7A - Properties of Soil #1
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 24mins
A student conducts an investigation using four identical bottles, each with a hole in the bottom. The student fills each can with a different type of soil and then adds 200 milliliters (ML) out of water to each bottle. The beakers below show the amount of water that drains through the soil and out the bottom of each can. Some plants have roots that reach very deep underground. Which type of soil will most likely stop water from flowing to the deepest roots of these plants?
A
B
C
D
Three soil samples were tested to see how much water each could hold. The same amount of water was added to each funnel of soil. Very few plants would probably grow in the clay because the water would —
fail to reach the roots of the plants
become too cloudy
run through the soil too quickly
become poisonous to the plants
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
The pictures show a method used to collect data in an investigation. Different kinds of materials were mixed with 100 grams of garden soil. An equal amount of water was added to each mixture. Which of these was this investigation designed to answer?
How well each material mixes with garden soil
How well each mixture holds water
How well each material supports plants
How well each mixture keeps its texture when wet
Similar containers were filled with different types of soil. Holes were poked into the bottom of each container, and 300 milliliters of water were added. The water that dripped out was collected and measured. According to the information in the table, which type of soil retained water best?
Potting soil
Sandy soil
Gravel
Clay
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?
A
B
C
D
Which of the following soils would be best for growing bean plants?
Sandy soil with big rocks
Loam that contains humus
Gravel and rocky soil
Clay soil that contains sand
Which of the following types of soil will be the hardest for plants to grow in?
Sandy soil that retains a great deal of water
Loam that contains humus and drains well
Topsoil that drains well and contains nutrients
Potting soil that is designed to improve plant growth
Plants grow very well in topsoil because it is very rich. All of these processes help form the rich topsoil EXCEPT—
ocean tides
decay of organisms
weathering of rocks
erosion from wind and water
Four soil samples of equal volume were put in funnels with filter paper. 200 mL of water was added to each sample and the water that flowed out the bottom of the funnel was collected and measured. What can you determine about the soil samples from the data?
Soil sample R retained the most water
Soil sample T was the driest soil
Soil sample Q has more organic matter
Soil sample S was about half sand
A sample of water and sediment was taken from a river. The sand and rocks were allowed to settle in a jar for three hours, as shown here. Which of these best explains why the rocks are below the sand?
The sand is less dense than the rocks
The water temperature is high enough to melt sand
Sand particles dissolve more in water than rocks
The sand particles trapped enough air to make them float
The three soil samples shown above were tested to see how much water would run through the funnel in a given amount of time. The same amounts of soil and then water were added to each funnel and allowed to drain for 1 minute. Which soil retained the least amount of water?
Top soil
Clay soil
Sandy soil
Rocky soil
Top soil has a rough texture with spaces between the grains. This allows water to filter quickly through the soil. Clay soil, however, is composed of smoother particles that stick together with little or no spaces between. What would happen if clay were used as a water filtration method? The water –
would flow freely through the clay
would not flow easily through the clay
in the clay would evaporate very quickly
would change the clay into sedimentary rock
The four soil samples shown were tested to see how much water would run through the funnel in a given amount of time. The same amounts of soil and then water were added to each funnel and allowed to drain for 1 minute. Which soil retained the most water?
Top soil
Clay soil
Sandy soil
Potting soil
Which of the following has the GREATEST effect on the ability of soil to retain water?
The age of the soil particles
The size of the soil particles
The color of the soil particles
The luster of the soil particles
A student put some sand, clay, and water into a bottle and shook the bottle. Then he put the bottle down. After two hours, the bottle looked like the drawing. What can the student conclude based on what he sees in the bottle?
The water is heavier than the grains of clay and the grains of sand
The grains of clay are heavier than the grains of sand and the water
The grains of sand are heavier than the water and the grains of clay
The water, grains of clay, and grains of sand are all of equal weight
Through which type of soil will water move most quickly?
Sandy soil with large pores
Humus soil with small pores
Clay soil with tiny pores
Solid rock with no pores
To find out which soil absorbs moisture BEST, each container shown must—
be made of a different material
have soil from the same place
be tested by the same person
contain the same amount of soil
A student is comparing the erosion of different types of soil and rocks. She makes piles of the materials that are equal in size and shape. She slowly pours the same amount of water over each pile. Then she measures the height of each pile. The table shows her results. Which pile of material eroded the MOST?
Sand
Pebbles
Gravel
Soil
Your teacher has brought a sample of water to class. The sample contains a mixture of small rocks, sand, and silt (very fine soil) obtained from Buffalo Bayou. After a few hours, the sample settles. Which diagram shows the layers in which the sediments will settle?
