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PROPERTIES OF SOIL - NATURAL RESOURCES

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which makes clay a poor choice for growing many plants?

a)

its color

b)

its capacity to retain water

c)

the lack of clay found in most locations

d)

the amount of organic matter it contains

2.

A soil made of mostly sand will

a)

not have any plants growing in it

b)

feel silky and will retain a lot of water

c)

have lots of humus

d)

feel grainy and not retain a lot of water

3.

A component of soil made by the weathering of rocks into tiny grains; rough and gritty texture.

a)

Clay

b)

Gravel

c)

Topsoil

d)

Sand

4.

Which of the following is NOT a commonly studied property of soil?

a)

Color

b)

Texture

c)

Water Retention

d)

Taste

5.

Which property of soil can be described with the words, "smooth," and "rough"?

a)

Shape

b)

Texture

c)

Size

d)

Color

6.

Many plants cannot grow in sandy soil. Why is this true?

a)

Sandy soil does not hold enough water.

b)

Air cannot pass through sandy soil.

c)

Roots cannot easily push through sandy soil.

d)

Sandy soil has too many nutrients.

7.

A student wanted to investigate which type of soil retains the most water. She put 200 mL of water in each type of soil. The results are shown above.

According to the diagram above, which soil retains the LEAST amount of water?

a)

Soil A

b)

Soil B

c)

Soil C

d)

Soil D

8.
Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of soil?
a)
clay
b)
sand
c)
silt
d)
mud
9.
When plants, animals, and other organisms die, they break down and become part of the soil. What is this part of the soil called?
a)
sand
b)
silt
c)
clay
d)
humus
10.
Soil is made of
a)
weathered rocks and minerals
b)
dead plants and animals
c)
air and water
d)
all of the above
11.

Which type of soil is best at retaining water?

a)

clay

b)

loam

c)

silt

d)

sand

12.

Soil starts forming when

a)

THE SUN RISES

b)

WEATHERED ROCKS

c)

VOLCANOES ERRUPT

d)

OCCEANS EVAPORTATE

13.

Which correctly lists the order in which the water passed through the funnels, from fastest to slowest?

a)

coarse sand, pebbles, fine sand

b)

pebbles, fine sand, coarse sand

c)

fine sand, coarse sand, pebbles

d)

pebbles, coarse sand, fine sand

14.

Which of the following shows the correct order of the particles from the bottom to the top?

a)

Sand, clay, silt

b)

Sand, silt, clay

c)

Silt, clay, sand

d)

Clay, silt, sand

15.

A student poured 10 mL of water in identical containers with different soils. The water that drained from the containers was collected and measured. The graduated cylinder below shows the amount that was collected from one of the soils.

Which of the following was the water in the graduated cylinder most likely from?

a)

sand

b)

mixture of clay and silt

c)

clay

silt

d)

silt