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1) What soil composition would be best for availability of nutrients, water, and root
development?
A) equal amounts of sand, clay, and humus
B) higher proportion of humus; lower amounts of clay and sand
C) higher proportion of clay; lower amounts of humus and sand
D) higher proportion of sand; lower amount of humus and clay
2) The highest amount of oxygen will be found in soils containing large amounts of ________.
A) clay
B) sand
C) gravel
D) silt
3) A group of ten tomato plants are germinated and maintained in a large tray with no drainage.
After several weeks they all begin to wilt and die despite repeated watering and fertilization. The
most likely cause of this die-off is ________.
A) competition for resources
B) a lack of oxygen for the roots
C) organic nutrient depletion
D) no room left for root growth
4) There are several properties that are characteristic of a soil in which typical plants would grow
well. Of the following, which would be the least conducive to plant growth?
A) abundant humus
B) numerous soil organisms
C) compacted soil
D) high cation exchange capacity
5) Which of the following soil minerals is most likely leached away during a hard rain?
A) Na+
B) K+
C) Ca++
D) NO3-
11) Roots acidify the soil solution by releasing ________ and pumping ________ into the soil.
A) CO2; K+
B) CO2; H+
C) CO2; Na+
D) N; Na+
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14) Which of the following would be the most effective strategy to remove toxic heavy metals
from a soil?
A) heavy irrigation to leach out the heavy metals
B) application of sulfur to lower the soil pH and precipitate the heavy metals
C) adding plant species that have the ability to take up and accumulate heavy metals
D) inoculating soil with mycorrhizae to avoid heavy-metal uptake
15) How would you expect the root system of a plant grown by hydroponics to compare to the
root system of a plant grown in soil? The root system of a plant grown by hydroponics would be
________.
A) more developed
B) less developed
C) about the same
D) absent
17) Which one of the following elements plays a critical role in the formation of chlorophyll?
A) magnesium
B) manganese
C) calcium
D) zinc
18) Which of the following experiments is the best way to determine if an element is essential for
plant growth?
A) Measure the amount of the element stored in plant tissues.
B) Measure the amount of the element in the soil after plant growth.
C) Measure the weight of the plant and soil before and after plant growth.
D) Grow a plant using hydroponics with and without the element.
19) Which criteria allow biologists to divide chemicals into macronutrients and micronutrients?
A) molecular weight of the element or compound
B) the quantities of each required by plants
C) how they are used in metabolism
D) whether or not they are essential for plant growth
20) Which elements are most often the limiting nutrients for plant growth?
A) nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus
B) nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen
C) carbon, sodium, chlorine
D) carbon, nitrogen, oxygen
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21) Synthesis of which of the following compounds in a mature leaf would be least impacted by
a temporary soil nitrogen deficiency?
A) DNA
B) RNA
C) amino acids
D) cellulose
24) Two groups of tomatoes were grown under laboratory conditions, one with humus added to
the soil, and one a control without humus. The leaves of the plants grown without humus were
yellowish (less green) compared with those of the plants grown in the humus-enriched soil. The
best explanation for this difference is that ________.
A) the healthy plants used the food in the decomposing leaves of the humus for energy to make
chlorophyll
B) the humus made the soil more loosely packed, so water penetrated more easily to the roots
C) the humus contained minerals such as magnesium and iron, needed for the synthesis of
chlorophyll
D) the heat released by the decomposing leaves of the humus caused more rapid growth and
chlorophyll synthesis
25) Soil leaching can cause nutrient deficiencies in the soil. Which of the following are
symptoms of nutrient deficiency in plants?
I) chlorosis
II) death of meristems
III) excess storage of chlorophyll
IV) small internodes
A) I, II, and III
B) II, III, and IV
C) I, II, and IV
D) I, II, III, and IV
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26) If an African violet has chlorosis, which of the following elements might be a useful addition
to the soil?
A) molybdenum
B) copper
C) iodine
D) magnesium
27) Which one of the following micronutrients plays a critical role as a component of
chlorophyll?
A) nickel
B) iron
C) magnesium
D) molybdenum
28) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nitrifying bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into different
compounds of nitrogen such as: (a) ammonium ion, (b) ammonia, (c) nitrate ion, and (d) nitrite
ion. Which of the following is the correct sequence of formation of the nitrogen compounds?
A) a, b, c, and d
B) b, a, d, and c
C) b, a, c, and d
D) a, b, d, and c
32) You are weeding your garden when you accidentally expose some roots of your pea plants.
You notice swellings (root nodules) on the roots, and there is a reddish tinge to the ones you
accidentally damaged. Most likely your pea plants ________.
A) suffer from a mineral deficiency
B) are infected with a parasite
C) are benefiting from a mutualistic bacterium
D) are developing offshoots from the root
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33) The specific relationship between a legume and its mutualistic Rhizobium strain probably
depends on ________.
A) each legume having a chemical dialogue with a fungus
B) each Rhizobium strain having a form of nitrogenase that works only in the appropriate legume
host
C) each legume being found where the soil has only the Rhizobium specific to that legume
D) specific recognition between the chemical signals and signal receptors of the Rhizobium strain
and legume species
34) Rhizobia, actinomycetes, and cyanobacteria all share the common feature that they can
________.
A) increase water uptake in plants
B) kill parasites in the soil
C) exist in extreme environments
D) fix atmospheric nitrogen
35) The earliest vascular plants on land had underground stems (rhizomes), but no roots. Water
and mineral nutrients were most likely obtained by ________.
A) diffusion through stomata
B) absorption by mycorrhizae
C) osmosis through the root hairs
D) diffusion across the cuticle of the rhizome
36) What major benefits do plants and mycorrhizal fungi receive from their symbiotic
relationship?
A) Plants receive enzymes, and fungi receive nitrogen and phosphorus.
B) Plants receive increased root surface area, and fungi receive digestive enzymes.
C) Fungi receive photosynthetic products in exchange for living in plant root nodules.
D) Plants receive nitrogen and phosphorus, and fungi receive photosynthetic products.
37) Hyphae form a covering over roots. These hyphae create a large surface area that helps to do
which of the following?
A) aid in absorbing minerals and ions
B) maintain cell shape
C) increase cellular respiration
D) anchor a plant
38) A plant developed a mineral deficiency after being treated with a fungicide. What is the most
probable cause of the deficiency?
A) Mineral receptor proteins in the plant membrane were not functioning.
B) Mycorrhizal fungi were killed.
C) Active transport of minerals was inhibited.
D) Proton pumps reversed the membrane potential.
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39) We would expect the greatest difference in plant health between two groups of plants of the
same species, one group with mycorrhizae and one group without mycorrhizae, in an
environment ________.
A) where nitrogen-fixing bacteria are abundant
B) that has soil with poor drainage
C) in which the soil is relatively deficient in mineral nutrients
D) that is near a body of water, such as a pond or river
41) Carnivorous plants have evolved mechanisms that trap and digest small animals. The
products of this digestion are used to supplement the plant's supply of ________.
A) energy
B) carbohydrates
C) lipids and steroids
D) nitrogen and other minerals
43) While hiking in a forest, you notice an unusual plant growing on the branches of a tree. What
will help you to determine if this plant is epiphytic or parasitic?
A) If the plant is green, it is epiphytic; if not, then it is parasitic.
B) The root of an epiphytic plant will be in the soil, but a parasitic plant will grow from the trunk
of a tree.
C) The roots of a parasitic plant will penetrate under the bark into the tree xylem, and the roots of
epiphytic plant will not.
D) The epiphytic plant will have large water collecting leaves, and the parasitic plant will not.
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2) Micronutrients are needed in very small amounts because
A) most of them are mobile in the plant.
B) most serve mainly as cofactors of enzymes.
C) most are supplied in large enough quantities in seeds.
D) they play only a minor role in the growth and health of the plant.
4) Epiphytes are
A) fungi that attack plants.
B) fungi that form mutualistic associations with roots.
C) nonphotosynthetic parasitic plants.
D) plants that grow on other plants.
5) Some of the problems associated with intensive irrigation include all of the following except
A) soil salinization.
B) overfertilization.
C) land subsidence.
D) aquifer depletion.
6) A mineral deficiency is likely to affect older leaves more than younger leaves if
A) the mineral is a micronutrient.
B) the mineral is very mobile within the plant.
C) the mineral is required for chlorophyll synthesis.
D) the mineral is a macronutrient.
7) The greatest difference in health between two groups of plants of the same species, one group
with mycorrhizae and one group without mycorrhizae, would be in an environment
A) where nitrogen-fixing bacteria are abundant.
B) that has soil with poor drainage.
C) that has hot summers and cold winters.
D) in which the soil is relatively deficient in mineral nutrients.
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8) Two groups of tomatoes were grown under laboratory conditions, one with humus added to
the soil and one a control without humus. The leaves of the plants grown without humus were
yellowish (less green) compared with those of the plants grown in humus-enriched soil. The best
explanation is that
A) the healthy plants used the food in the decomposing leaves of the humus for energy to make
chlorophyll.
B) the humus made the soil more loosely packed, so water penetrated more easily to the roots.
C) the humus contained minerals such as magnesium and iron needed for the synthesis of
chlorophyll.
D) the heat released by the decomposing leaves of the humus caused more rapid growth and
chlorophyll synthesis.
9) The specific relationship between a legume and its mutualistic Rhizobium strain probably
depends on
A) each legume having a chemical dialogue with a fungus.
B) each Rhizobium strain having a form of nitrogenase that works only in the appropriate legume
host.
C) each legume being found where the soil has only the Rhizobium specific to that legume.
D) specific recognition between chemical signals and signal receptors of the Rhizobium strain
and legume species.
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Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.