Xavier University College of Agriculture

Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

XU Preboard Review Center

Pre-board Assessment

SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ENGINEERING, IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE AND

ALLIED SUBJECTS

1. Which of the following statements is correct considering the economics of irrigating crops?
a. natural rainfall could be enough for coconut and mango
b. pump irrigation is applicable for low value crops in a greenhouse
c. upland rice is irrigated using overhead sprinkler system
d. high-value vegetables can be irrigated by flooding method
e. drip irrigation system is highly recommended for all crops

2. A graph showing level, velocity, or discharge of water in a channel or conduit plotted against the
time.

a. Hydrograph b. stream gauge c. staff gage d. stream flow e. recharge

3. Given an ellipse (x2/36) + (y2/32) = 1. Determine the distance between foci.

a. 8 b. 4 c. 2 d. 3 e. 7

4. A measure of central tendency calculated by dividing the number of observations by the sum of the
reciprocals of every observation. This is used as an appropriate measure of average when the variable is
kept constant.
a. harmonic b. geometric c. arithmetic d. variance e. ANOVA

5. An agricultural engineer bought 24 boxes of screws for P2,200.00. There were three types of screws,
A, B and C. Screw A costs P300.00 per box, screw B costs P150.00 per box and screw C costs P50.00
per box. How many boxes of each screw did he buy?
a. 3, 6, 17 b. 2, 5, 17 c. 3, 6, 18 d. 2, 4, 20 e. 3, 5, 16

6. A tank 5.4 m deep and 2 m wide3 is layered with 2.4 m of oil sp. gr. = 0.80, 1.8 m of water and 1.2 m
of mercury (s.g. = 13.6). Compute the total hydrostatic force on the side of the tank in KN.

a. 375.26 b. 400.32 c. 424.49 d. 450.34 e. None of the above

7. Referring to Prob. 6, Compute the total hydrostatic force on the side of the tank contributed by the
mercury in KN.

a. 262.35 b. 279.70 c. 285.38 d. 290.43 e. None of the above

8. Referring to Prob. 6, compute the total hydrostatic force on the side of the tank 4.2 meter below the
topmost level of the liquid surface in KN.

a. 114.36 b. 124.75 c. 135.34 d. 144.79 e. None of the above

9. Referring to Prob. 6, compute the total hydrostatic force on the side of the tank 2.4 meters below the
topmost level of the liquid surface in KN.

a. 30.25 b. 35.42 c. 40.23 d. 45.2 e. None of the

above

10. The frequent but slow application of water to the specific root zone area of the plant is called
a. drip irrigation b. micro sprinkler c. fertigation d. sub-irrigation e. hydroponic

11. Scientific name of Swiss Alpine

a. Capra Hircus b. Bos taurus c. Bos indicus
d. Sus domesticus e. Ovis aries

12. The following are surface drainage, except:

a. random field drains b. mole drain c. bedding systems
d. parallel field drain e. parallel open ditch system

13. Determine the quantity of the filler needed to make up a metric ton of 10-10-15 fertilizer mixture
using urea (45%N) and ammonium chloride (26%) in equal quantities, calcined phosphate (30% P 2O5)
and sulphate of potash (50% K2O).
a. 55kg b. 64kg c. 73kg d. 82kg e. 91kg

14. How many three digit numbers can be formed from the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 if each digit can
be used only once?
a. 75 b. 127 c. 196 d. 210 e. 275

15. Sili labuyo is scientifically known as

a.Capsicum anuum b. Oryza Sativa c.Talinum traingulare
d. Mimosa invisa d. Capsicum frutescens

16. A certain farm in Southern Luzon plans to utilize their deep well as source of water for their
sprinkler irrigation system. Data describing the farm’s condition is listed below:
Capacity of deep well = 800gpm Evapotranspiration = 0.25 in/day
Prevailing Slope of the farm = 1 - 3% Root zone depth = 2.25 ft
 Soil type = clay loam
Infiltration rate = 0.3 in/hr
Irrigations System’s Efficiency = 70%
Climate = Type 2 (Coronas Classification)
Determine the gross depth of water to be pumped?
a.4.5 b. 5.5 c. 6.5
Readily Available Moisture = 2 in/ft
Apparent specific gravity = 1.3
Density of water = 1kg/L
Distance from farm to market = 3km
d. 7.5 e. 8.5

17. A virus condition affecting all cloven-hooved animals like cattle, sheep, pigs and deer
a. foot and mouth disease b. ebola c. cholera d. avian flu e. foot rot

18. Refers pressure pipes carrying the flow of a canal/ sewers across a depression or another waterway.
a. flume b. inverted siphon c. culverts d. pipe drain e. tributaries

For items 19 and 20:

A farmer wishes to construct a farm pond to supply the water requirement for his 100 cows and 75
hectares of corn. The corn land is above the farm land. It can be irrigated by furrows through 120m of
discharge pipe that shall sloped at 32 degrees upward from the pump. The pump shall be installed at the
dam site. Seepage and evaporation losses are assumed to be 25% of the impounded volume with the peaj
runoff of 5 cu.m./s. As an agricultural engineer, determine the following with some data given below:
CU = 6mm/d RZD=1m RAM = 16 cm/m
No. of cropping per year = 2 Conveyance and other losses = 15%
Pump efficiency=70% Application time = 50% of irrigation interval
19. Determine the water requirement for corn in ha-mm.
a. 140,000 b. 135,500 c. 110,000 d. 125,500 e. 189,650

20. Irrigation interval for cornland.

a. 18 b. 21 c. 24 d. 27 e. 30

21. Drainage is as important as irrigation because of the following reasons, except:

a. Irrigation and drainage are complementary practices, the necessary for drainage being greatly
influenced by low efficiencies in the conveyance and application of irrigation water.
b. It shortens crop growing season
c. It provides more available soil moisture and plant food by increasing the depth of root-zone soil.
d. It helps in soil ventilation
e. Assures high soil temperature

22. The sum of the ages of Maria and Mark is 25. Five years ago, Maria was four times as old as Mark.
How old is Maria?
a. 21 b. 22 c. 23 d. 24 e. 25

23. Part of the dam that releases surplus water which cannot be contained in the active storage of the
reservoir.
a. Spillway b. freeboard c. relief valve d. gate valve e. penstock

For items 24 - 25
Given an eggplant plantation on a sandy loam soil, determine the total available moisture, range and
number of days to which the plant (i.e., eggplant) will not be stressed.
Assumptions:
Root zone depth of eggplant = 90 mm
Average evapotranspiration of eggplant (ET) = 4.7 mm/day
Field capacity of sandy loam soil = 14%
Permanent wilting point PwP of sandy soil = 6%
Readily available moisture (RAM) = 60%
Apparent Specific Gravity (AS) = 1.5

24. Solve for TAM

a. 8% b. 4.8% c. 9.2% d. 6% e. 5.4%

25. Irrigation interval

a. 1 b. 1.3 c. 1.6 d. 1.8 e. 2.1

26. The specific volume of moisture which will not drain by gravity
a. specific yield b. specific gravity c. specific retention d. specific volume e. safe yield

27. The following data represent yields of corn in tons per hectare from a group of corn farmers:
4.7 6.2 3.2 5.6 6.5 6.1 6.7 4.8
5.0 7.8 4.5 7.5 8.2 4.3 7.8 4.3
Determine the variance of the data.
a. 2.269 b.2.763 c. 2.910 d. 2.834 e. 1.659

For items 28 and 29:

A 12-ha farm is to be irrigated at a maximum rate of 1.25 centimeters for every hour using a sprinkler
system. The root zone is 1m deep and the available moisture capacity of the soil is 18centimeter per
meter depth. The peak rate if moisture use is 7mm/day. Assume an application efficiency of 70% and
soil is to be irrigated when 45% of the available moisture capacity is depleted.
28. Estimate the depth of application per irrigation schedule.
a. 6.1 b. 7.1 c. 8.1 d. 9.1 e. 10.1

29. Estimate the depth of water to be pumped from the source.

a. 11.57 b. 16.25 c. 13.89 d. 18.36 e. 12.98

30. Find the 100th term of the sequence, 1.01, 1.00, 0.99…
a. 0.02 b. 0.03 c. 0.05 d. 0.04 e. 0.01

31. A 2-meter radius, 6-meter high cylindrical tank is filled with water. It is then tilted to a
position enough for the surface of the water to cut the diameter of the tank base. Estimate the
volume of water retained in the tank at that tilted position?
a. 20 b. 12 c. 30 d. 16 e. 50
32. A massive wall or structure erected across a valley/ river for impounding water, a bank of earth,
mole or wooden frame to retard the flow or force of water.

a. farm pond b. dam c. farm reservoir d. SWIP e. basin

33. A certain material with unknown weight is to be hoisted by attaching to it a rope 40m long and
passing the rope over a frictionless pulley located 18m above the ground and the other end is fastened to
a hook on a tractor which is 3m above the ground. If the tractor moves away at the rate of 4m/s, how fast
is the material rising at the end of 2sec.
a. 1. 93 b. 2.86 c. 3.24 d. 4.65 e. 5.12

34. A circle with a radius of 6 has half of its area removed by a cutting a border of uniform width. Find
the width of the border.
a. 2.2 b. 1.35 c. 1.76 d. 3.75 e. 2.75

35. What is the size of the lawn that can be irrigated completely in 6 hours if a minimum of 0.5in water
is applied at each schedule? The system is 90% efficient, and water supply delivers 3.5gal/min.
a. 2,100 b. 3,900 c. 4,500 d. 5,300 e. 6,300

36. Water leaks from a hemispherical bowl of 8 inches diameter at the rate of 10 cubic inch per
minute. How fast is the surface falling when the water is 2inches depp in the bowl?
a. 1/3 π in/hr b. 5/6 π in/hr c. 1/6 π in/hr d. 2/3 π in/hr e. 1/4 π in/hr

37. An earthen diversion channel is to supply water to XYZ vegetable farm some two kilometers away
from the main distribution canal. The elevation of main distribution canal and XYZ vegetable farm is
about 15.2 m and 14.9m, respectively. The water flow in the channel has to be maintained at 0.50m
depth at a velocity of 1.4 m/s. Side slope of the channel is 2:1. Determine the bottom width of the
earthen diversion channel to be able to deliver the discharge rate of 20 cubic meters per second.
a. 27.57 b. 32.65 c. 43.07 d. 59.26 e. 65.63

38. A person draws 3 balls in succession from a box containing 5 red balls, 6 yellow balls, and 7 green
balls. Find the probability of drawing the balls in the order red, yellow and green.
a. 0.3894 b. 0.03489 c. 0.0894 d. 0.04289 e. 0.0859

39. A plane is headed due east with airspeed of 240 mph is blowing from the north, find the ground
speed of the plane.
a. 281 mph b. 274 mph c. 200 mph d. 243 mph e. 255 mph

40. An opening in a structure with a vertically sliding gate for controlling the flow and for passing water
and high velocity and for discharge of slit and debris.
a. steel gate b. water gate c. sluice d. check gate e. gate valve

41. Which of the following describes hydraulic mean radius?

a. the cross-sectional area of a stream of waterway divided by its perimeter
b. used to predict the velocity of water flow in an open channel
c. the wetted perimeter of stream of waterway divided by its cross-sectional area
 d. predict the stream flow rate in an open channel
e. the average cross-sectional size of streamflow

42. A legume that contains mimosine, a toxic substance that causes aloepecia and barrenness to animals
when taken greater than 10% of the total ration.
a. Brachiaria muticata b. Leucaena leucocephala c. Mimosa invisa
d. Jatropha curcas e. Saccarum officinarum

43. Drainage is agriculture is done to:

a. Remove excess water
b. Alter soil structure and texture
c. Prevent decay and nitrification
d. Increase leaching in salt in some areas where saline water is a problem
e. Facilitates early harvesting

44. Safe rule in the design of freeboard

a. 1/3 of the depth of water b. 1/2 of the depth of water c. 1/4 of the depth of water
d. 2/3 of the depth of water e. twice the depth of water

45. A hydrometer weighs 0.0216 N and has a stem at the upper end which is cylindrical and 2.79 mm in
diameter. How much deeper in mm will it float in oil of sp. gr. = 0.780 than in alcohol of sp.gr.
0.821?

a. 15 b. 23 c. 29 d. 33 e. None of the above

46. Referring to Prob. 45, how much was the submerged volume of the hydrometer in alcohol in mm3

a. 2,862 b. 2,682 c. 8,262 d. 6,282 e. None of the above

47. Referring to Prob. 46. How much was the submerged volume of the hydrometer in oil in mm3

a. 2,823 b. 6,283 c. 2,683 d. 3,682 e. None of the above

48. Referring to Prob. 47, what is the difference of the submerged volume of the hydrometer in oil and
in alcohol in mm3.

a. 151 b. 161 c. 171 d. 181 e. None of the above

49. Which of the following is the most important crop of Filipinos?

a. Saccharum officinarum b. Capsicum anuum c. Oryza sativa
 d. Cocos nucifera e. Solanum melongena

50. A regular octagon is inscribed in a circle of radius 10. Find the area of the octagon.
a. 228.2 b. 288.2 c. 238.2 d. 282.8 e. 222.8

51. A natural or artificial lake near a farm whose capacity meets the water requirement of the farm such
as irrigation, domestic and livestock supplies.

a. farm pond b. dam c. farm reservoir d. SWIP e. basin

52. Three side of a trapezoid are each 8-cm long. How long is the forth side when the area of the
trapezoid has the greatest value?
a. 15 b. 16 c. 12 d. 10 e. 14

53. A newly constructed well in Barangay Tubig has a diameter of 30cm and penetrates 50m below the
static water level. After 36 hours of pumping at 4 cubic meters per minute, it was observed that the
water level in well X dropped by 1.2 m while the drawdown at well Y is 2.7m. Well X and Y are 200m
and 40m away from the newly constructed well, respectively. Determine the transmissibility of the
aquifer?
a. 0.02 b. 0.12 c. 0.22 d. 0.32 e. 0.42

54. Mary is 24 years old. Mary is twice as old as Ann was when Mary was as old as Ann is now. How
old is Ann now?
a. 16 b.18 c. 12 d. 15 e. 17

55. The operating pressure of the sprinkler heads used in a sprinkler irrigation system is 12.52kg/sq.cm.
What is the allowable pressure variation between the first and last sprinkler of a lateral?
a. 1.985 b. 1.506 c. 5.25 d. 2.504 e. 25.75

56. A mercury lamp is to be placed directly above the center of a circular plot of radius 30m at such a
height that the edge of the plot will get maximum illumination. Find the height if the intensity at any
point on the edge is directly proportional to the cosine of the angle of incidence and inversely
proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
a. 19.67 b. 21.21 c. 25.65 d. 34.17 e. 38.83

57. Two posts, one 8 m and the other 12 m high are 15 m apart. If the posts are supported by a cable
running from the top of the first post to a stake on the ground and then back to the top of the second
post, find the distance from the lower post to the stake to use minimum amount of wire?
a. 6 m b. 8 m c. 9 m d. 4m e. 2 m

58. Find the area (in sq. units) bounded by the parabolas x^2 - 2y = 0 and x^2 + 2y – 8 = 0.
a. 11.7 b. 4.7 c. 9.7 d. 10.7 e. 8.7