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North Carolina (NC) Category D (Ornamental and
Turf) Exam | Latest Verified Questions and
Detailed Answers
OVERVIEW DESCRIPTION:
This comprehensive set of multiple choice questions is designed for the North Carolina
Category D (Ornamental and Turf) Exam, a closed-book, multiple-choice test that assesses
the knowledge needed to safely and effectively manage pests in lawns, parks, and
ornamental landscapes. The exam covers pest identification and biology (including weeds,
insects, and diseases), integrated pest management (IPM) practices, understanding
pesticide labels and selecting appropriate products, and the calibration of application
equipment. Administered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, it ensures candidates can apply pesticides correctly while minimizing
environmental hazards, preventing phytotoxicity, and protecting non-target areas.
QUESTION 1
Which of the following weeds is a summer annual grass with a characteristic prostrate
growth habit and membranous ligule?
A) Annual bluegrass
B) Tall fescue
C) Crabgrass
D) Yellow nutsedge
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is a summer annual grass that germinates
in spring, grows low to the ground, and has a membranous ligule; annual bluegrass is a
winter annual with a boat-shaped leaf tip, and nutsedge has a triangular stem.
QUESTION 2
White grubs are the most damaging life stage for turfgrass. Which white grub species
,2|Page
has a distinctive “C”-shaped resting posture and a rastral pattern of two parallel rows of
spines forming a V-shape?
A) Japanese beetle
B) Northern masked chafer
C) May/June beetle
D) Green June beetle
CORRECT ANSWER: A
EXPERT RATIONALE: Japanese beetle grubs have a V-shaped rastral pattern; masked
chafers have a random, scattered pattern, and May/June beetles have a Y-shaped or
parallel rows not forming a V.
QUESTION 3
Large patch disease of warm-season turfgrasses is caused by a fungus that infects leaf
sheaths and stolons primarily during which conditions?
A) Hot, dry weather with low humidity
B) Cool, wet weather in spring and fall
C) Extended snow cover on frozen turf
D) High temperatures above 95°F combined with frequent overhead irrigation
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Large patch (Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 LP) is most active when soil
temperatures are between 60–75°F and moisture is abundant, typical of spring and fall
in the transition zone.
QUESTION 4
An insecticide label displays the signal word “DANGER-POISON” with a skull and
crossbones. This indicates the product is:
A) Slightly toxic by all routes of exposure
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B) Moderately toxic, requiring goggles and gloves
C) Highly toxic via oral, dermal, or inhalation routes
D) Only corrosive to eyes but low in systemic toxicity
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: “DANGER-POISON” with a skull and crossbones is the highest
toxicity category (Category I) and indicates acute hazards that can be lethal at very low
doses.
QUESTION 5
To reduce pesticide drift onto adjacent ornamental beds, which application adjustment
is most effective?
A) Using a flat fan nozzle at high pressure
B) Spraying during a temperature inversion
C) Increasing boom height and ground speed
D) Switching to air-induction nozzles that produce larger droplets
CORRECT ANSWER: D
EXPERT RATIONALE: Air-induction nozzles create coarse to extremely coarse droplets
that resist wind drift; fine droplets from high pressure or conventional nozzles drift
farther.
QUESTION 6
Phytotoxicity on Japanese holly appears as necrotic leaf edges after a summer oil
application. The most likely cause is:
A) Oil applied at a dormant rate during winter
B) Oil emulsifier separated and burned the leaf cuticle under high temperatures
C) Overdosing of copper hydroxide tank-mixed with oil
, 4|Page
D) Oil reacting with high-nitrogen fertilizer residues
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Horticultural oils can strip the protective leaf cuticle when applied
during hot, slow-drying conditions, causing leaf margin burn; dormant rates are for
deciduous plants in winter.
QUESTION 7
A lawn is shaped as a rectangle 45 ft × 30 ft with an attached right triangle whose base
is the full 30-ft side and height 20 ft. What is the total area?
A) 1,350 ft²
B) 1,650 ft²
C) 1,800 ft²
D) 2,100 ft²
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Rectangle area = 45 × 30 = 1,350 ft²; triangle area = (30 × 20)/2 =
300 ft²; sum = 1,650 ft².
QUESTION 2
Crabgrass is best described as which type of weed?
A) Winter annual broadleaf
B) Perennial sedge
C) Summer annual grass
D) Biennial broadleaf
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Crabgrass germinates from seed each spring, grows through
summer, sets seed, and dies with the first frost, fitting the summer annual grass life
cycle.
QUESTION 3
Which winter annual broadleaf weed has deeply lobed leaves with a rough, hairy texture
North Carolina (NC) Category D (Ornamental and
Turf) Exam | Latest Verified Questions and
Detailed Answers
OVERVIEW DESCRIPTION:
This comprehensive set of multiple choice questions is designed for the North Carolina
Category D (Ornamental and Turf) Exam, a closed-book, multiple-choice test that assesses
the knowledge needed to safely and effectively manage pests in lawns, parks, and
ornamental landscapes. The exam covers pest identification and biology (including weeds,
insects, and diseases), integrated pest management (IPM) practices, understanding
pesticide labels and selecting appropriate products, and the calibration of application
equipment. Administered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services, it ensures candidates can apply pesticides correctly while minimizing
environmental hazards, preventing phytotoxicity, and protecting non-target areas.
QUESTION 1
Which of the following weeds is a summer annual grass with a characteristic prostrate
growth habit and membranous ligule?
A) Annual bluegrass
B) Tall fescue
C) Crabgrass
D) Yellow nutsedge
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is a summer annual grass that germinates
in spring, grows low to the ground, and has a membranous ligule; annual bluegrass is a
winter annual with a boat-shaped leaf tip, and nutsedge has a triangular stem.
QUESTION 2
White grubs are the most damaging life stage for turfgrass. Which white grub species
,2|Page
has a distinctive “C”-shaped resting posture and a rastral pattern of two parallel rows of
spines forming a V-shape?
A) Japanese beetle
B) Northern masked chafer
C) May/June beetle
D) Green June beetle
CORRECT ANSWER: A
EXPERT RATIONALE: Japanese beetle grubs have a V-shaped rastral pattern; masked
chafers have a random, scattered pattern, and May/June beetles have a Y-shaped or
parallel rows not forming a V.
QUESTION 3
Large patch disease of warm-season turfgrasses is caused by a fungus that infects leaf
sheaths and stolons primarily during which conditions?
A) Hot, dry weather with low humidity
B) Cool, wet weather in spring and fall
C) Extended snow cover on frozen turf
D) High temperatures above 95°F combined with frequent overhead irrigation
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Large patch (Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 LP) is most active when soil
temperatures are between 60–75°F and moisture is abundant, typical of spring and fall
in the transition zone.
QUESTION 4
An insecticide label displays the signal word “DANGER-POISON” with a skull and
crossbones. This indicates the product is:
A) Slightly toxic by all routes of exposure
,3|Page
B) Moderately toxic, requiring goggles and gloves
C) Highly toxic via oral, dermal, or inhalation routes
D) Only corrosive to eyes but low in systemic toxicity
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: “DANGER-POISON” with a skull and crossbones is the highest
toxicity category (Category I) and indicates acute hazards that can be lethal at very low
doses.
QUESTION 5
To reduce pesticide drift onto adjacent ornamental beds, which application adjustment
is most effective?
A) Using a flat fan nozzle at high pressure
B) Spraying during a temperature inversion
C) Increasing boom height and ground speed
D) Switching to air-induction nozzles that produce larger droplets
CORRECT ANSWER: D
EXPERT RATIONALE: Air-induction nozzles create coarse to extremely coarse droplets
that resist wind drift; fine droplets from high pressure or conventional nozzles drift
farther.
QUESTION 6
Phytotoxicity on Japanese holly appears as necrotic leaf edges after a summer oil
application. The most likely cause is:
A) Oil applied at a dormant rate during winter
B) Oil emulsifier separated and burned the leaf cuticle under high temperatures
C) Overdosing of copper hydroxide tank-mixed with oil
, 4|Page
D) Oil reacting with high-nitrogen fertilizer residues
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Horticultural oils can strip the protective leaf cuticle when applied
during hot, slow-drying conditions, causing leaf margin burn; dormant rates are for
deciduous plants in winter.
QUESTION 7
A lawn is shaped as a rectangle 45 ft × 30 ft with an attached right triangle whose base
is the full 30-ft side and height 20 ft. What is the total area?
A) 1,350 ft²
B) 1,650 ft²
C) 1,800 ft²
D) 2,100 ft²
CORRECT ANSWER: B
EXPERT RATIONALE: Rectangle area = 45 × 30 = 1,350 ft²; triangle area = (30 × 20)/2 =
300 ft²; sum = 1,650 ft².
QUESTION 2
Crabgrass is best described as which type of weed?
A) Winter annual broadleaf
B) Perennial sedge
C) Summer annual grass
D) Biennial broadleaf
CORRECT ANSWER: C
EXPERT RATIONALE: Crabgrass germinates from seed each spring, grows through
summer, sets seed, and dies with the first frost, fitting the summer annual grass life
cycle.
QUESTION 3
Which winter annual broadleaf weed has deeply lobed leaves with a rough, hairy texture
