Exam 1 AGN 115 MSU questions well
answered graded A+
In Fresh (2009), Michael Pollan (author of Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food) makes
exaggerated, false, or misleading statements about _____. Select ALL that apply. - correct
answer ✔✔animal waste from CAFO lagoons being too concentrated for use as fertilizer
a lack of government subsidies for growing healthy food
changes in the nutritional values of food since1950
Order the following ecological levels of organization from least (1) to most (4) complex. (Ch 2) -
correct answer ✔✔1. Ecosystem
2. community
3. population
4. Organism
All of the following have contributed to decreasing local control over agriculture, EXCEPT
______. (Ch. 1) - correct answer ✔✔-the diminished share of the food dollar going to farmers
relative to distributors and marketers
-decreasing ecological stability from traditional farming techniques
"Presence of many earthworms per square foot (900 cm2)." Would normally be associated with:
- correct answer ✔✔good soil health
Word choice and selection of sources of information are important indicators of potential bias in
a publication, such as Dr. Gliessman's use of the terms "industrial agriculture" and "pesticide
, treadmill", and his heavy reliance on the publications of Dr. Pimentel as sources of data. -
correct answer ✔✔True
Traditional agroecosystems normally depend (i.e. rely) on externally purchased inputs. - correct
answer ✔✔False
Historically (e.g. 1993), about ___% of corn produced in the USA was used for cattle feed while
<15% of it was used to produce ethanol. In 2013 about 40% was used for livestock feed while
about ___% was used for ethanol production. - correct answer ✔✔75;40
"Reliance on synthetic or mineral fertilizer." This would normally be associated with: - correct
answer ✔✔Conventional Agriculture
Thomas Malthus, an Anglican rector with a good mind for mathematics, became concerned
about the inevitability of widespread human misery. In a 1798 essay, he forecast that
widespread starvation and conflict would be the result of food production increasing ________
while human reproduction increased ________. - correct answer ✔✔linearly, exponentially
In Fresh, Michael Pollan asserts that many of the problems for producers and consumers in the
prevailing food system in America is due to ________. - correct answer ✔✔the consolidation of
control from seeds to processing of products by a few, large companies, such as Cargill and
ADM.
In the Penn and Teller: Norman Borlaug (2003) video, Dr. Terri Lomax, professor of Botany and
Plant Pathology (OSU), said that genetically modified crops are subjected to millions of dollars in
testing and are regulated by EPA, FDA and USDA, while protestors and administrators (e.g.
Charles Margulus) affiliated with Greenpeace claimed the crops were released without any
testing. - correct answer ✔✔True
Socio economic factors useful in assessing agroecosystem sustainability include ___. - correct
answer ✔✔Equitability of return to farmer, laborer and consumer
answered graded A+
In Fresh (2009), Michael Pollan (author of Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food) makes
exaggerated, false, or misleading statements about _____. Select ALL that apply. - correct
answer ✔✔animal waste from CAFO lagoons being too concentrated for use as fertilizer
a lack of government subsidies for growing healthy food
changes in the nutritional values of food since1950
Order the following ecological levels of organization from least (1) to most (4) complex. (Ch 2) -
correct answer ✔✔1. Ecosystem
2. community
3. population
4. Organism
All of the following have contributed to decreasing local control over agriculture, EXCEPT
______. (Ch. 1) - correct answer ✔✔-the diminished share of the food dollar going to farmers
relative to distributors and marketers
-decreasing ecological stability from traditional farming techniques
"Presence of many earthworms per square foot (900 cm2)." Would normally be associated with:
- correct answer ✔✔good soil health
Word choice and selection of sources of information are important indicators of potential bias in
a publication, such as Dr. Gliessman's use of the terms "industrial agriculture" and "pesticide
, treadmill", and his heavy reliance on the publications of Dr. Pimentel as sources of data. -
correct answer ✔✔True
Traditional agroecosystems normally depend (i.e. rely) on externally purchased inputs. - correct
answer ✔✔False
Historically (e.g. 1993), about ___% of corn produced in the USA was used for cattle feed while
<15% of it was used to produce ethanol. In 2013 about 40% was used for livestock feed while
about ___% was used for ethanol production. - correct answer ✔✔75;40
"Reliance on synthetic or mineral fertilizer." This would normally be associated with: - correct
answer ✔✔Conventional Agriculture
Thomas Malthus, an Anglican rector with a good mind for mathematics, became concerned
about the inevitability of widespread human misery. In a 1798 essay, he forecast that
widespread starvation and conflict would be the result of food production increasing ________
while human reproduction increased ________. - correct answer ✔✔linearly, exponentially
In Fresh, Michael Pollan asserts that many of the problems for producers and consumers in the
prevailing food system in America is due to ________. - correct answer ✔✔the consolidation of
control from seeds to processing of products by a few, large companies, such as Cargill and
ADM.
In the Penn and Teller: Norman Borlaug (2003) video, Dr. Terri Lomax, professor of Botany and
Plant Pathology (OSU), said that genetically modified crops are subjected to millions of dollars in
testing and are regulated by EPA, FDA and USDA, while protestors and administrators (e.g.
Charles Margulus) affiliated with Greenpeace claimed the crops were released without any
testing. - correct answer ✔✔True
Socio economic factors useful in assessing agroecosystem sustainability include ___. - correct
answer ✔✔Equitability of return to farmer, laborer and consumer
