PSS Final Exam UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
the upper layers of soil that do not include the transition zone between soil and bedrock are
called the _____? - CORRECT ANSWER - Solum
which of the following soil structural types is most likely to impede water movement in a soil
profile? - CORRECT ANSWER - Platy
the layers of contrasting material found when one digs a hole in the ground are called -
CORRECT ANSWER - horizons
these parent materials typically form in wet areas with low decomposition rates that may also
receive runoff from surrounding uplands - CORRECT ANSWER - organic
a soil developed in this type of parent material will likely have properties closely related to the
bedrock below the C horizon - CORRECT ANSWER - residual
debris that has been ground, transported, and deposited directly by the movement of large ice
sheets - CORRECT ANSWER - till
water deposited parent material that are further classified into floodplains, fans, and deltas -
CORRECT ANSWER - alluvial
made of poorly sorted rock fragments detached from heights above and carried downslope by
gravity, potentially assisted by wind and water - CORRECT ANSWER - colluvial
wind-transported parent materials that include dune sand, loses, dust, and volcanic ash -
CORRECT ANSWER - eolian
, of the three particle size classes that make up the fine earth fraction, name the one that has the
highest specific surface area - CORRECT ANSWER - clay
organic matter constitutes only 1 or 2 percent of the soil by weight, and has a negligible
influence on soil properties - CORRECT ANSWER - false
the C horizons are generally more completely weathered than the overlying horizons -
CORRECT ANSWER - false
compared to a similar soil under minimal or no-tillage, a soil with a long history of conventional
tillage would have less macropore space - CORRECT ANSWER - true
chemical weathering is accelerated by water, oxygen, and organic/inorganic acids moving down
through the regolith - CORRECT ANSWER - true
the topsoil horizons are the most reliable determinant of soil classification - CORRECT
ANSWER - false
what subhorizon designations is most likely to be associated with an A master horizon? -
CORRECT ANSWER - b- buried horizon
what soil-forming processes is most likely responsible for formation of a illuvial horizon -
CORRECT ANSWER -
quartz is a highly resistant mineral that has not been altered physically to chemically since its
initial formation. what category does quartz belong to? - CORRECT ANSWER - primary
mineral
mechanical weathering processes is described by ________? - CORRECT ANSWER -
abrasion of primary minerals by wind and water
Questions and CORRECT Answers
the upper layers of soil that do not include the transition zone between soil and bedrock are
called the _____? - CORRECT ANSWER - Solum
which of the following soil structural types is most likely to impede water movement in a soil
profile? - CORRECT ANSWER - Platy
the layers of contrasting material found when one digs a hole in the ground are called -
CORRECT ANSWER - horizons
these parent materials typically form in wet areas with low decomposition rates that may also
receive runoff from surrounding uplands - CORRECT ANSWER - organic
a soil developed in this type of parent material will likely have properties closely related to the
bedrock below the C horizon - CORRECT ANSWER - residual
debris that has been ground, transported, and deposited directly by the movement of large ice
sheets - CORRECT ANSWER - till
water deposited parent material that are further classified into floodplains, fans, and deltas -
CORRECT ANSWER - alluvial
made of poorly sorted rock fragments detached from heights above and carried downslope by
gravity, potentially assisted by wind and water - CORRECT ANSWER - colluvial
wind-transported parent materials that include dune sand, loses, dust, and volcanic ash -
CORRECT ANSWER - eolian
, of the three particle size classes that make up the fine earth fraction, name the one that has the
highest specific surface area - CORRECT ANSWER - clay
organic matter constitutes only 1 or 2 percent of the soil by weight, and has a negligible
influence on soil properties - CORRECT ANSWER - false
the C horizons are generally more completely weathered than the overlying horizons -
CORRECT ANSWER - false
compared to a similar soil under minimal or no-tillage, a soil with a long history of conventional
tillage would have less macropore space - CORRECT ANSWER - true
chemical weathering is accelerated by water, oxygen, and organic/inorganic acids moving down
through the regolith - CORRECT ANSWER - true
the topsoil horizons are the most reliable determinant of soil classification - CORRECT
ANSWER - false
what subhorizon designations is most likely to be associated with an A master horizon? -
CORRECT ANSWER - b- buried horizon
what soil-forming processes is most likely responsible for formation of a illuvial horizon -
CORRECT ANSWER -
quartz is a highly resistant mineral that has not been altered physically to chemically since its
initial formation. what category does quartz belong to? - CORRECT ANSWER - primary
mineral
mechanical weathering processes is described by ________? - CORRECT ANSWER -
abrasion of primary minerals by wind and water
