WAEC Agricultural Science 2005 past questions and answers

Inadequate food production in most developing countries is due to

1. A.high population growth
2. B.inadequate technology
3. C.infestation of farms by pests
4. D.scarcity of labour.

Which of the following groups of basic amenities should be provided in rural areas for improved agricultural productivity?

1. A.Water, electricity and health care centres
2. B.Electricity, guest houses and water
3. C.Health care centres, water and airports
4. D.Roads, airports and recreational centres.

Government laws and reforms are aimed at

1. A.increasing agricultural production
2. B.controlling farm profits
3. C.discouraging investment in agriculture
4. D.encouraging importation of agricultural produce.

In order to ensure that crop and animal diseases are not tranferred across international boundaries, government must

1. A.have a programme on agricultural education
2. B.endeavour to produce only disease resistant species
3. C.have and enforce quarantine services
4. D.increase surveillance of its borders by security agents.

The role of science and technology in the development of agriculture includes the following except

1. A.provision of insecticides and drugs
2. B.provision of good road network
3. C.introduction of artificial insemination centres
4. D.setting up produce marketing boards.

The scarcity of land often compels peasant farmers to practise

1. A.deforestation
2. B.selective exploitation
3. C.taungya system
4. D.afforestation.

A piece of land can be considered more suitable for livestock production than for crop production when it is

1. A.moderately marshy
2. B.stony
3. C.fertile
4. D.infested with weeds.

The first vegetation zone which runs across the coast of most West African countries is the

1. A.derived savanna
2. B.mangrove forest
3. C.guinea savanna
4. D.rain forest.

The most active agent of physical weathering in arid regions is

1. A.wind
2. B.water
3. C.temperature
4. D.ice.

Soils in forest areas would normally have

1. A.low moisture content
2. B.high proportion of sand
3. C.high proportion of humus
4. D.low microbial activity.

Clay particles hold cations because they

1. A.are negatively charged
2. B.become hardened when dry
3. C.are very small in size
4. D.have definite shapes.

Under which of the following conditions will organic matter in the soil decompose fastest?

1. A.Optimum pH
2. B.Low temperature
3. C.Anaerobic condition
4. D.Waterlogged condition.

Which of the following materials can be applied to the soil in order to correct yellowing of leaves?

1. A.Lime
2. B.Urea
3. C.Gypsum
4. D.Bone meal.

One importance of cover crops is that they

1. A.provide shade for crops
2. B.protect crops from pests
3. C.increase soil acidity
4. D.suppress weed growth.

The appropriate irrigation method for upland rice field is

1. A.sprinkler
2. B.drip
3. C.flooding
4. D.underground

Drainage refers to

1. A.removal of excess water from the soil
2. B.removal of nutrients from the soil
3. C.addition of water to the soil
4. D.protection of soil from erosion.

Energy in fossil materials may be harnessed as

1. A.water energy
2. B.wind energy
3. C.electrical energy
4. D.fuel energy.

A decorticator is useful in the processing of

1. A.maize
2. B.cotton
3. C.cocoa
4. D.groundnut.

Which of the following types of survey reveals the physical features of farmlands?

1. A.Soil survey
2. B.Topographical survey
3. C.Chain survey
4. D.Compass survey.

Farm mechanization does not

1. A.involve the use of motorized equipment
2. B.require much capital
3. C.lead to unemployment
4. D.involve the use of only heavy machinery.

A prolonged wet season at the early stage of growth in cotton will lead to

1. A.good vegetative growth and high yield of lint
2. B.tall plant with few bolls
3. C.premature dropping of leaves
4. D.waterlogged soil which increases availability of soil nutrients.

The by-product in plant photosynthesis is

1. A.carbon dioxide
2. B.carbohydrates
3. C.hydrogen
4. D.oxygen.

Which of the following reasons explain why fertilizers are added to soils?

1. A.Prevention of erosion
2. B.Increasing the organic matter content
3. C.Increasing the water retention capacity
4. D.Increasing the nutrient level.

A crop which is usually propagated sexually is

1. A.banana
2. B.pineapple
3. C.cowpea
4. D.ginger.

Transplanting is best carried out in the evening because

1. A.it allows for greater plant respiration
2. B.roots show positive geotropism
3. C.moisture losses are low during cold weather
4. D.plants grow faster in the dark.

Some cassava tubers are poisonous to non-ruminant because they contain

1. A.hydrochloric acid
2. B.hydrocyanic acid
3. C.sodium chloride
4. D.sodium hydroxide.

Selective exploitation means felling trees of

1. A.different ages and girths
2. B.specific ages and girths
3. C.different girths and same species
4. D.different girths and different species.

Streak disease of crops commonly attacks

1. A.millet
2. B.sorghum
3. C.maize
4. D.rice.

Most viral diseases of plants are transmitted by

1. A.wind
2. B.rain
3. C.insects
4. D.rodents.

Viral diseases of crop plants are best controlled by

1. A.planting resistant varieties
2. B.applying fungicides
3. C.applying insecticides
4. D.flooding farmlands.

The following problems are likely to be caused by insects except

1. A.loss of leaves of crop plants
2. B.rottening of cobs in storage
3. C.transmission of viral diseases
4. D.reduction of grains in storage to powder.

Weed plants which grow on other plants without deriving nutrients from them are called

1. A.sedges
2. B.epiphytes
3. C.decomposers
4. D.saprophytes.

When a farmland is heavily infested with striga, it may be concluded that the farmland

1. A.is undergoing drainage
2. B.had not been regularly irrigated
3. C.may have been used for growing guinea corn
4. D.may have been used for cowpea production.

Mulching

1. A.reduces evaporation of soil water
2. B.increases soil acidity
3. C.prevents seedling diseases
4. D.improves soil texture.

An accessory sex gland in a bull is

1. A.prostate gland
2. B.pituitary gland
3. C.thyroid gland
4. D.pancreatic gland.

The most important reason for the low livestock population in the rain forest zone is the

1. A.fast rate at which pasture crops become fibrous
2. B.shortage of forage crops during the long dry season
3. C.growth and proliferation of pathogens
4. D.thick vegetation cover which impedes animal movement.

When an animal eats wood and licks iron railings instead of the diet given to it, it is likely that the

1. A.animal is on heat
2. B.ambient temperature is too high
3. C.diet is deficient in essential elements
4. D.animal has a pathological disease problem.

An indication that chicks are comfortable in a brooder is that they

1. A.move away from the source of heat
2. B.pant and sit with their mouths open
3. C.spread themselves uniformly under the hover
4. D.huddle together.

Mastitis is a disease which affects the

1. A.scrotum
2. B.udder
3. C.dewlap
4. D.hump.

The following are signs of ill-health in farm animals except

1. A.watery faeces
2. B.bright eyes
3. C.loss of appetite
4. D.nasal discharge.

A protozoon organism causes

1. A.coccidiosis
2. B.anthrax
3. C.rinderpest
4. D.aspergillosis.

An animal infected by trypanosomiasis usually develops

1. A.bloat and diarhoea
2. B.sore legs and running nose
3. C.anaemia and swollen lymph gland
4. D.swollen legs and constipation.

The purpose of vaccination is to

1. A.treat parasites infestation
2. B.prevent disease infection
3. C.control parasites
4. D.treat diseases.

The most effective method of controlling ectoparasites in farm animals is by regular

1. A.exposure of animals to sunlight
2. B.dipping of animals in a solution of pesticides
3. C.hand-picking of ectoparasites
4. D.isolation of infested animals.

A common means of aerating a fish pond is by stirring the water and

1. A.removing dead and decaying matter
2. B.adding water plants
3. C.adding cold water
4. D.pumping oxygen into the water.

Use the diagram (a cross between RR and rr, rows labelled I, II and III). The diagram above explains Mendel's Law of

1. A.segregation of genes
2. B.mutation of genes
3. C.heterozygosity of genes
4. D.homozygosity of genes.

Use the diagram (a cross between RR and rr, rows labelled I, II and III). The components labelled I are the

1. A.gametes
2. B.parents
3. C.F₁ generation
4. D.F₂ generation.

Heterosis in animal breeding is referred to as

1. A.hybrid vigour
2. B.dominance
3. C.recessivity
4. D.mutation.

In areas where labour is scarce and land is abundant, farmers tend to

1. A.manage dairy animals intensively rather than beef animals
2. B.practise mechanized farming
3. C.maximize returns on land rather than on labour
4. D.employ more hands to work on the land.

Farm insurance schemes do not cover losses due to

1. A.inadequate cultural practices
2. B.heavy pest infestation
3. C.flood
4. D.drought.

The main aim of preparing a farm income and expenditure statement is to

1. A.record all purchases
2. B.outline the sales of the farm
3. C.outline both sales and purchases
4. D.calculate profit or loss.

The most inappropriate means of disseminating new ideas and techniques to the peasant farmer is by use of

1. A.radio
2. B.television
3. C.internet
4. D.cinema.

(a) State three advantages and two disadvantages of manual labour
(b) Enumerate four qualities of good draught animals.
(c) State two precautions to be observed when using draught animals.
(d) Explain how power from each of the following sources are harnessed for use on the farm: (i) sun (ii) biogas.

(a) List ten poultry equipment and state the main use of each.
(b) Name two parts of a tractor involved in the coupling and operation of implements.
(c) State four maintenance practices of a tractor.

(a) Define climate and state three of its importance in agriculture
(b) Explain five ways in which high rainfall affects agricultural production
(c) State the forms in which water exist in the soil.
(d) Mention three ways through which soil water may be lost.

(a) In an experiment on soil porosity, the following measurements were taken and recorded: Volume of dry soil = 50 cm³; Volume of water = 50 cm³; Total volume of soil and water = 74 cm³. Use the above information to (i) find the volume of air space in the soil sample (ii) calculate the porosity of the soil sample.
(b) Mention three reasons why soil porosity is important in agriculture
(c) State four characteristics of each of igneous and sedimentary rocks.

(a) Define the term weed.
(b) Describe four methods of weed control.
(c) Give six reasons for controlling weeds on the farm.

(a) List five aims of crop improvement.
(b) Define the term selection in crop improvement
(c) List three methods of selection
(d) Explain the following genetic terms: (i) homozygotes; (ii) back cross; (iii) dominance.

(a) Give four reasons for rearing goats in West Africa.
(b) List three advantages and three disadvantages of the extensive system of rearing goats in West Africa.
(c) State six general characteristics of West African cattle breeds.

(a) State seven characteristic features of a good layer.
(b) Describe the preparations to be carried out for receiving day old chicks for rearing.

(a) State three advantages and one disadvantage of each of the following marketing agents: (i) retailers; (ii) wholesalers (iii) co-operative societies
(b) Explain how poor storage facilities affect agricultural marketing.

(a) State seven objectives of agricultural extension.
(b) List the three main types of extension teaching methods and explain any two of them.