50 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
An agricultural non-governmental organization in West Africa is
Answer: D (International Livestock Research Institute)
ILRI is an international body, not run by a West African government.
Farmers' cooperative societies have contributed to agricultural development in West Africa through the
I. establishment of processing facilities for farmers
II. provision of potable water for farmers
III. provision of tractor hiring services for farmers
Answer: D (I, II and III.)
Co-operatives pool money to set up processing, water and tractor-hire services for members.
The coulter and share are parts of a
Answer: B (mouldboard plough)
A mouldboard plough has a coulter, share and mouldboard.
The diagram below illustrates a garden tool for cultivating ornamental plants.
An ornamental plant that could be grown in the illustrated garden tool is
Answer: D (morning glory)
A small flowering plant like morning glory fits a flower pot; the others are trees.
The diagram below illustrates a garden tool for cultivating ornamental plants.
Farm tools that could perform a similar function as the illustrated tool are
I. garden sieve
II. seed box
III. polyethene bag
Answer: C (II and III only.)
Pots, seed boxes and polythene bags all hold soil for raising plants.
The diagram below illustrates the dimensions of a farmland after surveying.
The dimensions of the farmland were taken using
Answer: C (a measuring tape.)
Lengths are measured with a measuring tape.
The diagram below illustrates the dimensions of a farmland after surveying.
Calculate the area of the farmland in hectares.
Answer: C (16 ha)
800 × 200 = 160,000 m² ÷ 10,000 = 16 ha.
Industries support agriculture through the supply of
I. labour
II. agrochemicals
III. fibre crops
Answer: A (I and II only)
Fibre crops flow from agriculture to industry, not the other way round.
Which of the following climatic factors limit the cultivation of oil palm in the northern parts of West Africa?
I. Rainfall
II. Temperature
III. Relative humidity
Answer: B (I and III only)
Oil palm needs heavy rain and humid air, which the dry north lacks.
The relationship between cattle egret and cattle could be described as
Answer: A (symbiotic)
The egret eats insects disturbed by cattle and ticks on them; both benefit.
The diagram below illustrates the vertical section of a typical soil.
The layer that determines the chemical composition of soil is labelled
Answer: D (IV)
IV is the parent rock, from which the soil's minerals come.
The diagram below illustrates the vertical section of a typical soil.
The layer that supports the germination of tuber crops is labelled
Answer: A (I)
Planting setts germinate in the topsoil, layer I.
Which of the following materials could be used to moderate soil temperature?
Answer: D (Farmyard manure)
Organic manure insulates the soil and holds moisture.
It is important to cover compost heaps in humid areas in order to
Answer: C (protect the pit from being waterlogged)
In wet areas a cover keeps rain from soaking the compost.
Nitrogen is absorbed by crops in the form of
Answer: A (nitrate ion)
Roots take up nitrogen mainly as nitrate ions.
An underground source of water for irrigation is
Answer: D (borehole)
A borehole draws groundwater.
If the expected yield of rice is 2 tonnes per hectare and 20% of the crop was destroyed by birds on the field, calculate the expected quantity of rice grains harvested.
Answer: C (1,600kg)
80% of 2,000 kg = 1,600 kg.
Hulling is a post-harvest operation carried out in the processing of
Answer: A (rice)
Hulling removes the husk from rice.
A farmer in West Africa intercropped a variety of maize with groundnut on a farmland on April 24.
The earliest expected date of harvesting the maize would be
Answer: C (July 22)
Early maize matures in about 90 days, which from 24 April is about 22 July.
A farmer in West Africa intercropped a variety of maize with groundnut on a farmland on April 24.
A nutrient that would be supplied by groundnut in the intercropping system is
Answer: C (nitrogen)
Groundnut, a legume, fixes nitrogen.
A farmer in West Africa intercropped a variety of maize with groundnut on a farmland on April 24.
If the farmer applied liquid fertilizer to the maize plants, the appropriate method of application would be
Answer: D (foliar)
Liquid fertilizer is sprayed on the leaves (foliar).
The diagram below illustrates a management practice carried out in a crop nursery.
The illustrated management practice is
Answer: B (shading)
The thatched roof over the seedbeds provides shade.
The diagram below illustrates a management practice carried out in a crop nursery.
Crops that could require the illustrated management practice are
Answer: C (tomato, cocoa and citrus)
Tomato, cocoa and citrus seedlings are raised under shade in nurseries.
The correct sequence in the processing of cocoa is
Answer: C (breaking of pods → fermentation → drying → storage)
Pods are broken, beans fermented, dried and then stored.
The recommended spacing for oil palm is
Answer: B (9m x9m x 9m)
Oil palm is planted 9 m apart in a triangle.
Forest regulations are important in order to
I. protect the ecosystem
II. reduce desert encroachment
III. promote sustainable products
Answer: D (I, II and III)
Forest laws protect the environment and keep forest products available.
The common name of Tectona grandis is
Answer: C (teak)
Tectona grandis is teak.
Systemic herbicides could be used for controlling
Answer: D (annual weeds, biennial weeds and perennial weeds)
Systemic herbicides move through the whole plant and kill all kinds of weeds.
Tristeza is a common disease of
Answer: D (Citrus spp)
Tristeza is a viral disease of citrus.
In which part of the alimentary canal of poultry is grit found?
Answer: C (Gizzard)
Grit in the gizzard grinds food.
Caparisation is usually carried out in
Answer: B (cockerels)
Caponisation is the castration of cockerels.
The diagram below illustrates the reproductive parts of a male farm animal.
Spermatogenesis occurs in the part labelled
Answer: C (III)
III is the testis, where sperm are made.
The diagram below illustrates the reproductive parts of a male farm animal.
The part that secretes prostate fluid is labelled
Answer: A (I)
I points to the prostate gland at the base of the bladder.
The diagram below illustrates the reproductive parts of a male farm animal.
The parts that would be of utmost interest to the farmer during castration are
Answer: D (III and IV)
Castration removes the testis (III) or crushes the spermatic cord/vas deferens (IV).
In which of the following poultry management systems could fertile eggs be produced?
I. Deep litter
II. Battery cage
III. Free range
Answer: B (I and III only)
Fertile eggs need cocks to run with hens, which happens on deep litter or free range.
Coprophagy refers to the
Answer: D (reingestion of soft feaces by rabbits)
Rabbits eat their soft night droppings to absorb nutrients.
If fish meal contains 60% crude protein, what quantity of it should be fed to layers to supply 8kg of protein?
Answer: C (13.33kg)
8 ÷ 0.6 = 13.33 kg.
Ad libitum feeding means feeds should be supplied to farm animals
Answer: C (without restriction)
Ad libitum means freely, as much as the animal wants.
A disadvantage of artificial insemination in cattle is that
Answer: A (signs of heat may be missed by the farmer)
AI depends on the farmer spotting heat; a missed heat means a missed chance.
Desilting of fish ponds helps to
I. repair cracks in the pond
II. control pond acidity
III. reduce turbidity in ponds
Answer: C (II and III only)
Removing silt and rotting mud reduces acidity and muddiness.
Agricultural produce for which demand increases due to a rise in the income of the consumer is referred to as
Answer: C (luxury produce)
Demand for luxuries rises as incomes rise.
Determine the cost price of a farm equipment that has a salvage value of N800,000.00, a useful life of 10 years and an annual depreciation of N300,000.00.
Answer: C (N3,800,000.00)
Cost = (300,000 × 10) + 800,000 = N3,800,000.
The equity of a farmer who has a liability of N200,000.00 and assets of N575,000.00 is
Answer: B (N375,000.00)
Equity = assets − liabilities = 575,000 − 200,000 = N375,000.
Extension methods that could be used to disseminate agricultural information to deaf but literate farmers are
I. radio
II. field trip
III. newspaper
Answer: C (II and III only)
Deaf farmers can see a field trip and read a newspaper but cannot hear radio.
(a) State three ways in which each of the following factors affects agricultural production in West Africa. (i) rural-urban migration; (ii) inadequate farm inputs; (iii) inadequate storage facilities
(b) Distinguish between farm tools and farm machinery.
(c) Give four functions of a bulldozer on the farm.
(d) Mention three tools that could be used in maintaining farm machinery.
(a)(i) Rural-urban migration (any three): shortage of farm labour; high cost of labour; lower output and food shortage; farms abandoned; ageing farmers slow to adopt innovations.
(ii) Inadequate inputs (any three): low yields; high cost of the few inputs available; farmers remain at subsistence level; crop failure; low income and poor quality produce.
(iii) Inadequate storage (any three): post-harvest losses and wastage; poor quality produce; glut at harvest forces low farm-gate prices; scarcity and high prices off-season; low farmers' income; food insecurity.
(b) Farm tools are simple hand-operated implements (e.g. hoe, cutlass) worked by human effort; farm machinery are mechanical, engine- or motor-powered machines (e.g. tractor, combine harvester) for large-scale operations.
(c) Any four: clearing bush and felling trees; stumping; levelling/grading land; moving earth; constructing farm roads, ditches, dams and ponds.
(d) Any three: spanner; screwdriver; pliers; hammer; grease gun; wire brush; file; jack; tyre gauge; wrench; socket set.
Three effects for each factor in (a).
(a) Describe each of the following horizons in a soil profile. (i) horizon A; (ii) horizon B; (iii) horizon C; (iv) horizon D.
(b) Using the table below, classify each of the following rocks based on their mode of formation: marble, gabbro, dolomite, limestone, slate and coal. (Columns: Sedimentary rock, Metamorphic rock, Igneous rock.)
(c) State four effects of temperature on agricultural production.
(a)(i) Horizon A: the topsoil; dark, rich in humus and living organisms, most weathered and leached, most fertile; where most roots are.
(ii) Horizon B: the subsoil; reddish-brown, contains minerals (clay, iron and aluminium oxides) washed down from A; little humus and less fertile.
(iii) Horizon C: weathered parent material; partly broken rock fragments, little biological activity.
(iv) Horizon D: the bedrock; hard, unweathered parent rock with no living organisms.
(b) Sedimentary: limestone, dolomite, coal. Metamorphic: marble, slate. Igneous: gabbro.
(c) Any four: decides which crops and animals can be raised in an area; affects germination and breaking of dormancy; high temperature increases evaporation and transpiration, causing wilting; affects growth rate and ripening; high temperature causes heat stress, lower feed intake and production in animals; affects activity of soil organisms; influences pests and diseases.
Put each rock in exactly one column.
(a) Explain each of the following agro-forestry practices in West Africa. (i) alley cropping; (ii) ley farming; (iii) taungya system
(b) Give five reasons why agro-forestry is practised by farmers in West Africa.
(c)(i) Describe the water cycle. (ii) List two forms of water in the soil.
(a)(i) Alley cropping: arable crops are grown in alleys between rows of (usually leguminous) trees or shrubs such as Leucaena and Gliricidia, which are pruned regularly and the prunings used as mulch/green manure.
(ii) Ley farming: land is used for arable crops for some years and then put under grass/legume pasture for livestock for some years, in rotation.
(iii) Taungya system: farmers grow food crops between young forest trees during the early years of forest establishment, until the tree canopy closes.
(b) Any five: improves soil fertility (nitrogen, leaf litter); controls erosion; provides fuelwood, timber and fodder; diversifies income; provides shade and windbreaks; controls weeds; makes full use of land; conserves biodiversity and moisture.
(c)(i) Water from seas, rivers, soil and plants evaporates (and transpires) into water vapour; the vapour rises, cools and condenses into clouds; it falls back as rain (precipitation); some runs off into rivers and seas, some infiltrates the soil and becomes groundwater, and the cycle repeats.
(ii) Any two: gravitational water; capillary water; hygroscopic water.
Name each stage of the cycle in order.
(a) Discuss the cultivation of ginger under the following headings: (i) soil requirement; (ii) land preparation; (iii) planting material; (iv) spacing; (v) method of harvesting; (vi) two processing methods
(b) The diagram below shows the survey plan of a farmland. Use it to answer questions 4(b). (i) Calculate the area of the farmland. (ii) If a farmer sows two seeds of maize per hole on the farmland at a spacing of 30cm by 30cm, determine the expected number of maize stands on the farmland.
(c) A farmland intended for organic farming has an abundance of living organisms in the soil. Enumerate three organisms that could be found in the soil of the farmland.
(a)(i) Well-drained, fertile, loose sandy loam or loamy soil rich in organic matter.
(ii) Clear, plough and harrow, then make raised beds or ridges.
(iii) Rhizome pieces (setts) with one or two buds.
(iv) About 20–25 cm × 20–30 cm (e.g. 25 cm × 25 cm).
(v) Dig up the rhizomes with a hoe or fork when the leaves turn yellow and dry (about 8–10 months).
(vi) Any two: washing and peeling; splitting/slicing; sun drying; grinding into powder; making ginger oil/paste.
(b)(i) The plan is a trapezium: area = ½ × (46 + 60) × 30 = 1,590 m².
(ii) Area per hole = 0.3 × 0.3 = 0.09 m²; holes (stands) = 1,590 ÷ 0.09 ≈ 17,667 stands (about 35,333 seeds/plants at two per hole).
(c) Any three: earthworms; termites; ants; millipedes; bacteria; fungi; nematodes; protozoa.
Parallel sides 46 m and 60 m, height 30 m.
(a) Mention two functions each of the following parts of the digestive system of poultry: (i) crop; (ii) gizzard; (iii) small intestine; (iv) large intestine.
(b)(i) Define the term ration as used in animal nutrition. (ii) Give four characteristics of roughages consumed by ruminants.
(c) An eco-friendly company is considering using fibre crops to replace plastics as packaging materials. Give four other uses of fibre crops.
(a)(i) Crop: stores food temporarily; softens/moistens food.
(ii) Gizzard: grinds food with grit; mixes food with enzymes from the proventriculus.
(iii) Small intestine: completes digestion of food; absorbs digested nutrients.
(iv) Large intestine: absorbs water; carries undigested waste to the cloaca.
(b)(i) A ration is the measured amount of feed given to an animal in 24 hours to meet its needs.
(ii) Any four: high crude fibre (over 18%); bulky; low in digestible nutrients and energy; low protein (except legumes); cheap and readily available; slowly digested; e.g. hay, straw, silage, pasture.
(c) Any four: textiles and clothing; ropes and twines; sacks and bags; mats and carpets; paper; fishing nets; medical cotton wool; mattress stuffing; seed oil and cake (cotton).
Two functions per part in (a).
(a) Citrus farmers in a country harvested large quantities of sweet orange but were unable to get buyers quickly for the produce. (i) Mention four activities that should be carried out by the farmers before the oranges could reach the consumers. (ii) State five ways by which the government could encourage the distribution of the oranges to the market.
(b) Rural farmers in a community complained that extension officers hardly visited their farms. Highlight five factors that could contribute to this problem
(c) Give the scientific names of the tapeworm that affects each of the following farm animals: (i) cattle; (ii) pig
(d) Mention two ways of preventing the infestation of tapeworm on a pig farm.
(a)(i) Any four: harvesting at the right stage; sorting/grading; cleaning; packaging; storage (cold storage); transportation; processing into juice; advertising.
(ii) Any five: build good rural roads; provide storage and cold rooms; set up/encourage fruit-processing factories; provide market information; guaranteed minimum prices/buying through marketing boards; subsidise transport; encourage co-operatives; promote export.
(b) Any five: too few extension officers for many farmers; poor transport/mobility; bad rural roads; poor pay and motivation; lack of funds and equipment; officers given non-extension duties; insecurity in rural areas; poor supervision.
(c)(i) Taenia saginata. (ii) Taenia solium.
(d) Any two: proper disposal of human faeces/use of toilets so pigs cannot eat them; keep pigs confined; meat inspection and cooking pork well; deworm pigs and workers; clean feed and water.
Taenia saginata in cattle, Taenia solium in pigs.