Many farmers in New England turned to specialty farming, such as growing mushrooms, asparagus, herbs, and nursery plants because

Many farmers in New England turned to specialty farming, such as growing mushrooms, asparagus, herbs, and nursery plants because



A) the climate is better for these types of operations.
B) depopulation of rural New England has reduced the customer base.
C) the "eat locally" movement has generated more demand for these products.
D) dairy farming has become less profitable due to lower milk prices per unit and increasing operating costs.
E) the increased use of refrigerated trucks has expanded the market area




Answer: D

Another name for truck farming is

Another name for truck farming is



A) specialty farming.
B) market gardening.
C) commercial gardening and fruit farming.
D) intensive commercial agriculture.
E) all of the above.



Answer: E

Market gardening dominates in

Market gardening dominates in




A) New Jersey and Delaware.
B) parts of Florida.
C) the west coast of Michigan.
D) the Central Valley of California.
E) all of the above.




Answer: E

Market gardening farms are located close to large urban areas because

Market gardening farms are located close to large urban areas because




A) expensive land costs force farmers to grow crops with a higher profit margin.
B) of the highly perishable nature of their crops.
C) transport costs are high due to special handling requirements.
D) farmers need large amounts of capital for specialized machinery.
E) all of the above.




Answer: E

Even though climatic conditions are suitable for wine production in North Africa and Southwest Asia, why is this form of agriculture not practiced in these regions?

Even though climatic conditions are suitable for wine production in North Africa and Southwest Asia, why is this form of agriculture not practiced in these regions?




A) Both areas need economic development to establish a wine industry.
B) Strict government regulations discourage development of a wine industry.
C) Lack of irrigation engineering is an impediment.
D) There is not a cultural tradition of consuming wine in these regions.
E) Desalination is still too costly for this type of economic activity.



Answer: D

What advantages do cattle feedlots have over traditional methods of livestock ranching?

What advantages do cattle feedlots have over traditional methods of livestock ranching?




A) Feedlots combine a number of steps in the meat packing industry in one location.
B) Feedlots are more efficient at adding weight to cattle.
C) Feedlots reduce transportation costs of cattle prior to being slaughtered.
D) Feedlots reduce transportation costs of the finished product.
E) All of the above.




Answer: E

Pastoral nomads and livestock ranchers both

Pastoral nomads and livestock ranchers both





A) suffer from low profit margins.
B) have difficulty hiring seasonal workers.
C) require extensive knowledge of irrigation systems.
D) are in competition with alternative land uses.
E) operate most efficiently in similar climates.



Answer: E

Grain produced in the United States is used for all of the following except it is

Grain produced in the United States is used for all of the following except it is




A) purchased by food processing companies for baked products.
B) sent around the world as foreign aid.
C) stored in grain elevators for and sold in the market when prices increase.
D) consumed predominately by local communities throughout the Midwest.
E) sent to sub-Saharan Africa for famine relief.




Answer: D

Most cereal grains produced in the United States are

Most cereal grains produced in the United States are




A) exported to developing countries.
B) given away as foreign aid.
C) turned into processed foods such as breakfast cereals and breads.
D) sold to food processing industries.
E) fed to livestock.





Answer: E

What is the best reason for why many dairy farmers in Wisconsin choose to produce butter and cheese rather than fresh milk?

What is the best reason for why many dairy farmers in Wisconsin choose to produce butter and cheese rather than fresh milk?




A) Most dairy farmers are located too far from Milwaukee and Chicago.
B) The profit margin is higher on cheese.
C) The entire country is their market area for these products.
D) Wisconsin's peripheral location within the United States is ideal.
E) All of the above.




Answer: C

What has been the trend with respect to dairy farming in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) since the 1970s?

What has been the trend with respect to dairy farming in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) since the 1970s?




A) Production has declined relative to income.
B) Production has declined due to government regulations.
C) Production has increased as a total percent of world production levels.
D) Production has increased due to foreign aid.
E) None of the above.





Answer: C

Dairy farmers locate near urban areas because

Dairy farmers locate near urban areas because




A) it is expensive to transport product to market.
B) milk has a limited shelf-life.
C) land costs are high.
D) of agglomeration pressures.
E) A and B only.



Answer: E

What best characterizes intensive commercial agriculture?

What best characterizes intensive commercial agriculture?



A) Commercial agriculture dominates in MDCs.
B) Due to globalization and competition, profit margins have decreased.
C) Farmers must specialize in order to stay competitive.
D) Farmers are part of a complex and highly integrated system called agribusiness.
E) All of the above.




Answer: E

What agricultural technique allows subsistence farmers in tropical and sub-tropical areas to support a large population with a small amount of arable land?

What agricultural technique allows subsistence farmers in tropical and sub-tropical areas to support a large population with a small amount of arable land?



A) Four-field crop rotation system.
B) Intertillage.
C) Double cropping.
D) Swidden agriculture.
E) Slash and burn agriculture.




Answer: C

Livestock ranching and pastoral nomadism both

Livestock ranching and pastoral nomadism both



A) exist in environments too harsh for crop production.
B) suffer from low wages.
C) rely on the same animals for their livelihood.
D) flourish in central Asia.
E) suffer from undue government regulations.



Answer: A

Pastoral nomadism is a threatened way of life because

Pastoral nomadism is a threatened way of life because



A) of competition for resources.
B) the nomads often cross international borders.
C) it is not an economically viable livelihood.
D) increased population pressures.
E) all of the above.




Answer: E

All of the following are characteristics of pastoral nomads except

All of the following are characteristics of pastoral nomads except




A) they consume mostly grains rather than meat.
B) they trade meat and skins for grains.
C) they stay in one place when rainfall is plentiful.
D) they only consume animal products and animal by-products.
E) they primarily depend on animals for their survival.


Answer: D

Swidden agriculture refers to

Swidden agriculture refers to



A) clearing land to farm using slash and burn techniques.
B) only farming cleared land for one to two years.
C) terracing steep hillsides for agricultural purposes.
D) all of the above.
E) A and B only.




Answer: E

All of the following are characteristics of shifting cultivation except

All of the following are characteristics of shifting cultivation except



A) people usually live in small villages.
B) farmers clear land using a slash (vegetation) and burn (debris) technique.
C) crops are grown on land until the nutrients in the soil are depleted.
D) primogentric land ownership dominates shifting cultivation societies.
E) farmers usually return to the same area approximately twenty years later.




Answer: D

Why do societies practicing shifting cultivation only farm the same plot of land for one to two years?

Why do societies practicing shifting cultivation only farm the same plot of land for one to two years?





A) Shifting cultivation depletes nutrients from the soil faster than other methods.
B) Tropical soils are nutrient poor.
C) Pressure from the government keeps tribes moving.
D) Since they don't own the land, tribes must keep shifting location.
E) All of the above.



Answer: B

Which statement regarding agricultural region(s) with respect to Whittlesey's Agricultural Regions map is no longer applicable?

Which statement regarding agricultural region(s) with respect to Whittlesey's Agricultural Regions map is no longer applicable?



A) Plantation agriculture doesn't exist in North America anymore.
B) Grain regions have become smaller over time.
C) Mediterranean agriculture has declined in importance.
D) Areas of shifting cultivation have become more prominent.
E) Commercial gardening in the U.S. is still dominant along the east coast.




Answer: A

When comparing the Koppen Climate Regions Map with the Whittlesey Agricultural Regions Map one can conclude that

When comparing the Koppen Climate Regions Map with the Whittlesey Agricultural Regions Map one can conclude that




A) there is a direct relationship between the patterns on both maps.
B) many agricultural regions exist outside their respective climate zones.
C) climate is not a limiting factor on the distribution of agriculture.
D) agricultural regions have changed a great deal in the 20th century.
E) Whittlessey's map is outdated.



Answer: A

What conclusion can one make with regard to the connection between the second agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution?

What conclusion can one make with regard to the connection between the second agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution?




A) Advancements in agricultural production helped feed the expanding population.
B) Technological advancements helped increase agricultural production.
C) Transportation improvements made more food available to urban populations.
D) None of the above.
E) A and B only.





Answer: E

How did the second agricultural revolution improve agricultural production?

How did the second agricultural revolution improve agricultural production?




A) The four-field system increased yields and soil fertility.
B) New technologies such as the drill press increased production.
C) The Enclosure Movement encouraged the use of machinery.
D) Advances in breeding livestock increased production of meat and dairy.
E) All of the above.




Answer: E

According Carl Sauer, why did vegetative planting first start in Southeast Asia?

According Carl Sauer, why did vegetative planting first start in Southeast Asia?




A) The predictable annual flooding of rivers provided needed irrigation.
B) The humid continental climate was ideal for experimentation.
C) The extensive river valleys provided excellent soil for cultivation.
D) The monsoon weather system was ideal for experimentation with plants.
E) The region's high biodiversity allowed people to become more sedentary, which naturally led to experimentation with plants.




Answer: E

All of the following are true regarding contemporary hunting and gathering societies except

All of the following are true regarding contemporary hunting and gathering societies except



A) their way of life is preserved by many governments.
B) they tend to be isolated from modern societies.
C) they provide insight into prehistoric cultures.
D) they exist in the Arctic, the interior of Africa, Australia, and South America.
E) their numbers are rapidly declining.




Answer: A

Subsistence agriculture dominates in

Subsistence agriculture dominates in




A) less developed countries.
B) more developed countries.
C) mid-latitude climates.
D) newly-industrialized countries.
E) none of the above.



Answer: A

The major difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture is

The major difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture is




A) where the product is consumed.
B) that commercial agriculture is primarily focused on profit.
C) that land ownership in subsistence agricultural communities is often communal.
D) that in subsistence agriculture the motivation is to feed one's family.
E) all of the above.



Answer: E

The primary purpose of commercial agriculture is to

The primary purpose of commercial agriculture is to



A) make a profit.
B) produce a superior product.
C) produce a product in a sustainable manner.
D) provide jobs for a large percentage of the population.
E) sustain the rural way of life.




Answer: A

All of the following are aspects of commercial agriculture except

All of the following are aspects of commercial agriculture except




A) a heavy reliance on machinery.
B) the product is consumed off the farm.
C) there is little relationship to other businesses.
D) a small percentage of the workforce is engaged directly in agriculture.
E) the average size of farms is hundreds of acres.



Answer: E

Agriculture is associated with the

Agriculture is associated with the




A) secondary sector of the economy.
B) quaternary sector of the economy.
C) tertiary sector of the economy.
D) primary sector of the economy.
E) service sector of the economy.





Answer: D

The modern definition of agriculture includes

The modern definition of agriculture includes



A) animal husbandry and shifting cultivation.
B) vegetative and seed planting.
C) multiple hearths of origin.
D) the deliberate domestication of plants and animals.
E) none of the above.



Answer: D

The major areas of wheat production in the world are the central United States and Canada, Ukraine, south central Australia, and the pampas of Argentina. What is the characteristic shared by these areas that explains their role in wheat production?

The major areas of wheat production in the world are the central United States and Canada, Ukraine, south central Australia, and the pampas of Argentina. What is the characteristic shared by these areas that explains their role in wheat production?



A. All have rainy, damp climates.
B. All are near sea coasts.
C. All are plains.
D. All are in highland regions.



Answer: C

Advances in irrigation technology have enabled people to transform deserts into productive agricultural land. Failure to manage irrigation properly can, however, result in damage to the topsoil and a decrease in productivity.The damage to soil discussed in the passage above is

Advances in irrigation technology have enabled people to transform deserts into productive agricultural land. Failure to manage irrigation properly can, however, result in damage to the topsoil and a decrease in productivity.The damage to soil discussed in the passage above is



A. hydration, in which soil becomes waterlogged and impossible to farm
B. mineralization, in which soil becomes rocky and hard to work
C. salinization, in which salts accumulate in the upper levels of the soil
D. deforestation, in which soil systems become unstable when deprived of the root systems of large trees





Answer: C