WAEC Agricultural Science 1998 Past Questions

Practice each question, then open it to see the full details.

Customary land tenure system in Nigeria encourages

A.ownership of large farmlands
B.fragmentation of lands
C.shifting cultivation
D.commercial farming
E.free hold to any land

(a) Discuss briefly four ways in which any three of the following Government agricultural programmes have contributed to the agricultural development of Nigeria: (i) Agricultural Development projects (ii) Farm Settlement Scheme .(iii) Co-operative Farming (iv) River Basin and Rural Development Authorities (v) Agricultural Research Institutes

(b) List four agro-based industries. in Nigeria and state the raw materials used in each Industry.

Wastage of agricultural products during harvesting period is due mainly to inadequate

A.transport facilities
B.storage and processing facilities
C.agricultural education and extension
D.implementation of government policies on agriculture
E.agricultural financing

(a) Explain the term farm mechanisation (b) State seven advantages and seven disadvantages of farm mechanization

The provision of farm inputs to farmers by government can best be described as

A.loan
B.capital
C.credit
D.subsidy
E.gift

(a) Explain briefly four factors of soil formation. (b) List four chemical processes in the weathering of rocks.

Which of the following uses of land should be given more attention in Nigeria for self sufficiency in food production?

A.construction of roads
B.building of research centres
C.establishment of wildlife
D.establishment of agriculture and forestry
E.construction of fish ponds

Write short notes on the following: (a) bush burning; (b) clean clearing; (c) organic manuring

The effects of high environmental temperature on dairy cows include the following except

A.fever
B.high feed intake
C.high water intake
D.low milk production
E.restlessness

Describe briefly the production of cocoa under the following headings: - (a) method of propagation; (b) climatic a ( soil requirements.' (c) nursery requirement; (d) maturity period., (e) method of harvesting; (f) two major diseases and their control

Which of the following does not fit into the agricultural use of land?

A.mining
B.forest establishment
C.crop production
D.animal production
E.fish production

(a). State three effects of maize weevil on maize grains. (b) Explain briefly five general control measures of insect pests of grains in storage. (c) Name the vector for each of the following crop diseases: (i) groundnut rosette; (ii) maize streak; (iii) cassava mosaic.

Gneiss id a metamorphic rock formed from

A.sandstone
B.slate
C.shale
D.clay
E.granite

(a) State seven reasons for good housing in poultry management. (b) Describe briefly nine essential features of a poultry deep litter house

The components of soil include the following except

A.living organisms
B.moisture
C.mineral matter
D.humus
E.light

a) Explain the term ration. (b) Name four classes of livestock feed and list two characteristics of each class. Distinguish between maintenance and production rations

Which of the following is an organic manure?

A.lime
B.basic slag
C.ammonium nitrate
D.super phosphate
E.compost

(a) List four marketing agents for agricultural products. (b) Discuss briefly four importance of middlemen in agricultural marketing. (c) Outline eight problems of agricultural marketing in Nigeria.

Which of the following is not a property of clay soil? it

A.is heavy
B.has low capillarity
C.contains little pore spaces
D.hardens and cakes when dry
E.has high plasticity

Explain briefly the following terms in farm management: (a) farm valuation. (b) cash analysis account; (c) profit and loss account; (d) balance sheet.

The particle size of silt is

A.above 2 mm
B.0.2 mm-2 mm
C.0.02 mm-0.2 mm
D.0.002 mm-0.02 mm
E.below 0.002 mm

If the percentage of nitrogen in ammonium sulphate fertilizer is 20%, calculate the amount of nitrogen in 500 kg of the fertilizer.

A.20 kg
B.40 kg
C.50 kg
D.100 kg
E.250 kg

Fruit formation in plants may be delayed by excessive availability of

A.nitrogen
B.phosphorus
C.carbon
D.sulphur
E.molybdenum

The system of irrigation whereby water is introduced as a sheet over farmland is referred to as

A.shadoof
B.channel
C.flooding
D.underground
E.drip

The major advantage of drainage in agriculture is

A.promoting growth of micro-organisms
B.supplying adequate nutrients to the soil
C.removing excess water from the soil
D.aiding decomposition of materials in the soil
E.making aeration of the soil very difficult

Which of the following groups of farm equipment use electricity as their source of power?

A.milking machine, incubator and refrigerator
B.incubator, sprayer, refrigerator and water pump
C.planter, milking machine and sprayer
D.sprayer, incubator and harvester
E.harvester, milking machine, planter and incubator

Combine harvester is usually used for harvesting

A.pepper
B.rice
C.tomato
D.rubber
E.groundnut

One hectare of a school farm equals

A.1000cm²
B.1000m²
C.10,000cm²
D.10,000m²
E.100,000m²

In a farm lay-out, the best site for a fish pond is

A.a steep slope
B.an undulating land
C.a flat land
D.a gently sloping valley
E.a hill top

Which of these groups of crops require nursery for their successful cultivation?

A.rice, maize, pepper and okro
B.cassava, guinea corn, tomato and cowpea
C.tomato, orange, soya bean and rice
D.cocoa, orange, tomato and oil palm
E.yam, mango, cassava and pineapple

Which of the following crops is propagated by suckers?

A.pineapple
B.citrus
C.tobacco
D.mango
E.carrot

Which of the following is obtained from rubber tree?

A.fibre
B.latex
C.sisal
D.silk
E.gum

If cassava is planted at a spacing of 1m x 1m, what will be the plant population on 1 hectare of land?

A.10,000
B.5,000
C.1,000
D.500
E.100

What is the main difference between forage and fodder crops? Forage crops are

A.fresh while fodder crops are dry
B.grasses and legumes while fodder crops are legumes only
C.preserved forms of grasses and legumes
D.more nutritious than fodder crops
E.grazed while the fodder crops are fed

Which of the following pasture grasses can be propagated mainly by roots and seeds?

A.spear grass
B.gaint star grass
C.bahama grass
D.gamba grass
E.guinea grass

A stoloniferous grass which spreads rapidly and forms a good ground cover is

A.andropogon gayanus
B.andropogon tectorum
C.cynodon plectostachyus
D.panicum maximum
E.pennisetum purpureum

The act of clearing forests is termed

A.regeneration
B.afforestation
C.deforestation
D.silviculture
E.forest management

A major raw material of the paper industry is

A.pulp
B.gum
C.latex
D.bark
E.dye

The system of growing arable crops at the early stage of forest establishment is referred to as

A.selective exploitation
B.regeneration
C.afforestation
D.taungya system
E.forest regulation

The physiological changes that show up during disease attack on crop plants are referred to as

A.signs
B.symptoms
C.necrosis
D.deformations
E.abnoemalities

The major pest of maize in Southern Nigeria is called

A.budworm
B.stem borer
C.leaf worm
D.aphid
E.mealy bug

Which of the following insect pests of crops is usually controlled by fumigation?

A.bean weevil
B.capsid bug
C.cotton stainer
D.grasshopper
E.yam beetle

A major symptom f onion/twister is

A.appearance of dark brown spots on leaves
B.motting of leaves
C.rottening of roots
D.rottening of bulds
E.premature drying of leaves

Gummosis is caused by a

A.fungus
B.virus
C.bacterium
D.nematoad
E.protozoan

Which of the following is not true about the aims of crop improvement? Production of

A.high yielding variety of cowpea
B.disease resistant varieties of citrus
C.thick pericap and rish oil palm fruits
D.tall frowing leafty varieties of maize
E.fast growing rice with early fruiting

Which of the following is the correct function of the gizzard?

A.food storage
B.absorption of digested food
C.grinding of food
D.food softening
E.stimulating enzymatic actions on food

The correct sequence of the components of a goat's stomach is

A.rumen-reticulum-abomasum-omasum
B.reticulum-rumen-omasum-abomasum
C.rumen-reticuleum-omasum-abomasum
D.reticulum-omasum-abomasum-rumen
E.omasum-rumen-reticulum-abomasum

Rabbits are kept in

A.hutches
B.cages
C.food boxes
D.pens
E.paddocks

A castrated male pig is called

A.boar
B.barrow
C.gilt
D.sow
E.swine

Layers mash should contain a high percentage of

A.iron
B.calcium
C.iodine
D.fluorine
E.sulphur