Soil Questions & Answers

Hi Everyone!! This article will share Soil Questions & Answers.

In one of my previous posts, I have shared Food and Health, Plant World and Creepy Crawlies so, you can check these posts as well.

Soil Questions & Answers

Question 1: Fill in the blanks:

(a) Afforestation and keeping a check on overgrazing are methods of soil conservation.
(b) Loamy soil is composed of sand, silt and clay.
(c) Soil is formed by weathering of rocks.
(d) Weathering is breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.
(e) Sand along with decaying plants and animals and living matter forms the soil.
(f) Soil is a natural resource.

Question 2: Match the columns:

Question 3: Write True or False:

(a) Subsoil is found beneath weathered rock fragments – False
(b) Deforestation is a cause of soil erosion – True
(c) Soil does not have living matter in it – False
(d) Topsoil is the fertile layer of soil – True
(e) Loamy soil contains small rocks and minerals – False
(f) Soil is a natural resource – True
(g) Weathering is breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces – True
(h) Soil is formed by weathering of rocks – True

Soil Questions & Answers

Question 4: Name the following:

(a) The most fertile layer of the soil.
Answer: Topsoil

(b) Type of soil used for construction.
Answer: Sandy soil

(c) Type of soil with high water holding capacity.
Answer: Clayey soil

(d) The bottom layer of soil with unbroken solid rocks.
Answer: Bedrock

Question 5: Define the following:

(a) Soil erosion
Answer: When the top fertile layer of the soil is washed away by natural forces like water or wind, it is called soil erosion.

(b) Soil Conservation
Answer: Stopping the loss caused by soil erosion is called soil conservation.

Question 6: What is weathering of rocks?

Answer: Weathering of rocks means breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.

Question 7: How is soil formed?

Answer:
Soil is formed by the weathering of rocks.
Weathering is breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.
When these smaller pieces of rock break down further, they form sand.
This sand along with the decaying plants and animals and living matter forms the soil.

Question 8: What does the subsoil contain?

Answer:
Subsoil is below the topsoil.
It contains small particles such as sand and silt.
It is less fertile than topsoil.

Soil Questions & Answers

Question 9: What is loamy soil?

Answer: Loamy soil is composed of sand, silt and clay.
This soil can hold some amount of water.
It is used for gardening and agriculture.

Question 10: Write the uses of:

(a) Clayey soil
Answer: It is used to make earthen pots and toys.

(b) Sandy soil
Answer: It is used for construction and growing vegetables.

Question 11: Rohit wanted to check the water holding capacity of loamy soil, sandy soil and clayey soil. She took 3 flasks and placed a funnel on the mouth of each flask. She placed a filter paper in each funnel. She added 10 grams of loamy soil, clayey soil and sandy soil in each funnel. She then added 20 ml of water in each sample and kept it undisturbed for some time. She measured the water collected in each flask and following result were recorded.

(a) Which soil has the minimum water holding capacity? Give reason.
Answer: Sandy soil has the minimum water holding capacity. This is because sandy soil has large particle size which results in a small surface area hence, the water holding capacity is low.

(b) Which soil has the maximum water holding capacity? Give reason.
Answer: Clayey soil has the maximum water holding capacity. This is because clay is made up of very small tightly packed particles that do not allow water to percolate through.

Question 12: State any two ways of soil conservation.

Answer: The two ways of soil conservation are:
i. Afforestation
ii. By keeping check on overgrazing.

Soil Questions & Answers

Question 13: Why is soil erosion a concern when soil is constantly formed by the weathering of rocks?

Answer:
i. Soil erosion is the washing or blowing away (by water or wind) of the top layer of soil.
ii. Soil erosion is generally balanced by formation of new soil.
iii. However, the speed with which the soil is getting eroded is more than the speed with which it is formed.
iv. At many places, the soil has become unfit for the growth of plants. This is a serious problem for farmers.

Question 14: Describe clayey soil.

Answer: Clayey soil is a finely grained soil. This soil can hold a lot of water and it is used to make earthen pots and toys. It also has medicinal properties.

Question 15: Why is sandy soil used for construction?

Answer: Sandy soil consists of small particles of weathered rock. It is good soil for building structures because it allows water to drain water away from a building site but will not shift or move. As sandy soil particles have irregular shapes, the fragments will catch against one another and lock into place, providing additional stability. Builders will often add sandy soil to the soil of a foundation and compact it in order to create a more stable soil for building on.

So, these were Soil Questions & Answers.