2023 WAEC (WASSCE) Agricultural Science Past Questions and Answers
The 2023 WAEC (WASSCE) Agricultural Science past questions with answers: 50 objective questions from the 2023 paper in the DeeepSolve question bank, each with its answer behind "Show answer". Try each question before you check, then practise the paper as a timed WAEC-style CBT.
Past questions © the examination body (JAMB/WAEC/NECO). DeeepSolve is not affiliated with them. Rights holders: see /copyright.
Questions
- 1.
The diagrams below illustrate different sources of farm power. Study them and answer the question. Which of the illustrated sources of farm power is the cheapest
- A.II
- B.III
- C.IV
- D.I
Show answer
Answer: A. II
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- 2.
In order to backup extension messages, an extension agent should
- A.provide marketing channels for farmers
- B.assist farmers in locating sources of farm inputs
- C.procure agricultural loans for farmers
- D.provide modern machines to farmers
Show answer
Answer: B. assist farmers in locating sources of farm inputs
AI explanation
Analyze the question: The phrase "backup extension messages" means supporting the advice and recommendations an extension agent gives farmers. If an agent advises farmers to adopt improved seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals and so on, the farmers must be able to get those things. Otherwise the message cannot be acted on.
Explain the concept: Agricultural extension is an informal education service that carries research findings and improved practices to farmers. For the messages to lead to real adoption, the agent must also link farmers to the supporting services, mainly:
- Sources of inputs (seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, tools)
- Credit sources
- Marketing outlets
Evaluate the options:
- A. Provide marketing channels: This helps after harvest. It is not the direct support for an extension message.
- B. Assist farmers in locating sources of farm inputs: This is the most direct support. If the agent recommends an improved variety or fertilizer, the farmer needs to know where to get it, so the message can be put into practice. Note the wording "assist in locating": the agent guides farmers to the inputs and does not supply them.
- C. Procure agricultural loans for farmers: Extension agents are not lenders. They may advise on credit, but they do not procure loans.
- D. Provide modern machines: This is outside the agent's role. Extension agents educate and advise. They are not suppliers of equipment.
Tip: In extension questions, remember that the agent educates, advises and links. They do not directly give loans, machines or money. Options that use words like "assist," "link," or "guide" are usually the right ones, while "provide" or "procure" are often traps.
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- 3.
A pest of honeybee is
- A.bird
- B.grasshopper
- C.lizard
- D.tick
Show answer
Answer: C. lizard
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- 4.
The farming system generally recommended for farm settlement scheme is
- A.pastoral farming
- B.mixed cropping
- C.continuous cropping
- D.mixed farming
Show answer
Answer: D. mixed farming
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- 5.
Which of the following pairs of livestock diseases could be contracted through inhalation?
- A.Coccidiosis and rinderpest
- B.Newcastle disease and aspergillosis
- C.Anthrax and tuberculosis
- D.Gumboro and brucellosis
Show answer
Answer: B. Newcastle disease and aspergillosis
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6.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 7.
Monocotyledonous crops are characterized by
- A.parallel-veined leaves
- B.woody stems and branches
- C.taproot system
- D.net-veined leaves
Show answer
Answer: A. parallel-veined leaves
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for a characteristic feature of monocotyledonous crops (monocots), such as maize, rice, sugarcane, guinea corn (sorghum), millet and wheat.
Step 2: Explain the concept Monocots have only one seed leaf (cotyledon) in the seed. Their main features are:
- Parallel-veined leaves
- Fibrous root system
- Scattered vascular bundles in the stem
- Floral parts in multiples of three
- Usually herbaceous stems (no true woody growth)
Dicotyledonous crops (dicots), such as beans, cowpea, groundnut, mango and orange, have:
- Net-veined leaves
- Taproot system
- Vascular bundles arranged in a ring
- Floral parts in fours or fives
- Often woody stems
Step 3: Check each option
- A. Parallel-veined leaves: True for monocots. Think of the long, straight veins in a maize leaf.
- B. Woody stems and branches: This is typical of dicots like mango and teak, so it is wrong.
- C. Taproot system: This belongs to dicots. Monocots have a fibrous root system, so it is wrong.
- D. Net-veined leaves: This is also a dicot feature, so it is wrong.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. parallel-veined leaves.
Tip: Remember "MoPF": Monocots have Parallel veins and Fibrous roots. Dicots are the opposite: net veins and taproot. Just picture a maize leaf (parallel veins) versus a bean leaf (net veins).
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- 8.
The reduction of three seedlings of maize to two plants per stand is referred to as
- A.rogueing
- B.thinning
- C.weeding
- D.pruning
Show answer
Answer: B. thinning
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- 9.
Steaming up ration should be fed to
- A.pregnant animals
- B.weaned young animals
- C.breeding female animals
- D.lactating animals
Show answer
Answer: A. pregnant animals
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which group of animals receives a "steaming up" ration. This is a livestock feeding term.
Step 2: Explain the concept "Steaming up" means giving extra, high-quality feed (more energy and protein) to a female animal in the last stage of pregnancy, usually the last 4 to 6 weeks before she gives birth. This is needed because:
- Most of the foetus's growth happens in late pregnancy.
- The dam needs to build up body reserves for the coming lactation.
- It helps her produce enough milk after birth.
- It lowers the risk of pregnancy-related disorders such as pregnancy toxaemia (twin-lamb disease in sheep) and milk fever.
Step 3: Compare the options
- A. Pregnant animals: Correct. Steaming up is done for pregnant females close to parturition.
- B. Weaned young animals: These get a growing ration, not a steaming up ration.
- C. Breeding female animals: Before mating they get flushing, which is extra feed to increase ovulation rate. This is different from steaming up, and "breeding females" is too general.
- D. Lactating animals: These get a lactation (milk production) ration, which comes after steaming up.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. pregnant animals.
Tip: Link the terms to their stage:
- Flushing is before mating.
- Steaming up is late pregnancy.
- Creep feeding is for suckling young.
- Lactation ration is after birth.
Think of "steam" as building up pressure before the "big event" of birth.
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- 10.
High relative humidity in a brooder house could lead to
- A.reduced feed intake
- B.production of dry litter
- C.build up of pests and diseases
- D.heat stress
Show answer
Answer: C. build up of pests and diseases
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- 11.
Which of the following paring enterprise could best be combined with fish farming for mutual benefits? I. Vegetable production II. Beekeeping III. Poultry production
- A.I and III only
- B.I, II and III
- C.I and II only
- D.II and III only
Show answer
Answer: A. I and III only
AI explanation
Analyze the question: We need the enterprises that can be combined with fish farming so that both enterprises benefit (integrated farming).
Concept: In integrated farming, the waste or by-products of one enterprise become inputs for another.
Evaluating each enterprise:
- I. Vegetable production: Pond water is rich in nutrients (from fish waste) and can be used to irrigate vegetables. Vegetables can be grown on the pond dikes or banks, and vegetable waste can be used as fish feed. This benefits both enterprises.
- II. Beekeeping: Bees feed on nectar and pollen and do not exchange any useful products with fish. Fish do not benefit from bees, and bees gain little from the pond. There is no real mutual benefit, so it is not a good pairing.
- III. Poultry production: A poultry house built over or beside the pond lets droppings fall into the water, where they fertilize the pond and promote plankton growth that fish eat. Spilled feed also feeds the fish. The fish farm provides the poultry house with a convenient site and keeps the poultry area clean. This is a classic integrated system (poultry-cum-fish farming).
Conclusion: Only vegetable production (I) and poultry production (III) show real mutual benefit with fish farming.
Correct option: A. I and III only
Exam tip: For "combining enterprises" questions, ask: "Does the waste of one become the food or fertilizer of the other?" Poultry droppings → fish pond, pond water → vegetables. Beekeeping does not fit this waste-recycling pattern, so you can usually eliminate it.
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- 12.
Grading of farm produce is important because it
- A.maintains produce quality
- B.prolongs storability
- C.facilitates pricing
- D.facilitates transportation
Show answer
Answer: C. facilitates pricing
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks why grading of farm produce is important. Grading means sorting produce into classes based on size, quality, ripeness, appearance, and freedom from defects.
Step 2: Explain the concept After harvesting, produce such as tomatoes, yams, oranges, and eggs is sorted into grades (Grade A, B, C, etc.). The main purposes are:
- Buyers know the quality they are paying for.
- Different grades attract different prices.
- It makes marketing and fair trade easier.
Step 3: Evaluate the options
- A. Maintains produce quality: Grading does not maintain or preserve quality. It only classifies produce according to the quality it already has. Preservation and storage handle maintenance.
- B. Prolongs storability: This is the job of processing, drying, refrigeration, and proper storage. Grading may remove damaged items that could spoil others, but that is not its main purpose.
- C. Facilitates pricing: Once produce is graded, each class has a set price, so higher-quality produce earns more. This is the standard textbook reason for grading.
- D. Facilitates transportation: Packaging and handling help transportation, not grading.
Step 4: Answer The best answer is C. facilitates pricing.
Tip: Remember "Grading = Group and Gauge price." Grading sorts produce into classes so each class can be given a fair price. Questions on preservation, storage, or transport usually point to processing, storage, or packaging instead.
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13.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
14.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 15.
The part of a disc plough to which discs are connected is
- A.furrow wheel
- B.standard
- C.scraper
- D.beam
Show answer
Answer: B. standard
AI explanation
Analyze the question: The question asks which part of a disc plough holds the discs, that is, the part the discs are mounted on.
Concept: A disc plough has these main parts:
- Beam: the main frame that connects the plough to the tractor. It supports the other parts.
- Standard (disc standard/leg): a vertical or inclined arm fixed to the beam. The disc is mounted on its lower end by a bearing and axle (spindle), so the discs are attached to it.
- Scraper: a blade that presses lightly against the concave side of the disc to remove soil sticking to it.
- Furrow wheel: a wheel that runs in the previous furrow to keep the plough steady and control its direction and depth.
Step-by-step solution:
- The furrow wheel guides and stabilizes the plough. It does not hold the discs, so A is out.
- The scraper cleans soil off the disc. It does not carry the disc, so C is out.
- The beam is the main frame. The standards attach to it, and the discs are not directly on it, so D is not the best choice.
- The standard carries the disc assembly (the bearing and spindle). The discs are connected to it, so B is correct.
Answer: B. standard
Exam tip: Remember the chain Beam → Standard → Disc. The beam holds the standard, and the standard holds the disc. The scraper cleans the disc, and the furrow wheel steadies the plough.
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- 16.
Examples of cover crops are
- A.Centrosema pubescens and Mucuna utilis
- B.Moringa oleifera and Imperata cylindrica
- C.Panicum maximum and Pennisetum purpureum
- D.Calopogonium mucunoides and Gliricidia sepium
Show answer
Answer: A. Centrosema pubescens and Mucuna utilis
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question We need to identify the option in which both plants are cover crops. Cover crops are low-growing, creeping plants (mostly legumes) grown to protect the soil from erosion, suppress weeds, conserve moisture, and add nitrogen and organic matter.
Step 2: Concept Common cover crops in Nigeria are:
- Centrosema pubescens (centro)
- Mucuna utilis (velvet bean)
- Calopogonium mucunoides (calopo)
- Pueraria phaseoloides (puero)
Step 3: Check each option
- A. Centrosema pubescens and Mucuna utilis: both are creeping legumes used as cover crops. ✔
- B. Moringa oleifera and Imperata cylindrica: Moringa is a tree, and Imperata (spear grass) is a weed. ✘
- C. Panicum maximum and Pennisetum purpureum: guinea grass and elephant grass are tall fodder grasses. ✘
- D. Calopogonium mucunoides and Gliricidia sepium: Calopogonium is a cover crop, but Gliricidia is an upright tree used for shade, fodder, and alley cropping, so it is not a cover crop. ✘
Step 4: Answer Only option A has two true cover crops, so the correct answer is A.
Tip: Cover crops are creeping legumes. If a plant is a tree (Moringa, Gliricidia) or a tall grass (Panicum, Pennisetum), it is not a cover crop. Remember the "CMCP" crops: Centrosema, Mucuna, Calopogonium, Pueraria.
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- 17.
Day-neutral crops are crops that produce flowers regardless of
- A.daylength being longer than the length of night
- B.extremely low temperature
- C.amount of sunlight received by flowering plants
- D.extremely high temperature
Show answer
Answer: A. daylength being longer than the length of night
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what day-neutral crops flower regardless of. This is about photoperiodism, which is how plants respond to the relative lengths of day and night.
Step 2: Explain the concept Plants are grouped by how daylength affects flowering:
- Short-day plants flower when the day is shorter than a critical length (the night is long). Examples: soybean, rice varieties, chrysanthemum.
- Long-day plants flower when the day is longer than a critical length. Examples: wheat, spinach, lettuce.
- Day-neutral plants flower whatever the daylength. Flowering depends on maturity or age, not on the photoperiod. Examples: tomato, cucumber, cotton, maize (many varieties).
Step 3: Check each option
- A. Daylength being longer than the length of night. Day-neutral plants are not affected by whether the day is longer or shorter than the night, so this fits the definition of "regardless of."
- B. Extremely low temperature. Temperature does affect flowering, for example through vernalization, but it is not what defines day-neutral plants.
- C. Amount of sunlight received. Day-neutral plants still need adequate light for photosynthesis. The "neutral" refers to the duration of the day, not light intensity or the total amount of sunlight, so this is a weaker choice.
- D. Extremely high temperature. This also has nothing to do with the definition.
Step 4: Answer Day-neutral crops flower regardless of whether the day is longer or shorter than the night.
Tip: "Day-neutral" means neutral to the length of day. When you see a photoperiod question, look for the option that mentions daylength versus night length. Option C is a tempting distractor, but it talks about the amount of sunlight, not the day/night duration.
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- 18.
Rural-urban migration of farm labour could be prevented by
- A.increasing the cost of acquiring farmland
- B.employing more extension agents for farmers
- C.increasing the size of farmland for cultivation
- D.establishing agro-based industries in villages
Show answer
Answer: D. establishing agro-based industries in villages
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks how to stop young people and farm workers from leaving villages for cities (rural-urban migration).
Step 2: Understand the concept People migrate from rural areas mainly because of:
- Lack of jobs and income opportunities
- Poor social amenities (electricity, roads, water, hospitals, schools)
- Low returns from subsistence farming
So the best solution is one that creates employment and income in rural areas and improves living conditions there.
Step 3: Evaluate each option
- A. Increasing the cost of acquiring farmland: This makes farming harder and more expensive, so it would push people away from farming. Wrong.
- B. Employing more extension agents: Extension agents teach farmers better methods. This helps productivity, but it creates few new jobs and does not directly address the lack of employment and amenities that drive migration. It is not the best answer.
- C. Increasing the size of farmland for cultivation: Larger farms need more capital and labour and do not by themselves give people reasons to stay. Wrong.
- D. Establishing agro-based industries in villages: Industries such as palm oil mills, cassava processing plants, and rice mills provide jobs, create markets for farm produce, raise incomes, and often bring better infrastructure. This directly tackles the causes of migration. Correct.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is D.
Tip: For questions on "preventing rural-urban migration," think jobs + amenities in rural areas. Look for options like agro-industries, rural electrification, good roads, and water supply.
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- 19.
Post-planting operations in cocoa plantation include I. rogueing II. stumping III. mulching
- A.I and II only
- B.I, II and III
- C.I and III only.
- D.II and III only
Show answer
Answer: C. I and III only.
AI explanation
Analyze the question: It asks which operations are carried out after planting (post-planting) in a cocoa plantation: rogueing, stumping, mulching.
Explain the concepts:
- Rogueing: Removing diseased, off-type or unwanted plants from the field. It is done after planting to keep the stand healthy and uniform. This is a post-planting operation.
- Stumping: Cutting back a seedling or plant to a short stump before transplanting. It is used for crops like yam, cassava, teak, and sometimes for rubber stumps. It is done on the seedling in the nursery, before planting, so it is a pre-planting/transplanting preparation, not a post-planting operation in cocoa.
- Mulching: Covering the soil around young plants with organic material to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and moderate soil temperature. It is a standard post-planting practice in cocoa, especially for young seedlings.
Step-by-step solution:
- Rogueing: post-planting, so it is included.
- Stumping: done before planting, so it is excluded.
- Mulching: post-planting, so it is included.
So the correct combination is I and III only.
Answer: Option C.
Exam tip: Sort operations by timing. Pre-planting: clearing, stumping, lining, holing, pegging. Post-planting: supplying (replacing dead plants), weeding, mulching, rogueing, pruning, fertilizer application. When a question lists "stumping," ask yourself whether it is done to the seedling before it goes into the field. If so, it is not post-planting.
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- 20.
Which of the following tools are used in soil analysis? I. pH meter II. Sieve III. Hygrometer
- A.I and II
- B.I and III
- C.I, II and III
- D.II and III
Show answer
Answer: A. I and II
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- 21.
Cotton stainer is an insect pest of
- A.cotton
- B.pepper
- C.okro
- D.onion
Show answer
Answer: A. cotton
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which crop the cotton stainer (Dysdercus species) attacks. The name is a clue, but let's confirm it with the biology.
Step 2: Explain the concept The cotton stainer is a sucking insect, a bug in the order Hemiptera. It is usually bright red and black. It feeds on:
- Cotton bolls and seeds, where it pierces the developing seeds and sucks the sap
- Its feeding leaves a yellow-brown stain on the cotton lint, which lowers the quality and market value. This is where the name "stainer" comes from.
- It also attacks other plants in the same family (Malvaceae), including okro (okra), kenaf and hibiscus, as secondary hosts.
Step 3: Evaluate the options
- A. Cotton: This is the main host, and the pest is named after it. ✔
- B. Pepper: Pepper is attacked by aphids, fruit flies and thrips, not by cotton stainers.
- C. Okro: Okro is a secondary host, so cotton stainers can attack it. However, the question asks for the pest's primary and best-known host, and the pest's name points to cotton. Okro's more typical pests are flea beetles and the okra leaf beetle.
- D. Onion: Onion is attacked by onion thrips and onion fly, not by cotton stainers.
Step 4: Answer The cotton stainer is an insect pest of cotton, so the answer is A.
Exam tip: In Agricultural Science, many pests are named after their main host. Examples are cotton stainer → cotton, maize weevil → maize, cocoa mirid (capsid) → cocoa, and rice stem borer → rice. If a pest's name contains a crop, that crop is usually the answer. Watch for questions where a related crop (like okro) is also a host. In those cases, pick the primary host.
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22.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 23.
If the seed rate for the cultivation of cowpea is 25 kg per hectare, determine the quantity of cowpea seeds required to cultivate a farmland measuring 100 m by 500 m.
- A.125 kg
- B.50 kg
- C.250 kg
- D.1,250 kg
Show answer
Answer: A. 125 kg
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- 24.
A major reason for encouraging afforestation in arid regions of West Africa is to
- A.serve as forest reserve for wildlife conservation
- B.serve as windbreak to check desert encroachment
- C.increase timber production for export
- D.provide shade for crops sin taungya farming
Show answer
Answer: B. serve as windbreak to check desert encroachment
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the major reason for afforestation (planting trees where there were none) specifically in arid regions of West Africa, such as the Sahel and northern Nigeria.
Step 2: Explain the concept Arid regions have little rainfall, sparse vegetation, and loose, dry soil. Strong, dry Harmattan winds blow across these areas and cause:
- Soil erosion by wind
- Sand dune movement
- Desertification, which is the spread of the desert into fertile land
Planting trees in rows or belts, called shelterbelts or windbreaks, slows wind speed, holds the soil with roots, and protects farmland. Nigeria's "Great Green Wall" initiative is a well-known example of this approach.
Step 3: Evaluate the options
- A. Forest reserve for wildlife conservation: This is a benefit of forests, but it is not the main reason for planting trees in dry zones.
- B. Windbreak to check desert encroachment: This directly addresses the main environmental problem of arid regions. ✔
- C. Timber production for export: Arid zones have poor growing conditions, so they are not suited to commercial timber. Timber comes mostly from the humid forest zones.
- D. Shade for crops in taungya farming: Taungya is a system of growing food crops among young forest trees. It is practiced mainly in forest zones, not as the major reason for arid-zone afforestation.
Step 4: Answer
Tip: Link keywords. "Arid" or "desert" together with "afforestation" points to windbreaks, shelterbelts, and checking desertification. "Humid" or "high forest" points to timber and taungya.
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25.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 26.
The number of teats in the udder of a cow is
- A.four
- B.two
- C.six
- D.eight
Show answer
Answer: A. four
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- 27.
In a poultry farm, 2,000 birds were laying an average of 1,680 eggs per day. Use this information to answer the questionIf an egg tray contains 30 eggs, how many trays of eggs will be collected in one week?
- A.240
- B.526
- C.286
- D.392
Show answer
Answer: D. 392
AI explanation
Analyze the question: The farm collects 1,680 eggs per day. A tray holds 30 eggs. We need the number of trays collected in one week (7 days). Concept: Total eggs ÷ eggs per tray = number of trays. Step 1: Eggs in one week 1,680 × 7 = 11,760 eggs Step 2: Convert to trays 11,760 ÷ 30 = 392 trays Check (alternative route): Trays per day = 1,680 ÷ 30 = 56 Trays per week = 56 × 7 = 392 ✓ Answer: D. 392 Exam tip: When a question gives a daily figure and asks for a weekly one, you can divide first (1,680 ÷ 30 = 56) and then multiply by 7. Smaller numbers make it easier to avoid mistakes. Also, ignore extra information, like the 2,000 birds here, when the question already gives the total eggs per day.AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.
28.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 29.
If 200 ml of water was poured on a soil sample in a beaker and 25% of the water drained through the soil, determine the amount of water retained in the soil.
- A.25 ml
- B.175 ml
- C.50 ml
- D.150 ml
Show answer
Answer: D. 150 ml
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- 30.
The diagrams below illustrate different sources of farm power. Study them and answer the question. The machinery illustrated in diagram III could be used to power I. planters II. dryers III. sprayers
- A.II and III only
- B.I and III only
- C.I and II only
- D.I, II and III
Show answer
Answer: C. I and II only
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- 31.
Which of the following products is not a primary forest product?
- A.Plup
- B.Fuelwood
- C.Timber
- D.Mushroom
Show answer
Answer: A. Plup
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question We are asked to find the product that is NOT a primary forest product. The word "Plup" is a typo for pulp.
Step 2: Explain the concept
- Primary forest products are raw materials obtained directly from the forest with little or no processing. Examples are timber (logs), fuelwood, poles, bark, fruits, mushrooms, honey, bush meat, chewing sticks, and latex.
- Secondary forest products are made by processing primary products. Examples are pulp, paper, plywood, veneer, chipboard, charcoal, and furniture.
Step 3: Examine each option
- A. Pulp: It is made by chemically or mechanically processing wood into fibre, which is then used to make paper. It is a processed (secondary) product.
- B. Fuelwood: It is gathered straight from trees as firewood. It is a primary product.
- C. Timber: It is felled and sawn wood taken directly from trees. It is a primary product. (Even though it is sawn, it is classed as a primary product in WASSCE.)
- D. Mushroom: It is harvested directly from the forest. It is a primary (non-timber) product.
Step 4: Answer Pulp is the only one that requires industrial processing, so it is not a primary forest product.
Tip: Ask yourself, "Can I pick it up or cut it from the forest and use it as it is?" If yes, it is primary. If a factory is needed (pulp, paper, plywood, charcoal), it is secondary.
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- 32.
In a poultry farm, 2,000 birds were laying an average of 1,680 eggs per day. Use this information to answer the question What is the percentage of birds that did not lay eggs?
- A.16%
- B.84%
- C.19%
- D.46%
Show answer
Answer: A. 16%
AI explanation
Analyze the question: We have 2,000 birds, and the flock produced 1,680 eggs per day. We need the percentage of birds that did not lay eggs.
Concept: Hen-day production = (number of eggs ÷ number of birds) × 100. Assuming each laying bird lays one egg per day, the number of eggs equals the number of birds that laid.
Solution:
- Birds that laid = 1,680
- Birds that did not lay = 2,000 − 1,680 = 320
- Percentage that did not lay = (320 ÷ 2,000) × 100 = 16%
Check: Percentage that laid = (1,680 ÷ 2,000) × 100 = 84%, and 100% − 84% = 16%. ✔
Answer: The option 84% (B) is the percentage that did lay, which is the trap in this question. The question asks for the birds that did not lay, so the answer is A. 16%.
Tip: Always check whether the question asks for "did" or "did not". Compute the percentage that laid first, then subtract from 100% if needed. Examiners often include the complementary value as a distractor.
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- 33.
Soil structure is described as the
- A.proportion of different sizes of soil particles
- B.degree of water percolation within the soil
- C.degree of soil aeration within the soil
- D.arrangement of soil particles into aggregates
Show answer
Answer: D. arrangement of soil particles into aggregates
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- 34.
The bacterium which is responsible for conversion of ammonium compounds to nitrites in the nitrogen cycle is
- A.A. Nitrobacter
- B.A. Rhizobium
- C.B. Nitrosomonas
- D.C. Azotobacter
Show answer
Answer: C. B. Nitrosomonas
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- 35.
Seedlings are best transplanted in the field
- A.early in the morning and late in the evening
- B.at midday and at dusk
- C.early in the morning and at midday
- D.late in the morning and late in the evening
Show answer
Answer: A. early in the morning and late in the evening
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36.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 37.
Ornamental plants are primarily cultivated to
- A.provide fodder for livestock
- B.beautify the environment
- C.serve as mulching materials
- D.serve as raw materials
Show answer
Answer: B. beautify the environment
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks about the primary purpose of cultivating ornamental plants.
Step 2: Explain the concept Ornamental plants are plants grown mainly for their decorative qualities, such as attractive flowers, leaves, colour, shape, or scent. Common examples in Nigeria include hibiscus, bougainvillea, croton, ixora, and Ficus species. They are grown in gardens, school compounds, parks, roadsides, and around homes and offices.
Step 3: Evaluate each option
- A. Provide fodder for livestock: This is the purpose of forage crops and pasture plants such as Guinea grass and Stylosanthes, not ornamentals.
- B. Beautify the environment: This is correct. Beautifying surroundings is the main reason ornamentals are planted. They also provide shade, help check erosion, and improve air quality, but these are secondary benefits.
- C. Serve as mulching materials: Mulch comes from dry grass, straw, or leaves, and it is not the main reason for growing ornamentals.
- D. Serve as raw materials: This describes industrial crops such as cotton, rubber, and oil palm.
Step 4: Answer Ornamental plants are primarily cultivated to beautify the environment, so the correct option is B.
Exam tip: Look at the word "ornamental". It comes from "ornament", meaning decoration. When a question asks about the primary purpose of a crop type, match the name to its use: ornamental means beauty, forage means feed, and cash crops mean income.
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38.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
39.This question needs a diagram, table or passage that we don't have yet, so it isn't shown.
- 40.
Which of the following statements about underground drainage is true
- A.Ditches are constructed to remove excess water
- B.Ditches are dug from a source of water to the farmland
- C.Furrows are constructed to direct water out of the farmland
- D.Water seeps into tiles to reach an outlet where it is discharged
Show answer
Answer: D. Water seeps into tiles to reach an outlet where it is discharged
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which statement is true about underground drainage. This is the key phrase, so we are looking for something that happens below the soil surface.
Step 2: Explain the concept Drainage is the removal of excess water from farmland. There are two main types:
- Surface drainage: open ditches, furrows and channels carry water away over the soil surface.
- Underground (subsurface) drainage: perforated pipes or clay tiles are laid beneath the soil. Excess water in the soil seeps into the tiles through their joints or perforations. It then flows along the tile line to an outlet, such as a river or main drain, where it is discharged.
Step 3: Evaluate each option
- A. Ditches are constructed to remove excess water. This is true of drainage in general, but ditches are open channels on the surface. That makes this surface drainage, not underground drainage.
- B. Ditches are dug from a source of water to the farmland. This describes irrigation, because water is being brought to the farm.
- C. Furrows are constructed to direct water out of the farmland. Furrows are shallow surface channels, mostly used in irrigation or surface drainage. They are not underground.
- D. Water seeps into tiles to reach an outlet where it is discharged. This correctly describes underground drainage with buried tiles or pipes.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is D.
Exam tip: Link the key words to the system. "Tiles" or "pipes" means underground drainage. "Ditches" or "furrows" means surface. If water moves to the farm, it is irrigation. If it moves away from the farm, it is drainage.
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- 41.
A combine harvester is mainly used for harvesting
- A.tomato
- B.groundnut
- C.pepper
- D.rice
Show answer
Answer: D. rice
AI explanation
Analyze the question: The question asks which crop a combine harvester is mainly used for.
Explain the concept: A combine harvester is a machine that combines three harvesting operations in one pass:
- Reaping (cutting the crop)
- Threshing (separating the grain from the stalk and husk)
- Winnowing (cleaning the grain by removing chaff)
Because of this, it is designed for cereal and grain crops that grow in dense stands, such as rice, wheat, maize, millet, sorghum, and barley.
Step-by-step solution:
- A. Tomato: A fruit vegetable. It is delicate and picked by hand, since machines would bruise it. ✗
- B. Groundnut: A legume that grows underground. It is harvested by lifting or digging, using diggers or harvesters designed for root and tuber crops, not a combine. ✗
- C. Pepper: A delicate fruit vegetable that is usually hand-picked. ✗
- D. Rice: A cereal grain crop. A combine harvester cuts, threshes, and cleans the grain in one operation. ✓
Tip: Think "combine = cereals." If a question mentions a combine harvester, look for a grain crop like rice, wheat, or maize. Fruits, vegetables, and underground crops like groundnut, yam, and cassava are harvested differently.
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- 42.
A beneficial effect of bush burning is that it
- A.replenishes oxygen in the atmosphere
- B.increases the organic matter of soil
- C.encourages the regeneration of grasses
- D.increases the population of soil microorganisms
Show answer
Answer: C. encourages the regeneration of grasses
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for a beneficial effect of bush burning, which is the practice of setting fire to vegetation, common in Nigerian farming and hunting.
Step 2: Explain the concept Bush burning has mostly harmful effects: it destroys organic matter, kills soil microorganisms, exposes the soil to erosion, and pollutes the air. It has a few limited benefits:
- It clears land quickly and cheaply.
- It kills pests and pathogens.
- It stimulates fresh, tender growth of grasses. This is why herdsmen burn old pasture so cattle can graze the new shoots.
- It adds some ash (mineral nutrients) to the soil in the short term.
Step 3: Evaluate each option
- A. Replenishes oxygen in the atmosphere: False. Burning consumes oxygen and releases CO₂.
- B. Increases the organic matter of soil: False. Fire destroys organic matter such as litter and humus.
- C. Encourages the regeneration of grasses: True. Many grasses resprout quickly from their roots and crowns after a fire, and the ash supplies nutrients.
- D. Increases the population of soil microorganisms: False. Heat kills microorganisms near the surface.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is C.
Tip: In "bush burning" questions, the harmful effects (loss of organic matter, loss of microbes, erosion, pollution) are the usual answers to "effect" questions. When the question asks for a beneficial effect, think of grass regrowth, land clearing, and pest control.
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- 43.
Assuming a sow was serviced on May 1 and conceived the same day, the expected date of parturition is
- A.June 2
- B.September 30
- C.August 24
- D.October 2
Show answer
Answer: C. August 24
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- 45.
The risk of production in agricultural business is borne by the
- A.farm owner
- B.farm labour
- C.farm assistant
- D.farmer's family
Show answer
Answer: A. farm owner
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who carries the risk of production in an agricultural business. Risk here means the chance of loss from things like pests, disease, drought, flooding, or price falls.
Step 2: Explain the concept In Agricultural Economics, the four factors of production each have a reward:
- Land → rent
- Labour → wages/salary
- Capital → interest
- Entrepreneur (management) → profit
The entrepreneur is the person who organizes the other factors, makes the decisions, and bears the risk. On a farm, this is the farm owner. If the business makes a profit, the owner keeps it. If it makes a loss, the owner absorbs it.
Step 3: Work through the options
- A. Farm owner: He or she invests the capital, makes the decisions, and takes the profit or loss. This is the risk-bearer.
- B. Farm labour: Labourers are paid wages whether or not the harvest is good, so they do not carry the production risk.
- C. Farm assistant: This is also an employee on a salary, so the risk is not theirs.
- D. Farmer's family: They may help on the farm, but they are not the decision-maker or owner of the enterprise, so they are not the main risk-bearer.
Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. farm owner.
Tip: Remember "Entrepreneur = Owner = Risk = Profit." If a question asks who risks losing money, think of the person who takes the profit, not the one who earns a fixed wage.
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- 46.
Maceration is carried out in the processing of
- A.paddy rice
- B.oil palm
- C.cotton
- D.cocoa
Show answer
Answer: B. oil palm
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question We need to find which crop undergoes maceration during processing.
Step 2: Explain the concept Maceration means softening and breaking down plant tissue by soaking it or by mechanical crushing and pounding, so the useful content (like oil or juice) can be released.
Step 3: Apply it to each option
- A. Paddy rice: It is parboiled, dried, and milled (hulled and polished). There is no maceration.
- B. Oil palm: The fruits are boiled or sterilized, then pounded or digested in a mill. This breaks down the fleshy mesocarp (the pulp) so the palm oil can be pressed or washed out. This crushing and softening of the pulp is the maceration stage, also called digestion or pounding.
- C. Cotton: It is ginned (seeds separated from lint), baled, and spun. There is no maceration.
- D. Cocoa: The beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground. Fermentation is the key step, not maceration.
Step 4: Answer Oil palm processing involves maceration of the boiled fruits to free the oil.
Tip: Link "maceration" with "mashing or pounding to release oil or juice." Whenever you see it, think of palm fruit pulp. For the others, remember the key steps: rice is parboiled and milled, cotton is ginned, and cocoa is fermented.
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- 47.
Which of the following crops require a nursery?
- A.Rubber
- B.Cotton seed
- C.Yam
- D.Soya bean
Show answer
Answer: A. Rubber
AI explanation
Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which crop needs a nursery. A nursery is a place where seeds are raised into young seedlings before being transplanted to the main field.
Step 2: Explain the concept Crops are planted in two main ways:
- Direct seeding means sowing seeds straight into the field. This suits crops with fast-germinating seeds that don't tolerate transplanting well, such as cotton, soya bean, maize, and beans.
- Nursery and transplanting means raising seedlings first. This suits crops with very small seeds, delicate seedlings, or those that need careful early management. Examples are tree crops such as rubber, cocoa, oil palm, citrus, and coffee, and vegetables such as tomato, pepper, and cabbage.
Step 3: Check each option
- A. Rubber: It is a tree crop. Seeds are raised in a nursery, often with budding of improved clones onto rootstocks, then transplanted. ✔
- B. Cotton seed: It is sown directly on the field. ✘
- C. Yam: It is propagated by tubers or setts planted directly on mounds or ridges. ✘
- D. Soya bean: It is sown directly and does not tolerate transplanting well. ✘
Step 4: Answer The correct answer is **A.
Exam tip: Remember that tree crops (rubber, cocoa, oil palm, citrus) and vegetables (tomato, pepper, cabbage) need nurseries. Grains, legumes, and tubers (maize, cotton, soya bean, yam) are planted directly.
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- 48.
Which of the following combinations of NPK fertilizer is recommended for the cultivation of yam and cassava?
- A.10:10:10
- B.20:10:10
- C.10:10:20
- D.20:20:10
Show answer
Answer: C. 10:10:20
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- 49.
The diagrams below illustrate different sources of farm power. Study them and answer the question. Which of the illustrated sources of farm power decrease in efficiency due to constant use?
- A.II and III only
- B.I and III only
- C.I and II only
- D.I, II and III
Show answer
Answer: C. I and II only
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- 50.
The storage structure usually installed by the government for bulk storage of grains in West Africa is
- A.crib
- B.rhombus
- C.bin
- D.silo
Show answer
Answer: D. silo
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