Samoa Secondary Leaving Certificate — Agricultural Science

What is the main reason agriculture remains important to most rural households in Samoa?

• AIt supplies household food and a cash or gift surplus from the same planting
• BIt is the only legal way to hold customary land
• CIt replaces the need for any imported food in Apia shops
• DIt is required before a student can sit any SSLC paper

A family on Savai'i plants taro and bananas mainly to eat, and sells only what is left after household use. Which farming system is this?

• AIntensive greenhouse horticulture
• BCorporate plantation agriculture
• CSubsistence production with occasional surplus sale
• DSpecialised dairy ranching

Which description best matches mixed farming on a Samoan holding?

• AGrowing only one export tree crop and nothing else
• BKeeping livestock and growing crops on the same farm so residues and manure can be used t…
• CFishing only, with no planted crops
• DLeaving all land in unused bush permanently

How does a managed cattle pasture differ from a natural forest ecosystem?

• AA pasture never contains living plants
• BA pasture has no energy flow at all
• CA forest cannot contain any consumers
• DThe pasture usually needs continued human decisions about stocking, weeds, and fencing to…

A hillside paddock is stocked so heavily that cattle keep the grass shorter than it can regrow. What is the most likely first impact on that agroecosystem?

• ABare soil, weaker roots, and faster runoff and erosion
• BAn immediate rise in soil organic matter
• CComplete protection of the soil surface from raindrop impact
• DA permanent increase in desirable pasture legumes

Which pair is the best example of plantation agriculture as practised historically and commercially in Samoa?

• ABackyard chilli pots and a few tomato plants
• BLarge stands of coconut or cocoa grown mainly for copra, beans, or other saleable products
• CA single household taro mound eaten the same week it is harvested
• DCollecting wild ferns from unplanted bush

Why do some village farmers still rest a taro plot under bush fallow after several harvests?

• AFallow is used only to attract rhinoceros beetles
• BFallow permanently removes all clay from the soil
• CA rest under vegetation lets organic matter and nutrients rebuild and breaks some pest an…
• DFallow is required by law after every single harvest

Which farm decision best matches the idea of sustainable agriculture?

• AMaintaining yields over many years without permanently exhausting soil, water, or the far…
• BMaximising this season's harvest even if the topsoil is lost
• CUsing as much pesticide as possible whether pests are present or not
• DClearing every shade tree so the land can never return to bush

A grower plans to sell taro to a buyer who exports to New Zealand. Which set of post-harvest steps best protects quality and meets an importing country's requirements?

• APack the corms straight from the mud into unlabelled sacks so no time is lost
• BTrim and clean the corms, cull damaged or diseased ones, grade to even size, then pack in…
• CLeave the harvested corms in full sun for several days to harden before packing
• DWash the corms in lagoon seawater and pack them while still wet

The oso is a traditional Samoan planting tool. What is it used for?

• AA pointed digging stick driven into the ground to open a planting hole for setts such as…
• BA powered blower used to spray pesticide mist across a plantation
• CSmall clippers used on the needle teeth of newborn piglets
• DA saw used to fell mature coconut palms

Soil texture describes which property of a mineral soil?

• AThe relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles
• BThe number of earthworms counted in one minute
• CThe brand of fertilizer last applied
• DThe slope angle of the paddock only

On a mixed farm with a tractor, coconut palms and a taro plot, which item is a human resource?

• AThe tractor
• BThe tractor operator
• CThe coconut palms
• DThe taro plot

What is the main marketing role of the Samoa Export Authority?

• ATo lead the development of Samoa's exports, promote them overseas and improve market acce…
• BTo set the retail price of every product sold in Samoan village shops
• CTo issue land titles to farmers who wish to plant cocoa
• DTo provide veterinary treatment for livestock on commercial farms

Adding well-rotted compost to a garden soil is useful mainly because organic matter:

• AImproves aggregation, water holding, and nutrient supply
• BTurns every soil into solid bedrock
• CRemoves all clay particles overnight
• DStops plants from needing any water

Why does a grower grade green drinking coconuts into even lots before taking them to the local market?

• ABecause grading removes the need to husk any nut before sale
• BBecause buyers can price and pack a uniform lot more readily, so a graded lot usually ret…
• CBecause ungraded nuts are prohibited from all Samoan markets
• DBecause grading makes the water inside the nut sweeter

How can rainfall and cyclone-season climate information help a farmer decide where and when to plant taro?

• AIt shows which months bring reliable planting rain and which bring cyclone and flood risk…
• BIt guarantees the market price the taro will earn at harvest
• CIt removes the need to consider soil type or slope when choosing a site
• DIt tells the farmer exactly what the weather will be on a chosen day two years ahead

A vegetable crop shows even yellowing that starts on the oldest lower leaves while new leaves stay greener. This pattern most strongly suggests a deficiency of:

• ANitrogen
• BIron
• CCalcium
• DBoron

A tariff is a tax on imported goods. If the tariff on imported cabbage seed rises by 10 per cent, what is the most likely effect on locally grown cabbage?

• AThe grower's seed cost falls, so cabbage becomes cheaper
• BThe grower's seed cost rises, so the price asked for cabbage tends to rise unless the gro…
• CCabbage can no longer be grown legally in Samoa
• DThe tariff applies only to the buyer at the market, never to the grower

Why is keeping a written record of the number of coconuts collected each week essential to managing farm revenue?

• AIt replaces the need to sell the nuts at all
• BIt shows how much product was actually produced and sold, so income can be checked agains…
• CIt automatically raises the price the buyer will pay per nut
• DIt is required before a farmer can plant any new palm

Heavy wet-season rain on a permeable tropical soil most often makes the topsoil more acid because it:

• AAdds large amounts of lime from the atmosphere
• BLeaches basic cations such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, leaving hydrogen and alu…
• CConverts the soil into a salt pan
• DRaises pH toward 9

Agricultural lime is applied to an acid vegetable plot mainly to:

• ARaise soil pH and reduce aluminium toxicity so nutrients become more available
• BSupply large amounts of nitrogen immediately
• CKill all earthworms permanently
• DMake the soil more acid than before

After a storm, a farmer sees wide, shallow soil loss across a whole bare slope, with no obvious channels yet. Which erosion type is this?

• AGully erosion
• BTunnel erosion only
• CSheet erosion
• DWind deposition of dunes

A grower can sell taro locally for SAT 4.00 per kilogram with no extra handling, or export it for SAT 7.00 per kilogram after paying SAT 2.20 per kilogram in grading, treatment, packaging and freight. Which analysis is soundest?

• AExport is better only because the headline price of SAT 7.00 is higher than SAT 4.00
• BLocal sale is better because any cost at all makes exporting unprofitable
• CExport returns SAT 4.80 net per kilogram against SAT 4.00 locally, so it is worth doing i…
• DThe two channels are identical because both end in a sale

Two neighbours farm land of similar quality. One holds a registered freehold title; the other works customary family land. Which statement best explains why long-term investment can differ?

• ACustomary land is always less fertile than freehold land
• BFreehold title can normally be offered as loan collateral and gives one holder clear long…
• CCustomary land cannot be planted with any tree crop
• DBanks are legally barred from lending to any farmer in Samoa

How does the egg production of an imported commercial layer breed, such as a Rhode Island Red or White Leghorn, usually compare with that of the local village chicken (moa Samoa)?

• AThe imported layer normally lays many more eggs a year, but needs better feed, housing an…
• BThe local moa Samoa always lays more eggs than any imported breed
• CBoth types lay exactly the same number of eggs in all conditions
• DImported layers do not lay eggs and are kept only for meat

Field capacity is best described as:

• AThe water left when a plant has permanently wilted and cannot recover
• BThe water remaining after excess gravitational water has drained from a saturated soil
• CThe total rainfall for the year
• DThe water chemically bound inside mineral crystals and unavailable to plants

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is high in soils that contain a lot of:

• ACoarse quartz sand only
• BSolid unweathered basalt boulders only
• CClay minerals and well-humified organic matter
• DAir-dry gravel with no colloids

Which husbandry practice on newborn piglets is carried out mainly to protect the sow's nipples and udder from injury during suckling?

• AInjecting iron into the piglets
• BClipping the sharp needle teeth of the piglets
• CWeighing each piglet at birth
• DEar-notching the piglets for identification

Bull calves that will be raised for beef rather than kept for breeding are commonly castrated. How does this improve the animal for beef production?

• AIt makes the animal grow a rumen for the first time
• BIt removes the main source of testosterone, so the steer is calmer and easier to handle,…
• CIt doubles the animal's daily liveweight gain
• DIt removes the need to provide any feed or water

Young volcanic (andic) soils in Samoa can test high in total phosphorus yet still show crop P deficiency. What is the best explanation?

• APlants never use phosphorus in any form
• BRainfall instantly turns all phosphate into nitrogen gas
• CAllophane and iron or aluminium oxides bind phosphate so strongly that little remains in…
• DVolcanic soils contain only sodium chloride

Compare continuous free-range grazing with rotational grazing on a limited Samoan cattle block. Which analysis of growth and pasture is most accurate?

• AFree range is always better because the cattle can choose the best grass every day
• BRotational grazing rests each paddock so pasture regrows, which sustains higher quality f…
• CRotational grazing removes the need for any fencing or water planning
• DThe two systems give identical results because the same animals eat the same total grass

Cattle repeatedly walk the same wet gateway until the soil is structureless and shiny. What physical change most limits the next crop or pasture?

• AA sudden increase in macropores
• BA permanent rise in soil organic matter
• CImproved root penetration to depth
• DLoss of macropores, so air and water movement and root growth are restricted

A piggery uses artificial insemination instead of keeping a boar. Which set of benefits is the strongest justification?

• AAI removes the need for heat detection, record keeping and any feeding of the sows
• BAI gives access to semen from tested, genetically superior boars, avoids the cost and dan…
• CAI guarantees that every litter will be born female
• DAI shortens the sow's gestation to about six weeks

Why is an integrated approach better than relying on a single dewormer alone to control internal worms in pigs?

• ABecause dewormers are illegal in Samoa
• BBecause repeated use of one drug selects for resistant worms, while pen hygiene, dry floo…
• CBecause worms only affect pigs kept outdoors, so indoor pigs need nothing
• DBecause a single dose permanently clears every worm from the farm

Why should a pig farmer keep written breeding and feed records?

• ARecords show which sows wean more piglets and how much feed is used, so culling and buyin…
• BRecords replace the need to feed the pigs
• CMEC requires every household pig to have a published textbook
• DRecords automatically raise the SAT price of pork

A farm budget written for a Samoa SSLC agricultural science paper should show money amounts in which unit?

• AUnited States cents only, with no currency name
• BSamoan tala (SAT)
• CUnlabelled bare dollar signs with no currency
• DGold ounces

Which cost is a variable cost on a taro plot?

• AThe annual depreciation of a steel shed that lasts 20 years
• BA one-off land survey fee paid ten years ago
• CInterest on a long-term loan that does not change with this season's area
• DFertilizer and casual harvest labour that rise if more taro is planted

In farm management, marketing means:

• APloughing the soil before planting
• BVaccinating cattle
• CThe activities that move produce from the farm to buyers at a time, place, and form they…
• DCounting earthworms in a soil pit

A farmer sells 200 kg of taro at SAT 4.50 per kilogram. Variable costs for that crop are SAT 350. What is the gross margin?

• ASAT 200
• BSAT 550
• CSAT 900
• DSAT 1,250

A daughter works unpaid every Saturday on the family cocoa block instead of taking a paid market job that would have earned SAT 80. In a full economic budget that SAT 80 is:

• AThe opportunity cost of family labour
• BA government tax rebate
• CA variable fertilizer cost
• DGross farm income

Why can customary land tenure make a farmer hesitate to plant a 20-year cocoa block or to borrow from a commercial bank?

• ACocoa cannot grow on any Samoan soil
• BBanks prefer to lend only to people who already have cocoa
• CCustomary land is usually not registered freehold, so it is hard to use as loan collatera…
• DCocoa trees produce only in the first month after planting

Sorting taro into even size and quality lots before sale is done mainly because:

• ABuyers and exporters pay more reliably for graded lots they can price and pack
• BGrading destroys the corms so they cannot be eaten
• CUngraded taro is legally required in all markets
• DSize has no effect on cooking or transport

A poultry farm can show an annual profit on paper but still run out of SAT in week 10. What does that illustrate?

• AProfit over a year is not the same as having cash on hand when feed bills fall due
• BCash flow and profit are always identical numbers
• CFeed suppliers never require payment
• DA profitable farm cannot have a cash shortage

Turning surplus taro into chips, or copra into oil, is an example of:

• AReducing the product to a lower-value raw form
• BA soil conservation method
• CA veterinary treatment
• DValue adding, because processing can raise the SAT return per kilogram of raw produce

A Savai'i egg enterprise records SAT 8,500 of sales, SAT 3,100 of feed, SAT 1,400 of hired labour, and SAT 700 of other variable costs. There are no other costs in the question. What is the profit (here equal to the gross margin)?

• ASAT 5,200
• BSAT 3,300
• CSAT 8,500
• DSAT 13,700

How can a farmers' association or cooperative help small cocoa or taro growers more than each household acting alone?

• AIt can force every member to plant only one illegal crop
• BIt replaces the need to harvest anything
• CIt can assemble larger lots, share market information, and sometimes reach buyers that a…
• DIt automatically cancels all production costs

How is taro (talo) normally planted in Samoa?

• ABy vegetative setts, suckers, or corm pieces, not by routine field sowing of true seed
• BOnly by tissue-culture seed sold in every village shop
• CBy transplanting mature fruit
• DBy scattering dry pollen on bare rock