Zambia School Certificate / GCE — Agricultural Science (5037)

In the Zambian Ordinary Level syllabus, agriculture is best classified as:

• AAn applied science and technology used to produce food and other farm products
• BA pure laboratory science with no field application
• CA branch of mining that extracts soil minerals for export
• DA purely cultural practice that cannot be studied scientifically

Which set best matches the syllabus list of reasons agriculture is important in Zambia?

• AFood provision, food security, raw materials, employment, income and foreign exchange
• BOnly copper smelting, gemstone cutting and oil refining
• CReplacing all other school subjects with farm work
• DEnding the need for any rural roads or markets

A learner is asked to evaluate underdevelopment of agriculture in Zambia. Which outcome is the most direct result?

• AGreater rural unemployment, weaker food security and less agro-based raw material
• BMore reliable national food supplies and higher farm incomes
• CAutomatic conversion of all customary land into freehold title
• DElimination of climate risk for maize and cattle

Which crop does the Form 1 syllabus list first among Zambia’s main crop-production activities?

• AMaize
• BTea as the first-listed Form 1 field crop
• CCocoa as Zambia’s national staple porridge grain
• DOil palm as the only crop named in the syllabus list

Zambia’s Agro-ecological Region I is best described as:

• AThe semi-arid valleys and south-west, generally receiving less than 800 mm a year
• BThe high-rainfall north receiving more than 1,000 mm a year
• CThe Kalahari-sand plateau that always receives over 2,000 mm
• DA frost-free rainforest with no dry season

The syllabus classifies types of farmers mainly by level of production, mechanisation and capital. Which group typically uses the least purchased capital and machinery?

• ASubsistence farmers producing mainly for household use
• BLarge commercial farmers on irrigated estates
• CFully mechanised contract growers supplying export packhouses
• DCorporate dairy units with milking parlours

Which land-tenure systems does the Form 2 syllabus tell learners to explore in Zambia?

• ACommunal, customary, leasehold and state land
• BOnly freehold title identical to English manor law
• COnly mining concessions issued by foreign courts
• DA single national collective farm with no household plots

A map task asks for areas that are not very suitable for growing maize. Which agro-ecological reasoning is soundest?

• AVery dry Region I land (generally under 800 mm) is less reliable for rain-fed maize than…
• BRegion IIa’s fertile plateau with 800–1,000 mm rainfall is the least suitable maize zone
• CAny field in Zambia is equally suitable because maize has no water requirement
• DOnly the wettest swamps of Region III can grow maize, so dry land is automatically best

A laboratory analysis of a soil sample should account for which set of components?

• AAir, water, mineral particles, organic matter and living organisms
• BOnly mineral particles, with no air, water or organisms
• CPure distilled water with no solids
• DOnly living organisms, with no mineral fraction

Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic are classes of:

• ARocks, grouped by how they formed
• BLivestock feeds
• CInsect mouthparts
• DFarm budget headings

Roots prising rock apart and earthworms mixing fragments are mainly examples of:

• ABiological weathering, a living-organism contribution to soil formation
• BChemical weathering only, because no living thing is involved
• CMetamorphism inside a blast furnace
• DGravitational irrigation

Sand, silt and clay are the three mineral particle sizes used to describe:

• ASoil texture
• BEgg-shell colour in layers
• CTwo-stroke engine fuels
• DHoney grades

How does soil structure differ from soil texture?

• ATexture is particle-size proportions; structure is how those particles are arranged into…
• BThey are identical terms for soil colour only
• CStructure is the percentage of sand only; texture is always the pH value
• DTexture describes fences; structure describes roofs

Highly leached soils of Zambia’s high-rainfall Region III are often acidic. Which action does the syllabus treat as a way to improve such fertility?

• ALiming, together with organic matter and appropriate fertiliser use
• BAdding only common salt until the soil tastes salty
• CBurning all crop residues every week to raise sand content
• DFlooding the field permanently so that pH no longer matters

Which nutrients does the syllabus classify as the major (N, P, K) plant nutrients?

• ANitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
• BNickel, platinum and krypton
• CBoron, zinc, manganese and copper only
• DSodium chloride only

Compost manure differs from a bagged inorganic fertiliser mainly because compost is:

• AAn organic fertiliser made from decomposed plant and animal materials
• BA pure synthetic salt that contains only one mined metal
• CA pesticide used to kill biting insects on contact
• DA two-stroke engine lubricant

Urea, which supplies nitrogen as its agricultural nutrient, is an example of a:

• AStraight fertiliser, because it is based on one major nutrient
• BCompound fertiliser because it always contains N, P and K in one granule
• CTrace-element mix of boron, zinc, manganese and copper only
• DSoil sterilant rather than a fertiliser

Which practice set does the syllabus list for maintaining soil fertility?

• ACrop rotation, mulching, minimum tillage and cover crops
• BContinuous maize monoculture with all residues burned and no cover
• CDeep mouldboard ploughing of every field after every storm
• DRemoving all organic matter so that only sand remains

Soil erosion lowers fertility mainly because it:

• ARemoves topsoil that holds organic matter and nutrients
• BAdds extra humus from the subsoil automatically
• CConverts clay into urea fertiliser
• DStops rainfall from ever reaching the land again

Which type of soil moisture is held so tightly on particle surfaces that plants cannot use it?

• AHygroscopic water
• BCapillary water in meso-pores
• CGravitational water freely draining after a storm
• DIrrigation water still in the canal

In a drainage and water-holding experiment with sand, loam and clay, which result is expected?

• AClay holds water most strongly and drains more slowly than sand
• BSand holds the most plant-available water and drains the slowest
• CAll three soils have identical pore systems
• DClay has no pores so it cannot hold any water

In a capillarity demonstration, water usually rises highest in:

• AA fine-textured clay or silt column, because narrow pores support a higher capillary rise
• BCoarse dry sand, because large pores pull water the farthest
• CA column of dry gravel the size of maize grains
• DOpen air above the soil, where there are no pores

How does growing a well-nodulated groundnut or soya-bean crop apply the nitrogen cycle to soil fertility?

• ARhizobium in root nodules fixes atmospheric nitrogen into forms that can enrich the soil–…
• BLegumes permanently destroy all soil nitrogen so that maize cannot follow them
• CLegumes convert all soil nitrogen into a gas that leaves the field immediately, leaving n…
• DLegumes stop the carbon cycle, which is unrelated to organic matter

Returning maize stover and compost to the field mainly supports the carbon cycle by:

• AAdding organic carbon that soil organisms can decompose into humus and carbon dioxide
• BRemoving all carbon so that the soil becomes pure quartz
• CChanging nitrogen gas directly into urea inside the leaf
• DStopping photosynthesis in the next crop

Climate-smart agriculture, as treated in the syllabus, aims to:

• AIncrease greenhouse-gas emissions so that rainfall becomes more reliable
• BAbandon all crops and livestock in Zambia
• CRaise productivity, strengthen resilience and reduce harm to the climate where possible
• DReplace food production with only decorative lawns

The syllabus asks learners to distinguish climate change from climate variability. Variability is best described as:

• AShorter-term year-to-year or season-to-season fluctuations around the average
• BA long-term shift in average climate lasting many decades
• CThe daily opening hours of a cooperative shop
• DThe melting point of diesel fuel

Which process is a syllabus-listed cause of climate change that agriculture can also worsen?

• AUsing only solar dryers and biogas, which are listed as mitigation options
• BPlanting shade trees in an agroforestry plot
• CKeeping written breeding records
• DFarming activities such as some fertiliser and livestock-manure management, alongside fos…

Food security in the Form 2 syllabus has four dimensions. They are:

• AColour, flavour, branding and packaging only
• BAvailability, accessibility, utilisation and stability
• CPloughing, harrowing, planting and weeding only
• DQueen, worker, drone and hive

Zero tillage (no till / conservation farming) is taught as a climate-smart practice mainly because it:

• AInverts every centimetre of soil with a mouldboard after each rain
• BReduces soil disturbance, helps keep residues and can improve moisture and soil protection
• CRequires burning all stubble so that the surface is bare
• DReplaces food crops with only ornamental flowers

Using short-duration maize cultivars in a drought-prone area is mainly an example of:

• AA school-fee payment method
• BClimate-change adaptation
• CA two-stroke lubrication system
• DAn apiculture honey grade

Which set does the syllabus group as climate-change mitigation options on the farm?

• ABurning more fossil diesel in every operation and draining all wetlands
• BAbandoning all trees so that carbon cannot be stored
• CAgroforestry, aquaponics, more careful use of nitrogenous fertilisers, and cleaner energy…
• DIncreasing uncontrolled bush fires to clear land every month

Agricultural drones, in the Form 1 climate-smart topic, are used mainly to:

• AReplace the need for any soil, water or plants
• BSupport tasks such as field observation and other production-enhancing uses after correct…
• CServe only as toys that must never leave the classroom
• DGrade honey and stamp cooperative share certificates

A Form 4 learner must “identify basic steps in carrying out research” on climate-smart agriculture. Which sequence is most appropriate?

• APublish a conclusion first, then invent data to match it
• BSkip observation because climate-smart ideas cannot be tested
• CCopy another school’s marks without stating a question
• DState a question, plan a method, collect and analyse evidence, then report findings

Which irrigation groups does the soil-water topic ask learners to practise?

• AOnly cloud seeding from passenger aircraft
• BSurface, sub-surface and overhead irrigation, considering environmental effects
• COnly seawater flooding of every upland field
• DNo water application of any kind, even in a drought

A hand hoe is used mainly to:

• AHarvest honey from a top-bar hive
• BInject day-old chicks
• CTurn or weed small plots and prepare a seedbed by hand
• DMeasure engine valve clearance

When applying pesticide with a knapsack sprayer, the safest practice is to:

• ASpray in shorts and sandals while eating lunch in the field
• BBlow blocked nozzles clear with the mouth
• CStore leftover mixture in a drinking bottle in the kitchen
• DWear appropriate protective clothing, avoid spray drift toward the body, and wash after u…

Which knapsack-sprayer part turns the liquid into droplets at the crop?

• AThe shoulder strap only
• BThe nozzle on the lance
• CThe filler cap gasket alone
• DThe operator’s rubber boot

When siting farm buildings, which factor does the syllabus list alongside security, accessibility and how buildings relate to each other?

• AThe brand of hoe kept in the store
• BDirection of the prevailing wind and drainage
• CWhether the land can grow only one fruit crop
• DThe colour of the farm gate paint

A piggery should usually sit downwind of the farm house mainly so that:

• APigs receive no drinking water
• BThe house floods first whenever it rains
• CSmell and some airborne disease risk blow away from living rooms
• DWorkers must walk through the farrowing pens to enter the kitchen

Which implement is the better match for conservation / minimum-tillage opening of a planting line?

• AA mouldboard plough that fully inverts the profile every season
• BA honey extractor
• CA debeaking machine
• DA ripper

A field has a compacted hardpan below the plough layer that restricts roots. Which listed implement is designed to break that pan?

• AA light garden rake
• BA subsoiler
• CA battery-cage drinker
• DA queen excluder

Which set is the Form 3 list of farm-power sources?

• AOnly nuclear reactors installed in every village
• BHuman, animal, internal-combustion engine, biomass, solar, water and wind
• COnly lightning strikes during storms
• DOnly imported electricity that cannot be used on a farm

The four strokes of a four-stroke internal-combustion engine, in order, are:

• AExhaust, planting, harvesting, marketing
• BIntake, compression, power, exhaust
• CBrooding, rearing, laying, culling
• DFarrowing, docking, notching, smoking

A key difference between petrol and diesel farm engines is that:

• AA diesel engine always has a spark plug and never an injector
• BNeither engine has a piston, cylinder or crankshaft
• CA petrol engine uses a spark plug to ignite the mixture; a diesel engine ignites fuel by…
• DPetrol engines run only on biogas produced in a farrowing pen

Which three engine systems must be maintained on farm machinery according to the syllabus?

• AHoney-extracting, debeaking and tattooing systems
• BOnly the radio speaker circuit
• COnly the operator’s raincoat
• DCooling, electrical and lubrication systems

Which action best prevents pollution of a farm borehole or well?

• AWashing knapsack sprayers into the well so that leftover chemical is “diluted”
• BSiting latrines, pesticide mixing and livestock yards well away from the well head, and k…
• CDraining the piggery directly into the well to save building a drain
• DStoring diesel drums open on the well slab

Rape and cabbage belong to which vegetable group in the Form 1 crop topic?

• ASolanaceous fruit vegetables such as tomato
• BCereal grain crops such as maize
• CLeafy vegetables
• DTuber crops such as cassava

Tomato is grouped with other solanaceous vegetables. Another crop in that group is:

• AMaize
• BA Jersey cow
• CA disc harrow
• DIrish potato or garden egg/eggplant (same family group used in rotation teaching)