Grazing Ecology, Pastures & Biomes is one of 9 topics in the Grade 10 Agricultural Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. What does "overgrazing" mean?
Grazing a pasture too heavily or for too long, so plants cannot recover
Grazing a pasture too lightly, allowing weeds to dominate
Rotating animals between camps too frequently
Resting a pasture for too long
Answer: Grazing a pasture too heavily or for too long, so plants cannot recover — Overgrazing means allowing animals to graze a pasture too heavily or for too long, damaging the plants before they have a chance to recover and regrow.
Easy
2. What term describes how readily animals will eat a particular plant species?
Answer: palatability — Palatability refers to how readily grazing animals will eat a particular plant species; more palatable species are preferred and eaten first.
Medium
3. Why can most grasses survive repeated grazing or mowing, unlike many other plants?
Their growing point is close to the ground and is not removed when the top is eaten
Grasses do not have a growing point
Grasses regrow from seed every time they are grazed
Grazing animals avoid eating the growing point of grasses
Answer: Their growing point is close to the ground and is not removed when the top is eaten — The growing point of most grasses is located close to the ground, so it usually survives when the upper leaves are grazed or mown, allowing the grass to regrow.
