Plant Pests & Optimal Resource Utilisation is one of 9 topics in the Grade 11 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 is a weed?
Any plant growing where it is not wanted, competing with the crop for resources
A type of insect pest
A disease caused specifically by bacteria
A beneficial soil micro-organism
Answer: Any plant growing where it is not wanted, competing with the crop for resources — A weed is any plant growing where it is not wanted, competing with the desired crop for water, nutrients, light and growing space.
Easy
2. Name the type of chemical substance applied to kill or suppress weed growth.
Answer: herbicide — A herbicide is a chemical substance applied to kill or suppress weed growth, part of chemical weed control.
Medium
3. Why are perennial weeds often especially difficult to control?
They can survive between seasons through persistent underground structures such as rhizomes or tubers
They complete their entire life cycle within a single season
They cannot produce seeds at any point in their life cycle
They are immune to all forms of mechanical control
Answer: They can survive between seasons through persistent underground structures such as rhizomes or tubers — Perennial weeds live for more than two years, often surviving between growing seasons through persistent underground structures such as rhizomes or tubers, making them especially difficult to control compared to annual weeds.
