Soil Science: Texture, Structure, Colour & Pores 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. Which of the following is the largest soil particle size group?
Sand
Silt
Clay
Humus
Answer: Sand — Sand particles are the largest of the three main soil particle size groups, ranging from 0.05mm to 2mm in diameter.
Easy
2. Name the standardised diagram used to read off a soil's textural class from its sand, silt and clay percentages.
Answer: the textural triangle — The textural triangle is a standardised diagram with three axes (sand, silt, clay) used to determine a soil's textural class from its particle percentages.
Medium
3. What field method involves rolling a moistened soil sample between the fingers to assess its clay content?
The sausage/feeling method
The textural triangle method
Stokes' Law method
The settling method
Answer: The sausage/feeling method — The sausage method (also called the feeling method) involves rolling a moistened soil sample between the fingers to see whether it forms a ribbon or "sausage" shape, indicating clay content.
