2015 North Dakota State FFA
Nursery/Landscaping Career Development Event
Written Exam
Please record your answers on the scan card Exam 1 section. A No.2 pencil is required.
(5 points each)
1. Which of the following are all fixed assets common to the landscape business?
A. land, buildings & cash on-handC. buildings, inventory & bank balance
B.land, buildings & irrigation pondD. cash on-hand, inventory & tractors
2. Carrying adequate liability insurance on the business helps reduce ______for the business.
A. insolvencyC. accounting needs
B. costsD. risk
3. What gives green leaves their color?
A. Carbon DioxideC. Chlorophyll
B. SugarsD. Oxygen
4. The purpose of spraying an anti-desiccant on newly harvested landscape plants prior to shipping is to:
A. increase photosynthesis.C. reduce pit odor.
B. reduce moisture loss from leaves.D. improve color.
5. In which of the following situations would a soil sterillant be use most appropriately?
A. On a gravel parking lotC. Around shrubs panted in beds
B. Outlining a vegetable gardenD. Under medium, mature trees
6. A dichotomous key may be used to:
A. Analyze profitability. C. Identify an unknown plant.
B. Initiate Safety procedures.D. Determine proper plant spacing..
7. Many nursery landscape operations are incorporating more environmentally sustainable practices to reduce carbon footprint. These include all of the following EXCEPT:
A. Reducing energy and fossil fuel use.C. Decrease production efficiency.
B. Conserve natural resource inputs.D. Recycling materials.
8. A bright orange triangle displayed on the back of a vehicle means:
A. Slow moving vehicleC.Oversized load
B. Disabled veteranD. Farm implement
9. Which of these is sometimes planted to hold the soil in place until a permanent turfgrass can be established?
A. Annual BluegrassC. Annual Ryegrass
B.BermudagrassD. Bentgrass
10. Two of the most common tests performed on potting soil are to determine pH and ______levels.
A.soluble saltsC. oxygen
B. nitrogenD. radon
11. A biological agent or virus that can cause a disease is known as a(n):
A. BSEC. Pathogen
B. BactericideD. Prion
12. Which of the following can be added to soil in order to increase pH?
A. glucoseC. powdered lime
B. sulfurD. water
13. For maximum benefits and cost effectiveness, mulch is generally applied about ____ inch(es) deep around landscape plantings.
A. 1C. 8
B.10-16D. 3-4
14. Plant ______is the science of describing, identifying, categorizing and naming plants.
A.protocolC. anatomy
B. delineationD. taxonomy
15. Which of these in a home compost pile serves as an inoculant by adding beneficial micro-organisms to the compost pile?
A. Dead flowersC. Leaves
B.Limbs & TwigsD. Topsoil
16. What term is used to describe the crossing of two un-alike plants, resulting in offspring that are better than either of the parents?
A. crossbreedingC. heterosis
B.genetic gainD. symbiosis
17. In monocots, the number of cotyledons is ______, while the number of cotyledons in dicots is ______.
A. One; ThreeC. Two; Four
B. One; TwoD. Two; Three
18. It’s always wise to have the landscape sight checked for underground utility lines before digging. Call ______to request that utility lines be located and marked before beginning a landscape job.
A. 911C. 811
B. 711D. 701
19. Patented plants cannot legally be propagated without ______being paid to the patent holder.
A. dividendsC. royalties
B. capital gain taxesD. a bribe
20. Which plant disease organism is the most difficult to control with chemicals once the plant is infected?
A. VirusC. Mildew
B.FungusD. Bacteria
21. Which tree does NOT provide good fall color?
A. BarberryC. Red Maple
B. Norway SpruceD. Sugar Maple
22. When planting a balled and burlapped tree, care should be given to unwrap or untie any materials from around the trunk to prevent:
A. rodent chewing.C. trunk twist.
B. girdling.D. guying.
23. A ______soil has the largest pore spaces, drains the quickest and has the poorest nutrient holding capability.
A. sandyC. clay loam
B.silt loamD. clay
24. In what position should a deciduous tree planted to shade a building from the hot afternoon sun during the summer yet allow the warming sun rays to reach the building in winter?
A. EastC. Northwest
B. NorthD Southwest
25. A fertilizer with an analysis of 5-10-15 contains _____ percent plutonium.
A. 5C. 15
B.10D. Information not provided
26. Plants store reserve energy in the form of ______.
A. carbohydratesC. fats
B. glyceridesD. amino acids
27. Which of the following is considered a landscape maintenance task?
A. Laying sodC. Deadheading marigolds
B. Harvesting sodD. Planting trees
28. Which of these is a safety feature on a chainsaw?
A. Back-up hornC. Braille Instructions
B. Chain BrakeD. GFCI switch
29. Generally, the best time to prune deciduous trees is:
A. Early winter & early fall.C. Late winter & early spring.
B. Late summer & early fall.D. Mid-winter & mid-summer.
30. Many insects are attracted to _____, which is the color often used in sticky tapes.
A.YellowC. Violet
B. RedD. Black
31. A method of lawn establishment that uses cores or small pieces of turf planted a few inches apart is known as:
A. ZittingC. Perforation
B. Perforation MottlingD. Plugging
32. The walkway leading to the front door of a home should be at least _____ feet wide.
A. 2C. 8
B. 6D. 4
33. Crowding container-grown shrubs closely together for long periods during growth will most likely result in plants being too:
A. Tall and leggy.C. Compact.
B. Short and wide.D. Stiff and easily broken in the wind.
34. All of the following are landscape lighting types used for various lighting effects EXCEPT:
A. up lightingC. down lighting
B. silhouette lightingD. sketch lighting
35. The most important benefit of using mulch around landscape plants is to:
A. reduced bird damage.C. add nutrients.
B.maintain soil temperature.D. adjust soil texture.
36. In general, when pruning trees which of the following should be removed?
A. crossing branchesC. branches growing toward center
B. water sproutsD. All of the above
37. Most of the feeding roots of a tree can be found between ______inches deep.
A. 1 and 12C. 10 and 50
B. 10 and 30D. 10 and 60
38. The practice of ______is often used to quickly stabilize steep embankments.
A.stolonizingC. hydroseeding
B. pluggingD. enviro-seeding
39. The openings around soil particles that hold air or water are called:
A. pore spacesC. stoma
B. reservoirsD. bubbles
40. What time and temperature (Fahrenheit) is used for pasteurizing soil for flat seeding and pot transplanting?
A.30 minutes @ 1800C. 30 minutes @1000
B. 60 minutes @ 1150D. 4 hours @ 2120
41. Plant hardiness zone maps are based on:
A.hours of sunlight.C. Hail potential.
B. temperature.D. elevation.
42. Small, corky pores along the stem that allow for gas exchange between the atmosphere and plant cells are:
A. bud scalesC. terminal buds
B. internodesD. lenticels
43. The horticultural term for the premature or unwanted production of flowers and seeds is:
A.PubertyC. Tillering
B. PregnancyD. Bolting
44. Two closely related plants may be the same genus and species yet have different characteristics because they are in different:
A. Kingdoms.C. Families.
B. Cultivars.D. Orders.
45. A fuel/oil mix ranging from 16:1 to 50:1, depending on the manufacturers’ recommendation, is required in______engines.
A.Four-cycleC. Rotary
B. DieselD.Two-cycle
46. A soil with a pH of 4.0 would probably be too ______for most landscape plants.
A. AcidicC. Dry
B. AlkalineD. High in Nitrogen
47. Plants that have gracefully drooping limbs are often described in horticultural terms as being ______.
A. witheringC. weeping
B. floppyD. sagging
48. Overhead watering of nursery crops in the evening, especially after the sun sets, may cause:
A. leaching.C. increased disease development.
B. damage to leaf stoma.D. increased insect infestation.
49. Which Federal agency was established to make the work place safer?
A.APHISC. USDA
B. OSHAD. EPA
50. Which type of mower is generally used on golf greens for general mowing?
A.Reel mowerC. Vertical mower
B. Rotary mowerD. Flail mower
2015 ND State FFA
Nursery/Landscaping Career Development Event
Written Exam Key
1. B 26. A
2. D 27. C
3. C 28. B
4. B 29. C
5. A 30. A
6. C 31. D
7. C 32. D
8. A 33. A
9. C 34. B
10. A 35. B
11. C 36. D
12. C 37. A
13. D 38. B
14. D 39. A
15. D 40. A
16. C 41. B
17. B 42. D
18. C 43. D
19. C 44. B
20. A 45. D
21. B 46. A
22. B 47. C
23. A 48. C
24. D 49. B
25. D 50. A