1. Commercial agriculture is characterized by

A. use of machines ✔
B. small farm holdings
C. low capital investment
D. little research activity

Explanation:
Commercial agriculture involves mechanization, large capital investment, and research to maximize profit.

2. The most common method of acquiring land in West Africa is by

A. mortgage
B. communal ownership ✔
C. leasehold
D. inheritance

Explanation:
In West Africa, communal ownership remains the most widespread system of land tenure.

3. The agricultural sector in West Africa is plagued with poverty because

A. farmers belong to cooperative societies
B. yields obtained per annum are relatively low ✔
C. farmers have access to credit facilities
D. the weather is highly predictable

Explanation:
Low yields reduce farmers’ income and contribute to poverty.

4. The function of the seed-tube of a seed drill is to

A. transport seeds from the metering device to the furrow opener ✔
B. control the rate of placement of seeds in the soil
C. cover seeds placed in the soil
D. open the soil for seed placement

Explanation:
The seed-tube directs seeds from the metering device to the soil furrow.

5. The machine used for removing seeds from maize cobs is called a

A. mill
B. decorticator
C. winnower
D. sheller ✔

Explanation:
A maize sheller removes grains from cobs efficiently.

6. The appropriate farm tool for lifting tomato seedlings for transplanting is the

A. dibber
B. hoe
C. hand trowel ✔
D. hand fork

Explanation:
Hand trowels are used for careful lifting and transplanting seedlings.

7. It is important to clean and grease plough discs after use to

A. prevent rusting ✔
B. sharpen the discs
C. reduce friction
D. reduce the lifespan

Explanation:
Cleaning and greasing prevents rust and prolongs equipment life.

8. Wind can be beneficial to crop production because it

A. aids weed seeds dispersal
B. aids pollination of crops ✔
C. causes lodging of crops
D. causes rapid drying of wet soils

Explanation:
Wind helps in cross-pollination of crops like maize.

9. The method of surface irrigation widely used in rice fields is

A. basin irrigation ✔
B. wild flooding
C. furrow irrigation
D. border strip

Explanation:
Basin irrigation keeps rice paddies flooded for optimal growth.

10. The practice of growing different crops in sequence on a piece of land is known as

A. rotational grazing
B. monoculture
C. crop rotation ✔
D. mixed farming

Explanation:
Crop rotation maintains soil fertility and controls pests.

11. Which of the following is not an effect of over-grazing on soil?

A. Improvement of soil structure ✔
B. soil compaction
C. exposure of soil to erosion
D. depletion of soil nutrients

Explanation:
Over-grazing worsens soil structure rather than improving it.

12. The major factor affecting distribution of crops in West Africa is

A. climate ✔
B. soil
C. topography
D. disease

Explanation:
Climate (rainfall, temperature) largely determines where crops can grow.

13. Nutrient replenishment in soil can be enhanced by

A. crop removal
B. leaching
C. erosion
D. crop rotation ✔

Explanation:
Crop rotation restores soil nutrients by alternating crops with different nutrient demands.

14. What is the function of Nitrosomonas bacteria in the nitrogen cycle?

A. Ammonification
B. Nitrification ✔
C. Denitrification
D. Nitrogen fixation

Explanation:
Nitrosomonas convert ammonia (NH₃) to nitrites (NO₂⁻) in nitrification.

15. A mass of decayed plant and animal wastes processed in pits is referred to as

A. green manure
B. farmyard manure
C. compost manure ✔
D. inorganic manure

Explanation:
Compost manure is decomposed organic matter collected in pits.

16. A major disadvantage of monoculture is that

A. soil texture is destroyed
B. soil microbes are destroyed
C. diseases and pests build up ✔
D. farms cannot be mechanized

Explanation:
Planting one crop continuously increases pest and disease pressure.

17. Which of the following pairs of farming systems uses bush fallowing?

A. crop rotation and land rotation
B. shifting cultivation and land rotation ✔
C. land rotation and mixed farming
D. crop rotation and monoculture

Explanation:
Shifting cultivation and land rotation allow fallow periods for soil fertility restoration.

18. Continuous soil tillage could lead to

A. increased infiltration of water
B. reduced run-off
C. break down of soil structure ✔
D. improved soil texture

Explanation:
Over-tillage disrupts soil aggregates and decreases fertility.

19. A bag of fertilizer has a ratio of $10:0$ written on it. This means that the fertilizer is a

A. lime fertilizer
B. nitrogenous fertilizer ✔
C. phosphate fertilizer
D. potassium fertilizer

Explanation:
The first number represents nitrogen content, so $10:0$ is nitrogenous.

20. Theobroma cacao grows best in the

A. Sudan savannah zone
B. humid rain forest zone ✔
C. mangrove swamp forest zone
D. northern guinea savannah zone

Explanation:
Cacao requires high humidity and rainfall typical of rain forests.

21. The following plants are forage grasses except

A. Pennisetum purpureum
B. Panicum maximum
C. Axonopus compressus ✔
D. Calopogonium mucunoides

Explanation:
Axonopus compressus is a lawn grass, not primarily used for forage.

22. Which of the following statements about budding is not true?

A. can withstand adverse climatic conditions ✔
B. flower and bear fruit early
C. develop broader leaves for photosynthesis
D. are more disease resistant

Explanation:
Budding does not necessarily produce plants with broader leaves.

23. A farm produce which does not require fermentation during processing is

A. cocoa beans
B. coffee beans
C. cassava tubers
D. rice grains ✔

Explanation:
Rice can be processed and eaten without fermentation.

24. The offspring which will result from a cross between heterozygous and homozygous dominant plants will be

A. 100% heterozygous
B. 70% heterozygous
C. 50% heterozygous ✔
D. 20% heterozygous

Calculation:
Cross: $Aa \times AA$ \[ \text{Offspring genotypes: 50\% AA, 50\% Aa} \] Hence, 50% heterozygous.

25. Calculate the amount of maize seeds required by a farmer to cultivate 5 hectares of farmland at the recommended seed rate of $25$kg/hectare

A. 50kg
B. 75kg
C. 100kg ✔
D. 125kg

Calculation:
\[ \text{Seed required} = 25 \times 5 = 125\, \text{kg} \] Correction: 125kg ✔

26. Causal organisms of diseases in crop production do not include

A. viruses
B. bacteria
C. fungi
D. protozoa ✔

Explanation:
Protozoa are not primary causal agents of plant diseases; viruses, bacteria, and fungi are common plant pathogens.

27. An example of fungal disease of stored grain is

A. mould ✔
B. streak
C. mosaic
D. damping off

Explanation:
Mould is a fungal growth that affects stored grains.

28. Cultural control of crop diseases involves the following practices except

A. practising crop rotation
B. planting disease resistant varieties
C. using insecticides ✔
D. fallowing of farmland

Explanation:
Cultural control uses non-chemical methods; insecticides are chemical control.

29. Weeds which produce large hollow seeds would most likely be dispersed by

A. wind
B. water ✔
C. insect
D. explosion

Explanation:
Hollow seeds float on water and are dispersed in waterways.

30. Control of maize stem borer is most effective when

A. affected crops are uprooted and burnt ✔
B. rodenticides are applied
C. nematicides are applied
D. fertilizers are applied before planting

Explanation:
Destroying affected plants removes larvae and breaks the life cycle of the pest.

31. The average gestation period in rabbits is

A. 21 days
B. 26 days
C. 31 days ✔
D. 36 days

Explanation:
Rabbits are pregnant for about 31 days before giving birth.

32. The correct sequence of the passage of feed through the digestive system of a ruminant is

A. reticulum → omasum → abomasum → rumen
B. rumen → omasum → abomasum → reticulum
C. omasum → abomasum → rumen → reticulum
D. rumen → reticulum → omasum → abomasum ✔

Explanation:
In ruminants, feed enters the rumen first, then reticulum, followed by omasum, and finally abomasum for enzymatic digestion.

33. The main objective of flushing in animal production is to

A. promote muscle development
B. make parturition easier
C. promote multiple births ✔
D. make the animal lose weight

Explanation:
Flushing (feeding extra nutrients before breeding) increases ovulation and multiple births in livestock.

34. Pigs wallow in muddy pools of water primarily to

A. ensure adequate exercise
B. obtain forage materials
C. dislodge ectoparasite from their body
D. lower their body temperature ✔

Explanation:
Pigs lack sweat glands and use wallowing to cool their body.

35. Fowls are debeaked in order to

A. reduce feed intake
B. make them grow faster
C. reduce cannibalism ✔
D. vitamin A

Explanation:
Debeaking prevents aggressive pecking among birds in intensive farming.

36. A chicken that pecks at palm fruits could prevent a deficiency of

A. vitamin K.
B. vitamin E.
C. vitamin B.
D. vitamin A ✔

Explanation:
Palm fruits are rich in vitamin A; consuming them prevents deficiency.

37. The common name for Andropogon gayanus is

A. Elephant grass
B. Northern gamba grass ✔
C. Guinea grass
D. Giant star grass

Explanation:
Andropogon gayanus is commonly known as Northern Gamba grass, widely used as pasture.

38. A footbath on a poultry farm contains

A. herbicides
B. antiseptics
C. antibiotics
D. disinfectants ✔

Explanation:
Footbaths with disinfectants prevent disease transmission via footwear.

39. Ectoparasites of cattle do not include

A. fleas and mites
B. ticks and mites
C. lice and termites ✔
D. fleas and ticks

Explanation:
Termites are not ectoparasites; they feed on wood, not cattle.

40. The following symptoms were observed in a bull: I. watery discharge from eyes and nostrils; II. Sore in the mouth and nostrils; III. excessive saliva with offensive odour; IV. severe diarrhoea with blood-stained faeces. What disease is the bull suffering from?

A. foot and mouth
B. brucellosis
C. tuberculosis
D. rinderpest ✔

Explanation:
The combination of fever, oral sores, excessive salivation, and bloody diarrhoea indicates rinderpest.