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Quizzes > Geography

Farming Land Use Quick Check: Test Your Knowledge

Quick, free farming systems quiz to test your knowledge. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Nicola McneilUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art style farm landscape with grazing sheep, plowed fields, intercropped rows, quiz icon on dark blue background

This Farming Land Use Quick Check helps you review pastoral nomadism, intertillage, and how rural land is used. Answer short questions, spot gaps fast, and see the difference between intensive and extensive farming. For more practice, try our agriculture quiz, explore agriculture trivia, or focus on livestock with the sheep and goat production quiz.

What is pastoral nomadism?
Aquaculture in fixed ponds
Raising livestock by moving seasonally
Planting orchards in valleys
Permanent cultivation of grains
Pastoral nomadism involves herding livestock across rangelands seasonally to access fresh pasture. It contrasts with sedentary agriculture because herders relocate rather than settle permanently. This practice is common in arid and semi-arid regions.
What does intertillage refer to?
Rotating livestock with crops
Growing trees among annuals
Cultivating between rows of existing crops
Flooding fields for rice production
Intertillage means the practice of hoeing or cultivating between the rows of established crops to control weeds and aerate soil. It is characteristic of labor-intensive, small-scale farming. This method reduces the need for chemical herbicides.
Which term describes small-scale farming near cities?
Shifting cultivation
Plantation agriculture
Extensive ranching
Market gardening
Market gardening involves intensive growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale directly to consumers or retailers near urban areas. It relies on high labor input and quick transport. This contrasts with extensive farming which uses large areas.
Von Thünen's first ring around a city is typically devoted to:
Grain farming
Dairy and market gardening
Forest reserves
Livestock ranching
In Von Thünen's model, the first ring nearest a city is used for perishable and high-value goods like dairy and vegetables, due to transport cost constraints. Grain farming appears in outer rings as it is less perishable.
What is shifting cultivation?
Year-round irrigated cropping
Clearing and farming land for a few years then moving on
Fertilizing with manure continually
Permanent rice terrace farming
Shifting cultivation involves clearing a plot for subsistence farming, using it for a few years, then leaving it fallow to restore fertility. This is common in tropical forest regions. It differs from permanent agriculture.
Which is a characteristic of extensive agriculture?
Irrigation on small plots
Low labor input per hectare
High input of fertilizers
Polyculture with intensive weeding
Extensive agriculture uses large areas of land with minimal labor and capital input per hectare, such as ranching or grain farming. It contrasts with intensive farming which uses more inputs.
What practice is polyculture?
Raising fish in rice paddies
Growing multiple crop species together
Planting only one crop species
Alternate year cropping
Polyculture refers to growing two or more crop species in the same field simultaneously. It can improve soil health and reduce pests. This contrasts with monoculture.
Which crop is most likely grown in a Mediterranean climate?
Bananas
Olives
Rice
Coffee
Olive trees thrive in Mediterranean climates with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Rice requires flooded fields, bananas need tropical heat, and coffee is grown in moist highlands.
What is subsistence farming?
Raising livestock in feedlots
Producing only enough food for the farmer's family
Farming with heavy machinery
Growing cash crops for export
Subsistence farming focuses on growing enough food to feed the farmer's household, with little or no surplus for sale. It contrasts with commercial agriculture.
Which method conserves soil by planting grasses along contours?
Contour farming
Slash-and-burn
Irrigation
Monocropping
Contour farming involves plowing and planting across slopes at right angles to erosion-causing winds and water. It reduces runoff and conserves soil.
What is terracing used for?
Fencing livestock pens
Irrigating rice paddies
Drying grains in the sun
Creating flat steps on slopes to farm
Terracing transforms steep land into flat terraces, reducing soil erosion and enabling farming on slopes. This is common in mountainous regions.
Which staple crop is typical of intensive subsistence agriculture without draft animals?
Soybean
Wheat
Rice
Maize
Rice cultivation in densely populated Asia uses human labor rather than draft animals, making it intensive subsistence agriculture. Wheat and maize are grown with machinery or animals.
What type of agriculture is plantation farming?
Nomadic herding
Large estates growing cash crops for export
Smallholder mixed farming
Irrigated cereal production
Plantation agriculture involves large estates in tropical regions producing cash crops like coffee or rubber for export. It relies on hired labor and monoculture.
Which region is known for transhumance livestock movement?
Amazon Basin
Sahara Desert
Lowland tropics
Alps in Europe
Transhumance is the seasonal herding of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures, typical in the European Alps. It differs from nomadism in its regular routes.
What is the main purpose of crop rotation?
Convert pasture to cropland
Maintain soil fertility and reduce pests
Increase monoculture yields
Harvest multiple crops simultaneously
Crop rotation alternates different crops in the same field across seasons to replenish nutrients and disrupt pest cycles. It enhances soil health.
Which term describes land cleared by burning vegetation?
Contour plowing
Pollarding
Terracing
Slash-and-burn agriculture
Slash-and-burn agriculture involves cutting and burning plants to clear land and release nutrients into the soil. It is often linked to shifting cultivation.
What distinguishes commercial farming from subsistence farming?
Practices limited to shifting cultivation
Use of human labor exclusively
Growing food only for family consumption
Production of crops for sale on markets
Commercial farming produces crops and livestock for sale, often using mechanization and agrochemicals. Subsistence farming supplies only the farmer's household.
In Von Thünen's model, what is typically grown in the second ring?
Timber and firewood
Livestock ranching
Dairy products
Grain crops
The second ring in Von Thünen's model is reserved for timber and fuelwood due to high transport weight but non-perishability. Dairy appears in the first ring.
What is double cropping?
Using two types of fertilizer
Growing two crops side by side simultaneously
Harvesting two crops in one year on the same land
Planting trees alongside annuals
Double cropping refers to sequentially planting and harvesting two different crops on the same land within a single year, often seen in climates with long growing seasons.
Which factor most influences the location of dairy farms?
High elevation for cooler climate
Access to deep forests
Proximity to markets due to perishability
Availability of cheap labor
Dairy farms locate near urban markets to minimize transport time for perishable products like milk. Feed availability also matters but perishability is key.
What best describes nomadic herding?
Seasonal transhumance between two areas
Raising fish in open water
Livestock movement with no fixed home base
Year-round ranching in fenced pastures
Nomadic herding involves continuous movement of people and livestock in search of pasture without a permanent settlement. Transhumance is more regular and predictable.
Which country is famous for terraced rice cultivation?
Kenya
Philippines
Brazil
Canada
The Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines demonstrate ancient techniques to farm steep mountainsides. They conserve water and soil.
What is the Green Revolution?
Transition to organic farming worldwide
Introduction of high-yield varieties and modern inputs
Adoption of permaculture methods
Global shift to hydroponics
The Green Revolution involved breeding high-yielding crop varieties and using fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation from the 1940s onward to boost global food production.
Which irrigation method is most water-efficient?
Drip irrigation
Flood irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation
Furrow irrigation
Drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots through pipes and emitters, greatly reducing evaporation and runoff compared to flood or sprinkler methods.
What is agrobiodiversity?
Rate of mechanization
Variety of species used in agriculture
Irrigation intensity
Yield per hectare of major crops
Agrobiodiversity refers to the range and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms used for food and agriculture, contributing to resilience and nutrition.
Which practice reduces nutrient loss and soil erosion?
Cover cropping
Slash-and-burn
Mono-cropping
Deep plowing
Cover crops are planted to cover the soil when main crops aren't growing. They protect against erosion, add organic matter, and recycle nutrients.
What is the main feature of precision agriculture?
Planting a single crop across a region
Use of technology to optimize inputs field-by-field
Manual labor for every task
Complete reliance on natural rainfall
Precision agriculture uses GPS, sensors, and data analytics to manage fields at a micro level, applying inputs like water and fertilizer only where needed.
Which crop rotation sequence can fix nitrogen?
Wheat followed by rice
Potatoes followed by sugar beets
Barley followed by cotton
Corn followed by soybeans
Soybeans are legumes that fix atmospheric nitrogen in soil, benefiting subsequent corn crops. Other sequences don't include nitrogen-fixing species.
What is the main environmental concern of rice paddies?
Excessive nitrogen runoff
Salinization from over-irrigation
Loss of topsoil by wind
Methane emissions from flooded fields
Flooded rice paddies produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, due to anaerobic decomposition. While runoff and salinity are concerns, methane is a primary issue.
What is fallow land used for?
Irrigated rice production
Resting soil to recover fertility
Permanent pasture for grazing
Continuous cropping of vegetables
Fallow land is left unseeded for one or more seasons to allow natural restoration of soil nutrients and structure. It is a traditional soil management practice.
In Von Thünen's model, why does livestock ranching occupy the outermost ring?
Livestock can travel to markets and land is cheaper
Livestock products perish rapidly
It uses intensive irrigation
It requires the richest soils
Livestock can be herded to urban markets, reducing transport costs of live animals. Large, less fertile land farther out is cheaper, suiting extensive ranching.
What is the likely impact of converting grassland to cropland on soil carbon?
Increase in soil organic carbon stocks
Immediate stabilization of carbon
Decrease in soil organic carbon stocks
No change in carbon levels
Cropland often exposes soil to erosion and decomposition, releasing stored carbon. Permanent grasslands store more organic carbon in roots.
Which system integrates trees with crops or livestock on the same land?
Monoculture
Agroforestry
Hydroponics
Polyculture
Agroforestry combines trees with crops or livestock, enhancing biodiversity, soil health, and productivity. Polyculture is multiple crops without trees.
What effect can irrigation have on soil if poorly managed?
Salinization
Acidification decline
Improved soil structure
Increased organic matter
Irrigation without proper drainage can lead to salt buildup in the root zone, harming crops. Excess water evaporates, leaving salts behind.
Which nutrient cycle is most disrupted by intensive monoculture?
Potassium cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Phosphorus cycle
Sulfur cycle
Intensive monoculture depletes nitrogen rapidly and often relies on synthetic fertilizers, disrupting natural nitrogen fixation and cycling.
What is the main goal of conservation tillage?
Eliminate crop residues
Reduce soil disturbance and erosion
Maximize plow depth
Increase burn-off of weeds
Conservation tillage minimizes soil disturbance, leaving residues on the surface to protect against erosion and improve organic matter content.
Which practice can improve degraded pasture productivity?
Continuous stocking
Clear-cutting
Monocropping
Rotational grazing
Rotational grazing moves livestock between paddocks to allow pasture recovery, improving forage quality and preventing overgrazing.
What is an advantage of no-till farming?
Enhanced soil moisture retention
Higher initial seedbed temperature
Reduced weed pressure without herbicides
Lower residue buildup
No-till farming leaves crop residue on fields, which reduces evaporation and helps retain soil moisture. Weed control often requires herbicides.
Which factor is critical for success in terrace construction?
Correct slope gradient design
Removal of all vegetation
High planting density
Use of chemical fertilizers
Terraces must be built with precise slope gradients to ensure water retention without causing erosion or collapse. Vegetation often stabilizes terrace walls.
What is the term for mapping farmland variability using sensors?
Precision mapping
Contour surveying
Random sampling
Soil profiling
Precision mapping uses GPS and sensors to record spatial variability in soil and crop conditions, informing site-specific management.
Which global region faces severe risks from overgrazing?
Northern Europe
Amazon rainforest
Eastern Canada
Sahel region of Africa
The Sahel experiences overgrazing due to population pressures and desertification, leading to land degradation.
Which technology helps farmers monitor crop health remotely?
Handheld tillers
Satellite imagery
Broadcast sprinklers
Subsoilers
Satellite imagery captures multispectral data across large areas, allowing detection of stress, nutrient deficiency, and disease.
What is the ecohydrological impact of converting wetlands to cropland?
Increased soil carbon sequestration
Improved flood regulation
Enhanced wetland biodiversity
Reduced groundwater recharge and habitat loss
Draining wetlands for agriculture lowers water tables, decreases groundwater recharge, and destroys critical wildlife habitats.
Which approach can mitigate nitrogen leaching in intensive systems?
Use of nitrification inhibitors
Monocropping corn annually
Deep tillage after harvest
Broadcast application of urea
Nitrification inhibitors slow conversion of ammonium to nitrate, reducing leaching and nitrous oxide emissions.
What metric assesses soil compaction affecting root growth?
pH measurement
Penetrometer resistance
Organic matter content
CEC value
Soil penetrometer resistance measures force required to penetrate soil, indicating compaction levels that restrict root development.
Which GIS analysis helps locate optimal farmland?
Weighted overlay of soil, slope, and climate
Frequency distribution of elevation
Single-layer land cover mapping
Point density of rivers
Weighted overlay combines multiple spatial criteria - soil quality, slope, climate - to assess land suitability for agriculture.
What is a carbon credit in agroforestry projects?
Subsidy for fertilizer use
Certification of organic produce
Permit to clear forest land
Right to emit one metric ton CO? removed by trees
Carbon credits represent removal or reduction of one metric ton of CO? by activities like tree planting, which can be traded or sold.
Which indicator measures sustainable soil management progress?
Annual irrigation volume
Fertilizer application rate
Soil organic carbon change over time
Crop yield per hectare
Monitoring soil organic carbon over time indicates whether agricultural practices are building or depleting soil health.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand agricultural intensity classifications -

    Understand whether pastoral nomadism is categorized as an intensive or extensive agricultural system and distinguish key characteristics of each category.

  2. Analyze labor-driven cultivation methods -

    Analyze the mechanisms of labor-intensive intertillage and identify environments where labor-intensive intertillage is often practiced.

  3. Identify rural land use patterns -

    Identify major rural land use systems, including pastoral, arable, and mixed farming, through targeted agricultural land use quiz questions.

  4. Evaluate environmental and economic impacts -

    Evaluate the socio-environmental impacts of different agricultural land use strategies to make informed assessments about sustainability and productivity.

  5. Apply land use concepts in practice -

    Apply knowledge from the farming land use quick check to hypothetical scenarios and real-world rural land use test cases to reinforce learning.

  6. Interpret quiz feedback for next steps -

    Interpret quiz feedback to highlight strengths, address weaknesses, and guide further study in agricultural and rural land use topics.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Pastoral Nomadism: Extensive Land Use -

    Pastoral nomadism is classified as extensive rather than intensive, as herders move livestock over large areas to graze sparse vegetation (National Geographic). A handy mnemonic is "P for Pastoral, P for Plenty of space," reminding you that this system relies on low inputs and wide-ranging land use. In your agricultural land use quiz, remember that minimal labor and capital per hectare define extensive practices.

  2. Intensive vs. Extensive Agriculture -

    Intensive farming features high labor and capital inputs per hectare for maximum yield (e.g., rice paddies in East Asia), while extensive farming like cattle ranching uses fewer inputs spread over larger areas (USDA). A quick tip: "High Input, High Yield" signals intensive systems, and "Low Input, Low Yield" signals extensive ones. This contrast often appears on rural land use tests to assess your grasp of input - output relationships.

  3. Labor-Intensive Intertillage Practices -

    Labor intensive intertillage is often practiced in smallholder zones of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where farmers hand-weed between rows of staple crops (FAO). The method enhances soil aeration and moisture retention but demands significant manual effort - think of it as "fingers till fields." When tackling the farming land use quick check, link this practice to subsistence agriculture scenarios.

  4. Von Thünen's Model and Ring Theory -

    Von Thünen's model explains how land use radiates in rings around a market center, balancing transportation costs with crop value (University of Minnesota). The net revenue equation - Profit = (Price×Yield) - (TransportCost×Distance) - helps predict which crops occupy each ring. This concept often appears in an agricultural land use quiz to test your ability to link distance decay to farm profitability.

  5. Sustainable Intensification & Precision Ag -

    Modern approaches like drip irrigation in Israel and variable-rate fertilizer applications aim to boost yields on existing farmland without expanding into new areas (FAO). Such precision agriculture techniques exemplify sustainable intensification by optimizing inputs for environmental and economic gain. Expect questions on this topic in any rural land use test focused on future farming innovations.

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