[Q]: Rob is an environmental scientist. He was doing a study on agroforestry. To test the sustainability of agroforestry he conducted two pilot projects, pilot A and pilot B. In pilot A, he used a land for agrofroestry. In pilot B, he used a land for usual row-cropping. He needed to find the pros and cons of both systems. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Would pilot B have less or more soil cover than pilot A? Hint: Depleted soils can be protected from soil erosion by groundcover plants such as naturally growing grasses in agroforestry systems. These help to stabilise the soil as they increase cover compared to short-cycle cropping systems. Soil cover is a crucial factor in preventing erosion. Cleaner water through reduced nutrient and soil surface runoff can be a further advantage of agroforestry. The runoff can be reduced by decreasing its velocity and increasing infiltration into the soil. Compared to row-cropped fields nutrient uptake can be higher and reduce nutrient loss into streams.Further advantages concerning plant growth:
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[A]: less

[Q]: Two farmers, Tom and Brad, applied different farming methods. Tom tilled his land, while Brad applied the no-till gardening method. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which farmer had a more favorable environment to pathogens? Hint: The benefits provided by no-tillage to predators may lead to larger predator populations, which is a good way to control pests (biological control), but also can facilitate predation of the crop itself. In corn crops, for instance, predation by caterpillars can be higher in no-till than in conventional tillage fields.In places with rigorous winter, untilled soil can take longer to warm and dry in spring, which may delay planting to less ideal dates. Another factor to be considered is that organic residue from the prior year's crops lying on the surface of untilled fields can provide a favorable environment to pathogens, helping to increase the risk of transmitting diseases to the future crop. And because no-till farming provides good environment for pathogens, insects and weeds, it can lead farmers to a more intensive use of chemicals for pest control. Other disadvantages of no-till include underground rot, low soil temperatures and high moisture.Based on the balance of these factors, and because each farm has different problems, agroecologists will not attest that only no-till or complete tillage is the right way of farming. Yet, these are not the only possible choices regarding soil preparation, since there are intermediate practices such as strip-till, mulch-till and ridge-till, all of them just as no-till categorized as conservation tillage. Agroecologists, then, will evaluate the need of different practices for the contexts in which each farm is inserted.
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[A]: Brad

[Q]: Two students read about brains in the animal kingdom. Tom read more about the brains of mammals, while Reed learned more about the brains of amphibians. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Which student learned more about a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum? Hint: The brains of all mammals have a unique layer of nerve cells covering the cerebrum. This layer is called the neocortex (the pink region of the brains in Figure above ). The neocortex plays an important role in many complex brain functions. In some mammals, such as rats, the neocortex is relatively smooth. In other mammals, especially humans, the neocortex has many folds. The folds increase the surface area of the neocortex. The larger this area is, the greater the mental abilities of an animal.
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[A]: Tom

[Q]: The golf course at the Aurora Country Club cuts their grass to 2 1/2 inches high. The grass at the Augusta Country Club is cut to 4 inches. Sam likes more of a challenge when playing golf but Jack likes to play on turf where the ball rolls easier. Given the paragraph above, please answer correctly the following question: Is it more or less challenging to play golf at the Aurora Country Club? Hint: Just as there are good-quality grasses for putting greens, there are good-quality grasses for the fairway and rough. The quality of grass influences the roll of the ball as well as the ability of the player to "take a divot" (effectively, the ability to hit down into the ball, hitting the ball first, then hitting the turf and removing a portion of it as the club continues its arc). Fairways on prestigious tours, like the PGA Tour, are cut low. Mowing heights influence the play of the course. For example, the grass heights at U.S. Open events are alternated from one hole to the next in order to make the course more difficult. One example of this is the infamous roughs at U.S. Opens, which are often 3 to 5 inches high, depending on how close to the fairway or green the section of grass will be. This makes it difficult for a player to recover after a bad shot.
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[A]:
less