28) Agricultural practices, where the members of a farming family produce only enough food for
themselves and do not make use of large-scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and
technology, is called ________.
A) intensive traditional farming
B) subsidence agriculture
C) subsistence agriculture
D) advanced organic farming
E) reduced tillage agriculture
29) Industrialization ________.
A) had no impact on agriculture
B) is necessary today for all cultures
C) increased the ability to obtain more food from the same area
D) improved soils permanently, providing more food from less space
E) rapidly deteriorated soils, requiring continuous movement to new croplands
30) Agriculture ________.
A) was made possible by monocultures
B) paved the way for the age of modern gatherers
C) made civilization possible by producing surplus food
D) spread to other continents from Africa (the African Eve hypothesis)
E) relies on natural selection
31) Aquaculture ________.
A) results in a bycatch
B) is primarily vulnerable to density-independent mortality
C) may cause genetic “pollution” of wild stocks
D) does not use GM organisms
E) relies on natural selection
32) Aquaculture ________.
A) uses more fossil fuels than conventional fishery
B) has lower fish productivity than the continental shelf
C) may spread diseases to the wild populations
D) harms wild fish populations by spreading antibiotic resistance
E) does not affect wild populations in a significant way
33) Which of the following is NOT TRUE about cherry-tree flowers?
A) They attract pollinators with a sweet smell.
B) They are less effective in transferring pollen than flowers of grain.
C) They are as effective in transferring pollen as flowers of grain.
D) They reward pollinators with protein rich pollen.
E) They are an example of commensalism between plants and bees.
34) Two neighbour farmers, Jack and Jill, have problems with insects eating their crops. For
many years they controlled the pests by using a natural toxin, Bt, produced by bacteria Bacillus
thuringiensis, They sprayed it only on the most affected plants and only over a short time. One
year Jack decided to try a GM crop that produces large amounts of Bt toxin inside its leaves all
the time. After a few years, Jack notices that the insects are no longer killed by his GM plants.
Which of the following is likely NOT TRUE?
A) The high, long-term, doses of Bt present in GM crops caused selection favouring pests that
are resistant to Bt.
B) Farmer Jack can return to his previous natural method of protecting crops.
C) Farmer Jack will have no choice but to buy the next generation of GM crops to which the
pests do not have resistance yet
D) By rendering the natural pest control alternative ineffective, the GM company became “the
only game in town” and can raise prices on its products.
E) Insects from Jack’s field spread to Jill ‘s farm as well. With her natural Bt spray now
ineffective, Jill has no choice but to start buying the products of the GM company too.
35) Agriculture in the Middle Ages could be best described as ________.
A) organic
B) industrial
C) mechanized
D) no-till
E) Green Revolution
8.5 True/False Questions
1) Because Canada is one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, hunger here has been virtually
eliminated.
2) Since 1960 India had gone from a net importer to a net exporter of grain.
3) During the past four decades, global agricultural food production has grown at a faster rate
than world population.
4) Worldwide per capita consumption of meat from farm animals has more than doubled since
1950.
5) Today over 200 million people are chronically hungry.
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6) Almost half of Canadian adults are overweight and 14% are obese.
7) Malnutrition can be associated with obesity.
8) Successful hunting and gathering allowed our ancestors to develop larger and more permanent
settlements.
9) Since 1985, world grain production per person has increased by 10%.
10) Canada has more land devoted to GM crops than China.
11) Canada is one of the top five GM crop-producing nations.
12) GM crops are planted on more agricultural land than organic crops.
13) Colony Collapse Disorder is a sociopolitical term describing India’s change from a grain
exporter to a grain importer after it ceased to be a British colony.
8.6 Essay Questions
1) What are the arguments for and against genetically modified (GM) crops? Discuss both the
scientific and political debates.
2) Explain the statement “the closer our food sources are to the Sun as a direct source of energy,
the more people the planet can support” in terms of the laws of thermodynamics and the energy
pyramid.
3) Why is variety in crop plants important for “food security”? How is this threatened by GM
food crops? What is Canada’s position on GM products? How does this differ from the position
of other countries?
4) What was the Green Revolution, and what impact did it have on developing countries?
Discuss the impact of the Green Revolution on the environment.
5) What are the dangers associated with pesticide use? How can biocontrol and use of crops with
high genetic diversity be used to decrease the amount of pesticides used?
6) Discuss the pros and cons of biological control as an alternative to chemical pesticides.
7) What is industrial agriculture and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
8.7 Scenario-Based Questions
Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
Despite the high cost of the technology to design genetically modified (GM) crops, Canadian and
U.S. companies have invested in their development. The first genetically engineered crop was
the Flavr Savr tomato, which was created by reversing the function of a normal tomato gene. It
was approved by the FDA for sale in the United States in 1994. Its grower, the Calgene
Corporation, maintained that it would ripen longer on the vine, taste and ship better, and last
longer on supermarket shelves compared to conventional tomatoes. It is no longer marketed
because of technical problems and public safety concerns. Today, most engineered crops are
modified for insect and herbicide resistance. In 1997, the Monsanto company first marketed GM
corn. This Bt corn was engineered using genes from the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria that
made the corn resistant to some pests. In 1999, environmentalists were alarmed when it was
reported that pollen from Bt corn could kill monarch butterfly larvae if corn pollen drifted onto
milkweed plants that monarchs fed upon. Consumers feared the unknown and were concerned
about potential food allergies. Presently, corn, along with soybeans, cotton, and canola dominate
the GM food market. These crops are grown and distributed mostly in Canada, the United States,
Argentina, Brazil, and China. They are used mostly for animal feed, clothing, or to make oil or
other ingredients for processed food, which has helped them gain public acceptance. Although
GM crops such as strawberries, potatoes, and lettuce have all been marketed in the United States
(only GM feed corn is available in Canada), GM food field trials involving biotech fruits and
vegetables have dropped significantly during the past several years, and the pace of new product
introductions has fallen sharply. This narrow range of crops could mean that biotechnology may
not realize its full potential in the future.
1) Which of the following was a positive environmental aspect of the Flavr Savr tomato?
A) could be shipped further
B) better taste
C) better appearance
D) lower cost to the consumer
E) grown using fewer chemicals because it is less likely to rot
2) The Flavr Savr tomato is no longer marketed because ________.
A) Calgene failed to attain government approval to market it
B) people were nervous about eating genetically modified tomatoes
C) genetically modified crops presently are not approved for sale in the United States
D) Monarch butterfly larvae exposed to the pollen from the tomato plants were poisoned
E) they require too much water to grow
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3) Why do soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola dominate the GM crop market?
A) They are inexpensive to produce.
B) They are exempt from U.S. regulations.
C) They are the only GMO crops approved since the Flavr Savr tomato.
D) These crops help to feed and clothe the poor.
E) They are ingredients in processed foods, so they are more easily accepted (out of sight, out of
mind).
4) Why have most bioengineered crops been modified for “resistance” traits?
A) These traits have the economic potential to save on production costs.
B) No technology exists to engineer other traits successfully.
C) These are the only traits proven safe for the environment.
D) These are the only traits proven safe for the human health.
E) Crops with these traits taste better.
5) If GM crops can decrease pesticide use, why are environmentalists still concerned about
them?
A) The CFIA does not regulate them.
B) They can affect nontarget species.
C) The government funds most GM crop research.
D) Trials involving biotech fruits and vegetables have increased dramatically in recent years.
E) There is no public opposition to GM crops.
6) Presently, ________ have not supported the widespread marketing of GM crops.
A) South American countries
B) American corporations
C) American regulatory agencies
D) European countries
E) Asian countries
Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
Early People and Agricultural Beginnings
Two sisters were talking as they returned from their morning trip to collect mushrooms, seeds,
berries and green leaves for the day’s meals. The younger woman was watching the progress of a
small rabbit as it hopped across the path and toward the clan’s trash midden (refuse heap), where
broken tools (made of bone, stone, or shell) were tossed, and where discarded food was thrown.
She noticed the rabbit stop and begin nibbling at the many new, green shoots sprouting across
one side of the midden. She walked over to look, and she saw that some of last year’s dried fruits,
which her neighbour had thrown away, were growing. Surprised and interested, she called her
sister over to discuss this find.
7) This is the story of a group whose food is ________.
A) supplied by subsistence gardening
B) raised in a form of primitive agriculture
C) traded between tribes for variety
D) supplied by hunters
E) supplied by hunters and gatherers
8) It is probably true that ________.
A) until now, this group had not considered hunting
B) until now, this group had not considered deliberately planting seeds
C) this group already has a good agricultural system
D) this group was living in a village they had established many years earlier
E) this group was quite large
9) These people likely lived ________.
A) about 100 to 300 years ago
B) about 1000 to 2000 years ago
C) at least 5000 to 10 000 years ago
D) at least 100 000 to 200, 00 years ago
E) at least 500 000 years ago
10) The next step in this story is that this woman and her sister began ________.
A) to deliberately plant seeds near their village to make food gathering easier in the future
B) to seek out old middens (trash piles) to find and eat the things growing there
C) to trade seeds with people from other villages
D) to save, sort, and name different types of seeds
E) a full-scale garden, digging the soil and enriching it with food wastes
11) Twenty years have passed since the young woman first noticed seeds growing in the midden
and began to plant. Which of the following could now be true?
A) The group had been sedentary but are now nomadic, looking for good places to settle for a
season and grow crops.
B) The group had been traders in stone tools and are now traders in simple agricultural
implements and seeds.
C) The group had been quite large and ate a great deal of meat, but there are now fewer of them
since their diet consists mostly of vegetables.
D) The group had been nomadic, moving frequently to gather wild foods and hunt, but are now
more sedentary, growing crops.
E) The group had been very warlike and are now more peaceful, tending their lands.
12) Two thousand years after our story began, it is likely that ________.
A) the group has returned to a simpler hunter-gatherer society; farming was too much work for
such a small return
B) the group is still farming, but there are very few people now
C) the group has begun domesticating animals for food and as companions and to work the fields
D) primitive versions of weed killers and fertilizers are now in common use
E) a few very wealthy farmers control the village economy
13) Which of the following is something brought about by the beginning of agriculture?
A) a nomadic lifestyle, moving frequently from one place to another
B) a low density of people over large areas, which means that diseases do not spread in
settlements
C) a need to protect and defend the group’s land and crops, which means that people become
more peaceful, resulting in the disbanding of military groups
D) the ability of the few to feed the many means that everyone is expected to concentrate on
increased food production
E) the ability to rely on crops every year, no matter what, allows even farmers to have much
more free time, resulting in the development of crafts, architecture, and other “urban” professions