1. In soil management, gypsum is mainly used to correct _______

 Acidity

 Salinity

 Sodicity

 Alkalinity

2. Which of the following agricultural or land management practices helps maintain soil pH stability?

 Deforestation

 Frequent tillage

 Crop rotation

 Overgrazing

3. According to the Hofmeister (lyotropic) series, Ca²⁺ is held more strongly on soil exchange sites than Na⁺ because _______

 Ca²⁺ has a higher valence

 Ca²⁺ has a larger hydrated radius

 Na⁺ forms insoluble complexes

 Ca²⁺ is an anion

4. In waterlogged (flooded) acidic soils, toxicity of which micronutrient is most commonly observed?

 Iron (Fe)

 Copper (Cu)

 Zinc (Zn)

 None of these

5. Salinity affects plants mainly by causing _______

 Osmotic stress and reduced water uptake

 Increased aeration

 Soil compaction

 Nutrient toxicity only

6. Which soil condition leads to rapid pH fluctuation (i.e., low resistance to pH change)?

 High soil organic matter (SOM)

 Low buffering capacity

 High clay content

 High cation exchange capacity (CEC)

7. The permanent negative charge in 2:1 clay minerals arises from _______

 Isomorphous substitution within the clay lattice

 Decomposition of soil organic matter

 Ligand exchange reactions

 Protonation of surface hydroxyl groups

8. Non-specific adsorption (outer-sphere complexation) in soil is primarily driven by _______

 Ligand exchange

 Electrostatic attraction

 Precipitation

 Covalent bonding

9. High base saturation in soils generally results in _______

 Higher soil pH

 Acidic soil conditions

 Increased metal toxicity

 Low inherent fertility

10. In agricultural systems, repeated crop removal (harvesting of plant biomass) mainly affects soil fertility by altering _______

 Base cation balance through removal of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺ in harvested biomass

 Soil texture

 Acidity directly through immediate H⁺ release

 Soil organic carbon only

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