Massachusetts Soil Evaluator Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Which term represents the smallest standard soil size class?
• Which term describes blocky soil structure with faces that intersect at relatively sharp angles?
• Floodplain/alluvial deposits are defined as ...
• What is soil parent material?
• Which horizon is the alluvial accumulation of sesquioxides (iron and aluminum)?
• In some New England soils, manganese commonly gives which color?
• How thick is an A horizon typically?
• In calcareous soils, the form of phosphate is typically associated with which cation?
• What term describes the dominant color in the soil?
• Which horizon is the topsoil, typically 3 to 10 inches thick, formed at the surface or below, and containing humified organic matter intimately mixed with the mineral fraction?
• What does it mean when soil is well graded?
• What is effluent?
• What are the associated landforms for ice contact outwash?
• Which horizon shows strong gleying, indicating prolonged periods of saturation?
• What is glacial outwash?
• What is the size range for clay?
• In the plasticity test, what does forming a short ribbon indicate?
• Which practice helps ensure accurate recording of colors when evaluating redox features?
• Granular structure is typically found in which horizons?
• Which material is an example of Massachusetts soil parent material formed from coastal processes?
• Value is defined as which property of color?
• Which term describes the strata produced by soil forming processes, distinct from the parent material?
• What minimum separation between the bottom of the SAS drainage stone and high groundwater is required when percolation rate is less than two per inch?
• Which statement best describes the characteristics of ablation or Sandy loose till?
• What is the size of fine sand?
• What is the size range for silt?
• What is soil structure?
• Till is best described as the sediments deposited directly on the surface by a glacier.
• Ice contact outwash may include areas of stone and boulders.
• Which horizon is the illuvial accumulation of organic material and sesquioxides?
• What is a percolation test used to determine?
• Which class indicates the strongest soil strength?
• Soil consistence includes which aspects?
• What do you need to focus on for glacial outwash on-site investigations?
• Which term describes blocky soil structure with rounded corners due to a mixture of rounded and plain faces?
• If two percolation tests are required, where should they be conducted?
• What is soil texture?
• The stickiness test indicates which statement about soils with varying silt and clay content?
• Which of the following ranges best describes silt?
• Which soil structure is bounded by flat to rounded vertical faces, with units distinctly longer vertically?
• In lacustrine deposits, what feature should be checked on-site to avoid erroneous percolation rates?
• Which horizon is the zone of accumulation where rainwater percolates and can bleach material from above?
• What color is typically produced by iron oxide staining in subsoil?
• Which statement correctly describes single grain structure?
• Which component stores clarified effluent before it is distributed to the SAS?
• Where should the percolation test be performed?
• Hue refers to what in color terms?
• For on-site investigations of ice contact outwash, what is the primary focus?
• What condition leads to a reducing environment in soil?
• Which horizon is illuvial accumulation of humus (organic matter)?
• Where is phosphorus usually found?
• What is the pH of western mass soils?
• What happens when effluent flows rapidly downward?
• What is another name for the soil absorption system?
• What does phosphate form in calcareous soils?
• What is the size of coarse sand?
• Marine silts and clays are deposits formed in a marine environment and have since what?
• Which horizon is typically described as the substratum?
• Lacustrian deposits are defined as?
• Which statement about bedrock areas is true?
• In stratified deposits, redox fronts interrupted by texture changes can produce bright streaks at the interface. These are often seen in gravel pits high above the water and are called what?
• In soils with adequate oxygen, what happens to iron?
• If more than one color is observed for redox features, what should you record?
• Glacial till is also known as what?
• Which statement about floodplain deposits is true?
• Which statement best describes what a percolation test measures?
• Which nutrients/contaminants are in domestic wastewater water?
• Sandy loam textural class is defined by which sand percentage?
• What are the associated landforms for Sandy loose till a.k.a. ablation?
• Which of the following is NOT an associated landform for floodplain deposits?
• Which is NOT a characteristic of glacial till (lodgement/basal till)?
• For Lacustrian deposits, what is a typical percolation rate focus during on-site investigations?
• Which landform is associated with ice contact outwash besides kettles and eskers?
• In stratified deposits, what visible effect can occur at the redox interface due to moving fronts interrupted by texture changes?
• Single grain structure is described as structureless and occurs only in which soil type?
• Initial depth drop used in percolation rate calculation?
• What happens to solids that settle in the septic tank?
• Which soils may not display easily recognizable redox features due to chemical properties, such as those developed in Triassic red sandstone or adjacent to salt or brackish water?
• Where is nitrogen usually found?
• The term used for irregular patches of different color in soils caused by redox processes is what?
• Which horizon is typically referred to as the substratum and has changed very little since deposition?
• Which horizon is hard bedrock that can't be excavated and blasting is often needed when highly fractured?
• Which soil structure is similar to prisms but with tops normally rounded?
• Which percolation rate should be used for system design?
• What landform is typically associated with marine silts and clays?
• What is the name of the clogging layer formed in the system?
• Which statement best describes the purpose of a septic tank?
• Which statement about glacial till is true?
• What are the characteristics of ice contact outwash?
• Which of the following is NOT listed as a class of soil consistence?
• What is the focus of on-site investigation for coastal dune deposits?
• What is the size range for silt according to the provided material?
• In field soil texture testing, which statement best describes a soil with greater than 85% sand?
• What is the size of medium sand?
• What are rock fragments?
• Floodplain deposits are best described as nearly level areas...
• Granular structure horizons question
• Which parent materials are reflective of recent geological processes?
• What is the size of very coarse sand?
• Finding organic material below a mineral layer often indicates what?
• Which soil structure has no structure and is either single grained or massive?
• What is the function of the distribution box (D box) in an on-site system?
• Relic mottles are redox features that formed in wet soil, drained and persisted for years, and do not represent present hydrology.
• What does unsaturated soil do?
• Which landform is commonly associated with pro glacial outwash?
• What should you focus on during site investigation for compact till?
• What is the correct order for the three terms of soil structure?
• Glacial till groupings?
• Which statement accurately describes the texture of coastal dune deposits?
• In ice contact outwash, which may include areas of silt material?
• Which horizon is the topsoil and typically ranges from 3 to 10 inches thick?
• In the home film material test, what does a cloudy jar indicate?
• Which soil structure has units approximately spiral or polyhedral and is bounded by curved or irregular faces not cast of adjoining peds?
• Ice contact outwash bedding tends to be which of the following?
• Which statement describes marine silts and clays?
• BOD stands for Biochemical Oxygen Demand. Which option correctly describes BOD?
• Which statement about shallow to bedrock soil conditions is true?
• Which option lists the grade categories used to describe the distinctness of soil structural units?
• What does SAS stand for in on-site sewage disposal?
• How many percolation tests are needed for the assessment?
• How can you test the suitability of a film material at home?
• In septic effluent, phosphorus is in which form?
• Which horizon is the illuvial accumulation of organic material with sesquioxides?
• Which landform is commonly associated with coastal dune deposits?
• Is averaging percolation rates across the site allowed?
• Which horizon is a mineral layer in the upper part of the soil, typically present only in forested areas and underlain by O or A horizons?
• In unsaturated soil, effluent movement is primarily through which pore sizes?
• What are the groupings of out wash?
• How many deep observation holes are required for the deep observation hole test?
• Which statement correctly contrasts prisms and columns regarding their tops?
• What is the role of iron in soil color?
• Total number of deep observation holes recommended for this test.
• In calcareous soils, phosphorus tends to associate with which cation?
• What effect does organic material have on soil color?
• In the septic tank, nitrogen occurs as which form?
• Which guideline is correct for on-site investigations in shallow to bedrock areas?
• Which of the following is not a soil size class?
• Which trio describes the color attributes used in color notation?
• What are the characteristics of pro glacial outwash?
• Which of the following is a component of a conventional on-site sewage disposal system?
• Which statement is true regarding fractured bedrock in shallow to bedrock investigations?
• Which horizon is weathered or soft bed rock?
• What is the matrix color?
• Which option correctly states nitrogen forms in septic environments?
• Which statement about the validity period of percolation tests is correct?
• What drainage characteristic is common for lacustrine deposits?
• Which statement is NOT accurate regarding soil structure and percolation testing?
• How does the Munsell Color Chart work?
• What minimum separation between the bottom of the SAS drainage stone and high groundwater is required when percolation rate is greater than two per inch?
• Loamy sand is defined as having what sand percentage?
• When can percolation tests be performed?
• Which soils are examples of those that do not display easily recognizable redox features due to chemical properties?
• What should you focus on during on-site investigations for Sandy loose till a.k.a. ablation?
• In the plasticity test, what does a long ribbon indicate?
• Which horizon is best described as a soil layer with a high percentage of organic matter, typically found in woodland areas with leaves, pine needles, and twigs?
• What is a ped?
• What is the pH of most Massachusetts soil?
• What term describes fats, oil, and grease that float to the top of a septic tank?
• Loamy sand textural class corresponds to what percent sand?
• What is the definition of compound structure?
• What best describes a uniform soil's particle size distribution?
• Which soil structure is block-like, with flat or slightly rounded faces and angular blocky when faces intersect at relatively sharp angles?
• Which term describes particles smaller than 0.002 mm?
• Which term represents the size class that sits between Fine and Coarse?
• What is the typical development time for redox features in recently deposited material?
• Where does the final treatment of affluent occur in an on-site sewage disposal system?
• Which of the following is NOT listed as a soil parent material in Massachusetts?
• Lacustrine deposits are very susceptible to smearing during which condition?
• What is the typical thickness of B horizons?
• Which horizon is defined by illuvial accumulation of clay?
• What does phosphate form in acidic soils?
• What is the size of very fine sand?
• Which horizon is a dense, unconsolidated sediment used to designate compact glacial till?
• Which horizons are suitable for Title 5?
• Shallow to bedrock areas are described as having which terrain features?
• What does a uniform soil indicate about particle sizes?
• Which horizon is the layer with a high organic matter content in woodland areas?
• When soaking the hole, which measurement determines the percolation rate?
• In a deep observation hole test, how should the holes be arranged?
• What is till?
• Hue in soil color terms corresponds to which color shorthand?
• What is chroma?
• What is the size range for very coarse sand?
• Sandy loose till aka ablation?
• Which horizon is hard bedrock?
• What is the primary treatment mechanism in the SAS?
• Which horizon is hard bedrock?
• What term describes the soil's behavior when pressure is applied?
• Which statement about phosphorus behavior in very acidic soils is true?
• Lacustrine deposits are variable in characteristics, especially in which areas?
• What is the problem with observing redox features in sandy soils?
• Which horizon is the illuvial accumulation of sesquioxides?
• Which statement best describes depth to bedrock variation in shallow to bedrock areas?
• Lacustrine deposits typically have thin layers of what with the substratum?
• Which parent materials were deposited during melting of the glacier or after?
• Redox features in recently deposited material typically develop over which time scale?
• Where are soil colors typically recorded when evaluating redox features?
• Which term describes the abundance of redox features in soil?
• One characteristic of floodplain deposits is that they are well sorted and often stratified.
• What lighting condition makes reading soil colors for redox features difficult?
• In the soaking method, the percolation rate is expressed as minutes per inch.
• Which horizon is an alluvial accumulation of sesquioxides?
• Which of the following describes lacustrine deposit characteristics?
• Floodplain deposits can be fine textured, depending on the velocity of water.
• What term describes the particles heavier than water that sink to the bottom of the septic tank?
• Coastal dune deposits are defined as what?
• In Massachusetts, which horizon is uncommon?
• What is the size for clay?
• What does platy soil structure look like?
• What landforms are typically associated with lacustrine deposits?
• Which of the following is a class of soil consistence?
• Which horizon is weathered or soft bed rock?
• Granular structure is typically associated with which horizons?
• Which of the following is a floodplain deposit?
• A soil sample has particles around 0.15 mm. Which category is this?
• Which horizon is development of color or structure (common in MA)?
• What is a clod?
• Which horizon is hard bedrock that cannot be excavated and often requires blasting?
• What is an associated landform with pro glacial outwash?
• What does manganese do in soils?
• Which horizon is typically referred to as subsoil and a zone of accumulation where water percolating through the soil has leached material from above and may show bright color development?
• Single grain structure is described as structureless and occurs only in sand
• Which statement about on-site investigations for marine silts and clays is true?
• Some soils developed in dark sediments with dark mineralogy may mask the development of redox features. This is a problem because