1994 National Nursery Landscape Exam

Name:

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Plant tissue analysis is most often used to diagnose:

a.	CO₂ deficiency	c.	nutrient deficiency or excess
b.	nematode infestations	d.	insect pests

Which choice below correctly identifies the plant parts shown in Figure 1?

a.	1-terminal bud; 2-petiole; 3-lateral bud; 4-internode	c.	1-internode; 2-terminal bud; 3-lateral bud; 4-petiole
b.	1-lateral bud; 2-terminal bud; 3-internode; 4-petiole	d.	1-terminal bud; 2-lateral bud; 3-internode; 4-petiole

What method of reproduction is most often used to propagate forysthia?

a.	seeds	c.	cuttings
b.	spontaneous generation	d.	tissue culture

If trees are spaced 5 feet by 9 feet, _____ can be planted in a one acre field.

a.	605	c.	1435
b.	968	d.	1365

Which of the following statements is true about applying dry fertilizer to a lawn?

a.	Apply dry fertilizer just after a rain	c.	It is a good practice to water-in dry fertilizer applied to a lawn
b.	Apply dry fertilizer in the early morning when the grass is wet from the dew	d.	Dry fertilizer should only be applied late in the day

Brown patch, Dollar spot, and Gray snow mold are all diseases of:

a.	azaleas	c.	trees
b.	turfgrasses	d.	evergreens

Damping-off is caused by:

a.	fungi	c.	nematodes
b.	bacteria	d.	virus

Which statement below best describes what is taking place in Figure 2?

a.	The journey of egg cells to the stigma	c.	The ejection of pollen from the ovaries
b.	The growth of pollen tubes to the ovule	d.	The ejection of eggs from the ovaries

Liriope and ajuga are generally classified as:

a.	small flowering shrubs	c.	small evergreen shrubs
b.	groundcovers	d.	semi-evergreen shrubs

10.

Food produced in the leaves is moved to other parts of the plant through the .

a.	phloem	c.	veins
b.	xylem	d.	arteries

11.

To preserve the germination ability of most seeds, store them in a:

a.	warm, dry environment	c.	cool environment after scarification
b.	cool, dry environment	d.	warm, moist environment after stratification

12.

Which of the following is important in producing a uniform size and quality container-grown nursery crop?

a.	Use the same soil mix for the entire crop	c.	Tamp the soil to the same degree of firmness in all pots
b.	Leave a uniform water space at the top of each pot	d.	all the above

13.

Two basic types of pruning are heading-back and thinning-out. Which of the following is true about these pruning methods?

a.	Thinning cuts leave behind a good portion of the stem and many axillary buds	c.	Heading cuts usually remove entire branches and leave no buds
b.	Thinning cuts are made close to a main branch or ground and few axillary buds are left	d.	Heading cuts remove a portion of the stem and only terminal buds are left

14.

Plants used in the landscape can be described as either herbaceous or _____ ornamentals.

a.	evergreen	c.	woody
b.	deciduous	d.	creeping

15.

Which of the tools in Figure 3 would be best for thinning-out a shrub with limbs to be removed which measure approximately 3/4 inch in diameter?

a.	1	c.	3
b.	2	d.	4

16.

What part of a lawn mower prevents dust from entering the carburetor?

a.	air cleaner	c.	crankcase
b.	exhaust chute	d.	hydraulic system

17.

The best pH range for most plants is

a.	4.5 - 5.0	c.	7.0 - 7.5
b.	6.0 - 6.5	d.	7.0 - 8.0

18.

An important step in properly composting landscape refuse is to:

a.	exclude as much air as possible from the compost pile	c.	make only small piles to keep the material cool
b.	treat each layer with pesticide to control insects and weeds	d.	thoroughly moisten each layer of material

19.

The new golf course superintendent hit a golf ball from about 30 yards away onto the green to test its condition. The ball bounced 20 feet into the air, fell, and rolled into the hole. What conclusion should the superintendent have arrived at?

a.	"Wow, that green is perfect."	c.	"The ball should bounce a little higher from this distance."
b.	"That green needs a lot of work."	d.	"That green needs to be mowed higher."

20.

Plowing or tilling a bed or lawn when it is excessively wet may:

a.	kill beneficial organisms in the soil	c.	change the soil texture
b.	damage the structure of the soil	d.	stratify the soil

21.

The organism that most often causes plant disease is:

a.	fungi	c.	viruses
b.	algae	d.	nematodes

22.

Which of the following statements is true about the insect shown in Figure 4? This insect:

a.	emerges from the soil at night to feed on vegetation	c.	is a major pest of lawngrasses
b.	emerges from the soil during the day to feed on vegetation	d.	is a moth in its adult stage

23.

As a general rule, lawngrasses should be mowed often enough so that at any one mowing, no more than ___ of the plant height is removed.

a.	1/8	c.	1/3
b.	1/16	d.	2/3

24.

Softwood cuttings of shrubs are taken when:

a.	last years growth begins to swell with soft spring buds	c.	the new growth is about 3 inches long
b.	the sap is rising in the spring	d.	the growth is stiff enough to snap when bent

25.

Hardening-off is a term used in the nursery/landscape industry to mean:

a.	allowing herbaceous plants to become woody	c.	coating plants with a protective plastic-type spray prior to transplanting
b.	acclimating landscape plants to coldframe conditions	d.	acclimating tender plants to harsher, outdoor conditions

26.

Which choice correctly identifies common climatic problems with areas such as those shown in 1, 2, and 3 in Figure 5?

a.	1 late winter green-up 2 sun scald 3 frost pocket	c.	1 late winter green-up 2 sun scald 3 low humidity
b.	1 hot air burn 2 air drainage 3 high humidity	d.	1 sun scald 2 late winter green-up 3 hot air pocket

27.

Moss growing in a lawn is usually a sign of:

a.	root-bound grass	c.	high pH
b.	too much sunlight	d.	low pH

28.

If a house is painted in several colors you may be worried about the colors of the house and the plant flower color clashing. One flower color choice that would be safest to use is:

a.	red	c.	white
b.	blue	d.	pink

29.

The best definition of a surfactant is a:

a.	material added to the spray solution to reduce surface tension between the liquid and leaf surface	c.	material to protect leaf surfaces from pesticides by creating a waxy seal over the leaf
b.	type of soap used to wash off pesticide residue by increasing surface tension between the leaf and residue	d.	type of pesticide formulation with an oily consistency for protecting high pressure spray nozzles from wear

30.

The term ______ is used in horticulture to define plant injury sometimes caused by pesticides

a.	eutrophication	c.	emulsification
b.	expectoration	d.	phytotoxicity

31.

Mr. Aged told the class that the temperature for rooting shrubs should be no lower than 70 degrees F. He was talking about the:

a.	air temperature above the bench	c.	temperature of the mist water
b.	air temperature at bench level	d.	temperature of the rooting media

32.

Which shape hedge shown in Figure 6 is least desirable?

a.	1	c.	3
b.	2	d.	4

33.

Which of the following chemicals would be an appropriate suggestion for a customer who wants to kill the weeds and grass along a fence row?

a.	Roundup	c.	Diazinon
b.	Orthene	d.	Malathion

34.

The agriculture teacher asked Alan to make a sentence defining the term "Auxin." Which of the following is a correct response?

a.	"I want to go to college at the University of Texas in Auxin."	c.	"Auxin is an artificial plant hormone used to force the plant to flower."
b.	"Auxin is a plant hormone involved in dormancy, abscission, rooting, etc., in plants."	d.	"If a chemical pesticide is needed, Auxin is one of the safest on the market."

35.

A landscaper designed the client's backyard so that when viewed from the living room window, the eye was drawn along by plantings to a magnificent Japanese maple at the back of the property. This is a good example of using the principle of:

a.	balance	c.	proportion
b.	simplicity	d.	focalization

36.

The ginkgo is known for its beautiful color in the Fall.

a.	golden	c.	scarlet
b.	plaid	d.	brown

37.

A plant pathologist studies plant:

a.	insects	c.	morphology
b.	diseases	d.	physiology

38.

Which choice correctly identifies the two plant processes described in Figure 7?

Figure 7
A	B
Uses water, CO₂ and light Occurs in light Energy is stored The process increases plant dry weight	Uses food and oxygen Occurs in light and dark Energy is released The process decreases plant dry weight

a.	A is transpiration and B is respiration	c.	A is photosynthesis and B is respiration
b.	A is respiration and B is hydrology	d.	A is hydrology and B is transpiration

39.

Given the following choices, which would be the best soil mix for potted azalea production?

a.	1 peat : 1 perlite	c.	1 vermiculite : 1 sand : 1 perlite
b.	2 sand : 1 vermiculite	d.	1 sand : 1 silt : 2 clay

40.

Which of the following is a hybrid?

a.	Lonicera japonica 'Halliana'	c.	Picea abies
b.	Ilex x meserveae	d.	Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

41.

A rule of thumb to follow when irrigating lawns during periods of drought is to:

a.	apply about one inch of water per day from 10 am to 3 pm.	c.	water the grass every other day in the late afternoon with two inches of water
b.	apply about one inch of water per week in one application	d.	water the grass two times a day with light sprinklings.

42.

A privacy fence or hedge should be at least ___ feet high if the purpose is to screen the view of neighbors at ground level or others walking near the property at the same elevation.

a.	4	c.	6
b.	5	d.	8

43.

The four-step procedure shown in the box below is best described as:

1. Determine the cause of the problem.

2. Determine if the pest is doing enough damage to justify control measures.

3. Use cultural and biological controls if practical.

4. Apply a chemical pesticide as a last resort.

a.	Biological Control	c.	Nonspecific Biological Management
b.	Integrated Pest Management	d.	Delayed Integrated Emphasis

44.

Which of the following hardiness zones is warmer than Zone 7?

a.	Zone A-6	c.	Zone 5
b.	Zone 6-A	d.	Zone 8

45.

Which sketch in Figure 8 correctly identifies the movement of the sun during summer over a home in the continental United States?

a.	1	c.	3
b.	2	d.	4

46.

Which item in Figure 8 is drawn incorrectly for the northern or southern hemisphere?

a.	1	c.	3
b.	2	d.	4

47.

The most common synthetic root-promoting chemicals used in rooting hormones are:

a.	IBA and AAN	c.	ISO and SOB
b.	CCA and ACD	d.	IBA and NAA

48.

Which choice correctly identifies the types of budding and grafting illustrated in Figure 9?

a.	1 - t-budding 2 - cleft grafting 3 - whip grafting	c.	1 - t-budding 2 - whip grafting 3 - cleft grafting
b.	1 - t-budding 2 - cleft grafting 3 - slit grafting	d.	1 - scale budding 2 - cleft grafting 3 - splice grafting

49.

If a container-grown nursery crop has been over watered for a long period of time, you might expect to find the roots in the following condition.

a.	The roots dead or absent at the bottom of the container but healthier in the top portion of the pot	c.	The roots growing through the drain holes in the bottom of the pot
b.	The roots dead or absent at the top of the pot but healthier in the bottom of the container	d.	The roots may be extra thick and bright white in color

50.

Which of the following groups contains only evergreen plants?

a.	Norway maple, red maple, camellia	c.	arborvitae, Southern yew, Japanese yew
b.	rhododendron, Chinese holly, redbud	d.	crabapple, flowering cherry, sugar maple