1. You have decided to give up your current job, and enter the wonderful world of agriculture! First things first- you have to find a suitable location to set up your farm. You need a place with a good quality soil, even terrain, a decent climate, adequate infrastructure and water-supply, among other things. You are interested in growing a variety of crops- pulses, cereals, vegetables...and so on. Which of the following locations would be *best* suited for setting up your farm? The Central Plains of North America Antarctica Mount Everest The Atacama Desert

2. You finally pick a little plot of land in the English county of Derbyshire and begin to settle down there. After staying there a while, you notice that the dealer who sold you the land had ripped you off, and the soil quality of that particular piece of land was very, very poor indeed. And something has to be done about it! You have two options- using either manures, which are natural fertilisers, or artificial, industrially-produced fertilisers. You know that manures are a lot better for your soil than artificial fertilisers, in many ways more than one, so you decide to buy manure. Unfortunately, the nearest place from which you can obtain manure is several miles away, which will result in huge transport costs. Also, the order will take at least two weeks to get to you. You feel you can't wait that long, and take the decision to purchase artificial fertiliser. Which three important elements should you make sure are present in the fertilisers? Hydrogen, Oxygen and Sulphur Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Thorium, Protactinium and Uranium Boron, Carbon and Fluorine

3. Once you've sown your seeds, and the crops' growth is underway, you face your next great challenge-- insects! These pesky creatures are always there, after your crops, attacking them in every way possible. Some of them, like locusts and grasshoppers, attack the crop by chewing it with their mouth. Others, like aphids, suck the crops' cell-sap, causing the crops to wither and die. Some insects, such as weevils, bore into the crop, attacking it from inside. Some others attack them at their roots! Pretty sick of the insect-parties going on on your poor plants, you decide that it's time for action. What is the name of a class of chemicals used by most farmers to get rid of those baneful critters? biocides fungicides insecticides herbicides

4. You have noticed that lately, your crops have been doing particularly bad. The harvest has steeply fallen, and so have profits! After hiring an expert to take a closer look at your crop-fields, you are told that the problem is due to certain plants like parthenium, eupatorium, amaranthus, and grass, which have been competing with your crop for water, soil-nutrients, and sunlight. What is the general name for these unwanted plants? Weeds Ferns Bryophytes Liverworts

5. Congratulations! Your farm is now well-established and reputed! You decide it's time you broaden the field of tasks performed in the farm. In other words, it's time to have a go at animal husbandry -- the keeping and rearing of domestic animals. In your enthusiasm, you fill in the order form in "Farmers' Monthly" and place orders for 20 no(s) each of: Australorp, Black Minorca, Barred Plymouth, HH260, IBL-80 and B-77. Unfortunately, you have no idea what you just ordered, and both your agricultural adviser and lawyer are out on vacation, holidaying in the beautiful Peruvian countryside. Anyway, what in the world have you just bought? Fish Roses Birdseed Poultry

6. Your unsuccessful experiment with HH260s and Rhode Island Reds has prompted you to expand your operations by trying your hand at keeping another type of domestic animal- cattle! You have a hard time selecting between the various wonderful breeds, but finally you decide to go with the Jersey breed of cow. Four of them are expected to arrive at your farm next Tuesday. This cow is now available the world over, but what was the first home of the Jersey cow? A state in the United States Mongolia An archipelago in south-east Asia An island in the English Channel

7. Your harvest the previous year hadn't been too good, rats had invaded the godown and eaten up half your stock! This year, however, you took precautions, and sealed all entrances, and minimised chances for rats to access the grain. This year, however, your grain met another foe- microbes! Moulds and yeasts mercilessly attacked it, and destroyed around 1/3rd of it! How could you have prevented this from happening? By firing the entire staff (minus the retirement benefits) working at your fields. By adding more fertilisers to the soil. By drying the grain in the sun. By washing the grain before storing it.

8. You're tired of the regular farm life, with boring cows grazing and corn growing, and want something 'new'. And then it strikes you -- pisciculture- the cultivation of fish! You prepare a fresh-water pond, create ideal conditions for the growth of fish (with the help of a pisciculture expert), and everything is ready. But wait- what about the fish? Which of the following fish will NOT do very well for your pond? Carp Labeo Catfish Dogfish

9. You read in the magazine "Farmers' Monthly", that growing the same crop year after year on the same patch of land can lead to the degradation of soil fertility to a very high extent. You are shocked to read this; you always wondered why your poor potatoes were doing so badly! This leads you to discover the idea of crop rotation. 'Crop rotation' means the growing of two or more crops on a piece of land, in a planned succession. For example, if you grow rice in summer, in winter you could grow wheat on the same piece of land. Take a look at it this way: "Crop 1 requires nutrient 'A' and releases nutrient 'B'. Crop 2 requires nutrient 'B' and releases nutrient 'A'. Now, if in the first half of the year, Crop 1 is grown and Crop 2 is grown in the second half, Crop 1 will have a constant supply of nutrient 'A' and Crop 2 will have a constant supply of nutrient 'B'." The above example is over-simplifying it a bit, there are many more factors involved, but that gives the basic picture! Anyway, so you've noticed that your corn-crop leaves the soil severely devoid of nitrogen once it's finished its season, and you want a crop which will supplement it well, a crop that can be grown after the corn is harvested. You want a crop which will replenish the soil of its nitrogen, AND will also be a healthy cattle-feed for your Jersey cows! Which of the following crops should you grow? Sugarcane Alfalfa Wheat Oats

10. A scientist from a local university approaches you, asking if you want to use their 'hybrid' seeds. He says that they have extraordinary properties, like resistance to pests, and will guarantee you a greater harvest. "Ah!", he says, "we are part of a 40-year-old global movement; the ___ Revolution!" Fill in the blank with the name of a colour. Answer: (one word; a colour)