WAEC Agricultural Science 2001 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2001 WAEC Agricultural Science paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 55 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Agricultural Science 2001 questions and answers

1. 1.Farm surveying equipment include the following except
   1. A
      Measuring tape
   2. B
      Ranging pole
   3. C
      Theodolite
   4. D
      Cutlass
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   The cutlass is the odd one out because it is a land-clearing/weeding tool, not an instrument used for measuring or laying out land.

2. 2.In animal nutrition, iodine is essential for the production of
   1. A
      haemoglobin
   2. B
      bone and teeth
   3. C
      blood clotting factors
   4. D
      thyroxine
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Iodine is a trace mineral that the thyroid gland uses to make thyroxine, the hormone that controls the rate of metabolism in farm animals. An iodine-deficient diet leads to goitre (an enlarged thyroid) because the gland cannot make enough thyroxine.

3. 3.The main vertebrate pests of rice are
   1. A
      Bush fowls
   2. B
      Squirrels
   3. C
      Monkeys
   4. D
      Quelea birds
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Quelea birds are the main vertebrate pests of rice. These small, highly gregarious birds move in enormous flocks of thousands, and when a rice field is ripening they descend on it together and strip the grain from the panicles in a very short time, often destroying a whole field before a farmer can react. Because rice is grown in open, swampy fields that are easy for huge flocks to find and attack at the grain-filling stage, quelea birds cause far more damage to rice than any other vertebrate.

   So among the options, only quelea birds fit the description of the main vertebrate pest of rice.

4. 4.Which of the following factors most influence the standard of living of individuals in a community?
   1. A
      Type of climate experienced in the community
   2. B
      Number of schools located in the community
   3. C
      Level of income of the individuals
      Correct
   4. D
      Size of farmland owned by the individuals
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   Answer: C

   Level of income is the factor that most influences the standard of living of individuals in a community. A person's income determines how much food, clothing, housing, healthcare, education and other basic and comfort needs they can afford. Where income is high, people can afford better nutrition, better housing and better medical care, so their standard of living rises; where income is low, these things become difficult to obtain no matter how favourable other conditions are.

5. 5.Which of the following mineral elements is essential for chlorophyll formation?
   1. A
      Nitrogen
   2. B
      Potassium
   3. C
      Phosphorus
   4. D
      Magnesium
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Magnesium is the mineral element essential for chlorophyll formation.

   Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green colour and enables photosynthesis. At the centre of every chlorophyll molecule is a single magnesium atom, which holds the ring-shaped structure of the pigment together. Without enough magnesium, a plant cannot build chlorophyll molecules, so the leaves turn yellow (a condition called chlorosis), usually starting from between the veins of older leaves.

6. 6.The optimum temperature for storing yam tuber under cold storage is
   1. A
      5°C – 9°C
   2. B
      20°C – 25°C
   3. C
      12°C – 16°C
      Correct
   4. D
      27°C – 32°C
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   Answer: C

   Yam tubers kept in cold storage do best at 12°C – 16°C, with relative humidity of about 70–80%. Within this range, the tuber's respiration rate and sprouting are slowed down, so it stays dormant and sound for a much longer period without losing its eating quality.

   So the correct storage window balances these two extremes, which is why 12°C – 16°C is the optimum.

7. 7.A vertical section through the soil is referred to as soil
   1. A
      profile
      Correct
   2. B
      horizon
   3. C
      texture
   4. D
      structure
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   Answer: A

   Soil profile is correct. If you dig a pit and look at the exposed vertical face of the soil from the surface down to the parent rock, what you see — the different layers stacked one on top of another — is called the soil profile. It shows all the horizons (O, A, B, C) arranged from top to bottom.

   So when a question talks about a vertical section showing the arrangement of layers from topsoil down to the rock beneath, the correct term is always soil profile.

8. 8.An example of a viral disease of farm animals is
   1. A
      Anthrax
   2. B
      Coccidiosis
   3. C
      Foot and mouth disease
      Correct
   4. D
      Ringworm
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   Answer: C

   Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a virus and is highly contagious among cloven-hoofed farm animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, causing blisters on the mouth, tongue and feet. This makes it the correct example of a viral disease of farm animals.

9. 9.Which of the following sources of farm power will assist in the tillage of more land per unit time?
   1. A
      Tractor
      Correct
   2. B
      Human labour
   3. C
      Animal traction (draught oxen)
   4. D
      Wind power
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   Answer: A

   Tractor is correct. Of the common sources of farm power — human labour, animal traction, mechanical (tractor) power and wind power — the tractor delivers the highest and most sustained power output. A single tractor fitted with a plough or harrow can turn over many hectares in a day, far more than a man with a hoe or a pair of oxen pulling a ridger can manage in the same time, because its engine works continuously at high speed without the fatigue that limits human or animal effort.

10. 10.Liming is used to correct soil's
    1. A
       acidity
       Correct
    2. B
       texture
    3. C
       salinity
    4. D
       alkalinity
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    Answer: A

    Liming is the practice of adding materials such as calcium carbonate (ground limestone), calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) to the soil. These materials are basic, so when they react with the soil they neutralise the excess hydrogen ions that make a soil acidic, raising the soil pH towards neutral. This is why liming is the standard corrective measure taught for acidity in acid soils, which are common in areas of high rainfall where bases have been leached away.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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Practise all 55 questions we hold from the 2001 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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