WAEC Agricultural Science 2003 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2003 WAEC Agricultural Science paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 53 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Agricultural Science 2003 questions and answers

1. 1.The national terr-planting campaign is aimed at stimulating
   1. A
      afforestation
      Correct
   2. B
      desertification
   3. C
      land degradation
   4. D
      deforestation
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   Answer: A

   The national tree-planting campaign was introduced by government to encourage citizens to plant trees on a large scale, replacing a forest cover that has been lost over the years. This deliberate planting of trees, especially on bare or degraded land, is called afforestation, so that is exactly what the campaign is set up to stimulate.

2. 2.The scientific name for guinea grass is
   1. A
      Andropogon gayanus
   2. B
      Cynodon dactylon
   3. C
      Pennisetum purpureum
   4. D
      Panicum maximum
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Panicum maximum is the correct scientific (botanical) name for guinea grass, one of the most important tropical fodder and pasture grasses cultivated in Nigeria for livestock feed.

3. 3.Wastage of perishable farm produce is likely due to the following problems except
   1. A
      Pest and disease infestation of the harvested produce
   2. B
      Poor transportation network from farm to market
   3. C
      Poor handling causing bruises and cuts on the produce
   4. D
      Good preservation and storage facilities
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Perishable farm produce (fruits, vegetables, tomatoes, tubers, etc.) spoils quickly because of high moisture content. Wastage happens when something exposes the produce to further damage, decay or delay before it reaches the consumer.

   Poor transportation network causes wastage because bad roads and slow movement delay produce from reaching the market while fresh, allowing it to rot on the way.

4. 4.Spermatozoa are produced in the
   1. A
      Epididymis
   2. B
      Scrotum
   3. C
      Prostate gland
   4. D
      Testes
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Spermatozoa (sperm cells) are produced in the testes through a process called spermatogenesis, which takes place in tiny coiled tubes inside the testes called the seminiferous tubules. The testes are the primary male reproductive organs (gonads) in farm animals and in man.

5. 5.Which of the following is a method of conducting a simple farm layout survey?
   1. A
      Using a plane table and alidade to plot the plan directly in the field
   2. B
      Using a garden line marked at 3, 4 and 5 units to form a right angle (the 3-4-5 method)
      Correct
   3. C
      Using a chain and prismatic compass to measure bearings between survey stations
   4. D
      Using a theodolite to measure horizontal and vertical angles between points
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   Answer: B

   The 3-4-5 method is the simple way a farmer lays out a farm without needing expensive surveying instruments. A garden line (or rope) is marked off into 12 equal units and knotted at the 3rd, 7th (3+4) and 12th (3+4+5) points. When the rope is pegged out so the three sides measure 3, 4 and 5 units, the angle between the 3-unit side and the 4-unit side is automatically a perfect right angle (90°), because 3² + 4² = 5² (Pythagoras’ rule). This lets a farmer mark out straight, rectangular plots and paths using only pegs, a measuring tape and a rope – exactly what "simple" means here.

6. 6.Smut disease of cereals is caused by a
   1. A
      bacterium
   2. B
      nematode
   3. C
      fungus
      Correct
   4. D
      virus
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   Answer: C

   Smut disease of cereals is caused by a fungus. Smuts (such as loose smut and covered smut of maize, guinea corn and wheat) are produced by a group of fungi, mainly in the genus Ustilago, which belong to the Basidiomycetes.

7. 7.Which of the following activities does not clearly describe the art of mechanization?
   1. A
      Spraying crops with a motorized sprayer
   2. B
      Ploughing the land with a tractor
   3. C
      Clearing weeds from the farm with a cutlass
      Correct
   4. D
      Harvesting grains with a combine harvester
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   Answer: C

   Mechanization in agriculture means replacing human and animal muscle power with machines to carry out farm operations faster, more efficiently and with less drudgery.

   Ploughing with a tractor, harvesting with a combine harvester, and spraying with a motorized sprayer are all clear examples of mechanization because each one uses an engine-powered machine to do work that was traditionally done by hand.

8. 8.Birds temporarily store their food in the
   1. A
      Proventriculus
   2. B
      Gizzard
   3. C
      Oesophagus
   4. D
      Crop
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   In poultry (and other birds), swallowed feed passes down the oesophagus, which is just a passageway and does not store food, into the crop. The crop is a pouch-like enlargement whose special job is to temporarily store and soften the food before releasing it gradually for digestion.

9. 9.The activities of middlemen may cause the following problems except
   1. A
      Low prices paid to farmers for their produce
   2. B
      Efficient distribution of farm produce from the farm to the market
      Correct
   3. C
      High cost of farm produce to the final consumer
   4. D
      Hoarding of farm produce to create artificial scarcity
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Correct answer: Efficient distribution of farm produce from the farm to the market.

   Middlemen stand between the farmer and the final consumer, and their activities are usually blamed for several real problems in agricultural marketing:

   High cost of farm produce to the final consumer is a genuine problem — each middleman in the chain adds a profit margin, so by the time produce reaches the consumer, the price has risen well above what the farmer was paid.

10. 10.Which of the following groups of crops requires a nursery?
    1. A
       Groundnut, cowpea and soyabean
    2. B
       Maize, millet and guinea corn
    3. C
       Yam, cassava and cocoyam
    4. D
       Tomato, pepper and onion
       Correct
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    Answer: D

    Tomato, pepper and onion are the crops that require a nursery. These crops produce very tiny, delicate seeds and seedlings that cannot cope with direct field conditions (harsh sun, heavy rain, weeds, pests) at the early stage. They are first raised in a nursery bed, seedling tray or polythene bag where conditions (watering, shade, spacing) can be closely controlled, and only transplanted to the main field after a few weeks when they are strong enough to survive.

    So among the options, only the tomato–pepper–onion group follows the nursery-then-transplant method.

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 53 questions we hold from the 2003 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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