WAEC Agricultural Science 2004 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2004 WAEC Agricultural Science paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 54 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Agricultural Science 2004 questions and answers

1. 1.In cassava farming, rapid growth is promoted at the expense of tuber formation by the application of
   1. A
      Nitrogenous fertilizer
      Correct
   2. B
      Compound fertilizer
   3. C
      Potash fertilizer
   4. D
      Phosphatic fertilizer
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   Answer: A

   Nitrogenous fertilizer is responsible for this effect in cassava.

   Nitrogen drives vegetative growth — it builds proteins and chlorophyll, so a cassava plant given heavy nitrogen keeps throwing out stems and leaves vigorously. The problem is that carbohydrates made by the plant are then channelled into this shoot growth instead of being moved down and stored as starch in the roots. The result is a tall, leafy plant with poor, small tubers.

2. 2.The most unreliable source of farm power is
   1. A
      Mechanical power
   2. B
      Wind power
      Correct
   3. C
      Human power
   4. D
      Animal power
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   Answer: B

   Wind power is the most unreliable source of farm power.

   Farm power can come from several sources: human labour, animal (draught) power, mechanical power from engines or tractors, and natural sources such as wind. Human power, animal power and mechanical power can all be called upon and controlled whenever the farmer needs them — a man can work, an ox can be yoked, an engine can be started, at any chosen time.

3. 3.The use of land for agriculture is not influenced by
   1. A
      Climate
   2. B
      Population
   3. C
      Labour
      Correct
   4. D
      Topography
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   Answer: C

   Labour is correct — the use of land for agriculture (that is, how a piece of land is classified and allocated: for crop farming, grazing, forestry, and so on) is decided mainly by the physical and demographic character of the land itself, not by the workforce available to till it.

4. 4.In the event of increased government subsidies, the farmer's production cost
   1. A
      is reduced
      Correct
   2. B
      increases because more inputs are purchased
   3. C
      remains unchanged regardless of the subsidy
   4. D
      doubles as output expands
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   Answer: A

   A subsidy is government support that pays part of a cost on the farmer's behalf — for example, government supplying fertilizer, farm machinery hire, or credit at a price below what it actually costs to provide.

   Because government now carries part of the burden, the farmer spends less out of pocket to produce the same output. So increased subsidies mean the farmer's production cost is reduced.

5. 5.Which of the following is the main reason for not keeping birds meant for commercial egg production under the extensive system of management? Birds
   1. A
      Birds lay their eggs in hidden or scattered places, making collection difficult and causing egg losses
      Correct
   2. B
      Birds spend more energy foraging for food, which raises the overall cost of feeding
   3. C
      The system requires too large an area of land, which is scarce in urban centres
   4. D
      Birds are more susceptible to diseases and parasites because they move about freely
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Working: Under the extensive (free-range) system, birds are allowed to roam and forage over a wide area instead of being confined to cages or pens. For commercial egg production, the farmer's main concern is being able to collect, count and sell every egg laid, and to keep accurate production records for each bird or flock.

6. 6.Pasture crops are best used in preparing hay
   1. A
      before the flowering stage
   2. B
      after seed formation
   3. C
      at the flowering stage
      Correct
   4. D
      at the seedling stage
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Pasture crops (grasses and legumes) are conserved as hay by cutting and drying them, and timing the cut matters a lot for quality.

   So the stage that gives the best hay — good yield combined with high nutrient value — is the flowering stage.

7. 7.The following crops are common staple foods in West Africa except
   1. A
      Cocoa
      Correct
   2. B
      Maize
   3. C
      Cassava
   4. D
      Yam
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Cocoa is the odd one out. It is a cash crop grown mainly for export and for processing into products like cocoa butter and chocolate, not eaten directly as a daily food by West Africans.

8. 8.Clay particles are able to attract cations in the soil because they
   1. A
      have a large surface area
   2. B
      carry negative electric charges
      Correct
   3. C
      carry positive electric charges
   4. D
      are colloidal in nature
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   Answer: B

   Clay particles carry negative electric charges on their surfaces. This negative charge comes from the structure of the clay minerals (isomorphous substitution within the crystal lattice), and it is what allows the particle to attract and hold positively charged ions — cations such as calcium (Ca&sup2+), magnesium (Mg&sup2+), potassium (K+) and ammonium (NH4+) — around itself. This is the basis of the soil's cation exchange capacity (CEC), which keeps plant nutrients available in the soil instead of being washed away.

9. 9.Which of the following soil water is tightly held to the surface of soil particles?
   1. A
      Hygroscopic water
      Correct
   2. B
      Gravitational water
   3. C
      Combined water
   4. D
      Capillary water
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Hygroscopic water is the form of soil water that is held very tightly as a thin film on the surface of soil particles, by forces of adhesion between the water molecules and the particle surfaces. This film is so firmly held that it cannot move by gravity and is not available for plant uptake. It can only be driven off by oven-drying the soil at a high temperature (around 105°C), not by ordinary drainage.

10. 10.The following are practical measures of controlling trypanosomiasis except
    1. A
       Clearing of bushes to destroy tsetse fly breeding grounds
    2. B
       Administration of trypanocidal drugs to infected animals
    3. C
       Regular spraying of insecticides to destroy tsetse flies
    4. D
       Dipping of animals in acaricide solution
       Correct
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: D

    Trypanosomiasis (nagana in livestock) is caused by Trypanosoma parasites and is transmitted by the tsetse fly, not by ticks. So any control measure that targets the tsetse fly or the parasite itself is a genuine control measure for this disease.

    Dipping animals in acaricide solution is a control measure for tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis, anaplasmosis and heartwater, because dipping kills ticks, not tsetse flies. Since trypanosomiasis is not transmitted by ticks, dipping does nothing to control it — this makes it the measure that does NOT belong, and is the correct answer to the "except" question.

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 54 questions we hold from the 2004 paper, on a timed CBT screen

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