WAEC Agricultural Science 2015 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2015 WAEC Agricultural Science paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 42 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Agricultural Science 2015 questions and answers

1. 1.The property of soil which cannot easily be change by a famrer is the
   1. A
      Soil fertility
   2. B
      Soil pH
   3. C
      Soil texture
      Correct
   4. D
      Soil structure
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Soil texture is correct. Texture refers to the proportion of sand, silt and clay particles in the soil, and this is fixed by the parent rock and the natural weathering process that formed the soil over a very long time. A farmer has no practical way of turning a sandy soil into a clay soil (or vice versa) through ordinary farm operations, so texture is considered a permanent, inherent property of a given soil.

   Because texture alone is beyond the farmer's control while the other three can be managed, texture is the correct answer.

2. 2.Which of the following methods is inappropriate when introducing a new variety of rice farmers?
   1. A
      Distributing free samples of the new variety for farmers to try on a small scale
   2. B
      Educating farmers on the new variety through radio and extension talks
   3. C
      Compelling farmers by law to abandon their old variety for the new one
      Correct
   4. D
      Organizing demonstration plots to show farmers the new variety's performance
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Compelling farmers by law to abandon their old variety is the inappropriate method. Good agricultural extension practice is built on persuasion and voluntary adoption, not on force. A farmer who is compelled has not been convinced that the new rice variety is better, and compulsion destroys the trust between the extension worker and the farming community, which extension work depends on.

3. 3.The term fingerling refers to a young
   1. A
      Bird
   2. B
      Goat
   3. C
      Pig
   4. D
      Fish
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Fingerling is the term used in fish farming (aquaculture) for a young fish, usually at the stage after it has grown past the fry stage, with scales and fins fully formed, and is ready to be stocked into a pond for grow-out. Nigerian fish farmers commonly buy catfish or tilapia fingerlings to stock their ponds.

4. 4.Established pasture cannot be harvested by
   1. A
      Cutting for hay
   2. B
      Ensiling
   3. C
      Grazing
   4. D
      Burning
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Established pasture (grass/forage already growing on a paddock) is harvested or utilised in three main ways:

   Grazing — animals are turned onto the pasture to feed directly on the standing grass. This is the most common method of harvesting pasture.

   Cutting for hay — the grass is cut, dried in the sun, and stored as hay for feeding later, especially in the dry season.

5. 5.Which of the following organisms is not an endoparasite?
   1. A
      Tick
      Correct
   2. B
      Roundworm
   3. C
      Tapeworm
   4. D
      Liver fluke
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Endoparasites are organisms that live inside the body of their host, such as in the intestine, liver, or blood vessels, where they feed and reproduce out of sight.

   So the tick is the odd one out — it is the organism that is not an endoparasite.

6. 6.The act of parturition in rabbit is known as
   1. A
      Farrowing
   2. B
      Lambing
   3. C
      Kindling
      Correct
   4. D
      Kidding
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Kindling is correct. In agricultural science, parturition (the act of giving birth) has a special name for almost every farm animal, and in the rabbit it is called kindling.

   Students often mix these terms up because they all mean the same thing — giving birth — but each applies to a different animal:
   Farrowing is the term used for the pig, not the rabbit.
   Lambing applies to the sheep.
   Kidding applies to the goat.

7. 7.A farmer obtained a loan of #250,000 at a simple interest rate of 8% per annum to be paid in two years, what would be the interest the farmer will pay on the loan?
   1. A
      ₦20,000
   2. B
      ₦290,000
   3. C
      ₦50,000
   4. D
      ₦40,000
      Correct
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D

   Simple interest formula: I = (P × R × T) / 100, where P is the principal (loan amount), R is the rate per annum, and T is the time in years.

   Here, P = ₦250,000, R = 8% per annum, and T = 2 years.

   I = (250,000 × 8 × 2) / 100
   I = 4,000,000 / 100
   I = ₦40,000

   So the farmer will pay ₦40,000 as interest on the loan.

8. 8.The digestive function of the rumen in ruminant nutrition is enhanced by the
   1. A
      micro-organisms (bacteria and protozoa) it contains
      Correct
   2. B
      villi lining its inner wall
   3. C
      secretion of hydrochloric acid in its wall
   4. D
      constant churning action of its muscular wall
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   The rumen is the largest compartment of a ruminant's stomach, and unlike the abomasum (the "true stomach"), it does not produce digestive enzymes or acid of its own. What makes the rumen so effective at digesting feed is the huge population of micro-organisms (bacteria and protozoa) living inside it. These micro-organisms ferment the cellulose and other fibrous plant material the animal eats, breaking it down into volatile fatty acids and other nutrients the animal can absorb and use. This microbial fermentation is the real reason ruminants can live on roughage that monogastric animals cannot digest.

9. 9.Which of the following sources of farm power is most versatile in West Africa?
   1. A
      Animal power
   2. B
      Human power
      Correct
   3. C
      Mechanical power
   4. D
      Wind power
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Human power is correct. In farm power classification, man (human labour) is regarded as the most versatile source of farm power because a person can perform almost any farm operation — clearing, planting, weeding, harvesting, processing, handling livestock — using simple tools, in any terrain, without needing fuel, special training, roads, or maintenance. This flexibility to adapt to varied tasks and conditions is exactly what "versatile" means.

10. 10.Callosobruchus maculatus is a common pest of
    1. A
       Groundnut seeds in storage
    2. B
       Maize grains in storage
    3. C
       Rice grains in storage
    4. D
       Cowpea (beans) in storage
       Correct
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: D

    Callosobruchus maculatus is the scientific name for the cowpea weevil (also called the cowpea seed beetle or cowpea bruchid). It is one of the most destructive pests of stored cowpea (beans) in Nigeria and across West Africa.

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

Spotted a wrong answer? Tell us from the app or on the contact page and we check it.

Practise all 42 questions we hold from the 2015 paper, on a timed CBT screen

Every question has the answer and an explanation, in the Skolra app.

Download for WindowsDownload for Mac

About the app · Skolra for Windows · Skolra for Mac