WAEC Agricultural Science 2016 past questions

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

Ten questions from the 2016 WAEC Agricultural Science paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 40 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Agricultural Science 2016 questions and answers

1. 1.A beef cow gained 75 kg over a period of two months and two days. What is its average weight gain?
   1. A
      1.17 kg per day
   2. B
      37.5 kg per day
   3. C
      1.21 kg per day
      Correct
   4. D
      1.25 kg per day
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Average weight gain is found by dividing the total weight gained by the total number of days over which the animal was weighed.

   The cow gained 75 kg over two months and two days. In agricultural science calculations, a month is taken as 30 days, so the period is:
   (2 × 30) + 2 = 62 days.

   So the correct average weight gain is 1.21 kg per day.

2. 2.Which of the following activities is not a marketing function?
   1. A
      Transportation of produce
   2. B
      Production of crops
      Correct
   3. C
      Grading of produce
   4. D
      Storage of produce
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Marketing functions are the activities that move produce from the farm gate to the final consumer, after it has already been produced. The standard marketing functions taught in the Nigerian agricultural science syllabus are: buying/assembling, storage, transportation, processing, grading/standardization, financing, risk-bearing, and the provision of market information.

3. 3.Cropping in fish farming is the act of
   1. A
      picking out and removing only the matured, marketable fish from the pond while leaving the smaller ones to continue growing
      Correct
   2. B
      removing sick or dead fish from the pond so that disease does not spread
   3. C
      sorting fish in the pond into different size groups before they are sold
   4. D
      removing all the fish from the pond at a single harvest to end the production cycle
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Cropping in fish farming is the practice of selectively removing only the matured (marketable-size) fish from the pond, using a scoop net or hand-picking, while leaving the smaller/immature ones behind to continue growing until they too reach market size. It is a form of partial, repeated harvesting carried out over time rather than a single clean-out of the pond.

4. 4.Lost soil nutrients can be replenished by the following methods except
   1. A
      Crop rotation
   2. B
      Application of farmyard manure
   3. C
      Bush burning
      Correct
   4. D
      Application of fertilizer
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Bush burning is the odd one out. It does not replenish soil nutrients — it destroys them.

   Crop rotation replenishes soil nutrients because growing legumes (like cowpea or groundnut) in the rotation fixes nitrogen into the soil through their root nodules, restoring what cereal crops removed.

5. 5.In chemical weathering of rocks, the equation Fe,2O3+3H2O → Fe2O33H2O represents
   1. A
      Hydration
      Correct
   2. B
      Hydrolysis
   3. C
      Oxidation
   4. D
      Carbonation
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   Hydration is correct. In the equation Fe₂O₃ + 3H₂O → Fe₂O₃.3H₂O, water molecules simply attach themselves to the iron(III) oxide to form a hydrated compound (this is limonite, a common product of rock weathering). Notice that iron and oxygen are not gaining or losing anything to the water – the water is only added onto the crystal structure. That addition of water of crystallisation, without any chemical breakdown, is exactly what hydration means.

6. 6.The most limiting factor affecting land availability for agriculture in urban settlements is
   1. A
      High cost of land
      Correct
   2. B
      Fragmentation of farmland into small plots
   3. C
      Land tenure system restricting ownership
   4. D
      Poor fertility of urban soils
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: A

   High cost of land is the most limiting factor affecting land availability for agriculture in urban settlements.

7. 7.Which of the following statement is a disadvantage of decaying organic matter in soils?
   1. A
      It raises the organic matter and nutrient content of the soil
   2. B
      It temporarily reduces the nitrogen available to crops as micro-organisms use it up during decomposition
      Correct
   3. C
      It increases the soil's water-holding capacity
   4. D
      It improves the aeration and crumb structure of the soil
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   Correct answer: decaying organic matter temporarily reduces the nitrogen available to crops, because the micro-organisms doing the decomposing use up soil nitrogen to build their own bodies before it becomes available to plants again.

8. 8.Land is said to be a fixed asset in Agriculture. This means that
   1. A
      its soil nutrients and vegetative cover can always be replaced
   2. B
      its physical features and topography remain fixed and unchanging
      Correct
   3. C
      its total land area can be increased through reclamation
   4. D
      its micro-organism population stays constant throughout the year
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B

   In Agricultural Science, land is classed as a fixed asset because, unlike the things that happen on it, the land itself does not change in its basic physical form. Its physical features and topography remain fixed and unchanging is correct: the slope, contour, drainage pattern and general terrain of a given piece of land stay the same over time, which is exactly what makes it "fixed" as opposed to the crops, livestock or soil fertility on it, which are constantly changing.

   So the key idea to remember is: land is "fixed" in Agriculture because its physical form and topography do not change, even though what is grown on it and how fertile it is can change a great deal.

9. 9.Most farm business fail because of
   1. A
      inadequate farm land
   2. B
      unfavourable weather conditions
   3. C
      poor management
      Correct
   4. D
      high cost of farm inputs
   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C

   Poor management is the correct answer.

   In Farm Management, a farm business is a system that must be planned, organised, directed and controlled like any other business. Most farm businesses that fail do so not because of a single bad season or one costly input, but because the farmer lacks the management skills to plan properly, keep accurate records, make sound decisions on what to produce and in what quantity, and adjust to changing circumstances. This is why farm management is taught as a distinct, essential subject area — management failure is the root cause behind most farm collapses.

10. 10.Crop rotation is often used in maintaining soil fertility because
    1. A
       it allows only leguminous crops to be grown on the land every season
    2. B
       it raises the soil's acidity, making nutrients more available to plant roots
    3. C
       it permits the same crop to be planted continuously without any drop in yield
    4. D
       different crops take up soil nutrients in varying types and amounts, so no single nutrient is completely exhausted
       Correct
    Show answerHide answer

    Answer: D

    Crop rotation means growing different types of crops in a planned sequence on the same piece of land, season after season, instead of planting the same crop repeatedly.

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 40 questions we hold from the 2016 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