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AGRICULTURE

QUESTIONS AND MODEL ANSWERS

FOR

STANDARD 5, 6, 7 AND 8

BY ZIKOMO MASESE BANDA

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STANDARD 5 AGRICULTURE

1. Define the term Agriculture

 Agriculture means the practice of growing crops and rearing animals on land for people’s
use
2. Mention any two branches of agriculture
 Crop production
 Animal production
3. List any six examples of sub-branches under crop production
 Agronomy
 Pomoculture
 Silviculture
 Agroforestry
 Horticulture
 Olericulture
4. List any six examples of sub-branches under animal production
 Cattle farming
 Goat farming
 Pig farming
 Poultry farming
 Bee farming
5. Give any three importance of agriculture
 Source of income
 Source of raw materials
 Source of employment
6. Give two types of farming
 Subsistence farming
 Commercial farming
7. What is commercial farming?
 Commercial farming is growing crops and keeping animals for business
8. Describe the term subsistence farming
 Subsistence farming means growing crops and keeping of animals for food
9. List any two characteristics of subsistence farming
 Production of food to feed the family
 Production of crops and animals which are sold at low price
 Dependency mainly on rainfall
 Low levels of input
 There is rarely a surplus for sale
10. Explain why farming is regarded as a business
 Because farmers grow crops and raise animals with the aim of making a profit
11. State any four farm business activities
 Decision making

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 Financing
 Record keeping
 Marketing
12. What does the word ‘agricultural environment’ mean?
 Agricultural environment means everything surrounding crops and farm animals
13. Mention any five examples of agricultural environment
 Plants
 Animals
 Soil
 Water
 Sunlight
14. Mention any three ways in which soil is important to agricultural production
 It is where agricultural production takes place
 It provides nutrients to crops
 It is used to construct animal houses

The figure below are illustrations a, b and c. Use them to answer questions 15 to 18

a b c

15. Identify the unfavourable conditions of major elements of the agricultural environment in
illustrations a, b and c
 a = flood
 b = wind
 c = pests
16. Give any three negative effects of agricultural environment to agricultural production
 Poor plant growth
 Death of crops and farm animals
 Destruction of farm buildings
17. Explain why agricultural environment should be managed
 To reduce harmful effects on agricultural production
18. Give any six ways of managing unfavourable conditions of the major elements of the agricultural
environment
 Applying fertilizer
 Digging water drains
 Weeding the garden
 Constructing a wind break

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 Spraying chemicals
 Planting trees
19. List six farm tools
 Rake
 Hoe
 Hand fork
 Hand trowel
 Watering can
 Sickle
20. Describe the uses of farm tools mentioned in question 19
i. Rake
 For levelling the land
ii. Hoe
 For digging the soil
iii. Hand fork
 For loosening the soil in the garden
iv. Hand trowel
 For lifting seedlings from nursery beds
v. Watering can
 For supplying water
vi. Sickle
 For harvesting rice
21. What is the importance of farm tools?
 They help to make farm work easy
22. Why must farm tools be handled and used properly?
 To avoid accidents
23. Give any four ways of maintaining farm tools
 Sharpening blunt blades
 Replacing broken handles
 Removing mud after use
 Oiling and painting to avoid rust
24. Give any four cash crops grown in Malawi
 Cotton
 Tobacco
 Tea
 Coffee
25. List any four food crops grown in Malawi
 Maize
 Rice
 Banana
 Wheat

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26. What are crop husbandry practices?

 Crop husbandry practices are all activities done when growing crops
27. Give any four crop husbandry practices
 Ploughing
 Fertilizer application
 Harvesting
 Storing
28. State any four activities of land preparation for planting maize
 Site selection
 Cleaning the land
 Ridging
 Making planting stations
29. Explain any two reasons for preparing land early for growing maize
 Easy to till the land
 Helps a farmer to grow with first rains
30. Give any reasons for planting maize early
 Helps crops to use soil nutrients and moisture adequately
 Helps to prevent pests and diseases
31. Define the term weeds
 Weeds means unwanted plants in a garden
32. What is weeding
 Weeding is the removal of unwanted plants in the garden
33. Give any four methods of weeding
 Light hoeing
 Hand picking
 Slashing
 Chemical weeding
34. Give any three importance of weeding
 Helps to reduce competition of sunlight, water, nutrients and air between weeds and crops
 Helps to improve soil nutrients
 Helps to reduce pests and diseases
35. Explain why weeding should be done as soon as weeds appear
 To avoid competition of nutrients between crops and weeds
36. Explain why fertilizer should be applied correctly at the right time
 To provide the needed plant nutrients
37. Give any three methods of applying fertilizer
 Broadcasting
 Banding
 Dollop
38. Give any four pests of maize
 Army worms

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 Rodents
 Maize weevil
 Locusts
39. State any two importance of trees to animals
 Provide shelter
 Home for wild animals
40. Give any two signs which show that maize is ready for harvesting
 When cobs are dry
 When leaves are normally dry
41. Define the term drenching
 Drenching means giving medicine to the animals through the mouth

Figure below are pictures of maize pests. Use it to answer questions 42 to 44

a b c d
42. Mention the maize pests labelled a, b, c and d
 a = stalk borer
 b = maize weevil
 c = army worms
 d = red locusts
43. Explain how the maize pests mentioned in question 41 can be controlled
a. Maize weevil – applying chemicals
b. Stalk borer – early planting
c. Army worms – reporting to agricultural office
d. Red locusts – reporting to agricultural office
44. Which part of the crop is attacked by the pest marked a?
 Stalk
45. Explain two ways of harvesting maize
 Picking the cobs straight from standing plants
 Picking cobs from stalks in a stock
46. Give two types of houses for each type of animals below
a. Cattle → Pole and thatch cattle house
→ barbed wire cattle
b. Chicken → battery cage chicken house
→ deep litter chicken house
c. Goat → Raised goat house
→ Unraised goat house
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47. Mention any three characteristics of a good animal house

 Have strong walls
 Well-thatched
 Solid floor
 Well ventilated
 Well-drained
48. Give any two reasons for housing farm animals properly
 To prevent animals from bad weather
 To prevent animals from predators
 Easy control of animals
 Easy to collect products
49. List any three importance of feeding animals properly
 Maintenance of life
 Production of meat, milk, eggs and power
 Protecting animals from diseases
50. Give any three effects of diseases on animal production
 Loss of production
 Loss of animals
 Transmission of diseases to human beings
 Poor quality meat
 Poor quality milk
 Death of animals
51. Mention three ways of controlling diseases in animals
 Vaccinating
 Drenching
 Quarantine
52. Define the term drenching
 Drenching means giving medicine to the animals through the mouth
53. What is quarantine?
 Quarantine is separating sick animals from health ones
54. Explain any one way of controlling animal parasites
 By dipping animals
55. State any two ways of improving local breeds
 Selecting animals with good characteristics
 Cross breeding
 Out breeding
56. Give any two parasites that transmit diseases
 Tsetse fly
 Worms
57. Which disease is spread by a parasite called Tsetse fly
 Sleeping sickness

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58. Give two types of trees grown in Malawi

 Exotic trees
 Indigenous trees
59. Explain two ways of improving indigenous trees
 By applying manure
 By raising seedlings properly
 By weeding
 By pruning them
 By constructing firebreaks around them
60. Explain any two importance of trees to people
 Source of medicine
 Source of furniture
 Source of firewood
 Source of food
 Provision of shelter
61. Quarantine means
 Restricting movement of sick animals
62. Which of the following crops belongs to “Silviculture”: rape, pumpkins, blue gum, marigold?
 Blue gum
63. Arrange the following crops into “food crops” and “cah crops”: cotton, cassava, sunflower and
maize
Food crops Cash crops
cassava cotton

maize sunflower

64. Give any three characteristics of “exotic” trees.

 Trees grow uniformly
 Trees are grown for a purpose
 Trees are properly spaced and forming a pattern
 Trees of one type are grown

Figure below is a diagram of a learner harvesting maize. Use it to answer questions 65 and 66

65. Identify the method of harvesting maize.

 Stooking

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66. Why is this method recommended to farmers?

 To allow the cobs to dry quickly
67. To which sub-branch of crop production does the growing of mangoes belong?
 Horticulture

Figure below is a diagram of a farm tool. Use it to answer questions 68 and 69.

68. What is the name of the farm tool?

 Hand fork
69. What is the use of the tool?
 Loosening soil in a vegetable garden

Figure below is a diagram of a farm animal. Use it to answer questions 70 and 71.

70. What is the name of the animal?

 Horse
71. What is the advantage of keeping the animal?
 Source of transport

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STANDARD 6 AGRICULTURE

1. Define farm records

 Farm records are written information that a farmer keeps on different activities carried
out on a farm
2. Mention any three importance of farm records
 Help a farmer to make important decisions
 Help a farmer in budgeting and planning
 Help a farmer to calculate profit or loss
 Help a farmer to select livestock
 Help a farmer to obtain loans
3. Mention two types of farm records
 Physical farm records
 Financial farm records
4. What are physical farm records?
 Physical farm records are all farm records dealing with production
5. Name any four examples of physical farm records
 Field operations record
 Crop records
 Labour records
 Layers records
 Milk production records
 Inventory records
6. What are financial farm records?
 Financial farm records are records dealing with money on a farm
7. Give two examples of financial farm records
 Sales records
 Expenditure records
 Production records
8. Name any five sources of water
 Rivers
 Lakes
 Streams
 Dams
 Wells
9. Explain any three uses of water to crops
 Irrigating crops
 Seed germination
 Pollination of flowers
 Making plant food
 Transportation of farm inputs and produce

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10. Give any four uses of water in livestock production

 For drinking
 Fish farming
 Dip tanks
 Washing utensils

An illustration below shows one of the uses of water to livestock. Use it to answer question 11

11. Give the use of the water to livestock shown in the illustration above
 dipping animals
12. State any two ways of improving availability of water
 Avoiding cutting down trees carelessly around sources of water
 Construction of dams and boreholes
 Provision of piped water
13. Give two ways of improving the quality of water
 Avoiding putting wastes in rivers
 Adding chlorine to dirty water
14. Define the term irrigation
 Irrigation means supplying water onto a field to enable crops to grow
15. Give two importance of irrigation
 Avoiding risks of hunger
 Helps farmers to grow crops several times a year
16. Figure below shows different methods of irrigation. Use it to answer questions that follow

a b c d

i) Identify irrigation methods labelled a, b, c and d

a = Sprinkler irrigation
b = Drip irrigation
c = Basin irrigation
d = Flood irrigation
ii) Which type of irrigation is suitable for rice?
 d
iii) Describe how the irrigation system labelled a works
 Water is supplied to crops through pipes which have nozzles at one end to spray the water

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17. Give the meaning of the term soil

 Soil is the loose material covering the earth’s surface
18. Name four components of soil
 Inorganic matter
 Organic matter
 Soil water
 Soil air
19. State any three ways in which soil is important
 It holds plants
 It provides plants with mineral salts, water and air
 Home of soil organisms
20. Name two examples of soil organisms
 Earthworms
 Termites
21. List farm implements used in Malawi
 Wheelbarrow
 Maize Sheller
 Ox-cart
 Treadle pump
 Motorized pump
 Wind mill
22. What are the uses of the following?
a. Wheel barrow
 Transporting materials
b. Maize Sheller
 Shelling dry maize
c. Oxcart
 Transporting farm produce
d. Treadle pump
 Irrigating crops
e. Motorized pump
 Drawing water
f. Wind mill
 Drawing water
 Generating electricity
23. State any three safety rules to be observed when using farm implements
 Using farm implements properly
 Checking implements before use
 Dressing suitably for the task
 Ensuring that implements are in good state of repair
 Greasing all moving parts

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 Properly fixing the wheel axle

 Repair worn out parts
24. Give any two farm implements that can be greased
 Wheelbarrow
 Oxcart
25. State any two reasons for maintaining farm implements
 To make farm implements last longer
 To avoid accidents
26. Explain the meaning of the term farming calendar
 A farming calendar is a list of activities to be done in each month of the year for a given
crop
27. State two importance of farming calendar
 Source of farm records
 Guides the farmer to carry out all farming activities at the appropriate time
28. State any three reasons for land preparation
 Easy to till the land
 Promotes the decomposition of crop residues
 Enables a farmer to plant with the first rains
29. List two activities involved in land preparation
 Site selection
 Clearing the land
 Ridging
 Making box ridges
 Ploughing the land
30. Identify any three factors to consider when selecting seeds and planting materials for cassava
and groundnuts
 Ability to germinate
 Large size
 Wholeness
 Free from diseases
 Purity
 Maturity
 Suitable variety for climate of the area
31. Give any three varieties of groundnuts
 Chalimbana
 Chitembana
 CG1
 Nsinjiro
 Manipintar
 Mawanga
 RG1

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 Malimba
 Kakoma
32. List the three improved varieties of cassava
 Silira
 Maunjiri
 Mkondezi
33. List three local varieties of cassava
 Manyokola (mbundumali)
 Gomani
 Chitembwere
34. Why should cassava cuttings be planted at an angle?
 To prevent the cutting from rotting
35. Explain the importance of supplying in groundnuts
 Helps to maintain plant population
36. Define the term “weeding”
 Weeding is the removal of unwanted plants in a garden
37. List four methods of weeding groundnuts and cassava
 Using hoes
 Ploughing
 Using chemicals
 Using hands
38. List any four common weeds of groundnuts and cassava
 Chisoso (blackjack)
 Msothi
 Bonongwe
 Juba
 Namsongole
 Dawe
 Khovani
 Kalasawene
 Chilungumwamba
 Denje
 Likodza
 Volunteer crops such as maize
39. Give any three effects of weeds in groundnuts and cassava
 Competition for nutrients
 Competition for water
 Competition for sunlight
 Transmission of diseases
 Harbouring of pests

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40. Give any two pests of groundnuts

 Termites
 Aphids
41. List any two pests of cassava
 Mouse
 Hare
 Wild pig
 Monkey
 Porcupine
 Green spider
 Mites
 White flies
42. Figure below are common pests of cassava

a b c d e
Identify the pests labelled a, b, c, d and e
a = Mice
b = Hare
c = Wild pig
d = Monkey
e = Porcupine
43. Explain the cause of each of the following diseases of groundnuts
i. Rosette
 Caused by Virus
ii. Leaf spot
 Caused by Fungus
44. Explain the cause of each of the following diseases of cassava
i. Cassava mosaic
 Caused by Virus
ii. Bacteria blight
 Bacteria
45. How can monkeys be controlled in groundnuts and cassava field?
 Scaring them
 Trapping them
46. What damage do aphids cause to groundnuts?
 Sucking plant juice
 Transmitting a virus
47. Give any three ways of controlling diseases in cassava
 Early planting

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 Using healthy cuttings

 Uprooting and burying diseased plants
 Practicing crop rotation
48. Identify one sign of maturity for groundnuts
 When the inside of the pod is spotted pale brown
49. Identify one sign of maturity for cassava
 When the soil on which cassava grows starts to crack
50. Give two methods of processing cassava
 Heap fermentation
 Soaking fermentation
51. List the steps in heap fermentation
 Peeling the outer covers
 Slicing
 Heap to ferment
 Drying
52. List the steps in soaking fermentation
 Peeling
 Soaking in containers
 Cleaning
 Pounding
 Drying
53. Why is bitter cassava fermented?
 To remove the toxic substances
54. State any three storage facilities for groundnuts
 Clay pots
 Granaries
 Sacks
55. Figure below shows storage of groundnuts labelled a, b and c

a b c

Identify the storage facilities labelled a, b and c

a. = Sacks
b. = Clay pot
c. = Granary
56. Why are farmers encouraged to store cassava in processed form only?
 It helps cassava to stay longer
 It helps to improve quality

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57. Explain why cassava chips should be kept dry and away from wet conditions
 To prevent them from developing moulds
58. Define the term poultry
 Poultry means all domesticated birds
59. Mention any two examples of layers
 Hyline
 White leghorn
 Shavers
60. List any two examples of broilers
 Stabro
 Indian River
 Ross
61. List any three types of poultry
 Turkeys
 Chickens
 Pigeons
 Geese
 Ducks
 Guinea fowls
62. Give any three importance of poultry
 Source of food
 Source of income
 Source of raw materials
 Beautification
 Source of manure
 Source of employment
63. How do layers differ from broilers?
 Layers give eggs while broilers give meat
64. Mention three main systems of keeping chickens
 Free range system
 Semi-intensive system
 Intensive system
65. Give two characteristics of a good cock
 Strong body
 Bright eyes
 Large smooth comb
 Strong and healthy legs
66. Give two advantages of mating a Black Austrolop cock with a local hen
 It helps to improve meat and egg production
 Offsprings will have better resistance to diseases
 Offsprings will survive under hard conditions

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67. Identify the animal houses labelled a, b and c in the figure below

a b c

a. = Free range system

b. = Semi-intensive system
c. = Intensive system
68. Give any two disadvantages of free range system of keeping chickens
 Difficult to control breeding
 Predators can catch chickens
 Chickens can easily catch diseases
 Difficult to collect eggs
69. Explain any two advantages of semi-intensive system of keeping chickens
 Easy to collect manure
 Easy to collect eggs
 Easy to control diseases
 Chickens do not go far away
 Chickens can be fed on locally made feed
70. Give any two advantages of deep litter
 Many chickens can be kept in a small area
 Chickens are well protected from predators and diseases
 More eggs and meat are produced
71. Give any two advantages of battery cage
 Clean eggs are collected
 High egg, meat and manure production
 No contamination of food and water with droppings
 Chickens cannot eat eggs
 No cannibalism
72. State one importance of wire mesh in a deep litter system
 For ventilation
73. What type of feed is given to chickens of two week old broilers?
 Broiler starter mash
74. What type of feed is given to chickens of layers at the age of 20 weeks?
 Layers mash
75. Name any two chicken products that can be sold
 Eggs
 Chicken meat
 Manure

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76. Identify chicken houses labelled a and b

a b
a = deep litter
b = battery cage
77. Give any materials used for making deep litter chicken house
 Wire mesh
 Poles
 Iron sheets
 Bricks
78. Give any four sources of protein in locally prepared chicken feed
 Cotton seed meal
 Groundnut meal
 Fish meal
 Meat and bone meat
79. Give two characteristics of a good hen
 Broad head with a blunt, short beak
 Bright eyes
 Large smooth comb
 Well-built and roomy body
 Strong legs
 A wide, moist vent
80. List any five diseases of chickens
 Newcastle
 Fowl pox
 Coughs
 Sneezing
 Coccidiosis
 Fowl cholera
81. List any four parasites of chickens
 Roundworms
 Tapeworms
 Scaly legs mites
 Fleas
 Lice
82. Identify two internal parasites of chickens
 Roundworms
 Tapeworms

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83. Identify external parasites of chicken in the illustrations labelled a and b

a b
 a = mite
 b = lice
84. Identify the chicken products labelled a, b and c below

a b c
a. = eggs
b. = live chicken
c. = dressed chicken
85. List any four places where chickens and chicken products can be sold
 Local markets
 District council markets
 Town markets
 Hotels
 Restaurants
 Supermarkets
86. List procedures for marketing chicken products
 Cleaning
 Grading
 Packaging
 Setting a market price
 Storing while awaiting selling
 Transporting
87. State two qualities of a good seed
 Disease free
 Plump
 From mature fruits
 High germination percentage
88. Identify any two methods of seed treatment
 Nick
 Remove from pod
 Remove from fleshy pulp
89. Mention a common nursery disease
 Damping off
90. List two methods of sowing seeds
 Putting seeds in packets
 Putting seeds in furrows

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91. Give three ways of managing nursery beds

 Watering
 Weeding
 Thinning
92. Figure below shows ways of treating seeds for sowing. Use it to answer question that follows.

a b

Identify ways of seed treatment shown in the illustrations labelled a and b

 a = cutting a seed coat with a knife
 b = rubbing a seed with sandpaper
93. Figure below is an illustration showing methods of sowing seeds.

a b

State the methods of sowing seeds in illustration labelled a and b

 a = Putting seeds in packets
 b = Putting seeds in furrows
94. Why is it important to make flat beds?
 It helps to avoid runoff
95. Why should seedlings be hardened off?
 It helps to prepare seedlings for the hot and dry conditions in the woodlot
96. Explain any three ways in which weeding is important in a nursery
 It helps to reduce competition for nutrients, water, light and space
 It reduces the incidence of pests and diseases
 It allows for water filtration
97. Give any three ways of preventing damping off
 Following recommended spacing
 Using clean farm tools
 Frequent weeding
98. Why is hand weeding recommended in a nursery?
 Avoiding damaging the roots
99. Why is it important to water seedlings before transplanting?
 To soften the nursery bed
100. Define woodlot
 Woodlot is an area covered by trees

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101. Figure below shows a farm activity. Use to answer questions that follow

i) Identify the farm activity in the figure above

 Hand weeding
ii) Why is it necessary to use that method of farm activity?
 To avoid damaging the roots
102. Give any three pests in a nursery bed
 Caterpillars
 Ants
 Termites
 Beetles
 Cutworms

Figure below is a diagram of common pests that cause damage to groundnuts. Use it to answer
questions 103 and 104

103. Which pests attack groundnuts at storage stage?

 X and Y
104. Which letter represents a rodent?
 Y
105. Why should seedlings be transplanted on a cloudy day or early in the morning?
 To avoid wilting
106. Describe the term ‘seed supply’
 Seed supply means replacing seeds in dead plant stations
107. What is thinning?
 Thinning is the removal of excess plants in a plant station
108. Why is supply important?
 Helps to maintain plant population
109. Give one importance of thinning crops
 Helps to reduce competition of crops on necessities such as water, sunlight and air
110. What is mulching?
 Mulching is the process of covering the soil around a crop to conserve moisture

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111. Give any three importance of mulching

 Helps in controlling weed growth
 It improves soil fertility
 Helps to conserve moisture
112. Define pruning in trees
 Pruning is the process of removing unwanted tree branches
113. Explain why pruning materials should be sharp
 To avoid bruising or cracking stems
114. Why is pruning done from the bottom upwards?
 To avoid tearing the bark
115. Figure below is a diagram showing a farm tool. Use it to answer questions that follow

a. Name the farm tool.

 Oxcart
b. Name the part labelled Z
 Yoke
c. What are the functions of the parts labelled X and Y?
 X = loading goods
 Y = rolling on the ground when the cart is pulled
116. Table below shows an example of a physical farm record. Use it to answer the questions that
follow

CROP PLOT NO. HECTARE YIELD (kg/ha)

Cassava 1 1 2 500
Maize 2 1 20 000
Sweet potatoes 3 1 25 000

a. Identify the physical farm record

 Yield record
b. Which crop hard the highest yield?
 Sweet potatoes

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c. Calculate the amount of money the farmer obtained if maize was sold at K40.00 per
kilogramme

20 000 𝑘𝑔
40.00 x
1 𝑘𝑔

= K800 000

Figure below is a diagram showing learners managing a woodlot. Use it to answer questions 117
and 118

117. Name the management activity being done by the learners

 Making a fire break
118. The management activity helps
 Protect trees from fire

Figure below is a diagram of a method of managing a woodlot. Use it to answer questions that
follow

(i) Identify the method of managing the woodlot

 Mulching
(ii) Give any two reasons why the method of managing the woodlot is important
 It helps in controlling weed growth
 It improves the soil fertility
119. State any one safety measure to be followed when using a treadle pump
 Check the pulley and rope before use

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120. List any two ways of maintaining a treadle pump

 Replace worn-out parts
 Grease moving parts to reduce friction
121. Which way can help a farmer when dry spells destroy crops
 Irrigating the crops
122. Why are farmers advised to face away from wind when spraying chemicals to crops?
 To avoid inhaling chemicals
123. Why should farmers sell their crops when they are scarce?
 To make profit
124. Why should a farm-cart be fitted with reflectors?
 To avoid accidents
125. What is the best time to start keeping farm records?
 When farming activities have started
126. Figure below is a diagram of a chicken that has been attacked by a disease. Use it to answer
questions that follow.

(i) Name the disease that has attacked the chicken

 New castle
(ii) State any two signs of the disease
 Walking backward
 Loss of balance
 Falling on one side
 Twisting of eye
 Paralysis
 Coughing
 Sneezing
 Difficulty in breathing
(iii) Give any one way of preventing the disease mentioned in question 126 (i)
 Vaccination
127. In which record are the daily activities on a farm shown?
 Field operations record
128. Give any three sources of protein in locally prepared chicken feed
 Cotton seed meal
 Groundnut meal
 Fish meal
 Meat and bone meal

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Figure below is a diagram showing a farm implement. Use it to answer questions 129 and 130.

129. What is the name of the farm implement?

 Wheelbarrow
130. Which part would require greasing during maintenance?
 L

Figure below is a diagram of a farm tool. Use it to answer questions 131 and 132

131. The farm tool is

 A water trough
132. For which farm enterprise is the farm tool used?
 Poultry enterprise

Figure below is a diagram of a system of keeping poultry. Use it to answer questions 133 and 134

133. What is the name of the system?

 Semi-intensive system
134. Give any one advantage of using the system.
 Controls diseases

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STANDARD 7 AGRICULTURE

1. What are factors of production?

 Factors of production are the resources that are used to produce crops and livestock
2. Give four major factors of production
 Land
 Capital
 Labour
 Management
3. Describe four factors of production
 Labour means effort of people in doing farm operations
 Capital refers to materials available on the farm for production
 Land is the place where most of farming activities take place
 Management refers to the farmer’s knowledge and skills in performing operations
4. Give any two examples of farm management
 Making farming decisions
 Budgeting for farm activities
5. Explain two ways how land affects production
 High fertile land produces more yield
 Large land produces more yield
6. Explain how four factors of production affect farm production
 The sufficiency in quantity and quality agricultural production will give high yield
7. Define marketing functions
 Marketing functions are activities conducted by producers or intermediate buyers in order
to make profit and satisfy customers
8. List down any three marketing functions
 Buying
 Selling
 Processing
 Grading
 Packaging
 Advertising
 Storage
 Transporting
 Marketing research
9. Give any six activities in buying
 Determining needed goods
 Identifying where to obtain the goods
 Choosing desirable goods
 Bargaining
 Paying for goods

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 Collecting the goods

10. List down any two activities in selling
 Deciding where to sell farm produce
 Displaying products to attract customers
 Pricing products
 Issuing products
 Collecting payments
11. What is processing?
 Processing is changing raw materials into finished products
12. Explain the importance of food processing
 Processing increases the value and usefulness of agricultural products
13. Explain how transporting farm produce is important
 Goods are made readily available to customers
14. What is market research?
 Market research is the process of finding out various products in different markets
15. What is the importance of market research?
 Helps the farmer to know what to produce and where to sell
16. Define the term grading
 Grading means the process of sorting out the produce to ensure uniformity in quality
17. List down any four factors to consider when grading
 Weight
 Age
 Size
 Taste
 Tenderness
 Shape
 Colour
18. What is storage?
 Storage is keeping things in a safe place
19. Explain why storage is important
 Helps to preserve the quality of the produce
 Makes the product available when customers need it most
 Helps the farmer to sell at a better price to increase profit
20. Define the term advertising
 Advertising means telling people about a product
21. List down any four ways of advertising
 Door to door
 Radios
 Using newspapers
 Posters

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22. Explain why advertising is important

 Helps in increasing sales
23. Define water cycle
 Water cycle means the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of
the earth in different forms
24. Give the forms of water cycle
 Liquid
 Gas
 Solid
25. Describe the following movements of water;
o Evaporation
 The loss of water from soil and water bodies into the atmosphere through water
vapour
o Transpiration
 Loss of water from the soil through plant openings
o Condensation
 Change of water vapour into droplets which also form clouds
o Precipitation
 Falling of water from the atmosphere in form of rain
o Surface run-off
 Flow of water on the soil surface following the slope of the land
o Infiltration
 Means entry of water into the soil
o Ground water
 Means large amounts of water stored below the earth’s land surface
o Open water bodies
 This refers to water existing on the land surface
26. What is water pollution?
 Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies
27. Give any six causes of water pollution
 Disposal of human wastes
 Siltation of water bodies
 Use of poisonous herbs and chemicals when catching fish
 Disposal of domestic, industrial and hospital wastes
 Application of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides to crops in the fields which are eroded
into water bodies
 Construction of pit latrines close to water bodies
28. Give any four effects of water pollution
 Death of plants
 Death of livestock
 Reduced work done by farmers due to sickness

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 Blocking irrigation pipes

 Shortage of water for irrigation
29. State any six ways of controlling water pollution
 Building proper and well located pit latrines
 Using recommended chemicals for agricultural activities
 Avoiding urinating and defecating in water bodies
 Avoiding damping wastes in water bodies
 Fencing wells and boreholes
 Providing ground cover to prevent siltation
30. Give five ways of keeping water safe
 Boiling
 Adding chemicals such as chlorine and water guard
 Filtering
 Protecting boreholes and wells
 Siting pit latrines away from water sources
31. Explain why filtering is important after boiling
 Helps to separate boiled water from wastes
32. List down ways of conserving water
 Use of vegetative cover
 Application of organic matter
 Mulching
 Use of contour ridges, bunds and box ridges
 Making dams
 Removing silt from water bodies
 Maintaining ridges across the slope
 Maintaining vegetative cover along river banks
 Making ridges across the slope
33. Explain how surface run-off can be harvested
 By making check dams in gardens
34. What is soil texture?
 Soil texture is coarseness or fineness of the soil
35. State three classes of soil
 Sand
 Loam
 Clay
36. Give any six characteristics of sand
 Large particles
 Feels coarse
 Holds little water
 Little amount of nutrients
 Easier to till and ridge

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 Large air spaces

37. List down characteristics of loam soil
 Medium particles
 Feels fine and soft
 Medium air spaces
 Holds moderate amount of water
 Holds medium amount of nutrients
 Easier to till and ridge
38. List down characteristics of clay soil
 Small particles
 Feels sticky when wet
 Small air spaces
 Holds a lot of water
 Contains high amount of nutrients
 Difficult to till
39. List down any four crops suitable for sand soil
 Cassava
 Groundnuts
 Irish potatoes
 Sweet potatoes
40. Give any five crops that do well in loam soil
 Maize
 Groundnuts
 Beans
 Irish potatoes
 Tobacco
41. Give any three crops which do well in clay soil
 Rice
 Sugarcane
 Cotton
42. Define soil structure
 Soil structure means the arrangement of soil particles to form different shapes
43. Give any three types of soil structure
 Loose structure
 Crumb structure
 Compact structure
44. Define the term soil profile
 Soil profile refers to the vertical section through the soil showing horizontal layers.
45. What is soil erosion?
 Soil erosion is the removal of top soil by the action of water and wind

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46. Figure below shows soil profile. Study it carefully and answer questions that follow

i) Identify part labelled Y

 Weathered rock
ii) Mention one importance of layer marked W
 It has a high organic matter content
iii) Which layer has red or reddish brown colour?
 Sub-soil
iv) Part labelled Z is called parent rock. Give the other name for part labelled Z.
 Bed-rock
v) Explain why part labelled W is always dark brown or black in colour
 Because it has high organic matter content
47. Explain why top layer is good for agricultural activities
 Because it has high organic matter
48. Give any four types of soil erosion
 Rill erosion
 Sheet erosion
 Splash erosion
 Gully erosion
49. Name any three causes of soil erosion
 Careless cutting down of trees
 Cultivating on steep slopes
 Cultivating along river banks
 Making ridges along the slopes
50. List down any three effects of soil erosion
 Loss of fertile soil resulting into low yields
 Reduced amount of ground water
 Silting of rivers, streams, dams and lakes
 Formation of gullies
 Exposure of plant roots
51. List any two soil conservation methods
 Avoiding overstocking
 Making terraces on steep land
 Mulching

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 Correct spacing of crops

 Strip cropping
 Making ridges across the slope
 Making box ridges
52. The illustrations below show soil conservation methods labelled a, b, c, d, e and f. Please study
them and answer the questions that follow

a b c

d e f

i) Identify the ways of soil conservation labelled a, b, c, d, e and f

a = terraces on steep slope
b = mulching
c = strip cropping
d = ridges across the slope
e = box ridges
f = contour bands
ii) How does the conservation method labelled a conserve soil?
 By reducing the speed of running water
53. List down any three farm machinery
 Ploughs
 Ridgers
 Sprayers
54. What are the uses of farm machinery mentioned in question 53?
 Plough is used for tilling the land
 Ridger is used for making ridges
 Sprayer is used for applying chemicals to crops and animals to control pests, parasites and
diseases
55. Give any five safety measures when using ploughs
 Machine must be in good working order
 Soil must be fairly moist when either ploughing or ridging
 There must be no stumps or large stones in the field
 The nuts and bolts must be tight
 Oxen used to pull the plough must be well trained
 The yoke must be tied to the plough properly

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56. Figure below is a diagram of a farm implement. Use it to answer questions that follow

i) What is the name of the implement shown in the figure?

 A plough
ii) What is the advantage of using the implement?
 It helps to ease work
57. List down seven safety measures when using sprayers
 Keep the control tap tight
 Avoid sucking or blowing through the nozzles to prevent chemical poisoning
 Always wear protective clothing when spraying
 Face away from the wind side when spraying
 Wash the body with soap after spraying
 Clean the sprayer after use
58. Give any five ways of maintaining farm machinery
 Tightening nuts and bolts
 Greasing movable parts
 Replacing worn out parts
 Cleaning the machines and drying them
 Setting the machine correctly
 Using the machine for purpose it was made
59. Give the four main types of flowers
 Climbers or creepers
 Ground covers
 Trees
 Shrubs
60. Describe any two importance of flowers
 They decorate the surroundings
 They are a source of income
 They are a source of medicine
 They are a source of raw materials
 They provide protection
 They scare away harmful pests and other animals
61. Mention any three products harvested from flowers
 True seeds
 Cuttings
 Real flowers

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62. Mention any four ways of preserving flowers

 Air drying
 Pressing
 Dipping in mixture of water and glycerine
 Drying in silica gel
63. Define the term Bouquets
 Bouquets means a bunch of flowers carefully and beautifully arranged
64. Define the term wreath
 Wreath means a ring of flowers to show respect for a dead person
65. State two main types of vegetables
 Indigenous
 Exotic
66. What are indigenous vegetables?
 Are vegetables that are found naturally in a country
67. List down examples of indigenous vegetables
 Chisoso
 Mwana aligone
 Luni
 Bonongwe
 Limanda
 Thugwi
 Chewe
 Bowa
 Njerenjedza
68. What are exotic vegetables?
 These are vegetables introduced in the country from else where
69. List down examples of exotic vegetables
 Cabbage
 Rape
 Carrot
 Tomato
 Bowa
 Egg plant
70. Describe classes of vegetables and their examples
 Leaf vegetables. Examples are: cabbage, mustard, bonongwe, rape, chisoso
 Root, bulb, tube vegetables. Examples are: carrot, European potatoes, onion, beef root
 Fruit vegetables. Examples are: Tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, pumpkins, cucumber , okra
 Legume vegetables. Examples are:. Peas, beans
 Flower vegetables. Examples are: Pumpkins flower, cauliflower
71. Why is thinning done in vegetable nursery?
 Thinning reduces overcrowding of seedlings

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72. Identify classes of vegetables in the illustration labelled a, b, c and d below

a b c d

a. = Leaf vegetable
b. = Root, bulb, tuber vegetable
c. = Fruit vegetable
d. = Legume vegetable
73. List down any four importance of vegetables
 Source of food
 Source of income
 Source of employment
 Source of raw materials
74. List down four pests of vegetables in a vegetable nursery
 Aphids
 Grasshopper
 Cut worms
 Caterpillars
75. Describe how pests in vegetables can be controlled
 By spraying with Tephrosia or using smelly mulching material like lemon grass
76. Give any one disease of vegetables in the nursery
 Damping off
77. What causes damping off?
 Caused by fungus
78. Explain how damping off is promoted
 It is promoted by over watering
79. List down any five ways of preventing damping off in a vegetable nursery
 Sowing at recommended space
 Sterilizing the soil before sowing
 Dusting the seed with a fungicide such as captain and thiram
 Frequent weeding
 Avoid over watering
80. What name is given to material used for transplanting seedlings in vegetables
 Hand trowel
81. Define the term supplying
 It is the replacement of dead plants in plant stations
82. Explain why supply is important
 Helps to maintain correct plant population in order to increase productivity

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83. Give any three importance of fertilizer or manure to plants

 For development of green leaves
 For development of juicy leaves
 For further growth of the plants
84. Apart from damping off, list down any other six diseases of vegetables, their signs and how to
control them
a. Leaf spot

Sign: has yellowish or brown spots on leaves

Control: using clean seed, crop rotation, spraying Chlorothanil or Daconil

b. leaf bright

Sign: has brown black spot with a yellow margin on older leaves, stems and petioles

Control: using clean seed, crop rotation, field hygiene and spray recommended chemicals

c. black leg fungus

Sign: has red - brown spots on the leaves, root decay

Control: treating seeds before sowing, spraying recommended chemicals, crop rotation

d. Black - rot

Signs: blackening of the vascular tissues causing blockage of water supply, Yellow V-
shaped spots

Control: seed treatment, crop rotation, crop hygiene, and grow crops in cool season

e. Downy mildew
Sign: young plants develop irregular brown or white spots
Control: spray with Mancozel (Dithane m45)

f. Heart rot
Sign: the whole plant rots
Control: spray recommended chemicals, sterilize the beds before sowing, apply ash on the
leaves, crop hygiene
85. Give any five activities in nursery establishment for flowers
 Site selection
 Land preparation
 Planting or sowing
 Weeding
 Pest and disease control
 Hardening off

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86. Give three factors to consider when choosing site for nursery establishment for flowers
 Close to water supply for easy watering
 Close to home for protection
 Loam soil for good drainage
87. List down any three activities involved in land preparation
 Clearing the land
 Fencing the area
 Preparation of planting materials
88. Explain why planting materials should be cut in a slanting manner
 To allow water to drain away
89. Give any five activities involved in managing a flower nursery
 Watering
 Weeding
 Pest and disease control
 Hardening off
90. What is the recommended method of weeding in a flower nursery?
 Uprooting
91. Define hardening off
 Hardening off means reducing frequency of watering the nursery
92. Explain why hardening off is important
 It helps seedlings to withstand field conditions
93. Give any four factors to consider when selecting site for growing flowers
 Type of flowers
 Height of flowers
 Colour of flowers
 Colour of surroundings
94. Explain why watering the plants should be done 3 to 4 hours before transplanting
 So that roots, stems and leaves are full of water as well as the soil around the roots
95. Explain why a farmer mixes rich loam soil, sand and sawdust when transplanting flowers
 To make soil rich with nutrients and porous
96. Mention two common fertilizers for flowers?
 23:21:0+4S
 CAN
97. Which type of manure can be applied to flowers?
 Farm yard manure
 Animal khola manure
98. List down any four ways of weeding in flowers
 Hand weeding
 Light hoeing
 Slashing
 Chemical weeding

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99. When are ways of weeding in flowers used in a flower garden?

 Hand weeding → when weeds are very close to plants
 Hand weeding → when flower plants are closely space
 Light hoeing → when space between flowers allows use of a hoe without damaging
the flower
 Slashing → when flowers are widely spaced
 Chemical weeding → when controlling weeds before they emerge
100. Define the term ‘thinning’ in flowers
 Thinning means the removal of excess plants on a flower bed or field
101. Give three importance of thinning
 Reduces competition between the plants for nutrients, air, water, space and sunshine
 Ensures healthy growth of the flowers
 Maintains beauty of the flowers
102. Define pruning in flowers
 Pruning means the removal of unwanted parts of a flower plant
103. List down any four importance of pruning
 Improves quality of the flowers
 Maintains plant health
 Restricts growth
 Trains the plants
104. What is trimming?
 Trimming means cutting back of flower branches
105. Give three importance of trimming
 Makes a desirable shape
 Makes flower plants less bushy
 Restricts growth
106. Figure below shows a method of tending flowers. Use it to answer questions that follow

i) Identify the method of tending flowers

 Trimming
ii) Why is this method important in flower production? Give three reasons
 It restricts growth
 It makes flower plants less bushy
 It makes a desirable shape
107. What are the effects of pests and diseases to flower production?
 Cause damage to flower production
 Cause loss to flower production

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108. Give six pests of flowers

 Mealy bugs
 Aphids
 Scaly insects
 White flies
 Spider mites
 Slugs or snails
109. Explain how insects stated above affect flowers
 Mealy bugs
→ sucking plant juice
 Aphids
→ causing twisting of leaves and flowers
→ producing sticky substance called honeydew that attracts ants
 Scaly insects
→ sucking plant juice
 White flies
→ sucking plant juice
 Spider mites
→ sucking plant juice
 Slugs or snails
→ eating leaves
110. Describe how the following pests in flowers are controlled
 Mealy bugs → using clean planting materials
 Aphids → using dimethoate or marathion, hot pepper and garlic
 Scaly insects → Marathion or Noadazinon
 White flies → using clean planting materials
 Spider mites → by interplanting with strong smelling plants
 Slugs or snails → by hand picking or using of sodium carbonate and common salt
111. Figure below shows pests of flowers labelled a and b. Use it to answer questions that follow.

a b
a. Identify the pest of flowers labelled a and b
 a = mealy bug
 b = aphid
b. How does the pest labelled a cause damage to flowers?
 Sucking plant juices

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112. Mention any three diseases of flowers

 Grey mould
 Beech bark
 Giant polypore fungus
113. What causes diseases of flowers mentioned in question 112
 They are caused by fungus
114. Describe how diseases mentioned in question 113 are controlled
 Grey mould → by applying fungicides
→ by cutting away the dead rotting part and burning it
 Beech bark disease → by felling the infected tree to minimize the spread of disease
 Giant polypore fungus → cutting down the tree and burning it
115. Give any five importance of pest and disease control
 Prevents transmission of diseases
 Prevents destruction of leaves
 Promotes fast growth of the plants
 Increases vegetable yields
 Improves quality
116. Give three importance of harvesting vegetables at the right time
 More leaf is delayed
 Flowering is delayed
 Tender leaves are harvested
117. Give any four breeds of rabbits
 Angora
 California
 New Zealand White
 Flemish Giant
118. Give any two breeds of rabbits that are recommended in Malawi
 New Zealand White
 California
119. Explain why New Zealand White and California are recommended in Malawi
 Because they are able to adapt to different conditions and systems of keeping rabbits
120. Give any three types of housing rabbits
 Pole and thatch khola
 Deep litter khola
 Hutches
121. Why should a cage for a buck be slightly larger than for a doe?
 To ease mating
122. Explain why a doe must be taken to a buck’s house during mating
 Because a doe is very clever in its own territory
123. Give any four examples of feed for rabbits
 Groundnut haulms

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 Elephant grass
 Potato vine
 Mwamuna aligone
124. What causes Coccidiosis disease?
 Protozoa
125. Give any two signs of Coccidiosis disease in rabbits
 Lack of appetite
 Dullness of rabbits
 Severe diarrhoea
 Dehydration
 Rapid death
126. How can Coccidiosis be prevented?
 By keeping khola or cage dry all the time
127. What is the treatment for Coccidiosis?
 Coccidiostats in feed or drinking water
128. Give the main two types of parasites
 Internal parasites
 External parasites
129. Figure below shows internal parasites of rabbits. Use it to answer questions that follow

a b

i) Identify the parasites labelled a and b

 a are roundworms
 b are tapeworms
ii) What damage do parasites labelled a cause to rabbits?
 Sucking digested food
 Rabbits lose weight
iii) How can parasite labelled b be prevented?. Mention two ways
 Cleanliness of houses
 Keeping feeding and drinking places clean and dry
iv) Name the treatment for parasite labelled a
 Using piperazine
130. Give any three examples of external parasites of rabbits
 Mite
 Flea
 Louse
131. Which part of a plough cuts the soil into thin layers?
 Share

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132. Define the term Agroforestry

 Agroforestry means growing of arable crops together with trees on the same piece of
land
133. Mention three main types of agroforestry
 Silvoarable → mixing trees with arable or horticulture e.g. maize, cotton
 Silvopasture → mixing trees with pasture or grass for grazing livestock
 Forest farming → cultivating high value products within forested area e.g. medicine,
food, botanical decoratives, hand crafts and food
134. Describe the types of agroforestry mentioned in question 132
 Silvoarable is mixing trees with arable or horticultural crops
 Silvopasture is mixing trees with pastures or grass for grazing livestock
 Forest farming is cultivating high value products within forested area
135. Mention five main systems of agroforestry
 Folder banks
 Live fence
 Improved fallows
 Dispersed tree planting
 Alley cropping
136. Describe the five main systems of agroforestry
 Folder banks involves planting trees used as feed for livestock alternated with arable
crops
 Live fence involves planting trees along the boundaries of arable crops
 Improved fallows involves growing legume trees on an arable land which is under fallow
 Dispersed tree planting involves planting certain types of trees at random with arable
crops
 Alley cropping is planting rows of trees altenated with rows of arable crops
137. List down any six importance of Agroforestry
 Leaves fall and add nutrients to the soil
 Providing food for livestock
 Controlling soil erosion
 Providing fuel wood
 Providing protection
 Source of medicine
 Improving food security
 Improving soil fertility and crop yields
 Legume leaves are rich in nitrogen
138. Give six characteristics of agroforestry tree species
 Ability to accommodate other crops
 Ability to improve soil fertility
 High nutritive value
 Edible fruits

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 Ability to regenerate
 Medicinal value
139. A system of agroforestry in which trees that are used as feed for livestock alternate with
arable crops is called
 Folder banks

Figure below is a diagram of an agroforestry practice. Use it to answer questions 140 and 141

140. What is the name of the agroforestry practice?

 Alley cropping
141. Why do farmers practice this method of farming?
 To improve soil fertility
142. Why are farmers advised to face away from the wind when spraying chemicals to crops?
 To avoid inhaling chemicals
143. Which flowers are used for scaring away harmful pests and other animals?
 Marigold
 Night queen
144. Which part of a plough sets depth of ploughing?
 Hake
145. Why should a farm-cart be fitted with reflectors?
 To avoid accidents
146. What is the use of a beam in a ridger?
 Holds all parts of a ridger

The following information was obtain on a vegetable farm. Use it to answer questions 147 and 148

- Sold 100 kg tomatoes at K10,000.00

- Bought 25 kg CAN at K10,000.00
- Bought tomato seeds at K400.00
- Sold 50 kg rape at K2000.00

147. What were the total sales?

 K12,000.00
148. What was the farmer’s profit?
 K1600

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149. Write down any two examples of flowers that can be used as medicine
 Aloe vera
 Dahlia
 Periwinkle

Figure below is a diagram showing one of the marketing functions. Use it to answer question 150.

150. What marketing function is involved here

 Advertising
151. Which factor of production refers to work done by people?
 Labour
152. What is the function of a lance in a sprayer?
 Delivers the spray

Table below is a substitution table for the meaning of soil fertility. Use it to answer question 153

Capacity of soil to support plant growth and development

Ability contribute to high crop yield

153. Construct any four definitions of soil fertility

 Capacity of soil to support plant growth and development
 Capacity of soil to contribute to plant growth and development
 Ability of soil to contribute to high crop yield
 Ability of soil to support plant growth and development
154. To which class of vegetables do beans belong?
 Legume

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STANDARD 8 AGRICULTURE

1. List down any six problems of a farm business

 What to produce
 How to produce
 When to sell
 Where to produce
 How much to produce
 When to produce
2. Give any three solutions to the problem of what to produce
 The farmer should produce where the market is readily available
 The farmer should produce where the roads are near and passable
 The farmer should produce where climatic conditions are favourable
3. List down any three principles of a farm business
 Comparative advantage
 Substitution of inputs
 Demand and supply
4. Give three problems of agricultural marketing
 Bulkiness of farm produce
 Seasonality of produce
 Perishability of products
5. State any five solutions to the problems of agricultural marketing
 Packaging produce in containers, bales and bags
 Using special transport facility
 Storing the produce in time of plenty to sell at a time of scarcity for better prices
 Producing perishable produce near markets
 Processing the produce
6. Define the term soil fertility
 Soil fertility means the ability of the soil to supply adequate water, air and nutrients in proper
balance for plant growth and development
7. List down characteristics of fertile soil
 Adequate and well drained soil
 Medium soil structure
 High organic matter content
 High nutrient availability
8. Give any four characteristics of infertile soil
 Too course or too fine
 Poorly drained
 Compact or loose
 Low nutrient availability

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9. Give the two main classes of soil nutrients
 Major nutrients
 Minor nutrients
10. List down three major nutrients
 Nitrogen
 Phosphorus
 Potassium
11. Explain the functions of each of the major nutrients to the plant mentioned in question 10
 Nitrogen
- Vegetative growth of plants
- Formation of dark green leaves
 Phosphorus
- Development of strong roots
 Potassium
- Development of strong stems
- Formation of high quality fruits
12. Give the deficiency signs of each of the major nutrients in crops mentioned in question 10
 Nitrogen
- Stunted growth in plants
 Phosphorus
- Poor root development
- Purple leaves
 Potassium
- Development of strong stems
- Weak stems
- Yellowing of leaves
- Poor quality fruits
- Immature fruit fall
13. List down any five ways of improving soil fertility
 Practicing mixed cropping
 Agroforestry
 Application of manure
 Practicing crop rotation
 Fallowing
 Making composite manure
14. List down any five importance of improving soil fertility
 Nutrient content of the soil is increased
 Improves aeration of soil
 Supports plant growth
 Promotes circulation of air in the soil
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 Hold water for a long time
 Crops grow well
15. What are indigenous farm machinery and technology?
 They are those technologies that are local in origin
16. Give any four indigenous farm machinery and technology
 Planting frame
 Querns (mphero)
 Leaf bag (Chikwatu)
 Gourd (Chipanda)
17. State the uses of indigenous farm machinery and technologies listed in question 16
 Planting frame
- For accurate measuring and marking planting stations
 Querns (mphero)
- For size reduction of legumes
- Ending small grains into flour
 Leaf bag (Chikwatu)
- For storing seeds and dried vegetables
 Gourd (Chipanda)
- Used for storing seeds and dried vegetables
- Used for fermenting some agricultural produce
18. Give any three examples of indigenous pesticides
 Ash
 Soot
 Tephrosia
19. State any four examples of modern agricultural technologies
 Irrigation
 Use of herbicides
 Permaculture
 Composting toilet
20. Define the term permaculture
 Permaculture means growing of different crops and keeping of animals at the same piece of land
21. Give any two importance of permaculture
 Increases production
 Reduces cost of buying inputs
22. Give two types of composting toilet
 Skyloo toilet
 Arborloo toilet
23. Give any four advantages of Skyloo toilet
 Does not pollute ground water
 Saves space as one does not need to dig a new pit when one is full
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 Does not produce smell
 Improves agricultural productivity
24. State any three disadvantages of Skyloo toilet
 Too expensive to build
 Difficult to separate urine from faeces
 Negative attitude of people to handle manure from human faecal matter
25. Give one advantage of arborloo toilet
 It is cheaper
26. Give any two disadvantages of Arborloo toilet
 Requires a lot of land
 It is labour-intensive to dig pit latrines frequently
27. What is an orchard?
 An orchard is a fruit garden
28. Give any three importance of fruits
 Source of food
 Source of income
 Source of medicine
 Source of raw materials
 Source of foreign exchange
 Source of employment
29. State any three factors to consider when selecting site for growing fruits
 Type of soil
 Climate
 Water availability
 Land preparation
30. Give any three agricultural activities involved in land preparation for fruits
 Clearing the land
 Measuring the distance between planting stations
 Digging planting holes
 Filling planting holes with rich loam soil and manure
31. Define the term fruit propagation
 Fruit propagation means the process of producing new shoots or plants to be used as planting
materials
32. State two advantages of seed propagation
 It is cheap
 It is easy to sow
33. Give any one disadvantage of seed propagation
 The resulting trees take a long time to start bearing fruits
34. List down any four methods of fruit propagation
 Seed propagation

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 Grafting
 Budding
 Use of stem cuttings
 Use of suckers
35. Give any two crops that can be propagated using suckers
 Bananas
 Pineapples
36. Figure below is a diagram showing a method of fruit propagation. Use it to answer questions that
follow

a. Mention the type of fruit propagation shown in the figure above

 Grafting
b. Give any one fruit which can be propagated by the method
 Avocado pears
 Oranges
 Mangoes
 Apples
 Peaches
37. Give any four ways of managing a fruit garden
 Weeding
 Fertilizer application
 Pruning
 Irrigation
38. Which method of manure application is suitable in fruits
 Banding method
39. Give any three examples of fertilizers suitable for development
 CAN
 S-compound
 Single superphosphate
40. Give any three methods of harvesting fruits
 Plucking fruit with hands
 Picking fruits by pulling individual fruits
 Cutting the bunch stalk
41. Define the term fish farming
 Fish farming means the practice of raising of fish in a pond

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42. State any five importance of fish farming
 Source of food
 Source of income
 It makes good use of land
 It supplements fish caught in lakes and rivers
 Source of raw materials
43. State five characteristics of fish species suitable for farming
 Growing fast
 Able to feed on locally available cheap feeds
 Easy to handle when harvesting
 Be resistant to parasites and diseases
 Reproduce under pond conditions
 Have acceptable taste and flavour to consumers
44. List down any five fish species suitable for farming
 Makumba
 Chambo
 Mlamba
 Chilunguni
 Mphende
 Makakana
45. Give any four factors to consider when choosing a site for a fish pond
 Water supply
 Soil type
 Slope of the land
 Nearness to school, home or market
46. State any three principles to be followed when planning a pond
 Must be medium in size for easy management
 Deepest end of the pond should be 1.5m and the shallow end about 1m deep
 Pond should have inlet and outlet
 Should be sited considering the direction of the prevailing winds of the area
47. Define the term stocking a fish pond
 Stocking a fish pond means putting live fish into a pond
48. What is the difference between fries and fingering?
 Fries are newly hatched fish while fingerlings are young fish ranging from 5cm to 10cm in size
49. Explain where in Malawi farmers get fries and fingerlings. Give two areas
 From fellow fish farmers
 From fisheries department
50. Explain why cool weather is best time to stock the pond
 It helps to reduce number of fingerlings dying during stocking

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51. Give three necessary steps when stocking the pond
 Ensure the water in the container with fingerlings is at the same temperature as water in the
pond
 Mix water from the pond into a container with fingerlings carefully to make the temperatures
same
 Slowly put the container of fingerlings into the pond to let them swim out of the container into
the pond
52. Explain why farmers must put the fingerlings slowly from container into a pond
 It helps to avoid suffocation of fingerlings
53. Give two ways how we can measure water at the pond when stocking
 Use thermometer
 Use back part of the palm
54. Give any two natural feeds for fish
 Algae
 Plankton
55. Explain why a farmer must apply fertilizer such as DAP and 23:21:0+4S
 Helps to improve the growth of Algae and plankton
56. Give any four supplementary feeds for fish
 Maize bran
 Wheat bran
 Brewery wastes
 Chopped vegetables
 Molasses
57. How many times does a farmer need to feed the fish?
 Twice or three times a day
58. Explain why is it important to feed fish in a pond at the same time and place each and every day
 Helps fish to get used to when and where to get the food
59. Explain how a farmer can calculate the correct amount of feed for fish
 By calculating 5% of body weight
e.g. if there are 50kg of fish in a pond. Calculate feed for fish in kg
50 x 5
= kg
100
= 2½kg or 2.5kg

Amount of feed = 2½kg or 2.5kg

60. Give any three signs of overfeeding in a pond

 Large amount of uneaten food float
 Foul-looking black or green water
 Fish swimming to the surface of water gasping for fresh air

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61. Give any three parasites of fish
 Roundworms
 Tapeworms
 Liver flukes
62. Identify fish parasite in the illustration below

 Liver fluke
63. Give any two effects of fish parasites
 They reduce the growth rate of fish by absorbing the digested food
 They cause losses in fish farming enterprise
64. Give any three control measures of fish parasites
 Remove the fish and drain the pond when the parasites are identified
 Apply lime to the pond to kill the parasites
 Expose the drained pond to the sun to kill the parasites
65. Define the term predator
 Predator means an animal that kills and eats another animal
66. List any four predators of fish
 Grey herons
 King fisher
 Monitor lizards (ng’azi)
 Otters (katumbu)
67. Give any three effects of fish predators
 Cause loss of up to 75% in a pond
 Some predators act as intermediate hosts of fish parasites
 Predators destroy fries, fingerlings, eggs in ponds and food reserves
68. Give any four control measures of fish predators
 Setting traps
 Scaring them away
 Destroying their nets
 Fencing the pond appropriately
69. List down any six ways of maintaining the fish pond
 Repair all damaged walls
 Maintain the water level in the pond
 Remove the excess soil from the pond
 Repair the fence
 Repair all damaged drains
 Fill the cracks
 Plant new grass on the walls

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70. Give any two ways of maintaining a fish fence
 Slashing around the pond
 Planting new grass on the walls of the pond to prevent erosion of the walls
71. Give any three ways of harvesting fish
 By using seine net
 By using hook and line
 By draining water from a pond
72. Give any four ways of processing fish
 Sun drying
 Smoking
 Salting
 Freezing
73. Give any four importance of goats
 Source of manure
 Source of raw materials
 Source of income
 Source of social obligations
 Source of hides
 Source of payment for dowry
 Source of food
 Source of payment for legal penalties in the communities
74. State three main breeds of goats
 Malawian goat
 Anglo-Nubian goat
 Kamori goat
 Toggenburg goat
 Saanen goat
 Boer goat
 Somali goat
 Angora goat
 Gaddi goat
75. What is the main function of Malawian goat
 Used for meat
76. Give any four characteristics of goats suitable for breeding
 Large in size
 High milk production
 High mohair production
 Well adapted to local conditions
77. State any three methods of improving local goats
 Selection
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 Cross breeding
 Out breeding
78. Give two types of goat houses
 Unraised pole and thatched goat house
 Raised pole and thatched goat house
79. Give two feeding habits of goats
 Grazing
 Browsing
80. What happens when the supply of fish is lower than the demand?
 Prices of fish goes up
81. Identify types of goat houses in the illustrations labelled a and b

a b
a = Unraised pole and thatch goat house
b = Raised pole and thatch goat house

Figure below is a diagram showing one of the feeding habits of goats. Use it to answer question 82

82. Identify the feeding habit of goats in the figure above

 Browsing
83. Give any five importance of cattle
 Source of income
 Source of employment
 Source of manure
 Source of power
 Source of raw materials
84. List down any five animal products that are used in industries
 Milk
 Meat
 Hoofs

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 Horns
 Blood
 Hides
85. Give any two products which can be obtained from milk
 Yoghurt
 Cheese
 Butter
86. Why should farmers sell their crops when they are scarce?
 To make profit
87. “Selection” as a method of improving local goats means
 Culling goats with undesirable characteristics

Table below shows cattle breeds and amount of milk produced by one animal of each breed in a month.
Use it to answer questions 88 and 89
Cattle breed Milk produced (l)
Fresian 1,800
Africander 700
Brahman 500

88. Which cattle breed produced most milk?

 Fresian
89. Calculate the average amount of milk produced in a month

Average = total amount of milk produced per cattle breed divide by number of cattle

3000
3
Average amount of milk = 1000 litres

90. Give any four characteristics of cattle suitable for beef production
 Grow fast and mature early
 Rectangular
 Short legs
 Small udder
 Body well filled with muscle (well rounded)
91. List down any three characteristics of breeds of cattle suitable for milk production
 An udder which carries little muscle
 Thin large body
 Large belly
 Triangular or wedge shaped body
 Wide and well-set hind quarters

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92. Give any four good characteristics of Malawian Zebu cattle
 High resistance to diseases
 Adaptable to local feeds
 Withstand hot weather
 Ability to walk long distances
93. State any four bad characteristics of Malawian Zebu cattle
 Low milk production
 Low meat production
 Small in size
 Low growth rate
94. Give five effects of diseases in cattle production
 Failure to eat
 Low milk production
 Low meat production
 Poor growth
 Irritation
 Death of animals
 Poor quality products
 Poor fertility
95. Give any two reasons why “Mphende” is suitable for fish farming in Malawi?
 Takes a wide variety of food items
 It has a wide range of feeds
 Adapts to a wide range of environmental conditions
 Favours low land to high land areas
96. What is the difference between “cross breeding” and “out breeding”?
 Cross breeding is the mating of animals of different breeds while out breeding is the mating of
animals that are not closely related but belonging to the same breed
97. Give two end products that can be made from hoofs
 Buttons
 Glue
98. Give any two cultural practices followed when establishing agroforestry plot
 Digging planting holes
 Planting
 Planting large seeds
 Planting stem cuttings
99. Explain any two reasons for pruning in an agroforestry plot
 To minimize shading the companion crop
 To produce green leaf manure and mulch to improve soil fertility
 To supply fuel wood
 To provide high quality fodder
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100. Give any two pests which can cause damage to the agroforestry plot
 Goats
 Cattle
 Termites
101. Figure below is a diagram showing a external parasite of goats. Use it to answer the questions that
follow

c. Identify the parasite

 mite
d. Explain any one effect of the parasite to goats
 Suck blood
e. State any two ways of controlling the parasite
 Applying chemicals on the skin
 General hygiene of the goat house

Figure below is a diagram showing an indigenous farm machinery. Use it to answer questions 102 and
103

102. What is the name of the farm machinery?

 Winnower
103. The farm machinery is used for
 Separating seeds
104. Classify the following breeds of cattle into dairy and beef breeds:
Jersey, Brahman, Africander, Fresian and Hereford.

dairy breeds: Fresian, Jersey

beef breeds: Brahman, Africander, Hereford

135. Mention any one breed of goat is kept for milk production.
 Anglo-Nubian goat
 Toggenburg goat
 Saanen goat

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136. Figure below is a diagram showing a learner propagating fruits. Use it to answer questions that
follow

(i) Identify the method of propagating fruits.

 Use of suckers
(ii) Give any two procedures to be followed when using this method of propagating fruits.
 Choose healthy suckers
 Uproot the suckers with enough roots in readiness for transporting

Figure below is a diagram showing a fish predator. Use it to answer questions 137 and 138

137. What is the name of the predator?

 Monitor lizard
138. Which way can control the predator?
 Setting traps
 Fencing the pond appropriately
139. A farmer can cope with risks in farming business by
 Enterprise diversification
 Insurance
 Market research
 Contract production
 Use of appropriate agricultural practices
140. Which method of propagation can be used for planting bananas?
 Suckers
141. Describe how grinding of millet on a quern is done
 Millet is placed on the mother stone and slide the daughter stone over the mother stone by
forward and backward movements.
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Figure below is a diagram of one of the risks associated with farm business. Use it to answer questions
that follow

a. Identify the type of risk shown in the diagram

 Floods
b. State any one way of managing the risk.
 Insurance

Figure below is diagram of a goat breed. Use it to answer questions 142 and 143

142. What type of goat is shown in the figure?

 Anglo-Nubian
143. The goat breed is important because it is a source of
 Milk and meat

Prepared by Zikomo Masese Banda

A teacher at Kambilonjo Primary School at Kambilonjo Zone in Ntcheu.

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