Unit 2: Concept, scope and principles of natural farming - Practice Quiz

1 Which feature of ancient Indian agriculture was commonly noted by Greek historians and later travellers?

2 What did historical travellers commonly observe about irrigation in Indian agriculture?

3 Which contemporary farming practice avoids synthetic fertilizers and pesticides?

4 Which practice is commonly used in contemporary natural farming to protect the soil surface?

5 What is the basic concept of natural farming?

6 Natural farming mainly seeks to work in harmony with which system?

7 Which is a major objective of natural farming?

8 How does natural farming aim to reduce farmers' production costs?

9 Which environmental objective is associated with natural farming?

10 Which is an essential characteristic of natural farming?

11 Which principle helps maintain living roots and biological activity in the soil?

12 Why is minimum soil disturbance encouraged in natural farming?

13 What is an important benefit of natural farming for soil?

14 Why is natural farming important for sustainable agriculture?

15 Natural farming can contribute to safer food mainly by reducing the use of what?

16 In Indian natural farming, what is Beejamrit mainly used for?

17 What is the primary role of Jeevamrit in natural farming?

18 In natural farming, the practice called Acchadana refers to what?

19 Who is widely associated with the development of Zero Budget Natural Farming in India?

20 Which natural farming school is associated with Masanobu Fukuoka?

21 Greek accounts described parts of ancient India as producing more than one crop annually. Which combination most directly explains this observation?

22 Megasthenes reported that cultivators generally continued farming even during conflicts. What does this observation most strongly indicate?

23 A historian compares travellers' reports of tanks, wells, canals, and seasonal crops from different regions of India. Which conclusion is most appropriate?

24 A farmer replaces synthetic fertilizer with purchased organic fertilizer but otherwise maintains an input-intensive monoculture. Why is this not fully consistent with natural farming?

25 Which farm decision best represents the concept of natural farming?

26 A smallholder faces rising prices of fertilizer and pesticides. Which natural-farming objective most directly addresses this problem?

27 A farm maintains yields during a dry year because its soil stores more water and its cropping system contains several species. Which objective of natural farming is demonstrated?

28 Which indicator would best evaluate whether natural farming is improving both farmer welfare and environmental health?

29 Crop residues are available after harvest, but the farmer usually burns them. Which alternative is most consistent with natural-farming principles?

30 A pest appears in one section of a naturally managed field. Which response best follows the principle of ecological balance?

31 Why is crop diversity considered an essential characteristic of natural farming?

32 Which situation offers the strongest scope for natural farming in a rainfed village?

33 Natural farming is proposed for a watershed suffering from runoff and soil erosion. Which practice would provide the most direct benefit?

34 A farmer wants to treat seeds with a locally prepared microbial formulation before sowing. Which main pillar should be selected?

35 Which main pillar is applied mainly to stimulate microbial activity in the soil using a fermented preparation?

36 A field loses moisture rapidly and develops a hard surface after irrigation. Which pillar most directly addresses these problems?

37 In natural farming, Waaphasa is best promoted by which irrigation strategy?

38 A contemporary natural farmer integrates trees, crops, animals, water harvesting, and habitat zones according to their relationships. Which approach does this most closely represent?

39 Which feature most clearly distinguishes Fukuoka's natural farming approach from an intensive tillage system?

40 A farmer uses Bijamrita, Jivamrita, mulching, and moisture management as an integrated package. This package is most closely associated with which school?

41 A historian uses Megasthenes' account to claim that ancient Indian agriculture was uniformly prosperous and free from crop failure. Which evaluation is methodologically strongest?

42 Greek accounts associated agricultural abundance in India with seasonal rainfall, river irrigation, and the possibility of more than one harvest. Which inference best connects these observations?

43 A later traveller describes both highly productive irrigated tracts and severe burdens on cultivators. What does this combination most clearly demonstrate?

44 Two farms eliminate synthetic fertilizers. Farm X imports large quantities of certified organic manure, while Farm Y relies mainly on on-farm biomass, diverse crops, microbial preparations, and minimal soil disturbance. Which distinction is most defensible?

45 A farmer adopts natural farming on one hectare but retains conventional production on another. Which comparison would best isolate the effect of the farming system?

46 A contemporary natural-farming programme reports lower purchased-input costs but also lower yield during conversion. Which indicator best evaluates short-term economic viability?

47 Which statement most accurately distinguishes natural farming from simple input substitution?

48 A farm uses no synthetic agrochemicals but repeatedly removes crop residues, maintains bare soil, grows a single crop, and imports all nutrients. Why is its classification as natural farming questionable?

49 A proposed intervention increases first-year yield by 8% but raises external-input dependence, reduces soil organic matter, and increases debt exposure. Under natural-farming objectives, how should it be assessed?

50 Which outcome set provides the strongest evidence that a natural-farming transition is meeting both ecological and livelihood objectives?

51 After heavy rain, two comparable fields show different outcomes. The mulched, minimally disturbed field has less runoff and retains more plant-available moisture. Which mechanism best explains the difference?

52 A farmer observes rising pest damage after replacing a mixed cropping system with a large single-species stand, despite continuing natural pest preparations. Which principle was most directly weakened?

53 Which management decision best applies the principle that soil should function as a living ecosystem rather than merely as a nutrient-holding medium?

54 In a drought-prone district, which finding would most strongly support scaling natural farming as a climate-resilience strategy?

55 Which conclusion about the scope of natural farming is most defensible across heterogeneous Indian agroecosystems?

56 A field receives Jeevamrit regularly but remains bare between widely spaced crop rows, leading to rapid moisture loss and surface crusting. Which pillar is most directly missing?

57 A farmer treats seed with Beejamrit, applies Jeevamrit, and mulches the field, but keeps the root zone continuously waterlogged. Which pillar's intended condition is most clearly violated?

58 Which mapping of the commonly described natural-farming pillars to their primary functions is correct?

59 Which comparison correctly distinguishes Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming from a preparation-centred natural-farming package?

60 A researcher compares Zero Budget Natural Farming, Rishi Kheti, and Fukuoka-style farming. Which analytical framework avoids falsely treating them as identical?