Subsistence Strategies (Foraging, Horticulture, Pastoralism, Agriculture) – MCQs

1. What is a key characteristic of foraging societies?
(A) Permanent settlements
(B) Domestication of animals
(C) Dependence on wild resources
(D) Use of plows and irrigation

2. Horticulture is primarily distinguished by the use of:
(A) Draft animals
(B) Hand tools
(C) Irrigation canals
(D) Mechanized plows

3. Pastoralism is based primarily on:
(A) Crop rotation
(B) Animal husbandry
(C) Hunting wild game
(D) Rice cultivation

4. Intensive agriculture differs from horticulture in that it:
(A) Uses fire to clear land
(B) Requires more land but less labor
(C) Uses fertilizers, plows, and irrigation
(D) Produces fewer food surpluses

5. Slash-and-burn is a common technique in which strategy?
(A) Foraging
(B) Pastoralism
(C) Horticulture
(D) Agriculture

6. A nomadic lifestyle is most commonly associated with:
(A) Agriculture
(B) Horticulture
(C) Pastoralism
(D) Foraging

7. Which subsistence strategy supports the largest population densities?
(A) Foraging
(B) Horticulture
(C) Pastoralism
(D) Agriculture

8. Which of the following best defines transhumance?
(A) Permanent settlement for crop cultivation
(B) Seasonal movement of people with livestock
(C) Fishing in riverine societies
(D) Gathering wild tubers and fruits

9. Foragers typically have which type of social organization?
(A) Chiefdom
(B) State
(C) Tribe
(D) Band

10. A key feature of agriculture is:
(A) Shifting cultivation
(B) Permanent fields and settlements
(C) Herding of wild animals
(D) Absence of surplus production

11. Which subsistence strategy has the least environmental impact?
(A) Agriculture
(B) Pastoralism
(C) Horticulture
(D) Foraging

12. Which of the following is a feature of horticultural societies?
(A) High-yield, commercial crops
(B) Simple tools and low labor input
(C) Factory farming
(D) Monocropping

13. Domesticated animals such as sheep and goats are essential to:
(A) Foragers
(B) Horticulturalists
(C) Pastoralists
(D) Industrialists

14. What subsistence strategy relies heavily on manure and irrigation?
(A) Horticulture
(B) Agriculture
(C) Foraging
(D) Pastoralism

15. Which group is known for a mobile, egalitarian lifestyle?
(A) Horticulturalists
(B) Foragers
(C) Farmers
(D) Ranchers

16. Which method is often used in horticultural land management?
(A) Crop-livestock integration
(B) Use of modern pesticides
(C) Fallowing of land
(D) Large-scale irrigation

17. Pastoralism is most commonly practiced in:
(A) Tropical rainforests
(B) Deserts and grasslands
(C) Urban centers
(D) Coastal fishing villages

18. Which of these is not a characteristic of foraging societies?
(A) Surplus food storage
(B) Small, mobile groups
(C) Use of natural resources
(D) Division of labor by gender

19. Agriculture typically leads to:
(A) Less disease
(B) Increased mobility
(C) Higher population densities
(D) Shorter working hours

20. Which term refers to land use rotation in horticulture?
(A) Sedentarism
(B) Polyculture
(C) Fallow system
(D) Monoculture