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Unit notes and practice questions

Grade 11 Agriculture unit 13: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Everything here is for unit 13 of the Grade 11 Agriculture textbook: what the chapter covers, the short notes, practice questions with their answers, and the lesson video where one exists.

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10
Practice questions on unit 13
208–222
The textbook pages for unit 13

What unit 13 covers

  1. 1.Definition of climate change and its variability
  2. 2.Climate change and its effects
  3. 3.Climate change mitigation strategies
  4. 4.An overview of climate change adaptation
  5. 5.Indigenous knowledge in climate change

Short notes for unit 13

The cards filed under this chapter on the Grade 11 Agriculture page. Open one at a time.

FeatureClimate ChangeClimate Variability
Time scaleLong term (decades)Short term (days, weeks, months)
Ecosystem impactCauses fundamental changesDoes not cause fundamental changes
CauseGreenhouse gas accumulationNatural short term fluctuations

When you use it

Use when distinguishing long term shifts in weather patterns from short term variations.

Watch out

Climate variability is short term and allows organisms to adapt without permanent ecosystem collapse, while climate change causes lasting ecosystem shifts.

Drafted from Grade 11 Agriculture, pages 211-224, then checked twice before it went up

When you use it

Use when classifying climate responses into mitigation or adaptation strategies.

Watch out

Mitigation tackles causes by reducing emissions or enhancing carbon sinks (e.g. afforestation, solar energy), whereas adaptation manages effects by adjusting farming practices (e.g. changing crop varieties, mixed cropping, enset planting).

Drafted from Grade 11 Agriculture, pages 211-224, then checked twice before it went up

CommunityIndigenous PracticeClimate Role
GedeoTraditional agroforestry and sacred forest protectionMitigation by storing carbon in biomass and soil
KonsoTraditional stone terracingSoil conservation, water retention, and enhanced soil carbon storage

When you use it

Use when identifying traditional Ethiopian conservation practices and their role in climate mitigation.

Watch out

Both practices support climate mitigation by increasing carbon sink capacity in vegetation and managed soils.

Drafted from Grade 11 Agriculture, pages 211-224, then checked twice before it went up

When you use it

Use when stating the core objectives of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA).

Watch out

A complete CSA strategy must address all three pillars together: increasing sustainable productivity, enhancing adaptation and resilience, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Drafted from Grade 11 Agriculture, pages 211-224, then checked twice before it went up

Practice questions on unit 13

10 multiple-choice questions written against this chapter, each with its answer and the reason. Try one before you open the answer.

Question 1

What is the fundamental difference between climate change and climate variability?

  1. A.Climate change refers to long term changes over decades, while climate variability refers to short term variations over days, weeks, or months.
  2. B.Climate change is always natural, while climate variability is caused only by human activities.
  3. C.Climate change does not affect ecosystems, while climate variability causes permanent ecosystem destruction.
  4. D.Climate change lasts only for days, while climate variability lasts for centuries.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Climate change refers to long term changes over decades, while climate variability refers to short term variations over days, weeks, or months.

Why

Climate change is a long term change in temperatures and weather patterns over decades. Climate variability refers to short term variations (days, weeks, or months) that do not cause fundamental changes to ecosystems.

Question 2

Which of the following groups contains the major greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere?

  1. A.Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide
  2. B.Oxygen, nitrogen, and argon
  3. C.Hydrogen, helium, and carbon monoxide
  4. D.Nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and chlorine
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide

Why

The major greenhouse gases responsible for trapping heat and causing global warming are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Question 3

Why is Ethiopian crop production particularly vulnerable to climate change?

  1. A.More than 90% of crop production in Ethiopia is rainfed.
  2. B.All croplands are located directly on ocean coasts.
  3. C.Ethiopian farmers rely entirely on computerized irrigation systems.
  4. D.The country only produces industrial crops that cannot grow in warm weather.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A More than 90% of crop production in Ethiopia is rainfed.

Why

More than 90% of crop production in Ethiopia is rainfed with very low production under irrigation, making agriculture highly vulnerable to changes in rainfall and temperature.

Question 4

According to the textbook, what percentage of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is absorbed by oceans?

  1. A.About 10%
  2. B.About 30%
  3. C.About 60%
  4. D.About 85%
Show the answer and why

Answer: B About 30%

Why

Oceans absorb about 30% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities and natural processes.

Question 5

How much carbon is stored in the soil compared to the total amount in the atmosphere?

  1. A.About half as much carbon as in the atmosphere
  2. B.The exact same amount of carbon as in the atmosphere
  3. C.About 2 times more carbon than in the atmosphere
  4. D.About 10 times less carbon than in the atmosphere
Show the answer and why

Answer: C About 2 times more carbon than in the atmosphere

Why

Soils are a major carbon sink and store about 2 times more carbon compared to the total amount present in the atmosphere.

Question 6

What chemical process leads to ocean acidification when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise?

  1. A.Carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean water to form carbonic acid.
  2. B.Carbon dioxide reacts with salt to produce hydrochloric acid.
  3. C.Carbon dioxide breaks down water into sulfuric acid and oxygen.
  4. D.Carbon dioxide removes all acidic compounds from marine sediments.
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean water to form carbonic acid.

Why

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in ocean water, it produces carbonic acid, which makes the oceans more acidic and harms marine organisms.

Question 7

Which of the following actions is a climate change mitigation practice rather than an adaptation practice?

  1. A.Afforestation to plant new forests that act as carbon sinks
  2. B.Changing crop planting dates following the onset of rain
  3. C.Planting enset to have food when field crops fail
  4. D.Participating in off-farm trade to diversify income
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Afforestation to plant new forests that act as carbon sinks

Why

Mitigation refers to reducing or removing greenhouse gas emissions. Afforestation creates new forests that act as carbon sinks to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Question 8

The Konso community in south western Ethiopia is well known for which indigenous practice that aids in soil conservation and carbon storage?

  1. A.Building indigenous stone terraces
  2. B.Clearing all hillside vegetation
  3. C.Practicing unmanaged continuous grazing
  4. D.Flooding fields with deep irrigation channels
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Building indigenous stone terraces

Why

The Konso community uses indigenous stone terraces for soil conservation. These terraces collect water, prevent erosion, and enhance the soil carbon storage capacity.

Question 9

Which community in southern Ethiopia has maintained a traditional agroforestry system for hundreds of years based on indigenous beliefs that natural resources connect the creator and man?

  1. A.Gedeo
  2. B.Afar
  3. C.Somali
  4. D.Gambella
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Gedeo

Why

The Gedeo community in southern Ethiopia has rich culture and indigenous knowledge protecting forests and sacred patches, which has maintained traditional agroforestry systems for centuries.

Question 10

What are the three main aims of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)?

  1. A.Increase sustainable productivity, improve adaptation capacity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  2. B.Expand farmland into forests, increase chemical fertilizer use, and lower grain prices
  3. C.Eliminate livestock production, replace food crops with biofuels, and clear natural wetlands
  4. D.Rely entirely on rainfall, remove stone terraces, and stop crop rotation
Show the answer and why

Answer: A Increase sustainable productivity, improve adaptation capacity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Why

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) has three central objectives: (1) increase sustainable productivity, (2) reduce vulnerability and improve adaptation capacity, and (3) reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

The app holds 12 questions on this unit, marked as you go. These are the first 10.

The textbook pages for unit 13

Unit 13 runs from page 208 to page 222 of the Ministry of Education edition.

Ministry of Education edition, English, 270 pages

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All Grade 11 Agriculture short notes

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