Quiz on Limits of the Scientific Method

1. According to Fukuoka, why does 'scientific' farming ultimately require chemical fertilizers?

A) Because the 'improved' seed varieties are naturally weak.
B) Because the natural fertility of the soil has been destroyed by chemicals and insecticides.
C) To increase the metabolism of the plants for a larger harvest.
D) Because natural soil is inherently insufficient for modern crops.

2. What was Masanobu Fukuoka's primary occupation after returning to his village in 1938?

3. To emphasize the scale of 50 million displaced people, Arundhati Roy compares the figure to all of the following EXCEPT:

4. What is Fukuoka's primary criticism of the methodology of modern scientific agriculture?

A) It is too slow and inefficient.
B) It ignores the angle of sunlight and shade.
C) It divides nature into tiny pieces and conducts tests that don't conform to natural law.
D) It requires a doctorate in agricultural science to understand.

5. Arundhati Roy gained international fame for her debut novel which won the Booker Prize. What is its title?

6. What is the title of the book Masanobu Fukuoka wrote in 1975?

7. Why does Fukuoka argue that a scientific testing method which considers all relevant factors is an 'impossibility'?

A) Because researchers are unwilling to leave their labs.
B) Because there is an infinite variety of factors that are in perpetual motion.
C) Because farmers do not keep accurate records of their fields.
D) Because universities do not have enough funding for such large-scale tests.

Limits of the Scientific Method