New Curriculum First Term Livestock Farming examination for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Subject: Livestock Farming
Time: 2 hours
Total Marks: 70

SECTION A: OBJECTIVES (40 Marks)
Instruction: Answer all questions. Each question carries 1 mark. Choose the best option (a), (b), (c) or (d).

1. A poultry farmer reports many eggs but few buyers. Which contribution of livestock production is most directly threatened? (a) The flock’s ability to lay eggs despite weak market access    (b) Eggs available for the farmer’s own household consumption    (c) Household and farm income from marketed animal products    (d) The production of usable poultry manure on the farm
2. Which pairing is incorrect and should be rejected from a breed chart? (a) Bunaji—cattle    (b) Red Sokoto—goat    (c) New Zealand White—rabbit    (d) Balami—cattle
3. A household keeps goats only for occasional home consumption, while another breeds goats for continuous market sales. What distinction is most defensible? (a) Only the second household keeps domestic animals    (b) Both are livestock keeping, but only the second has an explicit commercial production goal    (c) The first can never use feed or veterinary services    (d) Commercial livestock cannot supply food
4. The manager needs one mature breeding male pig and two breeding female pigs. Which stock order is correct? (a) One ram and two does    (b) One buck and two ewes    (c) One pullet and two cockerels    (d) One boar and two sows
5. Which selection goal is most relevant to a layer enterprise? (a) Maximum wool length in a dry-climate sheep    (b) Sustained egg yield alongside health and survivability    (c) High milk yield in unrelated cattle    (d) Aesthetic coat markings in breeding pigs
6. A DNA marker associated with disease resistance is used to screen potential breeders. This is an example of ________. (a) random mating without records    (b) marker-assisted selection    (c) visual selection without assessing genetic markers    (d) classification of animals by sex
7. The most defensible selection checklist includes ________. (a) breed identity and recent body size without checking fertility or health    (b) current weight and market price without verifying earlier performance    (c) body size alone without ancestry or performance    (d) health, conformation, production records and adaptation
8. Which record is most useful for checking whether a breeding choice improved dairy performance over time? (a) Comparable milk-yield records across successive lactations    (b) The number of visitors to the cattle pen    (c) A list of market slogans used by the farm    (d) One unusually high milk-yield observation from an unrelated herd
9. A farmer notices a broody hen remaining on eggs. Which husbandry interpretation best fits the observation? (a) The bird is showing incubation behaviour    (b) The bird is a young female not yet mature    (c) The bird has just given birth to kits    (d) The bird is an adult male pig
10. Which of the following is NOT a sensible response to limited veterinary access in a livestock community? (a) Establishing early reporting and referral arrangements    (b) Maintaining basic hygiene and isolation facilities    (c) Planning periodic professional farm visits    (d) Sharing unverified medicine doses across all farms
11. A farmer choosing breeding cattle for a hot, feed-scarce area should prioritise ________. (a) healthy animals with suitable local adaptation and useful performance    (b) animals with the highest auction price regardless of health    (c) the heaviest animals without checking health or local adaptation    (d) animals without identifiable breeding records
12. The ________ recorded for a young female cow that has not calved is the correct cattle age-sex term. (a) bull    (b) ewe    (c) doe    (d) heifer
13. Which claim about genomic selection is NOT justified? (a) It can support decisions about inherited traits    (b) A single DNA result guarantees immunity to every livestock disease    (c) It may improve early evaluation of some animals    (d) It should be considered alongside management conditions
14. A selection programme achieves heavier animals but sharply reduces survival. What is the most reasonable conclusion? (a) Greater weight alone proves complete success    (b) Survival must be ignored in breed selection    (c) Its objectives need balancing against health and adaptability    (d) The herd has automatically become another species
15. Which scenario best illustrates natural rather than deliberate artificial selection? (a) The farmer mates selected high-milk cows with chosen bulls    (b) Animals with better heat tolerance survive and reproduce without planned breeder choices    (c) A breeder excludes animals with poor growth records    (d) A technician chooses breeding stock by DNA markers
16. ________ involves deliberately managing domestic animals for food, income or other useful products. (a) Livestock production    (b) Wildlife monitoring without husbandry    (c) Only counting animals in a public reserve    (d) Crop cultivation without keeping animals
17. The best evidence that a village livestock programme improved food security is ________. (a) A rise in animal names recorded in a notebook    (b) A greater number of unoccupied animal pens    (c) A larger herd with no improvement in access to animal products    (d) More regular access to affordable meat, milk or eggs
18. Why should marker information be combined with animal performance and health observations? (a) Genetic information always guarantees farm profit    (b) A favourable marker makes feeding unnecessary    (c) A marker predicts a trait imperfectly and does not replace real-world fitness    (d) Performance records are necessarily fabricated
19. A goat grows larger after improved feeding, but its offspring do not consistently inherit the larger size. The best explanation is ________. (a) All visible differences must result from new breeds    (b) Improved environment may affect body size without changing inherited breed traits    (c) Feeding always changes the species of an animal    (d) Body size cannot respond to nutrition
20. A herd loses weight in the dry season despite no obvious disease signs. Which investigation is the most suitable FIRST step? (a) Change all the animals’ breed names    (b) Increase the sales price immediately    (c) Ignore nutrition until the rainy season    (d) Check available forage, feed quantity and water access
21. Which of these is NOT sufficient evidence that two animals belong to different breeds? (a) Their inherited coat characteristics differ consistently    (b) Their documented ancestry differs by breed    (c) One animal weighs more after receiving better feed    (d) Distinct traits are regularly seen among their offspring
22. Which interpretation of a poultry register is correct when ‘pullet’ appears beside a bird? (a) It records any mature male chicken    (b) It means a newly hatched goat    (c) It identifies a young female chicken before mature laying    (d) It describes a castrated ram
23. A cow has excellent growth figures but repeated reproductive problems. What should a breeder do? (a) Select it automatically because growth outweighs every trait    (b) Evaluate growth together with fertility, health and conformation    (c) Ignore reproductive records as irrelevant    (d) Assume all offspring will be infertile without evidence
24. A prospective buyer requests a recognised pig breed. Which option meets that requirement? (a) Muturu    (b) Yankasa    (c) Sahel    (d) Yorkshire
25. Which is NOT an example of artificial selection? (a) A farmer retains productive females for breeding    (b) A disease outbreak happens to favour naturally resistant wild animals    (c) A breeder chooses a sire from performance records    (d) A poultry unit excludes consistently poor layers from its breeding group
26. A farmer has funds for either genomic screening or reliable feed for an undernourished herd. What is the better immediate choice? (a) Test DNA first because starving animals cannot have genes    (b) Buy marker kits instead of feed for every animal    (c) Correct the nutrition problem before funding optional genetic screening    (d) Stop recording animal growth altogether
27. The main reason for recording recognisable breed traits across generations is ________. (a) to assume every size difference proves another species    (b) to replace the need for observing adaptation    (c) to guarantee identical performance in every environment    (d) to identify characteristics that tend to be inherited within that breed
28. When comparing livestock breeds for a humid location, why is adaptation important? (a) Animals must perform under local heat, feed and disease pressures    (b) A high body weight always proves the animal will withstand local conditions    (c) An exotic label guarantees lower management costs    (d) A large frame removes the need for feeding
29. When a farmer deliberately breeds only hens with strong laying records, this is ________. (a) artificial selection based on desired performance    (b) natural selection without human intervention    (c) classification of feeds by nutrient content    (d) a non-inherited effect of marketing
30. Which record is NOT consistent with standard livestock terminology? (a) A ‘lamb’ recorded as a young sheep    (b) A ‘kit’ recorded as the young of cattle    (c) A ‘sow’ recorded as a female pig    (d) A ‘doe’ recorded as a female rabbit
31. A rabbit breeder writes ‘kindling expected’ in the record. What event is being anticipated? (a) A doe giving birth to kits    (b) A sow farrowing piglets    (c) An ewe lambing    (d) A hen laying fertile eggs
32. After two animals develop diarrhoea, the farmer moves them away and contacts a veterinary professional. This primarily addresses ________. (a) Possible disease spread while seeking diagnosis    (b) Selective breeding for higher growth    (c) Classification of the animals by age    (d) Marketing losses caused by transport
33. A farm has money for feed or a new decorative fence, but not both. Given poor animal growth, which decision is better justified? (a) Increase stock numbers before resolving the feed shortage    (b) Postpone all feeding until profits improve    (c) Secure an adequate feed supply before cosmetic improvements    (d) Change the farm’s breed register instead
34. A cattle record lists an adult male and a young female that has not calved. Which labels are appropriate? (a) Boar and sow    (b) Ram and ewe    (c) Bull and heifer    (d) Buck and pullet
35. All of the following record animal sex or life stage correctly except ________. (a) Kid—young goat    (b) Doe—adult female cattle    (c) Ewe—adult female sheep    (d) Heifer—young female cattle before calving
36. Two breeding goats have equal body size; Goat A has repeated illness, while B has remained healthy with good kidding records. The stronger choice is ________. (a) Goat B, because health and reproduction are relevant traits    (b) Goat A, because large animals never transmit disease    (c) Both goats, since health is unrelated to breeding    (d) Neither goat, since records cannot guide selection
37. A breeder needs an example of a local Nigerian sheep breed for a lesson. Which entry is most suitable? (a) Californian    (b) Duroc    (c) White Leghorn    (d) Yankasa
38. The correct step when comparing two potential breeding animals is ________. (a) to compare body weight alone without considering health history    (b) to ignore fertility if growth is high    (c) to check health, conformation and documented performance before choosing    (d) to rely exclusively on the seller’s description
39. A farm wants a breed commonly associated with egg production. Which choice fits that purpose? (a) Duroc pigs    (b) Red Sokoto goats    (c) White Leghorn chickens    (d) Bunaji cattle
40. The main limitation of selecting breeders solely by appearance is that ________. (a) visible traits may not reliably predict productivity or inherited health    (b) all genetic traits are directly visible on the skin    (c) appearance completely replaces farm performance data    (d) animal productivity is unrelated to ancestry

SECTION B: THEORY (30 Marks)
Instruction: Answer Question 1 and any other TWO questions. Each answered question carries 10 marks. Show your working where applicable.

Question 1 (10 marks). A livestock cooperative is planning a goat enterprise in a community with seasonal feed scarcity. (a) Explain FIVE contributions of well-managed livestock production to households and the local economy. (5 marks) (b) Identify FIVE production challenges and give a realistic management response to each. (5 marks)

Question 2 (10 marks). A farm stock register contains adult female sheep, an immature female cow, an adult male pig, a young rabbit and an adult female goat. (a) Supply the correct livestock term for each animal. (5 marks) (b) Explain FIVE reasons why accurate sex, age and breeding records matter to farm decisions. (5 marks)

Question 3 (10 marks). Two poultry-breed candidates are available. Candidate A has high egg output but frequent sickness; candidate B has slightly lower output, better survival and records of adaptation to local conditions. (a) Compare FIVE factors that should influence breeder selection. (5 marks) (b) Explain FIVE limitations or safeguards when using appearance, performance records and genomic markers to select breeders. (5 marks)

Question 4 (10 marks). A breeding centre claims that all high-yield animals are genetically superior. (a) Distinguish natural selection and deliberate artificial selection, using TWO relevant livestock examples and a comparison criterion. (5 marks) (b) Describe FIVE checks before accepting an advertised breed’s suitability for a Nigerian livestock enterprise. (5 marks)

Objective Marking Scheme
Question 1 – ✅ (c) Household and farm income from marketed animal products
Question 2 – ✅ (d) Balami—cattle
Question 3 – ✅ (b) Both are livestock keeping, but only the second has an explicit commercial production goal
Question 4 – ✅ (d) One boar and two sows
Question 5 – ✅ (b) Sustained egg yield alongside health and survivability
Question 6 – ✅ (b) marker-assisted selection
Question 7 – ✅ (d) health, conformation, production records and adaptation
Question 8 – ✅ (a) Comparable milk-yield records across successive lactations
Question 9 – ✅ (a) The bird is showing incubation behaviour
Question 10 – ✅ (d) Sharing unverified medicine doses across all farms
Question 11 – ✅ (a) healthy animals with suitable local adaptation and useful performance
Question 12 – ✅ (d) heifer
Question 13 – ✅ (b) A single DNA result guarantees immunity to every livestock disease
Question 14 – ✅ (c) Its objectives need balancing against health and adaptability
Question 15 – ✅ (b) Animals with better heat tolerance survive and reproduce without planned breeder choices
Question 16 – ✅ (a) Livestock production
Question 17 – ✅ (d) More regular access to affordable meat, milk or eggs
Question 18 – ✅ (c) A marker predicts a trait imperfectly and does not replace real-world fitness
Question 19 – ✅ (b) Improved environment may affect body size without changing inherited breed traits
Question 20 – ✅ (d) Check available forage, feed quantity and water access
Question 21 – ✅ (c) One animal weighs more after receiving better feed
Question 22 – ✅ (c) It identifies a young female chicken before mature laying
Question 23 – ✅ (b) Evaluate growth together with fertility, health and conformation
Question 24 – ✅ (d) Yorkshire
Question 25 – ✅ (b) A disease outbreak happens to favour naturally resistant wild animals
Question 26 – ✅ (c) Correct the nutrition problem before funding optional genetic screening
Question 27 – ✅ (d) to identify characteristics that tend to be inherited within that breed
Question 28 – ✅ (a) Animals must perform under local heat, feed and disease pressures
Question 29 – ✅ (a) artificial selection based on desired performance
Question 30 – ✅ (b) A ‘kit’ recorded as the young of cattle
Question 31 – ✅ (a) A doe giving birth to kits
Question 32 – ✅ (a) Possible disease spread while seeking diagnosis
Question 33 – ✅ (c) Secure an adequate feed supply before cosmetic improvements
Question 34 – ✅ (c) Bull and heifer
Question 35 – ✅ (b) Doe—adult female cattle
Question 36 – ✅ (a) Goat B, because health and reproduction are relevant traits
Question 37 – ✅ (d) Yankasa
Question 38 – ✅ (c) to check health, conformation and documented performance before choosing
Question 39 – ✅ (c) White Leghorn chickens
Question 40 – ✅ (a) visible traits may not reliably predict productivity or inherited health

Theory Marking Scheme
Question 1 (10 marks)
(a) Food supply, income, employment, manure, raw materials: five explained points, 1 mark each
(b) Dry-season feed/store forage; disease/biosecurity and veterinary care; capital/affordable finance; water supply/reliable water; marketing/collect buyers: five linked pairs, 1 mark each

Question 2 (10 marks)
(a) Ewe, heifer, boar, kit and doe, 1 each
(b) Breeding plans, feeding stage, disease management, stock valuation, sales identification, fertility records; any five explained, 1 each

Question 3 (10 marks)
(a) Egg output, health, survival, adaptation, reproductive history, feed efficiency; any five compared with justification 1 each
(b) Appearance may be misleading; records need verification; markers give probabilities not guarantees; management affects outcome; avoid single-trait selection; verify pedigree; any five 1 each

Question 4 (10 marks)
(a) Natural selection 1, artificial selection 1, two fitting examples 2, clear human-choice distinction 1
(b) Breed identity, performance, local adaptation, veterinary history, reproductive results, feeding costs, records and price; any five reasoned checks 1 each