Question

Take some soil and put it into a beaker containing water (water to be 5 times than the amount of soil taken) Stir the mixture, allow the soil to settle down, observe after sometime and answer the following questions a) Is there anything floating on the surface? b) Do you think some substances would have dissolved in water

Answer 1

Answer:

a) Yes, some organic matter, dried leaves etc. would float on the surface.

b) Yes, some substances like salt would have dissolved in water.

Answer 2

$\huge\underline\mathrm\color{green}{humus,water,clay \: and \: sand}$

Answer:

Soil is comprised of air spaces and organic matter, but mostly mineral particles. There are three kinds of soil minerals, sand, silt and clay. The relative percentage of each of these particles in the soil determines its texture. Sand has the largest soil particles (0.4- to 0.01-inch diameter) and the largest pores between particles. Silt soil particle size is between clay and sand (0.01- to 0.0001-inch diameter). The characteristics of silty soil are similar to those of clay, but are moderated by its larger particle size. Clay soil has the smallest soil particles (less than 0.0001-inch diameter) and the least amount of water and air spaces between particles. Humus is dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays. The thick brown or black substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed is called as humus. Hence, humus settles at the topmost and sand the lowermost since, its size is maximum.