A chapter's Program of Activities is organized, like the National Chapter Award, in three divisions. Which three?Answer: Growing leaders, building communities, strengthening agriculture. Source: National FFA Organization, National Chapter Award Program. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 004
A class plans a fence line on a quadrangle of the best-known topographic series of the U.S. Geological Survey, drawn at 1:24,000. How much ground does 1 inch on that map cover?Answer: 2,000 feet. Source: Wikipedia, United States Geological Survey, topographic mapping; the answer is arithmetic. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 001
A first-year member memorizes and recites the FFA Creed. Which degree does that recitation help the member earn?Answer: The Greenhand Degree. Source: Wikipedia, National FFA Organization, The FFA Creed. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 004
Show all 50 questions (47 more)
Foundations of agricultural education, continued
A student lays out twelve plots of bermudagrass, tests three fertilizer rates on them and analyzes the data she collects. Which type of supervised agricultural experience is this?Answer: Research/Experimentation and Analysis. Source: Wikipedia, National FFA Organization, Supervised agricultural experience. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 003
An agriculture teacher reviews the hazards at the shop's bench grinder. In the hierarchy of hazard controls, which control is the most effective?Answer: Physically removing the hazard. Source: Wikipedia, Hierarchy of hazard controls. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 002
At a chapter meeting the president announces that the ayes have it, but a member doubts the result of the voice vote. What may the member call for?Answer: A division of the assembly. Source: Wikipedia, Division of the assembly. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 004
In the FFA emblem, which symbol signifies labor and tillage of the soil?Answer: The plow. Source: Wikipedia, National FFA Organization, The FFA emblem. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 004
The second Morrill Act, of 1890, required each state to show that race was not an admissions criterion at its land-grant college. What was a state to do otherwise?Answer: Designate a separate land-grant institution for African Americans. Source: Wikipedia, Morrill Land-Grant Acts. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 001
Students will dilute a corrosive cleaner in the agriculture lab. What does OSHA's medical services and first aid standard require within the work area for that exposure?Answer: Facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body. Source: 29 CFR 1910.151(c), Medical services and first aid. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain I, competency 002
Agribusiness and economics 6
A grain sorghum grower wants federal crop insurance against a failed harvest. Which agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation?Answer: The Risk Management Agency. Source: Wikipedia, Risk Management Agency. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 005
A ranch's balance sheet shows total liabilities of $200,000 and total assets of $800,000. What is its debt ratio?Answer: 0.25. Source: Wikipedia, Debt ratio; the answer is arithmetic. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 005
A student drafts a traditional business plan for a show-pig enterprise. In the Small Business Administration's list of sections, which one comes first and tells the reader briefly what the company is and why it will succeed?Answer: Executive summary. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Write your business plan. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 005
In the Texas Department of Agriculture's list of the state's top ten commodities by 2022 market value, which one stands first?Answer: Cattle. Source: Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Ag Stats. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 006
The price of beef rises sharply, and shoppers buy more chicken in its place. In economic terms, what is chicken to beef?Answer: A substitute good. Source: Wikipedia, Substitute good. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 006
The Texas Department of Agriculture regulates pesticides, seed quality and weights and measures. How is the commissioner who heads it chosen?Answer: Elected by statewide ballot for a four-year term. Source: Wikipedia, Texas Department of Agriculture. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain II, competency 005
Plant and soil science 7
A gardener saves seed from F1 hybrid tomatoes and sows it the next spring. What should she expect of that F2 generation?Answer: It lacks the consistency of the F1 plants. Source: Wikipedia, F1 hybrid. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 008
A Panhandle wheat grower switches to conservation tillage to cut wind erosion. What marks a system as conservation tillage?Answer: At least 30% of the soil surface stays covered with crop residue. Source: Wikipedia, Tillage, Conservation tillage. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 007
A product label carries the Restricted Use classification of the Environmental Protection Agency. Who may apply that pesticide?Answer: A certified applicator, or someone under a certified applicator's direct supervision. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Restricted Use Products (RUP) Report. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 009
Corn and grain sorghum first fix carbon dioxide into a four-carbon molecule, which is then moved to the bundle sheath cells. Which photosynthetic pathway is this?Answer: C4 carbon fixation. Source: Wikipedia, C4 carbon fixation. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 008
Cotton is the crop most tied to Texas. Yet in the state agriculture department's figures for 2022 market value, one crop stands ahead of it. Which?Answer: Corn. Source: Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Ag Stats. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 009
Tomato seedlings raised in a warm greenhouse are set outdoors for a longer spell each day before they go into the garden. What is this gradual exposure called?Answer: Hardening off. Source: Wikipedia, Transplanting. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 010
Two soils get the same fertilizer. One holds far more calcium, potassium and other positively charged nutrients against leaching. Which pair of soil constituents gives a soil most of that cation-exchange capacity?Answer: Clay minerals and organic matter. Source: Wikipedia, Cation-exchange capacity. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain III, competency 007
Animal science 8
A dairy cow swallows a piece of baling wire with her feed. In which stomach compartment do such metal pieces settle, causing hardware disease?Answer: The reticulum. Source: Wikipedia, Hardware disease. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 011
A range cube lists urea among its ingredients. Why can cattle use urea, a non-protein nitrogen source, when a pig cannot?Answer: Microbes in the rumen convert it into microbial protein. Source: Wikipedia, Non-protein nitrogen. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 012
After weaning, a rancher sells every cow that failed to breed and every cow with a poor record. What is this removal of animals from the breeding stock called?Answer: Culling. Source: Wikipedia, Culling. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 013
Bull A has a birth weight EPD of +3.0 pounds and Bull B has one of +0.5 pounds. Bred to similar cows, how should their calves compare on average?Answer: Bull A's calves should weigh 2.5 pounds more at birth. Source: Wikipedia, Expected progeny difference; the answer is arithmetic. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 012
Cattle fever, the disease long called Texas fever, is caused by Babesia parasites. How does it pass from animal to animal?Answer: Through the bite of infected ticks. Source: Wikipedia, Babesiosis. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 012
The Santa Gertrudis is an American breed of beef cattle. Where was it developed?Answer: On the King Ranch in southern Texas. Source: Wikipedia, Santa Gertrudis cattle. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 011
Under the Texas Health and Safety Code, by what age must the owner of a dog or cat have the animal vaccinated against rabies?Answer: Four months. Source: Texas Health and Safety Code §826.021. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 012
Which compartment of a cow's stomach is the largest and serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of roughage?Answer: The rumen. Source: Wikipedia, Rumen. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain IV, competency 011
Mechanics, engineering and technology 8
A box of stick electrodes for shielded metal arc welding is stamped E6011. What do the first two digits tell the welder?Answer: The tensile strength of the weld metal, in thousands of pounds per square inch. Source: Wikipedia, Shielded metal arc welding. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 015
A breeder tests seedlings for a DNA marker that lies close to a disease-resistance gene and keeps those that carry it, without waiting to see the disease. What is this method called?Answer: Marker-assisted selection. Source: Wikipedia, Marker-assisted selection. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 016
A class pours a concrete pad for a livestock waterer. What makes the fresh concrete harden?Answer: Cement reacts chemically with the water. Source: Wikipedia, Concrete. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 015
A combine logs its exact position by satellite all through harvest while its sensors record the grain coming in. What does that let the grower draw afterward?Answer: A map of how yield varies across the field. Source: Wikipedia, Precision agriculture. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 016
A loaded wheelbarrow has its wheel at the front, the load in the middle and the handles at the back. Which class of lever is it?Answer: Second class. Source: Wikipedia, Lever. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 014
A portable air compressor draws 15 amperes on a 120-volt circuit. How much electric power does it use?Answer: 1,800 watts. Source: Wikipedia, Electric power; the answer is arithmetic. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 014
Two rolls of copper wire for a barn circuit are marked 12 AWG and 14 AWG. How do the two wires compare?Answer: The 12 AWG wire is thicker. Source: Wikipedia, American wire gauge. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 015
With the piston at the bottom of its travel, a small engine's cylinder holds 48 cubic inches. With the piston at the top, it holds 6. What is the static compression ratio?Answer: 8 to 1. Source: Wikipedia, Compression ratio; the answer is arithmetic. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain V, competency 014
Natural resources and environment 6
A feedlot operator needs a state authorization for the wastewater the lot produces. Which body is the environmental agency of the state of Texas?Answer: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Source: Wikipedia, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 018
Irrigated farms of the Texas High Plains pump from an aquifer that lies under parts of eight states, from South Dakota to Texas. Which aquifer is it?Answer: The Ogallala Aquifer. Source: Wikipedia, Ogallala Aquifer. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 017
On a watershed map two first-order streams join. In the Strahler system of stream order, what order is the stream below their junction?Answer: Second order. Source: Wikipedia, Strahler number. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 017
The Pittman–Robertson Act of 1937 still pays for much state wildlife work. Where does its money come from?Answer: A federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition. Source: Wikipedia, Pittman–Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 018
Under Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code, what is the state's preferred method of groundwater management?Answer: Groundwater conservation districts. Source: Texas Water Code §36.0015. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 018
West Texas ranchers lease ridgelines for one renewable source of electricity in which Texas produces more than any other state. Which source?Answer: Wind. Source: Wikipedia, Wind power in Texas. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VI, competency 017
Food science and processing 6
A carcass leaves the cooler with a USDA yield grade as well as a quality grade. What do yield grades estimate?Answer: The pounds of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts. Source: Wikipedia, Beef carcass classification. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 019
A HACCP team lists the hazards at a grinder. Which kind of hazard is a metal shaving that could fall into the meat?Answer: A physical hazard. Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 020
A meats class breaks a side of beef into wholesale cuts. From which one are T-bone and porterhouse steaks cut?Answer: The short loin. Source: Wikipedia, Short loin. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 019
Federal canning rules treat green beans as a low-acid food. Which finished equilibrium pH puts a food in the low-acid class?Answer: Greater than 4.6. Source: 21 CFR 113.3, Definitions. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 020
Under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, what must be done to cattle and hogs before they are slaughtered?Answer: They must be made insensible to pain. Source: Wikipedia, Humane Slaughter Act. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 020
Which of these did the federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 make mandatory?Answer: Inspection of livestock before slaughter and of every carcass after it. Source: Wikipedia, Federal Meat Inspection Act. Written to TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) Domain VII, competency 019
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam framework of TExES Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272) in Section 3 of the preparation manual on the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website, https://www.tx.nesinc.com/Content/StudyGuide/TX_SG_obj_272.htm (copyright Texas Education Agency), read 2026-10-15: 100 selected-response questions in seven domains, Foundations of Agricultural Education about 18%, Agribusiness and Economics 12%, Plant and Soil Science 14%, Animal Science 16%, Agricultural Mechanics, Engineering and Technology 16%, Natural Resources and Environmental Science 12%, Food Science and Processing 12%. This bank holds 50 in those shares: 9, 6, 7, 8, 8, 6 and 6, with every one of the 20 competencies asked at least once. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question (47 pages, each opened 2026-10-15): the Texas Department of Agriculture's Texas Ag Stats, the Texas Water Code and Health and Safety Code on the legislature's site, 29 CFR 1910.151 and 21 CFR 113.3, the Small Business Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration's HACCP guidelines, the National FFA Organization and Wikipedia articles. Five answers are arithmetic from a rule the source gives. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
A free TExES 272 study guide in the form of a practice test: 50 questions of our own on Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12. This page is unofficial and is not affiliated with the Texas Education Agency or Pearson, who give the exam.
Read the full guide
The seven domains of exam 272
Foundations of Agricultural Education carries about 18%, Animal Science 16%, and Agricultural Mechanics, Engineering and Technology 16%. Plant and Soil Science carries 14%. Agribusiness and Economics, Natural Resources and Environmental Science, and Food Science and Processing carry 12% each.
How long the real exam is
Exam 272 is 100 selected-response questions on a computer. The appointment is 5 hours, of which 4 hours 45 minutes is testing.
Texas in the answers
Ten questions are about Texas: the state agriculture department and its farm figures, groundwater districts in the Water Code, the rabies law, the King Ranch, cattle fever, the Ogallala Aquifer, wind power and the state environmental agency.
Each of the 20 competencies in the framework, 001 to 020, has at least one question here.
Five answers are arithmetic: a map scale, a debt ratio, a pair of birth weight EPDs, a compression ratio, and watts from volts and amperes.
Questions and answers
Is there a free TExES 272 study guide?
The official one is the free preparation manual on the exam program site. Section 3 of it lists the seven domains and 20 competencies of exam 272; this page turns that outline into questions, each marked with its competency.
Is this a TExES 272 practice test?
Yes. The 50 questions follow the domain weights of the exam: 9, 6, 7, 8, 8, 6 and 6. Under each answer stands the public page where its fact can be checked.
What score do you need to pass the TExES Agriculture 6-12 exam?
The exam page gives 240 as the passing score. That is a scaled score, and some questions on a real form are tried out and not counted, so no number right out of 50 here stands for it.