Sample Questions

There have been several requests for sample questions from the various ARPAS certification examinations and the Governing Council has asked that five (5) randomly drawn questions from each exam be posted. In 2000-2001 a committee appointed by the Governing Council and chaired by David Ames reviewed, revised and expanded the examination database. From this effort new questions were added, old questions were updated and those questions no longer relevant were deleted. In this process the committee updated eight (8) of the twelve (12) species exams; Dairy, Beef, Swine, Meat Science, Sheep & Goat, Companion Animals, Poultry, and Horses. The sample questions below have been updated with new information that was derived from the committee's efforts. Each of the certification areas is represented and identified. There are various forms of questions on most of the exams, such as true-false, multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc. These questions are to serve only as information on the types of information that might be covered on each of the various exams.

NOTE: The answer to each question is bolded and italicized.

Dairy

  1. A digestive upset in cattle where large amounts of gas are trapped in the rumen is called?
    1. Acidosis
    2. Founder
    3. Shipping fever
    4. Bloat
  2. How many days are in an average gestation period for a dairy cow?
    1. 215
    2. 260
    3. 280
    4. 300 days
  3. Which of the typical rumen volatile fatty acids normally is present in the greatest quantity in the rumen?
    1. Butyric
    2. Propionic
    3. Acetic
    4. Lactic
  4. What term is commonly used to define three weeks before and three weeks after calving?
    1. The dry period
    2. The transition period
    3. The lactation period
    4. The postpartum period
  5. A female calf (free martin) born co-twin with a male calf is infertile about what percent of the time?
    1. 30%
    2. 55%
    3. 75%
    4. 95%

Beef

  1. Which frame score calf would be expected to be the "earliest maturing?"
    1. 5
    2. 6
    3. 7
    4. 8
  2. Tissue and plasma proteins are constantly being degraded to their constituent amino acids, and the amino acids in turn are sources of energy as well as sources of carbohydrate and fat carbon.
    The term that best describes an accelerated rate of this is?
    1. Catabolism
    2. Steady state environment
    3. Anabolism
    4. Metabolism
  3. What would you measure to estimate the sperm producing capability of a bull?
    1. Body weight and age
    2. Scrotal circumference
    3. Penis length
    4. Testicular firmness
  4. The common practice is to mate how many cows to a mature bull?
    1. No more than 20
    2. 25-35
    3. 36-45
    4. 46-60
  5. Approximately how many calories are in a 3-oz serving of lean beef?
    1. 500-600 calories
    2. 350-400 calories
    3. 250-300 calories
    4. 175-200 calories

Swine

  1. In swine, heritability of backfat is approximately:
    1. .3 to .5
    2. .15 to .25
    3. .6 to .7
    4. .7 to .8
  2. Which of the following cause tail-biting in a confinement hog operation?
    1. Overcrowding
    2. Lack of watering devices
    3. Lack of adequate ventilation
    4. All of the above
  3. Which of the following two sources of zinc added in swine diets as poor bioavailability?
    1. Zinc sulfate and zinc chloride
    2. Zinc oxide and zinc carbonate
    3. Zinc chloride and zinc carbonate
    4. Zinc sulfide and zinc oxide
  4. What is the name given to the linkage between two amino acids joined from the amino terminal of one to the carboxyl terminal of the other?
    1. Ester bond
    2. Peptide bond
    3. Aldehyde bond
    4. None of the above
  5. Which of the following maximizes the use of heterosis?
    1. Linebreeding
    2. Inbreeding
    3. Rotational crossbreeding
    4. Terminal crossbreeding

Meat Science

  1. Lambs dropped out of the regular lambing season and marked at live weights ranging from 25-60 lbs are generally called?
    1. Spring lamb
    2. Fat tail lamb
    3. Hothouse lambs
    4. Baby lamb
  2. The shelf-life of cured meat items in vacuum packages in retail stores?
    1. May exceed 50 days
    2. Is usually less than 3 days
    3. Is not a major concern
    4. Enhances the nutritional value of the meat
  3. The following compound is the backbone of phospholipids and triglycerides?
    1. Glycerin
    2. Triolein
    3. Glycerol
    4. None of the above
  4. Of the following sweeteners, which one is sweeter than sucrose?
    1. Honey
    2. Dextrose
    3. Molasses
    4. Maltose
  5. The compound added to cured canned meats is?
    1. Salt
    2. Sugar
    3. Water
    4. Nitrite

Sheep and Goats

  1. Vitamin B1 deficiency can be a problem in feedlot lambs. What problem does a Vitamin B1 deficiency cause?
    1. Polioencephalomalacia
    2. Wool loss
    3. Acidosis
    4. Urinary calculi
  2. The ancestral period for a goat is?
    1. January and February
    2. March and April
    3. May and June
    4. September and October
  3. Name the wool processing industry, which uses only strong long stapled wools?
    1. Woolen
    2. Felting
    3. Worsted
    4. Carding
  4. Which is an estimator of population variation?
    1. Standard deviation
    2. Mean
    3. Regression
    4. Correlation
  5. What is the basic genetic effect of inbreeding?
    1. Increased homozygosity
    2. Decreased homozygosity
    3. Increased heterozygosity
    4. No effect on heterozygosity

Dairy Foods Processing

  1. An atomizer is part of which dairy processing equipment?
    1. Spray dryers
    2. Pasteurizers
    3. Separators / clorifiers
    4. Homogenizers
  2. In cheese making, ___________acid bacteria are mostly used as starter cultures.
    1. Acetic
    2. Lactic
    3. Citric
    4. None of the above
  3. The eyes in Swiss cheese are formed from the production of ___________. .
    1. O2 , Lactococcus
    2. O2 , Lactobacillus
    3. CO2 , Propionibacterium
    4. CO2 , Staphylococcus
  4. The sanitizer of choice for a footbath is quaternary ammonium, while the sanitizer of choice for food contact surfaces is chlorine.
  5. Dieters use cottage cheese because
    1. High quality protein
    2. Calcium
    3. Low in calories
    4. All of the above

Companion Animals

  1. Which is true about the peak approach period in dogs?
    1. It occurs between 5 and 7 weeks of age
    2. It comes after the peak avoidance period
    3. It is when the puppy learns to come when called
    4. Lack of contact with other puppies during this period enhances adult sexual competency
  2. Canine brucellosis is a reproductive disease that is caused by
    1. A bacteria that is transmitted through vaginal discharges, mammary secretions or semen
    2. A virus that is transmitted only during breeding
    3. A bacteria that is transmitted only through mammary secretions
    4. An airborne virus that is highly contagious and may be contracted by both dogs and cats
  3. What is the crude protein requirement (on a dry matter basis) for a mature cat at maintenance?
    1. 20%
    2. 28%
    3. 35%
    4. 45%
  4. The critical period during which maternal antibody level is still high enough to block a puppy of
    1. Between 2 and 3 weeks
    2. Between 6 and 12 weeks
    3. During the first 18 weeks
    4. Between 6 to 8 months
  5. A heavy infestation with this intestinal parasite can cause severe anemia in young puppies
    1. Roundworms
    2. Hookworms
    3. Whipworms
    4. Tapeworms

Poultry

  1. The site of fertilization in the chicken is
    1. Uterus
    2. Magnum
    3. Infundibulum
    4. Ovary
  2. The most common parasite of commercial egg laying hens reared in cages is
    1. Chiggers
    2. Northern foul mite
    3. Lice
    4. Bed bugs
  3. Forced (induced) molting generally involves
    1. Forced feeding of females
    2. Fasting of females
    3. Fasting of males
    4. Feather plucking
  4. The minimum weight per dozen for large chicken eggs is:
    1. 21 oz.
    2. 24 oz.
    3. 27 oz.
    4. 30 oz.
  5. Which of the following inset pests is the least major problem in poultry?
    1. Flies
    2. Darling beetles
    3. Northern fowl mites
    4. Mosquitos

Poultry Processing

  1. Over 90% of broiler and turkey exports from the U.S. are
    1. Whole carcass
    2. Parts
    3. Further processed parts
  2. According to the USDA, broiler or fryer is a chicken of either sex between the age of
    1. 5 - 7 weeks
    2. 9 - 12 weeks
    3. 3 - 5 months
  3. The most common interior quality defects of a shell egg is
    1. Blood spot
    2. Meat spot
    3. Yolk mottling
  4. __________ interaction is an important factor affecting the stability of mechanically deboned poultry meat
    1. Heme / lipid
    2. Carbohydrate / lipid
    3. Protein / lipid
  5. Bone darkening of cooked poultry can be reduced by
    1. Increase calcium in diet
    2. Microwave cooking
    3. Frozen at 0°F

Horses

  1. Which is true about the use of negative reinforcement in horse training?
    1. It should not be used when teaching the horse a new response
    2. Alternate responses must be available to the horse to effectively use negative reinforcement
    3. It does not have to be contingent upon the horse's response to be effective.
    4. It should not be used in addition to positive reinforcement for the same response
  2. Which is true about foal heat in the mare?
    1. It normally occurs about 21 days post-parturition
    2. Ovulation does not occur during this heat
    3. The reproductive tract cannot maintain a pregnancy at this time
    4. It normally occurs 7-11 days post parturition
  3. When examining a feed tag, what piece of information on the tag will give you an indication of how much energy is in the feed?
    1. Crude protein
    2. Crude fiber
    3. Ether extract
    4. All of the above
  4. Which breeding would be the most likely to produce a foal with lethal white foal syndrome?
    1. Roan X roan
    2. Overo X solid
    3. White X solid
    4. Overo X overo
  5. The endocrine organ that appears to modulate seasonality of mares in the?
    1. Pituitary gland
    2. Adrenal gland
    3. Pineal gland
    4. Ovary

Aquaculture

  1. What is the typical market for large-scale producers of food fish?
    1. Processing plants
    2. Haulers
    3. Retail markets
  2. Which of the following would be the most likely species raised by an ornamental or hobby fish producer?
    1. Angelfish
    2. Golden shiner
    3. Orange spotted sunfish
  3. Of the world's production of crayfish, 80% is harvested or caught in ___________ as a cash crop that was worth 65 million in 1988, when 135,000 acres of ponds were in production.
    1. Mississippi
    2. Louisiana
    3. Texas
  4. Ponds constructed in early spring are stocked in mid to late spring with pounds of crayfish per acre.
    1. An average brood stock of 50
    2. An average brood stock of 75
    3. An average brood stock of 100
  5. ___________stocking rates are used in wet areas where there are existing populations of commercial crayfish.
    1. Low
    2. High
    3. Replacement

Laboratory Animals

  1. AAALAC is the acronym for AAALAC International a nonprofit corporation formed in 1965. This corporation was developed to promote high quality animal care and use for laboratory animals. The acronym AAALAC means:
    1. Accredited American Association of Laboratory Animal Care
    2. American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care
    3. Affiliates of the American Association of Laboratory Animal Care
    4. Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care
  2. Animal models are used as a means of studying disease processes that occur in humans. One type of animal model, the spontaneous model is defined as:
    1. an animal species that has a disease which occurs and mimics a human disease at least in some way.
    2. an animal species that does not "mimic" a human disease.
    3. an animal species in which the experimentally reproduced condition mimics a human disease.
    4. an animal species in which a particular disease cannot be produced.
    5. none of the above.
  3. The term used to describe the act of eating feces is:
    1. rumination
    2. pansteatitis
    3. hypophysis
    4. urinating
    5. coprophagy
  4. In the mouse, blood cells are carried through the circulatory system in:
    1. lymph
    2. plasma
    3. serum
    4. saline
  5. Stereotypic behavior is a sign of:
    1. acceptable response to captivity
    2. abnormal response to captivity
    3. a naturally occurring behavior
    4. an aggressive behavior