Answer:
:
a) 3 Marks
b) 2 Marks
a)Soil is our most important natural resource. It is useful to us in many ways:
(i)We depend on the soil for food, clothing and shelter- By supporting growth of plants, the soil provides us with food. Much of our clothing, such as cotton and wool, can be traced to the soil. Plants also provide us with the medicines, fuel, paper and wood which is used in making furniture and for constructing houses.
(ii) We depend on the soil for minerals- Industries use the minerals dug out from the earth.to extract metals, such as iron, gold, silver and so on. These are used in thousands of industries that produce various useful things for us.
(iii) We depend on the soil for water- Water that seeps into the soil is stored underground as subsoil water. We use this water for drinking and other purposes.
b) Earthworms makeburrows in the soil. This makes the soil loose, allowing air into it and water to drain from it. Earthworm also forms channels in the soil for the root to spread through. For this reason, the earthworm is referred to as 'farmer's friend'.