Assess graduate-level understanding of the mechanisms controlling soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization and turnover in temperate croplands, including inputs and residue quality, microbial decomposition and energy flow, mineral associations and physical protection (aggregation), environmental drivers (temperature, moisture, oxygen), common management practices (tillage, cover crops, residue retention, fertilization), measurement approaches and timescales, and implications for carbon sequestration and modelling. Questions will require explanation, data interpretation, and prediction of SOC responses to management and climate change.