Deck 17: Managing Our Waste

Question 1

is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that may cause lung cancer.

A) Helium
B) Hydrogen sulfide
C) Radon
D) Carbon monoxide
E) Secondhand smoke

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Lead pollution is a problem because lead .

A) causes central nervous system damage in humans
B) is a precious metal, and it is being lost to the atmosphere
C) causes excess nutrification of waterways, resulting in eutrophication
D) can become attached to radon
E) will cause the ozone hole to increase

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following would occur if the Earth's axis tilt were 45 degrees rather than 23.5 degrees?

A) The central United States would become more tropical.
B) The northern tier of the contiguous United States would experience winter days during which the sun would not rise above the horizon.
C) The sun would rise in the west and set in the east.
D) Seasons would not occur.
E) The mid -latitudes would remain cold throughout the year.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Residence time is the .

A) length of time it takes for chemicals to be stored in the tissues of living organisms
B) length of time a pollutant spends in the environment
C) chemical change that occurs with time, when substances are altered by the sun or metabolized by microorganisms
D) length of time it takes to produce toxic chemicals in the environment
E) chemical change that occurs with time, when substances alter the growth and development of humans

Question 5

Which of the following pollutants has the longest residence time?

A) NO
B) SO2
C) CO
D) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
E) NO2

Question 6

Near the equator, the patterns of convection currents are called _.

A) Coriolis cells
B) Ferrel cells
C) El Niño events
D) polar cells
E) Hadley cells

Question 7

Photochemical smog differs from industrial smog in that it .

A) consists of primary pollutants
B) has large quantities of soot
C) is formed only in the presence of sunlight
D) is primarily composed of carbon monoxide
E) is an unhealthy mixture of pollutants

Question 8

The Southern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun during .

A) the June solstice
B) the March equinox
C) a time of intense solar radiation
D) the December solstice
E) a time of changing tidal forces

Question 9

Bacteria and fungal spores are potential .

A) causes of high pesticide use in the home
B) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
C) causes of "sick building syndrome"
D) sources of radon in the home
E) problems in degrading the ozone layer

Question 10

Which of the following is a consequence of acid deposition?

A) It is increasing the rate of global warming.
B) It leaches important minerals from soils.
C) It increases the likelihood of low -lying ground fogs.
D) It results in offshore eutrophication, damaging coral reefs.
E) It creates rainwater that can damage skin cells or cause cancers.

Question 11

One consequence of CFC pollution is .

A) increased rates of skin cancer in humans
B) increased rates of respiratory irritation and lung cancer
C) the movement of toxins into lakes and rivers, poisoning fish
D) the eutrophication of waterways
E) accelerated damage to human red blood cells

Question 12

The relative humidity is the .

A) difference in available water vapor at midnight and at noon
B) amount of oxygen a given volume of air holds relative to the maximum amount it could hold at a given temperature
C) amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
D) amount of oxygen in the atmosphere
E) amount of water vapor a given volume of air holds compared to the maximum amount it could hold at a given temperature

Question 13

Carbon monoxide .

A) blocks oxygen transport in human blood
B) is produced by plants during photosynthesis
C) is consumed by plants for photosynthesis
D) is a major component of the atmosphere
E) causes ozone depletion

Question 14

Which of the following is a secondary air pollutant?

A) radon
B) carbon monoxide
C) ozone
D) nitrogen oxide
E) sulfur dioxide

Question 15

is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.

A) A tall stack
B) A coal washer
C) An air filter
D) A boiler
E) A scrubber

Question 16

The Coriolis effect contributes to .

A) increased acidic deposition
B) a reduction in eutrophication
C) global wind patterns
D) an increase in eutrophication
E) global warming

Question 17

The huge dust storms that took place in the United States in the 1930s .

A) were the result of poor farming techniques
B) were the result of ozone depletion
C) were triggered by tornados, worsened by global climate change
D) were the result of glacier melt
E) were the result of polar cells

Question 18

The Coriolis effect .

A) keeps the wind circulating at constant speed around the planet
B) is caused by the moon
C) keeps Earth from spinning too fast
D) is caused by earth's rotation
E) results in seasonal periods of 24 -hour darkness at the poles in winter

Question 19

Seasons are a result of .

A) the phases of the moon
B) differences in the amount and intensity of sunlight brought about by the tilt of Earth's axis
C) changes in day length
D) differences in the distance between Earth and the sun
E) alterations in Hadley cells

Question 20

In industrialized nations, the two most deadly sources of indoor pollution are .

A) synthetic furniture materials and radiation from electronic equipment
B) pesticides and cleaning agents
C) pesticides and cigarette smoke
D) radon and cigarette smoke
E) radiation from electronic equipment and pesticides

Question 21

You have been hired by a rapidly growing small city to improve the air quality, which has deteriorated in the past 10 years. What would be a logical action to take?

A) improve transportation options, including carpool lanes, buses, and light rail
B) try to negotiate with the large city downwind whose factories produce large amounts of pollution
C) move or close the cattle feedlots located along the nearby river
D) decrease the amount of CFCs used locally
E) remove the hydroelectric dam on the nearby river

Question 22

The Earth's atmosphere is composed mostly of .

A) water and oxygen
B) nitrogen and carbon dioxide
C) water and carbon dioxide
D) nitrogen and oxygen
E) oxygen and carbon dioxide

Question 23

In the U.S., ambient air concentrations of which of the following have declined the most since 1980 compared to its health and safety standard?

A) lead
B) SO2
C) CO
D) ozone
E) NO2

Question 24

A combination of events and situations, including Los Angeles' smog problem, led to Congress passing the _ in 1963. This legislation and its major amendments in 1970 and 1990 fund
Research into pollution control, set standards for air quality, and encourage emissions standards for automobiles and point sources such as industrial plants. They also impose limits on emissions from new sources, fund a national air quality monitoring system, and enable citizens to sue parties violating the standards.

A) California Air Act
B) Air Pollution Control Act
C) Environmental Protection Act
D) Clean Air Act
E) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

Question 25

One key contributing factor to the Los Angeles smog problem is the fact that .

A) the Hadley cell for that area drops cool air, and pollution, right over Los Angeles
B) the offshore breezes carry inland pollution to coastal Los Angeles
C) incoming tides in the harbor push air pollution ahead of them
D) there are so many rainy days, increasing the acidic deposition
E) Los Angeles and its suburbs are all ringed by mountains

Question 26

Half of U.S. emissions of this pollutant is from natural sources such as vegetation.

A) VOCs
B) nitrogen oxides
C) lead
D) carbon monoxide
E) sulfur dioxide

Question 27

In the 1970s, sources of CFC pollution in the U.S. included all of the following EXCEPT .

A) coal -burning power plants
B) refrigerators
C) aerosol spray cans
D) air conditioners
E) polystyrene manufacturing plants

Question 28

In 1958 trash collection programs were established, and backyard incinerators were banned in the hope of reducing smog. However, it was estimated that massive amounts of gasoline were evaporating from storage tanks, fuel pump nozzles, and delivery trucks. This was also considered a serious contributor to smog, and over the next 20 years several new rules, and several new devices, were put in place to alleviate it. Despite the changes, there was still a great deal of photochemical smog. The major remaining problem was .

A) the influx of new manufacturing, with new chemicals
B) too many coal -fired power plants along the coast
C) backyard trash incineration
D) insufficient city funding to improve waste dumps
E) the large distances driven daily by solitary commuters

Question 29

The decrease in NOx emissions in the U.S. from 1970 to 2014 can be partially attributed to which of the following?

A) a decrease in the amount of energy consumed
B) a decrease in the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere
C) the use of catalytic converters in motor vehicles
D) a decrease in vehicle miles traveled
E) the use of scrubbers in motor vehicles

Question 30

In 1970, the source of most of the airborne lead emissions in the U.S. was .

A) coal -burning power plants
B) water pipes
C) paint
D) gasoline
E) pencil factories

Question 31

Temperature increases with altitude through most of the stratosphere because .

A) greenhouse gases warm the air
B) heat is released when oxygen and ozone absorb the sun's UV radiation
C) water vapor levels are high and store heat
D) jet stream winds produce frictional heat
E) sunlight is more intense in the stratosphere

Question 32

The Montreal Protocol .

A) developed the international treaty for eliminating sulfur emissions from nuclear power plants
B) is an example of a failed attempt to reduce international air pollution
C) developed the framework for reduction of carbon dioxide in the United States and Canada
D) resulted in significant reduction in the production of CFCs by signatory nations
E) addressed transnational movement of acid -forming pollutants

Question 33

In the U.S., which of the following has decreased since 1980?

A) population
B) energy consumption
C) air pollution emissions
D) gross domestic product (GDP)
E) vehicle miles traveled

Question 34

The Los Angeles smog problem is made much worse by .

A) high cloud levels, which deplete the local ozone layer
B) nearby mountains and the warm sunshine, which cause inversion layers
C) the foggy climate, which leads to acidic deposition
D) onshore breezes, which prevent pollution from dispersing
E) convection cells, which bring pollutants from other cities

Question 35

Stratospheric ozone is important to ecosystems because it .

A) provides the air we breathe
B) ensures lakes and oceans do not lose water
C) keeps the temperature of Earth stable
D) absorbs and scatters UV light
E) keeps atmospheric gases balanced