Deck 15: Nonrenewable Energy Sources, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Question 1

A watershed is _.

A) the water held in the atmosphere prior to returning to Earth in the form of rainfall
B) the area of land that drains into a river or lake
C) a term used to describe water stored underground
D) a river that drains into the sea
E) an inland basin that connects to another inland basin

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In a municipal wastewater treatment plant, the primary treatment step includes .

A) chlorinating the sewage
B) stirring the sewage to increase oxidation
C) letting sewage sit in large settling tanks so suspended solids can settle out
D) adding bacteria to the sewage
E) micro -filtering the sewage

Answer 2

C

Question 3

One -fifth of Earth's total freshwater supply is in .

A) the ocean
B) the tundra
C) estuaries
D) ponds
E) groundwater

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Why is grain production in the Great Plains considered largely unsustainable?

A) The energetics of crop production in the Great Plains are such that more energy is needed to grow the crops than can be gotten from the crops.
B) Competition with cattle ranching is resulting in a decline in crop production.
C) More and more people are becoming gluten intolerant, so there will be less and less demand for wheat, barley, and rye.
D) The Ogallala aquifer is being depleted for irrigation water.
E) So many pesticides are needed for grain production that streams in the Great Plains are becoming dead zones.

Question 5

What percentage of Earth's fresh water is found in oceans?
A) 79

A) 97.5
B) 0
B) 2.5
C) Cannot be determined from the information in the figure

Question 6

Why was the irrigation of Soviet cotton farming operations a problem?

A) Irrigation water came from rivers feeding into one of the largest lakes on Earth and resulted in major contamination of that source.
B) It drained the Aral Sea and increased the salt content of soils.
C) It was, for the most part, not a problem.
D) It angered local resort communities, which did not want farming in the region.
E) There was governmental opposition that limited water access, killing crops.

Question 7

Gray water can .

A) often be used for irrigation and watering lawns
B) not be used for washing cars
C) usually be used with little or no treatment for drinking water
D) be used in place of tap water for drinking
E) be used for fish ponds and park lakes

Question 8

Approximately % of Earth's water is found in ice caps and glaciers.

A) 2
B) 20
C) 2.5
D) 79
E) 1

Question 9

Dam removal in the U.S. .

A) will probably increase rapidly as we move to a more fossil -fuel -dependent society
B) provides many new jobs and opportunities and so is economically beneficial
C) is controversial because dams provide such good habitats for native species
D) will assist with our transition to more natural forms of renewable energy
E) will probably continue because the environmental impacts of dams are reviewed periodically

Question 10

What percentage of Earth's water is found in lakes?

A) 52%
B) 97.5%
C) 1%
D) 0.013%
E) 0.52%

Question 11

Most of the precipitation that falls onto Earth's surface _ .

A) falls in the form of ice or snow
B) is already unusable because of acid rain
C) evaporates back into the atmosphere
D) either runs off to form rivers or filters down into underground aquifers
E) is taken up by plants or other organisms

Question 12

"Biosolids" produced at a wastewater treatment plant are often .

A) used as part of the "fill" to develop wetlands into agriculture or housing areas
B) placed in deep injection wells to keep it out of the water table
C) trucked to special biohazard landfills for disposal
D) loaded onto barges and sent to underdeveloped countries to use as fertilizer
E) used as crop fertilizer

Question 13

Which of the following is one of the major pollutants of groundwater?

A) pathogenic microbes
B) treated sewage from cities
C) radon
D) agricultural chemicals
E) acid rain

Question 14

The fish in the lake at the local park are dying, and a professor from the local college comes to investigate. First she measures the levels of dissolved oxygen because she wants to check for .

A) aquatic biodiversity
B) the influence of acid precipitation
C) the presence of heavy metals
D) the presence of bacteria
E) hypoxia

Question 15

A key characteristic of aquatic dead zones is .

A) a high concentration of urban development
B) a lack of water
C) low concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus
D) a low concentration of keystone species
E) a low concentration of oxygen

Question 16

Which of the following best describes a floodplain?

A) a region of land that has been deliberately, permanently flooded due to human disturbance, such as in dam building
B) a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
C) an area that is incidentally flooded when farming or mining operations change the course of rivers
D) an area where flood irrigation of crops is used, such as a rice paddy
E) an area that is periodically flooded because humans have altered the landscape

Question 17

Sinkholes can result from _.

A) flood damage and chemical erosion
B) poorly drilled wells in soft soils
C) overconsumption of water from aquifers
D) building on floodplains
E) substrates that become weak following rain

Question 18

Levees are used .

A) to prevent flooding and facilitate shipping
B) to pump water from an aquifer
C) to block water flow and hold water in a reservoir
D) to transport water from a river to an urban center
E) along scenic byways so drivers can get a better view of a river

Question 19

Which of the following will contribute to water conservation?

A) watering lawns at night, using low -flow faucets, and landscaping with native plants
B) using aerial sprays for crop irrigation
C) watering lawns during peak sunlight hours, when plants need water most
D) washing dishes by hand
E) planting non -native wetland plants for landscaping

Question 20

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the future risks of decadal (11 -year) and multidecadal (35 -year) droughts in the southwestern U.S. and Great Plains?

A) Although the future risks of decadal droughts are low for both regions, multidecadal droughts are expected to occur in both areas during the latter half of the 21st century.
B) Fewer multi -decadal droughts are likely, but more decadal droughts are expected to occur during the latter half of the 21st century.
C) Models indicate that both regions are more likely to experience decadal and multi -decadal droughts in the latter half of the 21st century than during the latter half of the 20th century.
D) Models indicate that the southwestern U.S., including California, is more likely to experience these long -term droughts in the latter half of the 21st century, and much of the agricultural loss in that region will have to be offset in the Great Plains, where models indicate a very low probability of long -term drought.
E) Although El Niño patterns have caused short -term droughts in California and the Great Plains, neither region is expected to experience long -term droughts during the latter half of the 21st century.

Question 21

One reasonable way to prevent sinkholes might be to .

A) pump wastewater and sewage directly into the aquifer to maintain the water table
B) have the local water company regularly transfer water from one local aquifer to the next, maintaining the average water level
C) increase groundwater recharge by constructing artificial wetlands that use treated municipal wastewater
D) pump sand and gravel into the aquifer to fill in the bottom levels, thus raising the water table
E) install supports to maintain the shape of the underground aquifer

Question 22

A 2009 study found that one -third of the world's 925 major rivers experienced reduced flow from 1948 to 2004, with the majority of the reduction attributed to .

A) overuse for agriculture
B) the effects of climate change
C) dredging operations that make the rivers navigable
D) municipalities diverting treated wastewater into artificial wetlands rather than the rivers themselves
E) overuse by cities for drinking water

Question 23

In July 2001, the town of Spring Hill, Florida, about 45 miles north of Tampa, had 18 sinkholes appear in a single day. The largest holes were nearly 100 feet deep. This is an indication that .

A) a drought had recently occurred, along with increased development and groundwater use
B) hurricanes had recently occurred, and the water table rose
C) agriculture had increased, and the water table rose with irrigation recharge
D) earthquakes had recently occurred, and the water table sank
E) prolonged rainstorms had recently occurred, and the water table rose

Question 24

A recent study has revealed that chlorinated solvents, gasoline, and radioactive compounds have become significant pollutants in

A) estuaries; fishing boats _ from _ .
B) deep ocean currents; discharges from dams into coastal waters
C) coral reefs; discharge from nuclear power plants
D) groundwater; leaking storage tanks
E) mangrove swamps; oil tanker spills

Question 25

Artificial wetlands .

A) are a source of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh
B) purify water for use as bottled drinking water
C) are the major program for replacing lost natural wetlands
D) can help purify water and also provide wildlife habitat
E) are created using xeriscaping methods

Question 26

Recent research that analyzed the content of commercial bottled water indicates that .

A) bottled water consumes less fossil fuels in reaching the consumer than does tap water
B) bottled water is generally much safer and purer than tap water
C) bottled water has no contamination from hormone mimic plasticizers
D) all surveyed brands had information about the source and how it was treated
E) bottled water is no safer or purer than most samples of tap water

Question 27

What is the main argument against removing O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park?

A) The dam is the main source of electricity for Napa Valley.
B) There are endangered species such as puffins and auklets that need the reservoir for habitat.
C) The dam is a registered historic national landmark, so its removal would be unlawful.
D) Most visitors to Yosemite use the reservoir for parasailing and waterskiing.
E) The reservoir is the main source of drinking water for the city of San Francisco.

Question 28

Methods for desalinating sea water to produce fresh water include .

A) treating sea water with salt -consuming marine bacteria
B) reverse osmosis and distillation
C) treating with activated charcoal and clay
D) making sea water acid to transform salts to solids
E) filtration and sedimentation

Question 29

Besides drought and water removal, which of the following might also cause the water level of an aquifer to drop?

A) creating artificial wetlands along a creek
B) removing levees along a river to allow for seasonal flooding of the floodplain
C) placing rain gardens where water used to run off into creeks
D) paving large areas of land
E) removing water -loving invasive species such as Russian olive trees

Question 30

The resource allocation of the Colorado River's water is being complicated by .

A) large numbers of people moving out of Nevada
B) rapid growth of vegetable farms in southern Arizona
C) the rapid growth of Las Vegas
D) sinkhole collapses in Arizona and southern California
E) saltwater intrusion into the Colorado estuary near San Diego

Question 31

A serious problem that results from excessive water withdrawn from aquifers is that .

A) the aquifer increases in size, draining a larger surface area and leaving less water in rivers, streams, and lakes
B) the aquifer decreases in size and new aquifers form
C) subsidence can occur, reducing the size of the aquifer
D) the water tends to overflow and flood the entire area
E) the soils contaminate the aquifer, making it unfit for human use

Question 32

Emergent vegetation such as cattails and reeds grow in the zone of a lake.

A) aphotic
B) littoral
C) benthic
D) limnetic
E) profundal

Question 33

Xeriscaping can save water by _.

A) replacing lawns with artificial turf and gravel parking areas
B) collecting rain water and storing it in cisterns or tanks
C) planting native or drought -resistant landscaping plants
D) replacing landscaping plants with rocks, sand, and sculpture
E) creating wetlands instead of landscaping