Deck 11: Water Resources and Water Pollution

Question 1

Large dams and reservoirs

A)reduce danger of flooding upstream
B)disrupt migration and spawning of fish
C)cannot be used for outdoor recreation
D)can be used to provide electric power
E)two of these answers

Answer 1

two of these answers

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the Aral Sea is false?

A)Water has been diverted from the Aral Sea and the two rivers that replenish its water for use in manufacturing.
B)The volume of the Aral Sea has dropped by 90%.
C)The salinity levels have risen dramatically.
D)Most native fish species have disappeared.
E)Salts carried by the wind from the dried up lake basin are negatively impacting local crops.

Answer 2

Water has been diverted from the Aral Sea and the two rivers that replenish its water for use in manufacturing.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is false?

A)The top of the groundwater zone is the water table.
B)The recharge of aquifers below cities is very efficient because of storm drains.
C)In the zone of saturation, spaces in rock and soil are completely filled with water.
D)Rivers of underground water are sometimes found in caverns in aquifers.
E)More than one of these choices is false.

Answer 3

The recharge of aquifers below cities is very efficient because of storm drains.

Question 4

Porous water-saturated layers of underground sand, gravel, or bedrock are known as

A)aquifers
B)recharge areas
C)watersheds
D)runoff areas
E)water tables

Question 5

Water covers about ____% of the Earth's surface.

A)51
B)61
C)71
D)81
E)91

Question 6

Water that is used for crop irrigation in southern California's Imperial Valley originates as snowmelt in the

A)Sierra Nevada mountain range
B)Tehachapi mountain range of southern California
C)Rocky Mountains
D)springs that feed the Colorado River in nearby Arizona
E)Cascade Mountain range

Question 7

Which list of states is expected to experience the most acute shortages of water in coming years?

A)Texas, Colorado, Oregon, and California
B)Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota
C)Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota
D)Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico
E)Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona

Question 8

The Ogallala is which of the following?

A)a massive desalination plant in the Middle East
B)the world's largest known aquifer
C)a pumping station drawing fresh water from the Great Lakes for use in the S.W. a.United States
D)a large body of water in Russia that has almost completely dried up
E)a river in the Middle East that flows into the Mediterranean Sea, and has the potential to become dried up due to extensive irrigation systems

Question 9

Currently, in the United States, groundwater is being withdrawn ____ times faster than it is being replaced.

A)2
B)4
C)8
D)10
E)20

Question 10

Ultimately, which of the following is the source of energy that continually drives the hydrologic cycle?

A)gravity
B)energy from the sun
C)electricity
D)geothermal energy
E)wind

Question 11

Throughout the world, the most water is used for

A)irrigation
B)industrial processes
C)needs of animals and humans
D)transportation
E)cooling towers of power plants

Question 12

The Colorado River system can be said to provide water and electricity for

A)one of every ten people in the United States
B)1% of people in the United States
C)5% of people in the United States
D)The Colorado River does not provide electricity, but provides water for 10% of the U.S. a.population.
E)None of these answers

Question 13

Water is a(n) _____ issue.

A)global health and security
B)economic
C)women's and children's
D)environmental
E)all of these answers

Question 14

In the United States, about 79% of the water withdrawn each year is used for

A)industrial processes
B)cooling towers of power plants
C)irrigation of croplands
D)domestic use
E)none of these answers

Question 15

In the western United States, as compared to the eastern United States, the major water problem(s) is (are)

A)flooding
B)insufficient water for some urban areas
C)chronic drought and insufficient runoff
D)pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater
E)insufficient water for industry

Question 16

The main factor(s) that causes water shortages in any area is

A)dry climate
B)drought
C)too many people using a water resource more quickly than it can be replenished
D)wasteful use of water
E)all of these answers

Question 17

Water supplies in water-short areas can be increased by

A)transporting surface water from one area to another
B)construction of dams and reservoirs
C)converting salt water to fresh water
D)withdrawing groundwater
E)all of these answers

Question 18

Desalination may be accomplished by

A)distillation
B)reverse osmosis
C)salt-eating bacteria
D)distillation and reverse osmosis
E)all of these answers

Question 19

That portion of surface runoff that we can generally count on as a stable source of freshwater from year to year is best described as

A)surface water
B)drainage basin
C)reliable runoff
D)watershed
E)precipitation

Question 20

A water resource that would be categorized as nonrenewable would be

A)water vapor in the atmosphere
B)precipitation
C)surface water in lakes and streams
D)confined aquifers
E)none of these answers

Question 21

It is most economically and environmentally sound to focus water resource management on

A)increasing the water supply
B)controlling the "mining" of groundwater
C)reducing unnecessary waste of water
D)developing desalination plants
E)cloud seeding and towing icebergs to arid regions

Question 22

Which of the following actions will reduce irrigation water waste?

A)encourage organic farming
B)irrigate at night to reduce evaporation
C)irrigate with treated urban waste water
D)grow several crops on each plot of land
E)all of these answers

Question 23

Which of the following is the largest use of domestic water in the U.S.?

A)watering lawns
B)washing cars
C)flushing toilets
D)showers and baths
E)laundry

Question 24

Solutions to the increasing problem with water shortages in central and southern California include

A)reducing water waste by improving irrigation efficiency
B)not growing water-thirsty crops in this arid climate
C)raising the historically low cost of water to encourage water conservation
D)all of these
E)reducing water waste by improving irrigation efficiency and not growing water-thirsty crops in this arid climate

Question 25

In some areas of the Ogallala aquifer, water is being pumped

A)four times faster than it is being replenished
B)at the same rate it is being replenished
C)10 to 40 times faster than it is being replenished
D)It is not possible to determine this, since the aquifer is so far below ground.
E)The Ogallala is not being pumped at this point in time due to a Federal court decision.

Question 26

People like to settle on floodplains for all of the following reasons except

A)good transportation
B)flat sites for buildings
C)security
D)fertile soil
E)availability of nearby rivers

Question 27

According to water resource experts, what are the two main causes of water waste?

A)lack of government subsidies for improving the efficiency of water use and ignorance about the amount of water being wasted
B)low cost of water to users and lack of government subsidies for improving the efficiency of water use
C)lack of desire to conserve water and knowledge that there is actually enough water on the planet to supply all uses
D)lack of information about efficient irrigation systems and lack of regulation of water use
E)There is a single main cause of water waste and it is the lack of regulation of water use.

Question 28

Humans increase the likelihood of flooding by

A)building on wetlands
B)draining wetlands
C)removing water-absorbing vegetation
D)all of these answers
E)building levees

Question 29

Which of the following statements about desalination is true?

A)The common methods of desalination are reverse osmosis and transpiration.
B)Desalination is expensive.
C)The removed salt can be dumped back into the ocean with no real concerns.
D)Desalination is the best approach to solving irrigation problems.
E)Desalination is the best method of acquiring clear water for drinking.

Question 30

Which of the following human activities is thought to be directly linked to why the damage from Hurricane Katrina was so devastating to the city of New Orleans?

A)the overdraft of groundwater from the region
B)the implementation of xeriscaping in the region
C)the degradation or removal of coastal wetlands in the region
D)the conversion of forests into land used for agriculture
E)the channelization of streams nearby

Question 31

To reduce flooding risks, an environmentalist is most likely to choose

A)floodplain management
B)a flood control dam
C)channelization of streams
D)artificial levees
E)none of these answers

Question 32

Which of the following is true of flood irrigation?

A)It relies solely on water that falls directly on the crop fields in the form of precipitation.
B)It results in 40% inefficient loss of the water applied.
C)It is the primary form of irrigation used in China.
D)Both it results in 40% inefficient loss of the water applied and it is the primary form of irrigation used in China are true.
E)All of these answers are true.

Question 33

According to the United Nations, from 40% to 60% of all water supplied in all of the world's major cities in developing countries is

A)used for crop irrigation
B)lost through leakage of water mains, pipes, pumps, and valves
C)recycled as grey water
D)used for watering landscaping
E)polluted

Question 34

Floods and droughts are

A)strictly natural disasters
B)influenced by human activities
C)decreased by increases in human population
D)independent of human activity
E)all of these answers

Question 35

Which of the following conditions in the Himalayan watershed contribute(s) to flooding in Bangladesh?

A)rapid population growth
B)deforestation
C)unsustainable farming practices
D)all of these answers
E)none of these answers

Question 36

According to the World Resources Institute, what percentage of the water that people use throughout the world is unnecessarily wasted?

A)one-tenth
B)one-third
C)one-fourth
D)one-half
E)two-thirds

Question 37

Conflicts within and between countries over scarce water supplies is expected to be most severe in

A)industrialized, developed countries
B)South America
C)the United Kingdom
D)the Middle East and part of Asia
E)all of these countries

Question 38

Which of the following are disadvantages of withdrawing groundwater?

A)subsidence, or sinking, of land
B)saltwater intrusion into drinking water supplies
C)contamination from deeper wells
D)aquifers that become polluted remaining so for decades or centuries
E)all of these answers

Question 39

Benefits of floods include all of the following except

A)provision of productive farmland
B)refilling of wetlands
C)recharging of groundwater
D)filling up of soil air spaces to prevent oxidation of nutrients
E)none of these answers

Question 40

Which of the following is the most efficient form of irrigation?

A)flood irrigation
B)center-pivot irrigation
C)low pressure irrigation
D)precision sprinkler irrigation
E)micro irrigation

Question 41

Which of the following can result in lakes being vulnerable to water pollution?

A)There is little water flow in lakes.
B)There is often little vertical mixing in lakes.
C)Lakes are typically quite deep.
D)Both there is little water flow in lakes and there is often little vertical mixing in lakes are correct.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 42

Which of the following statements about underground contaminants is false?

A)Degradable organic wastes do not decompose as rapidly underground as on the surface.
B)There is little dissolved oxygen to aid in degradation of wastes.
C)Waste products are diluted and dispersed quickly in underground aquifers.
D)It can take hundreds to thousands of years for contaminated groundwater to cleanse itself of degradable wastes.
E)In some coastal areas, groundwater has been contaminated by saltwater intrusion.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Rivers are more vulnerable than lakes to contamination by plant nutrients, oil, toxins, and pesticides.
B)Lakes are more susceptible to pollution because of little water flow.
C)Eutrophication is a natural process and can occur without the influence of humans.
D)Human activities can induce cultural eutrophication.
E)Eutrophication is caused by inputs of nutrients from the surrounding land basin.

Question 44

Nitrates and phosphates are examples of

A)disease-causing agents
B)oxygen-demanding wastes
C)organic chemicals
D)plant nutrients
E)sediment

Question 45

Which of the following developments of cultural eutrophication would occur last?

A)fish kills
B)blooms of algae
C)increase in aerobic bacteria
D)increase of plants such as duckweed
E)increase in anaerobic bacteria

Question 46

About ____ of the 100,000 medium to large lakes in the U.S. a.suffer from cultural eutrophication.

A)one-fifth
B)one-fourth
C)one-third
D)one-half
E)one-tenth

Question 47

Assume you are vacationing by a small lake, where you intend to do some fishing. a.When you arrive at this lake, you notice a slight sulfur smell.
Which phase of cultural eutrophication does this sulfur smell indicate?

A)An algal bloom.
B)Anaerobic bacteria are decomposing the aerobic organisms.
C)Aerobic bacteria are decomposing the algae.
D)Fish have died from lack of oxygen.
E)None of these answers.

Question 48

An oxygen sag curve occurs when

A)Fish population numbers sag.
B)Heavy metals that have entered a stream bind oxygen molecules and remove them from the available oxygen supply.
C)The breakdown of biodegradable wastes by bacteria lowers the available oxygen in the water for organisms with high oxygen requirements.
D)Carbon dioxide values exceed dissolved oxygen values.
E)None of these answers

Question 49

Arsenic is released into drinking water

A)when a well is drilled into rock naturally rich in arsenic
B)when mining or ore processing occurs that drains into a water supply
C)when coal processing results in arsenic run-off into nearby streams
D)all of these answers
E)when a well is drilled into rock naturally rich in arsenic and when mining or ore processing occurs that drains into a water supply

Question 50

Which of the following is a nonpoint source of water pollution?

A)sewage treatment plant
B)electric power plant
C)active and inactive coal mines
D)logged forest
E)factories

Question 51

One class of pollutants that can cause excessive growth of algae is

A)radioactive substances
B)oxygen-demanding wastes
C)plant nutrients
D)organic chemicals
E)sediment

Question 52

Acids, salts, and metals are examples of

A)oxygen-demanding wastes
B)organic plant nutrients
C)inorganic plant nutrients
D)inorganic chemicals
E)sediment

Question 53

Which of the following is a point source of pollution?

A)acid deposition
B)urban streets
C)oil tankers
D)suburban lawns
E)parking lots

Question 54

Which of the following decrease(s) photosynthesis in bodies of water?

A)disease-causing organisms
B)inorganic plant nutrients
C)sediment such as soil or silt
D)heat
E)organic chemicals

Question 55

The practice of suspending rust particles in contaminated water, and then drawing out the rust with hand-held magnets, has been effective in dealing with

A)DDT contaminated water
B)arsenic contaminated water
C)oil contaminated water
D)heavy metal contaminated water
E)acidified water secondary to acid rain

Question 56

All of the following are nonpoint sources of water pollution except

A)offshore oil wells
B)livestock feedlots
C)urban lands
D)croplands
E)parking lots

Question 57

Groundwater

A)has turbulent flows that dilute pollutants
B)has large populations of decomposing bacteria that break down degradable wastes
C)is cold, which slows down decomposition rates
D)may take five to ten years to cleanse itself of wastes
E)is quickly renewable

Question 58

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Heat lowers dissolved oxygen in streams and rivers.
B)Organic wastes that can be decomposed by aerobic bacteria reduce the amount of oxygen in the water supply.
C)Toxic chemicals released from industries can result in fish kills.
D)Inorganic nutrients such as fertilizers have no adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.
E)Sediment can cloud water and reduce photosynthesis.

Question 59

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems receives the vast majority of the global inputs of pollution?

A)estuary
B)swiftly flowing stream
C)deep-water ocean
D)coastal parts of the ocean
E)slow-moving river

Question 60

_______________________ is the only effective way to protect groundwater.

A)pollution prevention
B)community-based local clean up
C)bioremediation
D)sewage treatment
E)stream restoration

Question 61

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Vast colonies of viruses have been thriving in raw sewage in U.S. a.coastal waters.
B)About one-fourth of the people who use coastal beaches in the U.S. a.develop infectious diseases.
C)About 60,000 Americans are poisoned each year from eating shellfish.
D)None of these answers is false.
E)Two of these answers are false.

Question 62

U.S.
a.subsidies are provided to farmers who reduce water use in irrigation.

Question 63

Eutrophication is a condition in an aquatic ecosystem where high nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae.

Question 64

Global reduction of grain-fed beef consumption would help to reduce water shortages.

Question 65

More than half the water available for use is lost through evaporation, wastes, irrigation overuse, etc.

Question 66

Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, all of the following have occurred except

A)The proportion of the U.S. a.population served by sewage treatment plants has increased from 32% to 74%.
B)Annual wetland loss decreased by 80%.
C)The percentage of U.S. a.stream lengths found to be fishable and swimmable increased from 36% to 60% of those tested.
D)The number of Americans served by community water systems that met federal health standards decreased slightly.
E)Only one of the choices correctly reflects what has occurred since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Question 67

The creation of dams and reservoirs has decreased the annual reliable runoff available for human use.

Question 68

The discharge trading policy

A)is sponsored by the EPA
B)uses market forces to reduce water pollution
C)allows polluters to pollute at higher levels than they have permits for, if they can buy unused credits from permit holders who are polluting below their allowed levels
D)all of these answers
E)only two of these answers

Question 69

Most aquifers are rapidly recharged through precipitation that percolates downward through soil and rock.

Question 70

A large amount of the world's drinking water comes from desalination.

Question 71

The majority of the oil pollution of the ocean comes from

A)blowouts (rupture of a borehole of an oil rig in the ocean)
B)tanker accidents
C)environmental terrorism
D)runoff from land
E)normal operation of offshore wells

Question 72

One potential problem associated with global warming is that rising sea levels will cause salt contamination of coastal area soils.

Question 73

Flooding increases with economic and urban development.

Question 74

The shift to pollution prevention will most likely be the result of

A)bottom-up political pressure
B)elected officials recognizing the benefits of sustainable living
C)financial benefits of pollution prevention inspiring business leaders
D)community cooperatives promoting the idea
E)top-down politics starting at the White House

Question 75

Cold temperatures of groundwater slow down the chemical reactions that decompose wastes.

Question 76

Which of the following types of sewage treatment are properly matched?

A)primary--removal of pollutants particular to a given area
B)secondary--removal of oxygen-demanding wastes
C)advanced--removal of suspended solids
D)all of these answers
E)none of these answers

Question 77

Salt from the region of the Aral Sea is being blown onto the alpine glaciers of the Himalayas, and is causing them to melt at faster than normal rates.

Question 78

Drinking is the biggest use of water worldwide.

Question 79

Some water resources are best categorized as nonrenewable.

Question 80

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems is most capable of diluting, dispersing, and degrading large amounts of sewage, sludge, and oil?

A)estuary
B)swiftly flowing stream
C)deep-water ocean
D)coastal parts of the ocean
E)slow-moving river