Deck 13: Human Impact on the Environment

Question 1

The most critical concern regarding the disposal of radioactive wastes is that

A)dumping wastes at sea has resulted in contamination of the oceans.
B)injecting the waste into deep wells can trigger earthquakes.
C)no country has constructed a safe,permanent method of disposal.
D)burying wastes on land has led to contamination via leaks from the barrels.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The biosphere is composed of

A)the troposphere,hydrosphere,and the upper portions of the earth's upper crust.
B)the stratosphere,the living organic world,and the absorbable minerals of the earth's crust.
C)water,phosphorus,and carbon.
D)solar energy,the earth's crust,and living organisms.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an effective means of reducing the impact of solid waste on the environment?

A)reducing the volume of waste that is generated
B)recycling household solid waste
C)reusing materials rather than discarding them
D)all of the above are effective means of reducing the environmental impact of solid wastes

Answer 3

D

Question 4

All of the following statements about decomposers are true EXCEPT that they

A)feed on the remains of other organisms.
B)break down radioactive wastes.
C)release nutrients for reuse in the food chain.
D)play an essential part in the cycle of life.

Question 5

All of the following statements about pesticides are true EXCEPT

A)long term effects of their usage is not known.
B)they are most effective on resistant,as opposed to high-yielding,varieties of plants.
C)very few of their ingredients have been reviewed for safety by the EPA.
D)they can leach into aquifers long after the chemicals are no longer used.

Question 6

The specific place of an organism in an ecosystem is called its

A)biome.
B)environment.
C)niche.
D)trophic level.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about mining is NOT true?

A)It contributes to both water and air pollution.
B)In terms of tonnage,it is the single greatest contributor to solid wastes.
C)Its negative affects can be minimized by switching from sub-surface mining to surface mining.
D)It disrupts wildlife habitats.

Question 8

Water pollution is widespread because

A)water has a very low tolerance to either natural or artificial contaminants.
B)once a stream or lake is polluted; there is no way to restore it to usable quality.
C)increasing world aridity limits the number of water sources that can be used for waste disposal.
D)water so easily receives the wastes of agriculture,industry,and cities.

Question 9

The construction of dams,canals,and reservoirs

A)does not affect stream flow.
B)reduces the sediment load downstream.
C)decreases the salinity of the soil.
D)increases the amount of nutrients available for crops and fish.

Question 10

Which of the following factors does NOT affect the type and degree of air pollution found at a given place?

A)wind patterns
B)ozone layer
C)topography
D)level of industrialization

Question 11

Ozone layer depletion is believed to be caused chiefly by

A)ultraviolet (UV)radiation.
B)buildup of carbon dioxide.
C)particulate pollution.
D)chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)emissions.

Question 12

The Aral Sea has lost much of its water to

A)evaporation.
B)global warming.
C)thermal pollution.
D)irrigation.

Question 13

An example of a point as opposed to a non-point source of water pollution is

A)an animal feedlot.
B)an agricultural field.
C)a sewage plant.
D)a highway.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an exotic species that has caused unforeseen ecological disruption where it has been introduced,whether accidentally or deliberately?

A)zebra mussels
B)Asian gypsy moth
C)rabbits
D)all of the above have caused ecological disruption

Question 15

Air pollution

A)is caused primarily by burning fossil fuels.
B)is not a significant problem in developing countries.
C)first occurred as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the use of fossil fuels by factories.
D)may have serious consequences for human health but rarely affects plant life.

Question 16

All of the following statements about photochemical smog are true EXCEPT that it

A)is associated with respiratory problems.
B)is more severe in the winter than in the summer months.
C)results chiefly from oxides of nitrogen.
D)characterizes the Los Angeles basin much of the year.

Question 17

A temperature inversion

A)occurs when air temperature decreases with height above the earth's surface.
B)typically lasts for several weeks.
C)decreases the effects of air pollution through dilution.
D)can trap air pollutants near the surface,causing serious human health effects.

Question 18

Which of the following places the greatest demand on freshwater supplies?

A)waste disposal
B)households and cities
C)industrial production
D)irrigated agriculture

Question 19

In the process of biological magnification,the most threatened trophic level is the

A)decomposer.
B)ultimate consumer.
C)herbivore.
D)initial consumer.

Question 20

Acid rain has been linked to all of the following EXCEPT

A)a decline in fish populations in thousands of lakes and streams.
B)global warming.
C)reduced rates of forest growth.
D)the corrosion and discoloration of buildings and statues.

Question 21

The number of people worldwide who lack access to adequate water supplies is estimated to be

A)nearly zero due to technological advances.
B)over 500 million.
C)over 2 billion.
D)over 5 billion.

Question 22

Channelization refers to

A)the addition of arsenic to water.
B)the construction of dikes and embankments to control floodwaters and improve navigation.
C)the depletion of atmospheric ozone.
D)soil erosion in mountain streams.

Question 23

Which of the following would NOT be an example of how people have disrupted wildlife habitats?

A)using a tidal marsh as a landfill
B)erecting fences to protect cattle
C)killing elephants for their ivory tusks
D)burning a forest to plant crops

Question 24

Human introductions and extinctions of plant and animal species

A)have reduced to insignificance the floral and faunal differences between continents.
B)may result in unforeseen alterations to the original natural environment and to the economic potential of an area.
C)are,in relation to the immense natural diversity of plant and animal life,insignificant and easily matched by naturally occurring changes.
D)are the immediate cause of locally serious desertification and salinization problems.

Question 25

Projected increasing levels of water consumption pose potential problems of

A)overload of disposal systems and shift of industrial activity to seacoast locations.
B)overload of groundwater supplies and growing demand for bottled water.
C)regional water shortages and limitations on agricultural and urban expansion.
D)reduction in precipitation and increased desertification.

Question 26

Which of the following laws or treaties focused primarily on the problem of acid rain?

A)Montreal Protocol.
B)Clean Air Act.
C)Kyoto Protocol
D)Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.

Question 27

The gradual accumulation of nutrients in lakes is called

A)nutrification.
B)biocidification.
C)fertilization.
D)eutrophication.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about sanitary landfills is correct?

A)Most landfills produce leachate liquids which must be captured so that it does not contaminate the groundwater.
B)Municipal landfills are easy to site,compared to recycling plants.
C)Landfill capacity has kept pace with population growth.
D)Many landfills have been closed because of concern over air pollution.

Question 29

All of the following statements about eutrophication are true EXCEPT

A)symptoms of a eutrophic lake include prolific weed growth and fish kills.
B)it occurs naturally when nutrients in the surrounding area are washed into the water.
C)acid rain is a chief contributor of excess nutrients to water bodies.
D)accelerated eutrophication often results from agricultural runoff.

Question 30

Pollutants that chemically react with oxygen and water in the atmosphere to form strong acids that contaminate rain include

A)hydrocarbons and inert gases.
B)PCB's and DDT.
C)oxides of sulfur and nitrogen.
D)halogens and halons.

Question 31

The most common method of disposing of municipal solid waste in the United States is

A)by incineration.
B)in open dumps.
C)by recycling.
D)in sanitary landfills.

Question 32

In the food chain,the only organisms that produce their own food are

A)carnivores.
B)herbivores.
C)bacteria.
D)plants.

Question 33

Places where thermal pollution causes fish to die are typically

A)near the equator.
B)in the vicinity of warm ocean currents.
C)in areas of bright sunlight and shallow waters.
D)near electric power plants.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about solid waste is NOT true?

A)Recycling has little effect on the volume of solid waste that must be land filled or incinerated.
B)Because of high collection costs,recycling is rarely practiced in developing countries.
C)Society has always been faced with problems of discarding materials that are no longer needed.
D)Every method of disposing of solid waste has an impact on the environment.

Question 35

Which is NOT true of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone?

A)Fish,crabs,and other aquatic creatures cannot survive.
B)Its size varies from year to year.
C)It is located near the mouth of the Mississippi River.
D)It is largely the result of sewage dumping by large cities along the Mississippi River.

Question 36

All of the following statements about soil erosion are true EXCEPT that it is

A)exacerbated by population growth.
B)caused by both wind and running water.
C)accelerated when land is cleared of its natural vegetative cover.
D)on a worldwide basis balanced by the continuous soil-forming processes.

Question 37

Of the landforms produced by excavation,which has probably had the greatest environmental impact?

A)canals
B)surface mining
C)underground mining
D)chalk pits

Question 38

The Ogallala Aquifer is

A)a vast system of canals in the Everglades.
B)a source of groundwater in Florida that is being depleted faster than it is naturally renewed.
C)a source of groundwater in the Great Plains that is being depleted faster than it is naturally renewed.
D)a geologic formation that is ideal for storage of high-level hazardous waste.

Question 39

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 called for global efforts to

A)reduce acid rain.
B)control ocean pollution.
C)halt global warming.
D)stop the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer.

Question 40

All of the following statements about the greenhouse effect are true EXCEPT that it

A)occurs when there is a low level of carbon dioxide in the air.
B)is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the accumulation of other gases in the air.
C)could result in a global warming trend.
D)slows down the reradiation of heat from earth back into space.

Question 41

Which one of the following is an example of a non-point source of water pollution?

A)sewage treatment plant
B)road salt
C)power generating plant
D)coal mine

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a major consequence of acid rain?

A)destruction of limestone statues
B)forest damage
C)soil erosion
D)loss of fish populations in parts of the U.S.,Canada,and Scandinavia

Question 43

Sulfurous emissions emitted in __________ are carried by prevailing winds and cause acid rain in ________.

A)California/Rocky Mountains
B)The Lower Mississippi River Valley/Florida
C)California/Pacific Northwest
D)The Lower Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley regions/New England

Question 44

Eutrophication is an artificial process that does not occur in lakes unless there is a strong human influence.

Question 45

Because of world urbanization,agriculture is no longer the main consumer of water.

Question 46

What gas in the stratosphere prevents dangerous intensities of ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth's surface?

A)ozone
B)hydrogen
C)argon
D)nitrogen

Question 47

There is an abundance of water to support more people than we have now on the earth.The problem is the distribution of water as some parts of the world receive more than others.

Question 48

High-level radioactive waste is most commonly disposed of in municipal incinerators.

Question 49

Electronic telecommunication devices have provided a major benefit to the environment by eliminating paper waste without creating new solid waste disposal issues.

Question 50

Ozone is a noxious pollutant at both ground level and high in the stratosphere.

Question 51

Although widely used,chlorinated hydrocarbons such as DDT are biodegradable and do not remain long in the food chain.

Question 52

One reason why water pollution exists today is that humans are introducing pollutants that cannot be broken down at all by natural mechanisms or that take a very long time to break down.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT a primary source of air pollutants?

A)ammonia
B)carbon dioxides
C)hydrocarbons
D)nitrogen oxides

Question 54

The agreement that calls for global efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases is known as the

A)1979 Convention on Transboundary Air Pollution.
B)Montreal Protocol of 1987.
C)Clean Air Act of 1990.
D)Kyoto Protocol of 1997.

Question 55

Which of the following is not part of the biosphere?

A)troposphere
B)earth's crust
C)hydrosphere
D)earth's inner core

Question 56

Transportation is the leading source of primary air pollutants in the United States.

Question 57

The primary source of primary air pollutants in the United States is industry.

Question 58

Acid rain

A)can cause problems hundreds of kilometers downwind of its source.
B)occurs when heated wastewaters are returned to the environment.
C)occurs because water expands as its temperature increases.
D)refers to oxygen-deficient water.

Question 59

Pesticides,by their selective action,have largely eliminated targeted insects as agricultural problems.

Question 60

The largest volumes of transboundary shipments of hazardous wastes are exported from _______ to ________.

A)Africa/the United States
B)developing countries/developed countries
C)developed countries/developing countries
D)Europe/the United States

Question 61

Photochemical smog is found only in cities in the developed world.

Question 62

Explain the formation of acid rain,where it occurs,and its consequences.

Question 63

What are some factors that contribute to a species being threatened or endangered?

Question 64

Explain the causes and symptoms of eutrophication.

Question 65

What factors make some areas have more seriously polluted air than others?

Question 66

You have been hired by the city council of a newly incorporated suburb to inform it about alternative systems of solid-waste disposal.Briefly summarize the points you would make in your report.

Question 67

What is the process by which certain chemicals accumulate at higher levels in the food chain?

Question 68

Explain how knowledge of prevailing wind patterns can help explain the spatial patterns of acid rain in the U.S.and Europe.

Question 69

How do people help produce landforms?

Question 70

Explain how agriculture can have a negative effect on water quality.

Question 71

The ozone layer is being depleted because of increasing agricultural activities in the Amazon Basin of South America where rainforests are being cleared to make room for farmers and ranchers.

Question 72

What atmospheric condition,associated with smog,occurs when air at lower altitudes is colder than air aloft?

Question 73

Draw a diagram of a food web

Question 74

Why can exotic species be damaging to ecosystems?

Question 75

What are the agricultural sources of water pollution?

Question 76

What gas,emitted chiefly by burning fossil fuels,is thought by many to be the main cause of a future warming trend around the world?

Question 77

What are some of the ways that environmental regulations have contributed to improved environmental quality in the United States?

Question 78

While oxides of nitrogen are responsible for the formation of acid rain,sulfur oxides are the chief cause of photochemical smog.

Question 79

In the U.S.air is much cleaner now than it was when the Clean Air Act was first passed.

Question 80

What has happened to the Aral Sea in the last 50 years?