Deck 20: Science Fundamentals

Question 1

In addition to taking up space,one of the greatest risks of adding e-wastes into landfills is ___________.

A)a danger that CRTs will result in huge explosions
B)the generation of large volumes of methane
C)the leaching of heavy metals into soil and groundwater
D)the tremendous amounts of heat generated when e-waste decays

Answer 1

the leaching of heavy metals into soil and groundwater

Question 2

The reprocessing of nuclear fuel_____________ .

A)requires additional mining of uranium
B)requires the heavy use of lead and iron ore
C)is widely practiced in the United States
D)reduces and reuses the stockpile of nuclear waste

Answer 2

reduces and reuses the stockpile of nuclear waste

Question 3

Of the following,which one would be the most logical use for graywater?

A)Filling swimming pools
B)Flushing toilets
C)Washing hands
D)Washing dishes

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Transuranic wastes are materials that have been contaminated with ___________.

A)transuranic acid
B)gamma rays from distant parts of the solar system,beyond Uranus
C)urine
D)elements with an atomic number greater than that of uranium

Question 5

Which of the following is a component of the municipal solid waste stream?

A)Low-level radioactive waste,such as medical syringes
B)Scrap steel from an automobile manufacturing plant
C)Household and restaurant food waste
D)Feces

Question 6

If you were to accidentally flush your cell phone down the toilet,it would be removed during what stage of the sewage treatment process?

A)Primary treatment
B)Secondary treatment
C)Tertiary treatment
D)It would not be removed during treatment,which is why one should not flush it down the toilet.

Question 7

Which of the following components of municipal solid waste is recycled at the highest percentages?

A)Paper
B)Aluminum
C)Plastic
D)Glass

Question 8

Latex paint is classified as a hazardous waste.If a homeowner wants to dispose of extra latex paint,she could legally do which of the following?

A)Put the lid on it tightly,and place it in the trash.
B)Burn the paint in a backyard fire pit.
C)Pour it down the drain.
D)None of these options is legal.

Question 9

There is/are currently ______ong-term,underground,nonmilitary,permanent,high-level radioactive waste storage facilityies)in the United States.

A)three
B)four
C)zero
D)one

Question 10

_____________is a potent greenhouse gas produced during the decomposition process in sanitary landfills.

A)Ozone
B)Dihydrogen oxide
C)Methane
D)Chlorofluorocarbon

Question 11

People with home septic systems often flush several cups of a powdered substance down their toilets every month or two to keep their systems healthy.These powdered substances most likely contain _________ .

A)acids that help to clean the insides of the walls of the pipes and septic tank
B)bacteria and enzymes that help break down wastes
C)chemicals that bind to heavy metals to keep them from leaching into the soil
D)chlorine and other disinfectants that help to prevent soil contamination

Question 12

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

A)separating out large solids from the sewage
B)adding bacteria to the sewage
C)stirring the sewage to increase oxidation
D)chlorinating the sewage

Question 13

Making a new soda pop can out of recycled aluminum requires _____________% less energy than making it out of bauxite raw aluminum ore).

A)95
B)80
C)70
D)50
E)25

Question 14

Industrial ecologists _______

A)help design plans for industrial infrastructure in areas that are environmentally sensitive,such as Rocky Mountain National Park
B)strive to find uses for hazardous wastes so the wastes can be recycled rather than disposed of in potentially unsafe manners
C)study the negative impacts of industrial processes on the environment
D)design systems that use energy and materials more efficiently during the manufacture,consumer use,and recycling or disposal of products

Question 15

Which of the following represent the categories of hazardous waste?

A)Toxic,nontoxic,and unknown
B)Municipal,industrial,and agricultural
C)Nonbiodegradable and biodegradable
D)Ignitable,corrosive,reactive,and toxic

Question 16

You want to purchase 5 pounds 80 ounces)of potato chips for your group's party.You can buy the chips packaged in many different ways.Which of the following represents the best way to reduce excessive packaging and the MSW burden on the environment? To reduce the greatest amount of packaging,you should purchase_____________.

A)two 40-ounce bags
B)four 20-ounce bags
C)ten 8-ounce bags
D)six 15-ounce bags

Question 17

Which of the following might you come to realize if you were to perform a life-cycle analysis on your dog?

A)You determine that if your dog lives 10 years,it will have eaten 2.6 million Calories of food during its life.
B)Although you thought your dog was a purebred poodle,you discover that your dog's father was part golden retriever.
C)You discover that your dog has been eating baby rabbits in your backyard.
D)You discover that your dog has been sneaking off to the municipal sanitary landfill and eating discarded food wastes.

Question 18

Which of the following would reduce municipal solid waste by the greatest amount?

A)Using paper towels whenever possible instead of sponges and rags
B)Buying concentrated cleaning solutions and refilling smaller cleaning bottles at home
C)Buying food products in individual serving containers whenever possible
D)Using half as much toilet paper when you use the restroom

Question 19

One of the biggest problems associated with long-term,high-level nuclear waste storage is___________ .

A)figuring out how to contain the material so that it does not leak into the ocean
B)determining a cost-effective way to shoot waste into space
C)finding an environment that will remain stable for more than 10,000 years
D)creating a secure environment to protect the material from terrorists

Question 20

What is the difference between sewage and wastewater?

A)Wastewater does not contain the toilet paper and human water-borne wastes that are found in sewage.
B)Sewage is wastewater that contains urine and feces and other wastes from households,but wastewater also includes stormwater and water contaminated from agricultural and industrial processes.
C)Sewage and wastewater are synonymous.
D)Wastewater is sewage that has been fully processed in a sewage treatment plant to remove all solids and pathogens.

Question 21

-Since the year 2000,which of the following appears to have grown less popular as a method of dealing with municipal solid waste?

A)Composting
B)Waste incineration
C)Recycling
D)Landfilling

Question 22

What do wastewater treatment facilities primarily depend upon for the breakdown of organic materials in wastewater?

A)Large amounts of antibiotics and disinfecting chemicals
B)Lots of chlorine bleach
C)The neutralizing effects of high levels of oxygen
D)Microorganisms

Question 23

Waste incinerators ___________.

A)extend the life of landfills by decreasing waste volume
B)increase the volume of MSW that must be buried in landfills
C)are able to eliminate the disposal of municipal solid wastes MSW)
D)ultimately increase the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity

Question 24

A septic system is___________ .

A)an early version of a wastewater treatment plant
B)a rural method of handling sewage
C)a badly polluted waterway
D)part of the secondary treatment at a wastewater treatment plant

Question 25

Over 25% of all U.S.municipal solid waste consists of __________.

A)yard trimmings
B)plastics and metals
C)paper
D)wastes that would be classified as hazardous

Question 26

Yucca Mountain is best known as ________.

A)the location of a leaky nuclear power plant that will cost billions of dollars to clean up
B)a potential site for long-term,high-level,nuclear waste storage in the United States,rejected because of political and safety concerns
C)the site of a lake that received illegal dumping of nuclear waste in the 1960s
D)a military base that has accumulated low-level and high-level nuclear waste for many decades

Question 27

Compared to municipal solid waste in 1960,today's municipal solid waste is much__________ .

A)more likely to contain coal ash
B)less likely to be buried in a sanitary landfill
C)less likely to be recycled
D)less likely to be dumped into an open pit

Question 28

Instead of purchasing a cheap new car every 5 years and trading in the old one,a person buys a new,well-built car every 15 years,repairs it as needed,and then trades it in for a new one.This approach saves the person money,reduces the overall impact on the environment,and illustrates the value of___________ .

A)recycling
B)source reduction
C)composting
D)a life-cycle analysis

Question 29

At a wastewater treatment plant,the primary purpose of secondary treatment is to __________ .

A)remove the large solids
B)remove toxic chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals
C)remove the organic matter remaining in the wastewater
D)remove bacteria and other pathogenic organisms

Question 30

A home located about 500 feet from an abandoned landfill explodes in a giant ball of flames.This is a mystery,as the home only uses electricity for cooking and heating.Most likely,this disaster was caused by __________ .

A)corrosives that leached from the landfill into the home and degraded the home's electrical wires
B)methane that seeped from the landfill along horizontal cracks and into the home
C)gasoline or other flammable substances that leached from the landfill into the home
D)groundwater contamination from the landfill into the home

Question 31

The Superfund,which provides federal funds for the cleanup of heavily contaminated hazardous waste sites,was established by what federal law passed in 1980?

A)The Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act
B)The Superfund Management and Liability Act
C)The Hazardous Waste Management Act
D)The Superfund Authority and Management Act

Question 32

-From the 1960s to the present,the trend has been that_______ over time.

A)less waste was recovered for recycling
B)less waste was sent to landfills
C)more overall waste was produced
D)less overall waste was produced

Question 33

Which of the following should not be flushed down the drain or toilet in a home with a septic tank?

A)Vegetable fragments and organic detergents
B)Toilet paper and other paper fragments
C)Condoms and feminine hygiene products
D)Urine and feces

Question 34

Wealthy nations generate approximately_________ pounds of waste per person per day.

A)40
B)2)6
C)13.7
D)4)6

Question 35

Latex paint is classified as a hazardous waste because it is ________ .

A)corrosive
B)flammable
C)toxic
D)reactive

Question 36

The disaster of Love Canal in New York in the 1970s illustrated the problem of_________ .

A)unsafe nuclear waste disposal
B)unsafe toxic waste disposal
C)health problems resulting from the processing of electronic wastes
D)lax safety standards at nuclear power plants in the eastern United States

Question 37

All radioactive wastes____________ .

A)release gamma radiation
B)contain atoms that decay
C)are difficult to handle and store safely
D)must be disposed of at Yucca Mountain in Nevada

Question 38

To safeguard against groundwater contamination,sanitary landfills are _________.

A)lined with an impermeable liner
B)located on slopes so water runs downhill
C)located on industrial sites where groundwater is not used for drinking or agriculture
D)covered with cement

Question 39

E-waste contains __________.

A)heavy metals
B)compostable organic compounds
C)radioactive materials
D)ignitables

Question 40

Buying used items at a garage sale is one environmentally friendly approach that represents a form of ____________.

A)composting
B)reuse
C)WTE disposal
D)source reduction

Question 41

Describe what e-wastes are and why they are a problem.

Question 42

Radioactive wastes are categorized as either low level or high level.Explain the distinction and how each kind of waste is properly disposed of.

Question 43

Over the past 50 years,the total amount of waste generated by each person in the United States has nearly doubled,primarily because of increased affluence.Discuss three specific actions that an American citizen could take in order to promote a more environmentally sound waste management lifestyle.