Water Pollution
Which of the following diseases is not caused by a water-borne pathogen?
a) dysentary
b) typhoid
c) cholera
d) giardiasis
e) tuberculosis
e) tuberculosis
Storm water runoff from the new development
into nearby Samel Creek will likely lead to which
of the following?
(A) Biomagnification of mercury in birds of prey
such as eagles and osprey
(B) Improved recreational opportunities for
swimmers and boaters
(C) Destruction of fish habitats by high levels of
suspended solids and sediments
(D) Contamination of drinking water supplies by
volatile organic compounds such as ozone
(E) Increased incidence of waterborne diseases
such as malaria
(C) Destruction of fish habitats by high levels of
suspended solids and sediments
One important step that homeowners in the new
development can take to protect water quality in
Samel Creek would be to
(A) apply lawn fertilizers immediately before
storm events
(B) channelize Samel Creek to improve water
flow during storm events
(C) use only persistent organic pesticides to
control weed species in their lawns
(D) make certain that pet waste is disposed of
directly into storm drains
(E) use rain barrels to reduce the flow of storm
water into the creek
(E) use rain barrels to reduce the flow of storm
water into the creek
Economic benefits of building large dams include which of the following?
I. Storage of water for agriculture and domestic use
II. Controlling floods upstream
III. Production of renewable energy
A) I only
B) II only
C) I and II only
D) II and III only
E) I, II and III
E) I, II and III
The energy that drives the hydrologic cycle comes primarily from
A) trade winds
B) solar energy and gravity
C) Earth’s rotation on its axis
D) ocean currents and wind patterns
E) solar radiation
B) solar energy and gravity
The greatest amount of fresh water is found in which of the following?
(A) The atmosphere
(B) Estuaries
(C) Lakes
(D) Rivers and streams
(E) Polar ice caps and glaciers
(E) Polar ice caps and glaciers
Which of the following are biological processes in the treatment of sewage?
I. Primary sewage treatment
II. Secondary sewage treatment
III. Tertiary sewage treatment
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II
(E) II and III
(B) II only
Which of the following is most likely to increase both the nutrient levels and the bacterial content of lake water?
(A) Runoff from a nearby hog farm
(B) Thermal pollution from a nearby power plant
(C) Increased aeration of the lake water
(D) Percolation of the water through soil to groundwater
(E) Acidification of the lake water by acid deposition
(A) Runoff from a nearby hog farm
The process in the hydrological cycle in which water vapor is released from leaves into the atmosphere is called
(A) infiltration
(B) transpiration
(C) sublimation
(D) reflection
(E) percolation
(B) transpiration
What percentage of the Earth’s water is fresh water?
(A) 3 percent
(B) 10 percent
(C) 50 percent
(D) 90 percent
(E) 97 percent
(A) 3 percent
An endocrine disrupter might have which of the following impacts on the human body?
a) causes difficulty breathing
b) impairs nerve impulse transmission
c) interferes with normal hormone function
d) induces mutation in body cells
e) causes birth defects
c) interferes with normal hormone function
All of the following are used in the United States to dispose of sewage sludge except:
(A) Ocean dumping
(B) Incineration
(C) Treatment to become soil conditioner
(D) Compost
(E) Landfill burial
(A) Ocean dumping
Overuse of groundwater in coastal areas would most likely result in which of the following?
(A) Rise in water table
(B) Increase in stream flow
(C) Bacterial contamination of surface water
(D) Saltwater intrusion
(E) Decrease in eutrophication
(D) Saltwater intrusion
Of the following, which constitutes the greatest percent of domestic use of water in the United States?
A) Flushing toliets
B) Drinking
C) Cooking
D) Washing dishes
E) Washing clothes
A) Flushing toliets
Pure water has a pH of 7 because
A) its surface tension equally attracts acids and bases.
B) its polarity results in a molecule with a positive and a negative end.
C) its ability to dissolve carbon dioxide adjusts its natural pH.
D) its capillary action attracts it to the surfaces of solid substances.
E) its H+ concentration is equal to its OH- concentration.
E) its H+ concentration is equal to its OH- concentration.
A lake that has been affected by acid rain has a pH of 4. How many more times acidic is the lake water than pure water?
A) 4
B) 10
C) 100
D) 1,000
E) 10,000
D) 1,000
Some studies have indicated that global
amphibian populations are declining and that
exposure to herbicides in agricultural runoff is
implicated in the decline. Which of the following
is the most likely explanation of how herbicides
affect amphibians?
(A) The herbicides are fat soluble and accumulate
in groundwater.
(B) The herbicides act as a plant nutrient, causing
algal blooms.
(C) The herbicides act as endocrine disruptors.
(D) The herbicides are ingested by amphibians
that mistake them for food.
(E) The herbicides contain heavy metals.
(C) The herbicides act as endocrine disruptors.
As urbanization increases and natural soil surfaces are covered, the groundwater supply is reduced due to
A) Increased evaporation and transpiration
B) Decreased surface runoff
C) Loss of recharge area
D) Confinement of aquifers
E) Capping of artesian wells
C) Loss of recharge area
Which of the following methods of agricultural irrigation results in the loss of the least amount of water by evaporation?
A) Conventional center-pivot irrigation
B) Drip irrigation
C) Laser-level irrigation
D) Flood irrigation
E) Gravity-flow irrigation
B) Drip irrigation
Which of the following is the usual cause of cultural eutrophication in surface waters of both developed and developing countries?
A) Lack of proper filtration devices for power plant effluents
B) Introduction of cyanobacteria to streams and rivers
C) Runoff of metal ions in bodies of water
D) Runoff of nitrate compounds into bodies of water
E) Runoff of herbicides into bodies of water
D) Runoff of nitrate compounds into bodies of water
Which of the following would be an indication that a body of water was contaminated by human wastewater?
A) A fecal coliform bacteria count of zero
B) High levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus
C) Low levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus
D) Low levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and a fecal coliform bacteria count of zero
E) A lack of dead zones
B) High levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus
Which of the following is NOT considered a method of tertiary (advanced) sewage treatment?
(A) bacteria
(B) microfiltration
(C) UV light
(D) chlorine or ozone
(E) steam
(A) bacteria
Which of the following is true of the Ogallala
Aquifer?
(A) It underlies the African Serengeti and
supplies millions of people with freshwater.
(B) It underlies the Argentine Pampas and is
underutilized as a source of water.
(C) It underlies eastern Quebec and is a limited
source of freshwater.
(D) It underlies the United States High Plains and
is being depleted by overuse.
(E) It underlies central Florida and is
contaminated by pesticide and fertilizer
runoff from farms.
(D) It underlies the United States High Plains and
is being depleted by overuse.
Water vapor is a greenhouse gas and is produced
by burning fossil fuels. However, anthropogenic
water vapor does not contribute significantly to
global warming because water vapor
(A) is naturally occurring and therefore will not
harm the environment
(B) does not absorb energy
(C) has a short residence time in the atmosphere
(D) does not contain carbon
(E) has no global-warming potential (GWP)
(C) has a short residence time in the atmosphere
Which of the following statements about surface waters is not correct?
A) Historically, most rivers regularly spilled over their banks.
B) The largest river in the world is the Amazon River.
C) Levees are used to make reservoirs.
D) Dikes are human-made structures that keep ocean water from moving inland.
E) Wetlands play an important role in reducing the likelihood of flooding.
B) The largest river in the world is the Amazon River.