topics 8.1-8.2/8.4-8.6

Question 1

All of the following are commonly used to deal with the side effects of eutrophication in lakes EXCEPT
a. applying herbicides to kill nuisance plants
b. dredging out lakes to deepen them
c. pumping oxygen into the lowest layers of water
d. introducing insects that eat certain nuisance plants
e. adding nitrates

Answer 1

e. adding nitrates

Question 2

All of the following are considered toxic metal pollutants EXCEPT
a. cadmium
b. chromium
c. lead
d. mercury
e. potassium

Answer 2

e. potassium

Question 3

In 1986 Country X established regulations to reduce the maximum allowable concentration of chromium in industrial effluents from 37 ppm to 25 ppm. In 1994 government research indicated that a chromium concentration of up to 35 ppm in effluents presented an acceptable risk; in the same year the government also discovered that a certain chemical company had been discharging effluents with chromium concentrations of 32 ppm each year since 1981. Based on this information, which of the following statements is correct?
a. 35 ppm of chromium was considered retroactively to be the legal limit for the 1987–1994 period.
b. 35 ppm of chromium served automatically as the new legal limit in the post-1994 period.
c. The chemical company did not violate effluent regulations in the 1982–1985 period, but it violated them at some other time.
d. The chemical company did not violate effluent regulations in the 1987–1994 period, but did violate them at some other time.
e. The chemical company never violated effluent regulations for chromium.

Answer 3

c. The chemical company did not violate effluent regulations in the 1982–1985 period, but it violated them at some other time.

Question 4

The graph above shows the effect of sewage on biological oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) in a flowing stream. The smallest fish populations will most probably be found at point
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
e. E

Answer 4

c. C

Question 5

The amount of sediment deposited at the mouth of a river system is likely to be increased by the presence upstream of which of the following?

I. Artificial levees and embankments
II. Dams
III. Extensive natural wetlands

a. I only
b. II only
c. III only
d. I and II
e. II and III

Answer 5

a. I only

Question 6

Mandates the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters
a. Safe Drinking Water Act
b. Clean Water Act
c. Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
d. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
e. Toxic Substances Control Act

Answer 6

b. Clean Water Act

Question 7

Requires minimum safety standards for community water supplies
a. Safe Drinking Water Act
b. Clean Water Act
c. Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
d. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
e. Toxic Substances Control Act

Answer 7

a. Safe Drinking Water Act

Question 8

Eutrophication results in the death of trout and other fish as a result of
a. toxic pH levels in the water
b. asphyxiation from lack of oxygen
c. toxic levels of mercury in the water
d. toxic concentrations of salt in the water
e. a lack of sufficient minerals in the water

Answer 8

b. asphyxiation from lack of oxygen

Question 9

Why did the DO after one week decrease as the amount of waste increased?
a. The algae could not consume the waste fast enough.
b. The turbidity of the water increased, and the algae population increased.
c. The algae multiplied and then died and decomposed.
d. The CO2 increased due to algal respiration.
e. The oxygen came out of solution into the air in the laboratory.

Answer 9

c. The algae multiplied and then died and decomposed.

Question 10

What is the main purpose for the experiment?
a. To determine how much O2 the algae can produce
b. To show how much CO2 is consumed by decomposition
c. To collect data to determine how waste in water can be useful
d. To demonstrate that initial DO is not important
e. To observe the effect of organic waste on DO

Answer 10

e. To observe the effect of organic waste on DO

Question 11

Which of the following would best improve the validity of the experiment?
a. Eliminating tank 1, because the DO stayed the same
b. Observing the results of adding organic waste to tanks containing salt water
c. Repeating the experiment several times and comparing the results
d. Increasing the amounts of green algae in each of the tanks, with tank 5 having the greatest amount
e. Adding different types of waste to each tank and then checking the results

Answer 11

c. Repeating the experiment several times and comparing the results

Question 12

Of the following, which is the best example of a point source of water pollution?
a. factory effluent
b. storm water
c. acid precipitation
d. agricultural runoff
e. residential pesticide runoff

Answer 12

a. factory effluent

Question 13

Which of the following is a common characteristic of lakes undergoing cultural eutrophication?
a. Decreased rates of sediment accumulation
b. Decreased amounts of green and blue-green algae
c. Increased levels of oxygen throughout the water column
d. Increased water clarity in the epilimnion
e. Increased levels of plant nutrients

Answer 13

e. Increased levels of plant nutrients

Question 14

When logging is carried out in a watershed, a likely effect on the local streams is
a. mitigation of anoxia
b. decreased nutrient levels
c. decreased input of sediments
d. increased oligotrophic conditions
e. increased water temperature

Answer 14

e. increased water temperature

Question 15

Which of the following is the most likely route for mercury to enter the food web?
a. Municipal waste → landfill → groundwater → plants and vegetation
b. Coal-burning emissions → deposition → ocean → plankton → fishes
c. Organic fertilizers → soil → groundwater → lake → trout
d. Medical waste incinerators → stratosphere → grass → cows
e. Mining waste → acid deposition → surface
runoff → plants and vegetation

Answer 15

b. Coal-burning emissions → deposition → ocean → plankton → fishes

Question 16

If wastewater treatment plant effluent that contains nitrates and phosphates is allowed to flow into a body of water, which of the following may result?
a. chlorination
b. decomposition
c. eutrophication
d. oxygenation
e. methylation

Answer 16

c. eutrophication

Question 17

The use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in the Midwestern United States is a major contributing factor to which of the following?
a. Spread of the West Nile virus
b. Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
c. Water shortages in communities near the Great Lakes
d. Soil erosion in Texas
e. The increase in severe storms in the Southeastern United State

Answer 17

b. Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

Question 18

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

Answer 18

d. Runoff of nitrate compounds into bodies of water

Question 19

In August of 2014, residents of several Ohio cities that use Lake Erie as a drinking water source were warned not to drink tap water because of the presence of toxins released by blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Which of the following is the most likely cause of recent blooms of blue-green algae in Lake Erie?
a. Increased recreational use of Lake Erie
b. Cooler average summer temperature
c. Phosphorus contained in agricultural runoff
d. Carbon in wastewater from fracking operations
e. Chlorine from sewage treatment plants along Lake Erie’s shoreline

Answer 19

c. Phosphorus contained in agricultural runoff

Question 20

Which of the following will result in accelerated eutrophication when introduced into streams, lakes, and bays?
a. bacteria and viruses
b. pesticides
c. herbicides
d. phosphates
e. acid wastes and salts

Answer 20

d. phosphates

Question 21

The release of a large amount of sewage and other organic wastes into a river would likely result in a sharp
a. increase in the biological oxygen demand
b. increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen
c. increase in the population size of fish that require high levels of oxygen
d. decrease in coliform bacteria counts
e. decrease in the temperature of the river water

Answer 21

a. increase in the biological oxygen demand

Question 22

Lakes that are characterized by high water clarity and low concentrations of dissolved nutrients are classified as
a. buffered
b. climax
c. eutrophic
d. oligotrophic
e. stratified

Answer 22

d. oligotrophic

Question 23

Three common methods employed in the cleanup of oil spills are
a. aeration of water, skimmer boats, and genetically engineered bacteria
b. aeration of water, phytoremediation, and genetically engineered bacteria
c. skimmer boats, high temperature incineration, and phytoremediation
d. large floating booms, high temperature incineration, and phytoremediation
e. large floating booms, skimmer boats, and genetically engineered bacteria

Answer 23

e. large floating booms, skimmer boats, and genetically engineered bacteria

Question 24

Which of the following characteristically produces non-point-source pollution?
a. Seepage from a landfill
b. Industrial effluent
c. Testing of nuclear weapons
d. Erosion from agricultural land
e. Overflow from a sewage treatment plant

Answer 24

d. Erosion from agricultural land

Question 25

In a river ecosystem, dissolved oxygen concentrations drop quickly downstream from a point-source input of organic matter into the river. This effect is due to
a. increasing populations of mayfly and stonefly larvae
b. increasing activity of trout and black bass
c. increasing bacterial activity as organic matter decays
d. decreasing bacterial activity as turbidity increases
e. decreasing water temperature as surface evaporation increases

Answer 25

c. increasing bacterial activity as organic matter decays

Question 26

Which of the following is a measure of the amount of suspended material in water?
a. salinity
b. turbidity
c. trace-metal concentration
d. leachate concentration
e. pH

Answer 26

b. turbidity

Question 27

Based on the data table above for a stream in Illinois, which site most likely has a construction site immediately upstream from it?
a. site A
b. site B
c. site C
d. site D
e. site E

Answer 27

c. site C

Question 28

Until 2005 the entire Postawko Creek Watershed in Fremont County consisted of a national forest interspersed with hay meadows and houses on lots with a minimum size of five acres. In 2005 Farmer Cobb opened a dairy farm in the watershed, and the citizens of Fremont County became concerned that the runoff from the dairy farm would negatively impact the water quality of the watershed. Scientists employed by the county collected water quality data at five sites in the watershed; some of the data are compiled in the table above. Based on these data, which site is most likely immediately downstream from the dairy farm?
a. site A
b. site B
c. site C
d. site D
e. site E

Answer 28

c. site C

Question 29

Which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?
a. A decreased sediment load in the river
b. A decreased level of pollutants such as nitrates in the river
c. An increased diversity of aquatic species in the river
d. An increased level of oxygen in the river
e. An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

Answer 29

e. An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

Question 30

A state highway was constructed over wetlands. The state obtained a permit to fill the existing wetlands in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act in 1972, and agreed to create another wetland. This trade-off approach to addressing an environmental issue is known as
a. mitigation
b. restoration
c. preservation
d. remediation
e. sustainability

Answer 30

a. mitigation

Question 31

Defining characteristics of a wetland involve which of the following?

I. Hydrology
II. Soil type
III. Species composition

a. I only
b. II only
c. I and II only
d. II and III only
e. I, II, and III

Answer 31

e. I, II, and III