Water Pollution Practice Test Flashcards

1
Q

What is a positive effect of an ocean upwelling?

A

creates an area of high nutrient levels

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2
Q

When freshwater is not readily available, desalinated water may be used. Where is this most likely to happen?

A

the Middle East

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3
Q

Students studying a river found high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. They concluded that …

A

untreated animal waste entered the river

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4
Q

A certain chemical has a concentration of 10 ppm in water. Which statement most accurately discribes its concentration?

A

There are 10 molecules of the chemical in one million molecules of water.

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5
Q

Which of the following is the most successful solution to the problem of fish mortality caused by dams?

A

building fish ladders around the dam

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6
Q

Photic

A

A

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7
Q

Benthic

A

D

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8
Q

Littoral

A

C

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9
Q

Aphotic

A

B

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10
Q

What health threat is associated with water from plumbing in older homes?

A

lead

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11
Q

Which of the following laws created the Superfund program?

A

CERCLA

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12
Q

The Coriolis Effect and prevailing winds contribute to the formation of gyres in the oceans. Which direction do the gyres flow in the Northern Hemisphere?

A

clockwise

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13
Q

Artesian Well

A

9

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14
Q

Confined Aquifer

A

5

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15
Q

Unconfined aquifer

A

6

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16
Q

water table

A

4

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17
Q

impermeable layer

A

2

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18
Q

Oxygen-depleted zones of the oceans, such as the one at the mouth of the Mississippi River, are most likely caused by …

A

excessive fertilizer use in the watershed, leading to eutrophication

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19
Q

The Clean Water Act established all of the following guidelines EXCEPT

A

demanded that an environmental impact statement be prepared for any major development

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20
Q

Many synthetic chemicals, such as PCBs, act as estrogen mimics. In an ecosystem, these persistant chemicals would most likely have the greatest effect on which of the following?

A

secondary consumers

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21
Q

Researchers are evaluating the waste treatment facility located on the Moose River in the northeastern United States. They are sampling the river and its tributaries at several locations, as shown on the map below.

A

Fecal coliform measured at site B

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22
Q

The goal of the second stage of a waste water treatment plant is to …

A

Lower the amount of dissolved organic material in the water

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23
Q

Type of water pollution that involves erosion and causes an increase in the turbidity of the water.

A

sediments

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24
Q

Includes toxic substances such as lead and mercury.

A

chemical pollution

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25
Q

Phosphorous and nitrogen – lead to a buildup of algae in the water and may eventually cause a loss of oxygen

A

nutrient pollution

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26
Q

Animal waste, human waste, or plant materials

A

organic pollutants

27
Q

Disease causing agents. E.coli is an example.

A

pathogens

28
Q

changes in water temperature

A

thermal pollution

29
Q

Which of the following is the best example of gray water?

A

water that has been used for bathing and for washing cloths

30
Q

what percent of water is used for agriculture

A

70 percent

31
Q

what percent of freshwater is used for household use

A

10 percent

32
Q

what percent of freshwater is used for industry

A

20

33
Q

Which of the following is NOT a negative impact of dams on ecosystems?

A

generation of low pollution electricity / hydroelectric power

34
Q

Largest oil spill in the world, 1991, deliberate act of war, 330 million gallons

A

Kuwait / Persian Gulf

35
Q

Worst oil spill in US History, 2010

A

BP Deepwater Horizon

36
Q

20 million gallons spilled in Prince William Sound in Alaska

A

Exxon Valdez

37
Q

100,000 barrels of crude oil from an oil drilling rig in the Pacific, 1969

A

Santa Barbara

38
Q

68 million gallons entered the English Channel in 1978

A

Amoco Cadiz

39
Q

Which of the following is the best example of an economic approach to reduce overfishing for a fish species with a declining population?

A

The federal government sets a catch limit (per person or per boat) for the species and imposes a tax on any extra fish that are caught.

40
Q

Which organism produces most of the food in an aquatic ecosystem?

A

phytoplankton

41
Q

Which of the following is NOT true about confined aquifers?

A

They are polluted more easily than unconfined aquifers

42
Q

Which of the following best describes a way that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) cause harm in the environment?

A

Persistent organic pollutants are soluble in fat, so they accumulate in an organisms’ fatty tissues

43
Q

Which of the following choices gives the correct orrder of processing sanitary waste in a sewage treatment plant?

A

solid separation - breakdown of organics by bacteria - disinfection

44
Q

a deep lake with clear water, low productivity, high oxygen levels

A

oligotrophic

45
Q

has high levels of organic matter, murky water, thick layer of decomposing matter at the bottom, low levels of dissolved oxygen

A

eutrophic

46
Q

a productive lake that has some organic matter, medium nutrient levels, decomposing matter is accumulating at the bottom of the lake

A

mesotrophic

47
Q

The Thermohaline Circulation is also know as…

A

the Global Conveyor Belt

48
Q

Which of the following is not an environmental function of wetlands?

A

increasing runoff

49
Q

Which of the following correctly explains what happens to the level of oxygen in the water when organic waste is put into the water?

A

The levels would decrease because of the bacteria feeding off the waste and using oxygen to live.

50
Q

Which diagram represents the conditions of El Nino?

A

B

51
Q

Which of the following is a direct economic advantage associated with aquaculture?

A

Aquaculture produces large amounts of seafood for human purchase and consumption year-round.

52
Q

Which of the following is a disadvantage of fish farming?

A

It can lead to large die-offs due to disease.

53
Q

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

54
Q

Human waste in rural areas

A

septic tank

55
Q

Household waste in urban areas

A

sewage treatment plant

56
Q

Animal waste from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)

A

manure lagoon

57
Q

runoff / storm water from neighborhoods

A

retention pond

58
Q

Which of the sources below would produce non-point source pollution?

A

runoff from a large area of farmland near a river

59
Q

linked to cancer, nervous system damage, organ damage, and even death may bioaccumulate in large fish

A

heavy metals

60
Q

water used for cooling in power plants and factories is released back into the environment at a higher temperature

A

thermal pollution

61
Q

industrial chemical used to make plastics and resins used to store food and beverages with health effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants, and young children

A

BPA (Bisphenol A)

62
Q

result of erosion, increases turbidity

A

sediments

63
Q

causes eutrophication and presence of pathogens

A

raw sewage

64
Q

carcinogen used in production of plastics, banned in 1979

A

PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenol)