Unit 8 APES
Which of the following components, which are not shown on the diagram, are part of the tertiary treatment of wastewater?
Disinfectants
All of the following are considered toxic metal pollutants EXCEPT
Potassium
Integrated waste management employs all of the following EXCEPT
using disposable diapers instead of cloth diapers
Which of the following is the best example of environmental remediation?
A parcel of forest land is declared a state park.
Which of the following components of a wastewater treatment plants designed to facilitate the decomposition of organic material by aerobic microorganisms?
Activated-sludge tank
Some toxic compounds are ingested and retained in the tissues. These pollutants pose special risks to humans and other organisms high on the food chain because of which process?
Biomagnification
Which of the following best explains why DDT has been found in penguin eggs in the Antarctic?
Chemicals used in one region of Earth can circulate in the biosphere and affect organisms in a distant region.
Mandates the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters
Clean Water Act
Which of the following is the most likely route for mercury to enter the food web?
Coal-burning emissions → deposition → ocean → plankton → fishes
Which of the following best describes why DDT is classified as a persistent organic pollutant?
DDT is very stable, and as much as 50% of the original concentration can remain in the soil 15 years after the initial application.
Alligators in a Florida lake polluted by high levels of dioxins (chlorinated hydrocarbons) had low testosterone levels and failed to reproduce. Scientists came to the conclusion that the dioxins were acting as which of the following?
Endocrine Disruptors
Based on the diagram, which of the following best describes how a malfunctioning air compressor would affect the process of sewage treatment?
Fewer bacteria would be available to absorb dissolved organics in the tank.
Based on the diagram, which of the following is associated with the primary treatment of sewage?
Grit chamber
The presence of which of the following contaminants would be the strongest reason for judging municipal sewage sludge unfit for use as fertilizer?
Heavy Metals
Critics of incineration of municipal solid waste suggests that it may not be the best solution for the future, for which of the following reasons?
Incineration contributes to air pollution.
Of the following, which is the most serious immediate problem associated with sanitary landfills?
Leachate contamination of groundwater
(A) Radon (B) Mercury (C) Lead (D) Copper (E) Iron Poses a health risk to humans who eat large quantities of marine fish such as swordfish and tuna
Mercury
Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following gases. Carbon dioxide Carbon monoxide Methane Radon Sulfur dioxide Is a flammable gas produced by landfills
Methane
A scientist is studying PCBs in tertiary consumers. She wants to determine if PCBs can be found in tertiary consumers even though these compounds were banned in the United States in the 1970s. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?
PCBs are persistent organic compounds that are fat-soluble, so they should be found in the fatty tissues of tertiary consumers even though the compounds have been banned for decades.
In the United States, the largest single component of municipal solid waste is
Paper
Which of the following practices would best help to protect against inland and coastal flooding in urban areas?
Preserving wetland and coastal mangrove habitats
Which of the following laws gave the EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from "cradle-to-grave", including the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste?
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
Which of the following factors would most likely contribute to the conditions observed in the Long Island Sound?
Restricted circulation
Many synthetic chemicals, such as PCBs, act as estrogen mimics. In an ecosystem, these persistent chemicals would have the greatest effect on which of the following?
Secondary consumers
Which of the following best illustrates point-source pollution?
Smokestack emissions from a large smelting company
RCRA sets regulations for landfill designs and operation. Landfills are designed and operated with all of the following in mind, EXCEPT
Spraying enzymes that will quicken the decomposition of paper and plastics in the landfill.
Which of the following is the best description of bioaccumulation?
The absorption of a substance by an organism at a rate greater than the rate of elimination
When water used to cool power plants during normal plant operations is released into adjacent waterways, which of the following is most likely to occur as a result?
The dissolved oxygen in the adjacent waterways would decrease because used coolant water is warm and leads to thermal pollution.
which of the following conclusions can best be drawn to describe the conditions in the Long Island Sound?
The sound has large numbers of phytoplankton blooms that are decomposing and consumed by respiring bacteria.
Which of the following is true of sewage treatment plants in the United States?
They are not designed to remove pharmaceutical chemicals from wastewater.
Based on the graph above, which toxin can be described as having a non-threshold dose-response curve?
Toxin A has a non-threshold dose-response curve since the California Black Worms had an immediate response to it at very low concentration
Based on the graph above, which substance is more toxic to the population of California Black Worms being tested?
Toxin A is more toxic because it has a smaller LD50 value than Toxin B
Which of the following is a measure of the amount of suspended material in water?
Turbidity
Many homeowners are unaware that their garbage may contain hazardous waste, which should be taken to a designated hazardous waste dump site instead of being placed in their regular trash. All of the following are considered household hazardous waste EXCEPT
food scraps
In the United States, most municipal solid waste is disposed of by
landfilling
An advantage of recycling aluminum rather than disposing of it in landfills is that aluminum can be
produced from recycled metal using much less energy than is required for its production from aluminum ore
Of the following strategies to decrease the landfill volume of packaging material from food and other consumer products, the most energy efficient is
promoting the use of reusable containers for consumer goods
Which of the following correctly orders the methods of solid-waste management in terms of energy required?
reduce reuse recycle