Version A - AP* Environmental Science: Pollution

A sample of radioactive waste has a half-life of 10 years and an activity level of 2 curies. After how many years will the activity level of this sample be 0.25 curie?

30 years

After 200 million years, only 1/16 of the original amount of a particular radioactive waste will remain. The half-life of this radioactive waste is how many million years?

50

Uranium-235 has a half-life of 710 million years. If it is determined that a certain amount of stored U-235 will be considered safe only when its radioactivity has dropped to 0.10 percent of the original level, approximately how much time must the U-235 be stored securely to be safe?

7.1 X 10^9 years

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...

C(50)

the process of extracting and separating gold in remote regions often results in environmental contamination with which of the following?

Cyanide

In order for biomagnification to occur the pollutant must I. Be concentrated by the producers II.Be soluble in water III. Be long lived

I and II only

Step P: water is passed through a screen. Step Q: pathogenic organisms are killed by chlorination, UV, or ozone. Step R: suspended particles clump and settle out. Step S: a floccing agent, such as alum, is added to the water. The processes described above are steps in the purification and treatment of municipal wastewater. The steps are listed in random order. What is the correct order?

P->S->R->Q->

which of the following would be the strongest evidence in support of a scientist's contention that a local area was experiencing acid deposition?

a long-term increase in the pH of a local pond

limestone is used in lakes affected by acid deposition because it is

a natural buffer

which of the following is an environmental problem associated with abandoned coal mines?

acid drainage due to leaching of spoil heaps by rain water

which of the following components of a wastewater treatment plant is designed to facilitate the decomposition of organic material by aerobic microorganisms?

activated- sludge tank

which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?

an increased frequency of flooding of river valley

biological controls are frequently used to replace persistent chemical pesticides. Which of the following represents the greatest potential risk of using biological controls?

biological controls prove to be more costly to use rather than chemical pesticides.

which method introduces microorganisms to break down hazardous organic compounds?

biological treatment

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 method would be best suited for neutralizing the acidic components of waste?

chemical treatment

is primarily responsible for acid rain in the north east United States

coal

the process of flocculation

combines small particles into larger particles that become sediment

which of the following best illustrates the concept of the tragedy of the Commons?

depletion of an aquifer by regional farmers

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?

eutrophication

of the following, which is the best example of a point source of water pollution?

factory effluent

which of the following is a non-point source of pollution?

forestry operation increase soil erosion and sediment runoff

the presence of high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in a water source indicates that the water..

has been contaminated by untreated human or animal waste

the wide use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in the MidWestern United States is a major contributing factor to which if the following?

hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico

which method reduces the volume of waste, but could release toxic emissions into the atmosphere

incineration

Critics of incineration of municipal solid waste suggest that it may not be the best solution for the future, for which of the following reasons?

incineration contributes to air pollution

in the removal of a pollutant from wastewater of the following is true of the cost per unit of pollutant removed?

it increases as the concentration of the pollutant decreases

in the united states, most municipal solid waste is disposed of by..

landfilling

of the following, which is the primary method waste disposal in the United States?

landfilling

of the following, which is the most serious immediate problem associated with sanitary landfills?

leachate contamination of groundwater

thermal pollution..

makes aquatic organisms more vulnerable to parasites and toxic chemicals

which of the following is an effective alternative to chlorine for disinfecting wastewater in a municipal treatment plant?

ozone

in the united states, the largest single component of municipal solid waste is

paper

which of the following will result in accelerated eutrophication when introduced into streams, lakes and bays?

phosphates

all of the following are considered toxic metal pollutants EXCEPT

potassium

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

which of the following correctly orders the methods of solid- waste management in terms of energy required? Least Energy --> most energy

reduce reuse recycle

which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition problems?

reducing use of fossil fuels

waste from which of the following is an example of non-point source pollution?

runoff from agricultural fields

which method is used most frequently in the United States today?

sanitary landfill

which of the following best explains why more contaminants are leached when solid waste is crushed into small particles and put in contact with water than when the particles are large?

smaller particles have a large surface area per unit volume than larger particles

which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the natural environment worldwide?

stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population

in contrast to low-level radiation waste, most high-level radioactive waste is currently

stored in reactor sites

environmentalists oppose the mining of antarctic mineral resources because

the antarctic environment is fragile and extremely vulnerable to the disturbance that would accompany development

which of the following is most likely to occur in a forest region that has been recently clear-cut?

the concentration of nitrates in the streams running through out the region will increase

of the phenomena that correlates with the data above, the one that is the most direct consequence of the trend in air travel is..

the increase in the spread of infectious disease

which of the following statements best describes the concept of phytoremediation?

the use of plants to absorb and accumulate toxic materials from the soil

the presence of fecal coliform bacteria in a sample of river water suggests which of the following?

the water is contaminated with animal waste

which of the following is true of sewage treatment plants in the United States?

they are not designed to remove pharmaceutical chemicals from wastewater

Integrated waste management employs all of the following except

using disposable diapers instead of cloth diapers