air pollution ap questions
Which of the following best explains the pattern in NO concentration?
NO is produced by rush-hour traffic and is quickly oxidized in the atmosphere.
Which of the following illustrates the reactants needed to form tropospheric ozone?
NO2+VOCs+O2+sunlight
In addition to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which of the following components must be present in the atmosphere to create photochemical smog?
NOx and UV light
Which of the following is a common component of photochemical smog and is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent odor?
Nitrogen dioxide, NO2
Chemical compound that leads to formation of photochemical smog in the troposphere when it reacts with other compounds in the presence of sunlight
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Scientists have been monitoring CO2 in the atmosphere from Mauna Loa in Hawaii since 1958. Which of the following units is used by scientists to measure CO2 in the atmosphere?
Parts per million
Which of the following are direct products of the use of hydrocarbon fuels in automobile engines?
CO2, NOx, and VOCs
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (AA, BB, CC, and DD) is a different component of smog. The data that were used to create this graph were collected in the winter. Which of the following best describes how the graph would be different if the data were collected in the middle of the summer?
Concentrations for component C would be higher throughout the graph
Which of the following would most likely reduce the concentration of ground-level ozone in the air of a city?
decrease in the emissions of nitrogen oxides
Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following air pollutants. (A) Sulfur dioxide (B) Lead (C) Ozone (D) Hydrocarbons (E) Particulates Implicated in human neurological damage
(B) Lead
Each set of lettered choices below refers to the numbered questions or statements immediately following it. Select the one lettered choice that best answers each question or best fits each statement. A choice may be used once, more than once, or not at all in each set. The following questions refer to this list of pollutants. (A) Radon (B) Mercury (C) Lead (D) Copper (E) Iron Was once widely used in the United States as a gasoline additive
(C) Lead
Which of the following is a primary air pollutant produced from burning coal?
carbon monoxide
If technology that reduces the hydrocarbon concentration had been utilized, which of the following would have been the most likely result?
The concentration of O3 would have been lower.
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (AA, BB, CC, and DD) is a different component of smog. Which of the different components of smog depicted in the graph are most likely released from automobile exhaust?
A and B
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (AA, BB, CC, and DD) is a different component of smog. Which of the curves on the graph depicts the concentration of ozone, which requires sunlight to form?
C
Recent studies have found that fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less can have negative human health effects. Which of the following correctly links a negative human health effect to an anthropogenic source of fine particulate matter?
High rates of respiratory disease from power plant emissions
Important factors that contribute to smog formation in the Los Angeles basin include which of the following? I. Ample summer sunshine II. Sea-level elevation III. High concentration of automobiles
I and III only
Which of the following statements best describes photochemical smog in large cities in the United States?
Photochemical smog causes negative human health impacts such as eye and lung irritation.
Which of the following environmental problems is most often linked to the combustion of fossil fuels?
Photochemical smog formation in the troposphere
Which type of electricity-generating power plant releases radioactive materials as well as toxic metals such as lead and arsenic under normal operating conditions?
coal-burning
The majority of atmospheric mercury is produced by
coal-burning power plants
Ground-level ozone in most major United States cities results primarily from
motor-vehicle exhaust
