APES Unit 7-8
The concentration of H+ ions in a solution with a pH value of 4 is how many times as great as the concentration of H+ ions in a solution with a pH value of 7 ?
1,000
A farmer needs to kill more than half of the insect crop pests to ensure a profitable harvest. Based on the graph, what is the minimum concentration of pesticide C that the farmer must use to make a profit?
1,500 g/cm^3
The LD50 for arsenic in humans is 13 mg/kg. Which of the following approaches should be used to calculate the number of grams of arsenic it would take to reach the LD50 in a 140-pound person? [Note: 1 kg = 2.2 pounds]
140 x 1 kg/2.2 lb x 13mg/1 kg x 1g/1,000 mg
Based on the data in the graph, which of the following should be used to calculate the difference in for the two different species of mice?
575mg - 490mg
Students conducted an experiment to calculate the LD50 of Chemical X on seedlings. They grew separate groups of seedlings in a range of doses of Chemical X. After several days they calculated the percent mortality at each dose and graphed the results. Which of the graphs correctly shows how to determine the LD50 of Chemical X on the seedlings?
A (50% almost Medium Chemical X dose)
Which of the following describes a component of a modern sanitary landfill?
A bottom liner of plastic or clay to prevent groundwater contamination
Which of the following would most likely neutralize the effect of acid rain on bodies of water, based on the composition of soils and bedrock in the region?
A forest underlain by limestone
Which of the following components of a wastewater treatment plants designed to facilitate the decomposition of organic material by aerobic microorganisms?
Activated-sludge tank
Which of the following best describes the action of an endocrine disruptor?
An endocrine disruptor blocks the receptor protein binding site of a hormone so that the cell cannot receive a signal.
Based on the LD50 values, which of the following best describes the toxicity level of the household substances shown in the table?
Antifreeze is more toxic than aspirin.
At which of the following locations in the stream was there most likely a discharge of excess organic matter into the water?
B
West Nile virus was identified in the Western Hemisphere during the summer of 1999 and was associated with human, equine, and avian deaths. This virus is acquired by
Being bitten by an infected mosquito
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
Which of the curves on the graph depicts the concentration of ozone, which requires sunlight to form?
C
Which of the following are direct products of the use of hydrocarbon fuels in automobile engines?
CO2, NOx, and VOCs
A community located downwind from a coal-fired power plant has seen a recent increase in the number of dead and dying trees. A soil scientist measured values for the following parameters before and after the trees died off. Which of the following soil data should be used to determine if the coal-fired power plant emissions were the cause of the damage to the trees?
Calcium and aluminum levels
Catalytic converters reduce which of the following pairs of pollutants in car exhaust?
Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons
Which of the following is the most likely route for mercury to enter the food web?
Coal-burning emissions → deposition → ocean → plankton → fishes
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has determined that all four pesticides could have negative health consequences to humans if applied at high concentrations and has set a maximum application concentration of 500 g/cm^3. Based on the data in the graph, which pesticide would be the most effective at that concentration?
D
Which of the following best describes why is classified as a persistent organic pollutant?
DDT is very stable, and as mush as 50% of the original concentration can remain in the soil 15 years after the initial application
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
Based on the diagram, which of the following is an expected consequence of runoff and sewage in an aquatic environment?
Decreased oxygen production by seaweed on the seafloor from an increase in turbidity
A point source discharges organic waste into a stream. Which of the following graphs best depicts the expected pattern for dissolved oxygen (DO) in this stream as a function of distance from the discharge point?
E. —\______/————
Of the following, which is the best example of a point source of water pollution?
Factory effluent
Which of the following water quality tests would best indicate if sewage from the wastewater treatment plant has contaminated the Moose River?
Fecal coliform measured at site B
For a certain insecticide, the LD-50 dosage level for rats is determined to be 250 milligrams per kilograms of body mass. On the basis of this information, which of the following is the best prediction regarding the consequences of receiving this dosage of the insecticide?
Five hundred out of every one thousand rats would die.
Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture
Formolyhdye
Based on the diagram, which of the following is associated with the primary treatment of sewage?
Grit chamber
The use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in the Midwestern United States is a major contributing factor to which of the following?
Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
Which of the following changes would also be expected in the pond over the same time period? I. Increased levels of dissolved oxygen II. Increased levels of heavy metals III. Increased number of fish species
II only
Rachel Carson's contributions to the environmental movement include which of the following?
Increasing public awareness of the risks of using pesticides
What important phenomenon often plays a role in air pollution episodes is illustrated in the diagram above?
Inversion
Of the following, which is the most serious immediate problem associated with sanitary landfills?
Leachate contamination of groundwater
Implicated in human neurological damage
Lead
Was once widely used in the United States as a gasoline additive
Lead
Of the following cities, which regularly experiences the worst levels of photochemical smog that is enhanced by thermal inversion?
Los Angeles, California
Significant increases in water temperature can drastically change dissolved oxygen levels in a lake. Why does the combined effect of these two environmental changes result in algal blooms?
Low dissolved oxygen leads to death for aerobic organisms, like fish, whose decomposition provides an overabundance of nutrients for the algae, resulting in the large blooms.
This pathogen is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes and is found most often in sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaria
Poses a health risk to humans who eat large quantities of marine fish such as swordfish and tuna
Mercury
Is a flammable gas produced by landfills
Methane
In addition to volatile organic compounds (), which of the following components must be present in the atmosphere to create photochemical smog?
NOx and UV light
Noise Exposure and Public Health Which of the following best describes why the authors claim that noise exposure will be a major health problem in the twenty-first century?
Noise exposure is on the increase in both industrialized nations and in developing regions
Which of the following is a point source pollutant that would likely affect the ecosystem health of a coral reef?
Oil released from the broken hull of a shipwrecked tanker
Step P. Water is passed through a screen to remove debris. 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. Which of the following lists the steps in the correct sequence?
P → S → R → Q
Which of the following best describes a way that persistent organic pollutants () cause harm in the environment?
Persistent organic pollutants are soluble in fat, so they accumulate in an organisms' fatty tissues.
Other than potential negative health effects on humans, which of the following is a disadvantage of using chemical pesticides to eliminate crop pests?
Pesticides may harm organisms other than the target crop pests through biomagnification in the food web.
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 of the following solutions would best address the issues of greatest concern in the community?
Planting mangrove forests
A leading cause of lung cancer in the United States
Radon
Based on the diagram, which of the following is the most likely reason that a community with good sanitation could still have individuals who contract cholera?
Runoff from a nearby agricultural field pollutes a reservoir used for drinking water.
Waste from which of the following is an example of nonpoint source pollution?
Runoff from agricultural fields
Based on the data table above for a stream in Illinois, which site most likely has a construction site immediately upstream from it?
Site C
Large objects, such as sticks and rocks, are screened out and removed during this process.
Stage A (wastewater in)
This process results in the biological breakdown of most of the organic matter in the sewage.
Stage C (Air)
This process uses chlorine, ultraviolet radiation, or ozone as part of the disinfection of wastewater.
Stage D (release to environment)
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
A laboratory experiment was done to show the effects of organic waste on the dissolved oxygen (DO) content in water. Five tanks were set up, each containing fresh water and a small amount of single-celled green algae. Specified amounts of organic waste were added to the tanks. The results below show the amount of DO in each tank after a period of one week. Why did the DO after one week decrease as the amount of waste increased?
The algae multiplied and then died and decomposed.
Acid rain is associated with which of the following?
The burning of fossil fuels
Bats use echolocation to find prey by emitting high-pitched bursts of sound and analyzing the reflection. Scientists studying a population of bats in a forest observed that their population size had declined in the years following the completion of a nearby highway. Which of the following best explains how noise pollution from the highway has affected the size of the bat population?
The highway noise is interfering with bats' echolocation, preventing them from successfully locating and catching prey as they fly.
A massive bluegill fish kill was observed in a lake near a power plant during the winter months. It was determined that the plant was releasing large amounts of hot water into the lake. Which of the following explains what likely caused the death of so many bluegills in the lake?
The influx of warmer water caused an unexpected increase in the metabolic rate of the bluegills, which led to increased physiological stress from limited resource availability.
Some drinking water standards allow bacteria in water at dosages up to the 10% probability of illness. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the graph?
The newly discovered bacterium would have the lowest allowable dosage to meet the drinking water standards.
The water used in this type of power plant is often released back into a reservoir. Which of the following effects could this released water have on the reservoir?
The temperature of the released water causes a decrease in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the reservoir.
Which of the following activities would most likely account for the levels of indoor air pollution in India and sub-Saharan Africa, as shown in the graph?
Use of biomass fuel sources such as wood and charcoal for cooking
Based on the diagram above, which of the following is the most likely reason that V. cholerae can spread rapidly through a population?
V. cholerae is a microscopic bacterium that can survive in various aquatic environments for prolonged periods of time and can cause a delayed onset of visible symptoms.
If the air layers in the diagram were relabeled to illustrate normal atmospheric conditions, the correct labeling from the air layer closest to the Earth's surface to the one farthest from the Earth's surface would be
Warm air, cool air, cooler air
Which of the following is used to reduce SO2 emissions from coal-burning power plants?
Wet-scrubber units
In 1950 the pH of the pond water was 8.2, but by 2000 the pH had decreased to 5.2. An effective short-term remediation strategy for the pond would be to
add calcium carbonate to the pond water
All of the following are commonly used to deal with the side effects of eutrophication in lakes EXCEPT
adding nitrates
An ecologist examining several different ponds discovers that in one pond all the frogs are female. Which of the following most likely led to the all-female population of frogs?
an endocrine disruptor
Composed of fibers known to cause lung disease
asbestos
Eutrophication results in the death of trout and other fish as a result of
asphyxiation from lack of oxygen
Which of the following human health issues is linked to exposure to pollutants released during the incineration of plastic waste?
asthma
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
Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen has
carbon monoxide
Which of the following is a nonanthropogenic source of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere?
cellular respiration
The majority of atmospheric mercury is produced by
coal-burning power plants
Which of the following components, which are not shown on the diagram, are part of the tertiary treatment of wastewater?
disinfectants
Researchers suspect that sewage leaked into the Moose River. Rates for which of the following diseases should be used to determine whether the human population using the river as a source of drinking water was exposed to sewage?
dysentery
Factors that increase the spread of infectious diseases include all of the following EXCEPT
exposure to neurotoxins, which affect the endocrine system
Ticks are vectors for various diseases. The ticks acquire the disease-causing organisms from
feeding on host animals
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
Endocrine disruptors directly affect which of the following in an organism?
hormones
The danger from radon gas would most likely be greatest in
in well-insulated homes
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
The release of a large amount of sewage and other organic wastes into a river would likely result in a sharp
increase in the biological oxygen demand
When logging is carried out in a watershed, a likely effect on the local streams is
increased water temperature
The three main anthropogenic sources of gaseous air pollutants in the United States are
industry, transportation, and energy production
Of the following, which is the primary method of waste disposal in the United States?
landfilling
Three common methods employed in the cleanup of oil spills are
large floating booms, skimmer boats, and genetically engineered bacteria
The presence of which of the following in soil is most likely to neutralize acid rain?
limestone
Ground-level ozone in most major United States cities results primarily from
motor vehicle exhaust
Lakes that are characterized by high water clarity and low concentrations of dissolved nutrients are classified as
oligotrophic
In the United States, the largest single component of municipal solid waste is
paper
Is the major pollutant that electrostatic precipitators are designed to remove from power-plant smokestack emissions
particulates
Which of the following correctly orders the methods of solid-waste management in terms of energy required?
reduce, reuse, recycle least energy -> most
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
Acid deposition would most likely result in which of the following?
the release of aluminum ions from soil
All of the following are likely consequences of indoor air pollution EXCEPT an increase in
the risk of developing skin cancer
This pathogen infects the respiratory system, typically the lungs, and can spread through the air when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
tuberculosis
Which of the following is a measure of the amount of suspended material in water?
turbidity
