APES Unit 7 MCQ
What is composed of fiber to cause lung disease
Asbestos
Which of the following devices is correctly paired to the air pollutant it would be used to measure?
Gas sensor - CO2
Effect of deposition in a northern forest
Increased buffering capacity of the soil
What is true of the clean air act
It established a cap-and-trade program for SO2 in 1990
Hydrocarbons are
Methane, propane, VOCs
A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river. Which of the following water quality indicators should be measured to best determine if the wastewater is increasing the acidity of the river?
The amount of hydrogen ions
Major source of radon in houses
The underlying bedrock
the EPA identifies all of the following as reasons for sick building syndrome except
high levels of radon in the basement
a primary source of radon is
rocks and soils
the largest amount of nitrogen oxide emissions comes from
vehicles
Which of the following is most responsible for the change in the emissions of volatile organic compounds ( VOCVOC ) from 1970 to 2020 as shown in the graph?
An increase in air emission standards that began in 1970 that regulated corporate average fuel economy ( CAFE) standards.
Catalytic converters reduce what pollutant
Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons
Releases radioactive materials, lead, and arsenic under normal conditions
Coal burning
The majority of atmospheric mercury is produced by
Coal burning power plants
What would most likely reduce the concentration of ground-level ozone in the air of a city
Decrease in the emission of nitrogen oxides
The graph shows the average distance traveled by individuals in a population in an urban area in the southwestern United States. Based on the data, which of the following months most likely experiences the highest levels of photochemical smog?
July
Which of the following best describes the process shown in the diagram above?
Less-dense, warm air creates a temperature inversion between more-dense layers, trapping pollutants near the ground.
Which of the following best describes how a scientist could accurately study the effects of soil buffering on plant growth in a region that is affected by acid deposition downwind of a coal-burning power plant?
Measure the changes in plant height over a year in two different groups of trees the same distance from the power plant; one group is in topsoil and one group is in topsoil with limestone added.
Based on the layers in the diagram, which of the following best explains why a thermal inversion tends to concentrate pollutants in the air layer closest to the Earth's surface?
The air layer closest to the Earth's surface is denser than the layer above it.
Scientists want to examine the effects of a coal-burning power plant on the pHpH of a lake that is downwind of the power plant. They take samples from a lake that is not downwind of the power plant to serve as a control. However, they did not realize that the lake they chose as a control group was a geothermal hot spring with acidic water. Which of the following best describes how their choice of control group could affect the results of their experiment?
The coal-burning power plant would not appear to have a large impact because the pH levels of the two lakes would be similar.
what acts like a catalyst and repeatedly breaks down ozone molecules
chlorine
what pollution control method was proposed by an amendment to the clean air act
the use of catalytic convertors
In addition to a nearby mountain range, which of the following environmental conditions would be required for the process in the diagram to occur?
A cool sea breeze and a high pressure system
What do dry scrubbers remove that wet scrubbers do not
Acid gases
a dangerous indoor air pollutant
CO
Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen has
Carbon monoxide
Particulates can be removed from smokestack emissions by what
Electrostatic precipitator
which of the following correctly links a negative effect to an anthropogenic source of particulate matter
High respiratory disease from power plant emissions
What changes would be expected with a low pH pond
Increased level of heavy metals
Which of the following best describes one way the Clean Air Act helped reduce air pollution?
Introduced regulatory measures to control the amount of lead in fuels
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
What is a common component of photochemical smog and is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent odor
Nitrogen dioxide NO2
Emitted both by diesel and burning wood
PM10
Which air pollutants is paired with one of its effects
Sulfur oxides; acid deposition
Scientists are testing the effect of different scrubber technologies on the removal of pollutants from coal power plants. The scrubbers use a slurry of limestone and water. Which of the following best describes the impact of modifying the slurry by increasing the amount of limestone?
The amount of sulfur dioxide released will decrease.
Acid rain is associated with
The burning of fossil fuels
Acid deposition would most likely result in what
The release of aluminum ions from soil
A student is setting up a model to study the carbon cycle and natural sources of carbon dioxide. They create a microenvironment that contains soil, leaf debris, an earthworm, heterotrophic bacteria, and a sun lamp. What natural source of carbon dioxide and major metabolic process was left out of the model?
There is no representation of photosynthesis in the model environment.
What is the most important factor in the decline of trees
Toxic metals freed by acid deposition
Which of the following negative consequences is most often associated with using biomass for energy production?
Using biomass for energy production can result in local deforestation.
A researcher wants to determine if ponds and lakes downwind of a coal-burning power plant are affected by the plant's emissions. Which of the following would be the best parameter from the water in the ponds and lakes to measure in order to determine the effect of the plant's emissions on the aquatic ecosystems?
pH
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 (ppm)
what is true of decreased concentrations of stratospheric ozone
significant increases in skin cancer have already occured
Two major factors involved in the conversion of primary pollutants into secondary pollutants are
sunlight and water
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
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (A, B, C, and D) 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
A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river. Which of the following would be the best location to obtain a water sample from to determine if the paper plant is affecting the acidity of the river?
Immediately downstream from the paper plant
Scientists have been collecting atmospheric CO2CO2 data for many years to monitor changes over time. Which of the following best describes why an island location, such as the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, is an ideal location to measure global CO2CO2 concentrations?
The location is far from any continent, providing atmospheric air samples that are less likely to be affected by industry and transportation.
An effective short term remediation strategy for a pond with a low pH
Add calcium carbonate to the pond water
Which of the following is a natural source of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
Decomposition of organic matter
In what season in the Antarctic is the ozone hole largest?
early spring
A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river. Which of the following would be the best control group to evaluate the treated wastewater from the paper company?
A sample of water upstream from the same river
Scientists have discovered that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCsVOCs) emitted from trees can contribute to photochemical smog formation. Data in the table above were collected in 2006 and 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Isoprene is a VOCVOC released by some tree species. Impact factor refers to the percentage of ozone attributed to the isoprene. Which of the following claims is best supported by the data shown in the table?
Isoprene's contribution to ozone levels in Berlin was greatest in July of both years.
Atmospheric deposition is receiving increased attention in the scientific community, and has become the subject of a specific research area in the environmental sciences. Acid rain is detrimental to our ecosystems and can be measured in several ways. Which of the following methods would best identify changes from acid deposition in an area over time?
Monitoring the long-term chemical and biological parameters of an ecosystem
Based on the author's claim in the article, which of the following statements best describes the effect of noise pollution on wildlife?
Noise pollution has a negative effect on wildlife activities such as mating, establishing territories, and predator-prey interactions.
Which of the following environmental problems is most often linked to the combustion of fossil fuels?
Photochemical smog formation in the troposphere
What is one potential impact of increased noise pollution in national parks that is supported by the article?
Prey populations are likely to increase in national parks because predators have a decreased ability to hear prey sounds.
Air pollution from a power plant is being monitored for levels of nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone. The levels are measured daily at the same time. Which of the following best predicts the impact of a dark and cloudy day on the readings for the levels of air pollutants measured?
There will be an increase in the level of nitrogen dioxide and a decrease in the level of ground-level ozone.
Which of the following best describes a natural process that adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide is released from the interior of Earth during volcanic eruptions.
A corrosive gas from burning coal often associated with industrial smog
SO2
the accumulation of tropospheric ozone during the middle of the day depends mainly upon the atmospheric concentration of nitrogen oxides and
VOCs
air pollution generally refers to pollution in the
troposphere
Which of the following is not a primary air pollutant sulfur dioxide carbon dioxide tropospheric ozone nitrogen oxide
tropospheric ozone
Which of the following is a problem that is associated with a thermal inversion?
An increase in pollutants trapped at Earth's surface, which increases the number of cases of human respiratory problems
Which of the following is most likely responsible for the indoor air pollutant shown in the graph?
Cracks in the basement foundation
the world health organization estimates that 4 million deaths from indoor air pollutants are mostly due to
developing world cooking exposure
Has a stronger affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen
Carbon monoxide
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (A, B, C, and D) 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 CC would be higher throughout the graph.
Found in plumbing pipes and fixtures and some ceramic glazes
Lead
all of the following are sources of PM except combustion of biofuels incomplete natural gas combustion road construction volcanoes
incomplete natural gas combustion
the effects of acid deposition include all of the following except
increased numbers of salamanders in ponds and streams
Over a three-year period, a city's environmental protection department measured the particulate matter (PM2.5) in a ten-square-mile area around one of the city's coal-fired power plants. The annual mean level of PM2.5 measured was 20.0μgm3 over the three-year study period. The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for PM2.5 is an annual mean level of 12.0μgm3, averaged over three years. The city instructs the manager of the power plant to propose a plan to aid the city in meeting the NAAQS for PM2.5 in the area around the power plant over the next ten years. Which of the following would be the most effective plan for the manager to propose to the city?
Install electrostatic precipitators at the plant.
Which of the following best explains the cause of the trend shown in the graph for lead emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2011 ?
Unleaded gasoline was first introduced in 1974, and amendments to the Clean Air Act required cars with the model year 1975 or later to use only unleaded gasoline.
An air pollution expert set up a monitoring program to determine the amount of particulate matter (PMPM) leaving a farmer's field after crops were harvested and the soil was bare. She set up high-volume air samplers 10 meters from each edge of the square field and collected samples weekly for two months. When she looked at her data, she was surprised by how much the PMPM levels varied, both from site to site on a given date and over time at each site. Which of the following parameters would have been best to measure to help explain the variation in her results?
Wind direction and speed
Smoke from forest fires is most likely to affect air quality over larger areas for many days when
a persistent atmospheric inversion exists in the region
The graph below depicts the various components of smog for a densely populated urban area in the Northern Hemisphere. Each plotted line (A, B, C, and D) is a different component of smog. Which of the curves on the graph depicts the concentration of ozone, which requires sunlight to form?
C
the pollutant least likely to be emitted from a smokestack would be
ozone
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
Which of the following sources should be examined in a study to determine the impact of a geologic source on levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?
Volcanoes
The figure below illustrates how a thermal inversion can form over major urban centers. In the figure above, the letters AA, BB, and CC represent the different thermal layers present in an inversion. Which of the following shows the correct sequence of thermal layers as one moves vertically upwards from the surface of Earth?
Cool sea breeze → Warm → Cool
Which of the following points on the graph best illustrates the location where pollutants are most likely to accumulate as a result of a thermal inversion?
D
Which of the following energy sources produces the most air pollutants when used during the generation of electricity?
Fuel oil
Scientists have observed that the health of people living in moderately developed regions, which have developed transportation and industry but lack environmental control measures, is more likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor air pollution. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data presented in the graph?
In moderately developed regions such as China and Latin America, an individual's health is more or as likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor pollution.
Scientists have discovered that Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from trees can contribute to photochemical smog formation. Data in the table above were collected in 2006 and 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Isoprene is a VOC released by some tree species. Impact factor refers to the percentage of ozone attributed to the isoprene. Which of the following best describes the relationship between variables in the data table?
Ozone maximum is correlated to average and maximum temperature.
Which of the following is the most likely reason for the trend shown in the graph of fluctuating indoor radon levels over the course of a year?
Radon levels tend to increase in the colder months because of the difference in temperature inside and outside the home, which creates a vacuum pulling radon into the home at a higher rate.
Which of the following illustrates the reactants needed to form tropospheric ozone?
NO2+VOCs+O2+sunlight
