APES Unit Eight Test

Which of the following correctly identifies both a nonpoint source and a point source of pollution?

D - Urban runoff, City bus exhaust

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

Scientists are interested in studying the bioaccumulation of mercury in different species of dolphins exposed to the same concentration of mercury. The dolphins in the study will be of similar age and living in the same habitat. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?

Different species of dolphins will have different levels of mercury in their fatty tissues depending on the species' ability to absorb and excrete mercury.

Which of the following components, which are not shown on the diagram, are part of the tertiary treatment of wastewater?

Disinfectants

A scientist wants to study the effect of DDT in a fish-eating bird species. She measures a variety of variables in a population of birds over a period of ten years to determine how levels of DDT affect bird survival and reproduction. Which of the following identifies a scientific question she could ask to best evaluate the effect of DDT on the bird species?

Does the persistence of DDT lead to eggshell thinning or developmental deformities in the bird species?

At what step in the diagram would wastewater most likely be treated with chlorine or UV light to remove bacteria?

During step D

Scientists are interested in determining if selenium, from a nearby mine, magnifies in the tissues of fish living in a lake. Which of the following best describes a testable hypothesis for the study?

Selenium will be at a higher concentration in fish tissue than in the tissue of fish prey.

A scientist wanted to investigate the effect of tropospheric ozone on the respiratory function of mice. Twenty female mice were placed in one of five different field environments that mimicked the natural habitats of the mice. Each environment had a tube connected to it that would pump in a set level of ozone measured in ppm. In each field environment, the scientist measured the average respiratory output for the twenty mice over a three-month time frame. Which of the following describes the independent variable in the experiment?

The different levels of ozone introduced into the environments

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.

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.

The diagram below depicts a surface water source that has undergone cultural eutrophication. Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the fish in the lake to die?

The remains of the bottom-dwelling plants and algae decomposed, depleting the amount of oxygen in the water.

Based on the image, 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.

One benefit of solid waste disposal in landfills is that the methane produced from decomposition can be harnessed for energy. Based on the data in the graph, methane production from waste management most likely peaked during which of the following years?

1990

Which of the following is an example of a point source of pollution?

A leaking septic tank

Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following strategies would best increase the total volume of municipal solid waste being recycled?

Enacting a single-stream recycling program and providing bins to residential home

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 data in the graph, which of the following likely occurred from 1960 to 2015 because of changes in solid waste disposal methods?

Fewer natural resources needed to be extracted.

Based on the diagram, which of the following is associated with the primary treatment of sewage?

Grit chamber

Mercury concentrations were measured in freshwater shrimp populations in two different ponds, one polluted with mercury and one unpolluted, with a similar food web in each pond. Which of the following best identifies the scientific question that would guide this investigation?

How much mercury accumulates in the tissues of freshwater shrimp living in a polluted pond?

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following solutions most likely led to the decrease in the amount of waste sent to landfills from 1990 to 2015 ?

Increased recycling of waste

Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following would result in the largest reduction in volume of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills?

Introduce composting programs for yard trimmings and food waste

Which of the following is the best example of a point source pollutant?

Oil tanker spill

Which of the following factors would most likely contribute to the conditions observed in the Long Island Sound?

Restricted circulation

Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the algal bloom in the lake?

Runoff carried excess fertilizer from the cornfield into the water.

Based on the diagram, organic solids that have settled to the bottom of the treatment tanks in step B are transferred to which of the following for further processing?

Sludge treatment tanks

At what step in the diagram would the last solid waste be removed from the wastewater in the treatment plant?

C

Which of the following would best be described as a point source of pollution from a farm?

Runoff from the waste lagoons of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, which enters local waterways after a flooding event

Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the bottom-dwelling plants in the lake to die?

The algal bloom prevented sunlight from reaching the bottom-dwelling plants, which reduced the rates of photosynthesis.

Which of the following statements best describes how the Clean Water Act legislation aims to protect wetlands from being lost?

The Clean Water Act requires wetlands to be constructed to mitigate the effect of newly drained wetlands.

A scientist wanted to investigate the effect of tropospheric ozone on the respiratory function of mice. Twenty female mice were placed in one of five different field environments that mimicked the natural habitats of the mice. Each environment had a tube connected to it that would pump in a set level of ozone measured in ppm. In each field environment, the scientist measured the average respiratory output for the twenty mice over a three-month time frame. Which of the following should be added to the study to best serve as the control group?

A group of twenty mice that were not exposed to ozone

A biologist is studying a small food web in which phytoplankton are eaten by krill, krill are eaten by fish, and fish are eaten by seals. During their study of the ecosystem, the biologist discovers that PCBs are present in measurable levels in the water and wants to examine how PCBs could vary in different trophic levels. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?

Biomagnification will cause the seals to have the highest amount of PCBs in their tissues.

Which of the following is the most likely impact of thermal pollution from power plants on a river ecosystem?

Decreased oxygen levels because warm water holds less dissolved gas than cold water does

Which of the following examples includes both a point and a nonpoint source of pollution?

Fertilizer from suburban lawns and wastewater from a water treatment plant

Significant increases in water temperature can drastically change dissolved oxygen (DO) 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.

A scientist is studying the correlation between air pollution and cardiovascular disease in humans. Which of the following measures would best show a link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease?

Occurrences of emergency room visits by individuals with cardiovascular disease on days with a high air quality index value

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

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.

A small lake, located downstream of a power plant, recently experienced a die-off of multiple aquatic species. Environmentalists had been monitoring the temperature of the lake for several months prior to the die-off and noticed a significant spike in the temperature of the lake immediately preceding the die-off event. Which of the following best explains why the die-off event occurred in the lake following the increased water temperature?

The warm water decreased the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which led to an increase in the respiration rate of the aquatic organisms.

Which of the following best describes how thermal pollution from power plants can affect aquatic ecosystems?

Warm water discharged into rivers and streams decreases the oxygen content of the water, which reduces the number of fish species.

Incineration is one solution to reduce the volume of municipal solid waste. Municipal solid waste can be used to produce energy at waste-to-energy plants. Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following materials would be best suited for incineration to reduce total volume, produce energy, and have minimal release of air pollutants?

Wood