Deck 15: Water Resources

Question 1

What percentage of the world's total water supply is uncontaminated freshwater, on or close to the surface, that is readily available for human use?

A)about 0.014%
B)about 0.14%
C)about 1.4%
D)about 14%

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What consumes the least amount of water on a global basis?

A)irrigation
B)industry
C)energy production
D)public use

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is a property of water?

A)Water cannot filter UV light.
B)Water changes temperature very quickly.
C)Water shrinks when it freezes.
D)Water is a solvent.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is the name for water scarcity that occurs when precipitation is lower than normal, and evaporation is higher than normal?

A)water stress
B)aridity
C)desiccation
D)drought

Question 5

Which term refers to water scarcity that occurs when the soil dries up as a result of deforestation or overgrazing?

A)drought
B)desiccation
C)aridity
D)water stress

Question 6

What is one reason for water scarcity?

A)precipitation
B)rural migration
C)water stress
D)cold winters

Question 7

What is one benefit of having large dams and reservoirs?

A)They facilitate migration of fish.
B)They are inexpensive to build.
C)They reduce the danger of flooding occurring upstream.
D)They can be used to provide electric power.

Question 8

Where is the world's fourth largest freshwater lake, the size of which has been decreased by almost 75% to provide water for agriculture?

A)Bangladesh
B)China
C)Africa
D)the former Soviet Union

Question 9

What is the term for porous, water-saturated layers of underground rock?

A)an aquifer
B)a runoff area
C)a recharge area
D)a watershed

Question 10

What percentage of the Earth's water is fresh water?

A)about 3%
B)about 13%
C)about 23%
D)about 33%

Question 11

What consumes the largest portion of water on a global basis?

A)industrial processes
B)irrigation
C)transportation
D)animals and humans

Question 12

What consumes the most water in Canada?

A)industry
B)energy production
C)irrigation
D)power plant cooling

Question 13

What is illustrated by the majority of water-transfer projects?

A)the principle that you cannot do just one thing
B)the concept of ecological succession
C)the tragedy of the commons
D)the climate-biome principle

Question 14

Which statement best describes how the Aral Sea has changed since 1960?

A)The surface area of the Aral Sea has increased by 54%.
B)The salinity levels of the Aral Sea have risen threefold.
C)The volume of the Aral Sea has increased by about 75%.
D)Fishing in the Aral Sea has drastically improved.

Question 15

What is water scarcity called that occurs due to increasing numbers of people relying on fixed levels of runoff?

A)desiccation
B)drought
C)aridity
D)water stress

Question 16

Which statement describes part of the water cycle?

A)The water table goes down in wet weather.
B)Groundwater is stationary and does not move.
C)Recharging of water is a rapid process.
D)Water in a confined aquifer is under pressure.

Question 17

What is subsidence?

A)the failure of the groundwater supply
B)the sinking of ground when groundwater has been withdrawn
C)the intrusion of saltwater into a freshwater aquifer
D)the accumulation of silt behind a dam

Question 18

What percentage of all drinking water in North America is pumped from aquifers?

A)about 17%
B)about 25%
C)about 33%
D)about 50%

Question 19

What occurred as a result of diverting water from the Aral Sea?

A)The Aral Sea gained 83% more water.
B)The surface area of the Aral Sea increased by 58%.
C)The salinity of the Aral Sea tripled.
D)Fishing in the Aral Sea improved.

Question 20

What is one outcome of China's Three Gorges project?

A)It will increase the risk of flooding.
B)It will not flood any crop land.
C)It will displace almost 2 million people.
D)It will increase habitat for endangered pandas.

Question 21

What exemplifies the relationship between water demand and policies that subsidize crops requiring large amounts of water?

A)a delay
B)a positive feedback loop
C)a synergistic interaction
D)a negative feedback loop

Question 22

What is one means of reducing the amount of water that is wasted by irrigation?

A)by ensuring agricultural fields are sloped and uneven
B)by using industrial agriculture techniques
C)by treating urban wastewater and using it for irrigation
D)by irrigating crops during the day

Question 23

Which condition in the Himalayan watershed contributes to flooding in Bangladesh?

A)dam construction
B)forest conservation
C)rapid population growth
D)sustainable farming

Question 24

Which of the following is a suitable method for reducing flood risks to humans?

A)Use channelization.
B)Prohibit the construction of dams.
C)Subsidize development in floodplains.
D)Remove vegetation and wetland buffers in floodplains.

Question 25

Shifting displaced fishermen to logging would improve the Aral Sea's ecological/economic situation.

Question 26

Dams are relatively inexpensive to build.

Question 27

Overpopulation and poverty forced people to live on floodplains and deplete mangrove forests.This increased the chances of flooding which resulted in an increase in the death toll, and ultimately forced people out of the floodplains to find new sources of sustenance.Which term best describes this situation?

A)a synergy
B)a positive feedback loop
C)an accumulation
D)a negative feedback loop

Question 28

What is one component of sustainable water use?

A)subsidized water for everyone
B)top-down decision making
C)segmented watershed management
D)preservation of the ecological integrity of water supply systems

Question 29

Destroying vegetation can be an effective method of reducing the incidence and severity of flooding.

Question 30

About 65% of water consumed by Canadian households is used for flushing toilets and taking showers.

Question 31

Which activity consumes the largest amount of water in North American residences?

A)flushing the toilet
B)washing dishes
C)washing clothes
D)bathing

Question 32

Increasing the price of water is likely to encourage the efficient use of water.

Question 33

What is one result of the overuse of groundwater?

A)saltwater exclusion
B)uplift
C)increased rates of aquifer replenishment
D)subsidence

Question 34

Which of the following characterizes desalination?

A)Desalination is expensive.
B)Desalination includes cloud seeding.
C)The greatest amount of desalination occurs in the United States.
D)The common methods of desalination are reverse osmosis and evaporation.

Question 35

Which of the following characterizes cloud seeding?

A)It is supported by scientific research that indicates it works very well.
B)It is impeded by legal disputes.
C)It is less effective in colder areas.
D)It is most useful in very dry areas.

Question 36

What percentage of global freshwater consumption, according to the World Resources Institute, is wasted through evaporation, leaks, and other losses?

A)75 to 80%
B)65 to 70%
C)45 to 50%
D)25 to 30%

Question 37

What percentage of the world's irrigation water is wasted?

A)about 15%
B)about 30%
C)about 45%
D)about 60%

Question 38

Which human activity decreases the likelihood that flooding will occur?

A)channelization
B)draining wetlands
C)building on floodplains
D)removing water-absorbing vegetation

Question 39

What is one means of achieving desalination?

A)by filtration
B)by salt-eating bacteria
C)by osmosis
D)by distillation

Question 40

Reducing birth rates is an effective way to reduce the wasting of water.

Question 41

Of all the water on Earth, less than 3% is fresh water.

Question 42

The process of water evaporation uses large amounts of energy because of the strong forces of attraction between the water's molecules.

Question 43

Canada's James Bay project has been placed on hold, in part due to opposition by indigenous people.

Question 44

Stream channelization decreases erosion rates.

Question 45

Drinking is the biggest use of water worldwide.

Question 46

A large amount of the world's usable water comes from desalination.

Question 47

Surface runoff from a watershed will become groundwater when it infiltrates the ground.

Question 48

There is a hydrological connection between groundwater and surface water.

Question 49

It is possible that countries in the Middle East may go to war over water resources.

Question 50

Building levees or floodwalls is a precautionary approach to solving flooding problems.

Question 51

More than half the water available for use is lost through evaporation, waste, irrigation, overuse, etc.

Question 52

Canada uses relatively little water for irrigation.

Question 53

Flooding increases with economic and urban development.

Question 54

Canada has about 35% of the world's supply of fresh water.

Question 55

Floods and droughts are human-activated problems.

Question 56

Channelization speeds up water flow but also disturbs the migration and spawning of some fish species.

Question 57

Nova Scotians are the biggest users of fresh water in Canada.

Question 58

The location of water, the type of water, and the demand for water all place stress on available water supplies.

Question 59

Globally, the main uses of freshwater are washing and drinking.

Question 60

Groundwater moves at a rate of no more than 30 centimetres per year.

Question 61

Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the graph that represents the total amount of freshwater in the world?

Question 62

Serious water shortages are emerging as the demand for water in many countries simply exceeds the supply, thus forcing people to live in ______________________________.

Question 63

A(n)______________________________ system is very efficient, reduces water waste, and is adaptable.

Question 64

Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the graph that represents the amount of global freshwater that is readily available to the public?

Question 65

One out of six people on Earth do not have access to safe drinking water.

Question 66

A(n) ____________________ is a flat tract of land bordering a river, mainly at the lower reaches, and is formed by the flow of water downstream.

Question 67

The building of the Aswan Dam in Egypt has contributed to the spread of a disease called ____________________.

Question 68

____________________, which involves replacing grasses with native plants, sharply reduces water use on a site.

Question 69

To tap the ____________________ in an aquifer, a well is dug until it reaches the top layer of the aquifer.

Question 70

The ______________________________provides massive amounts of water to urban and rural developments in dry climates.

Question 71

____________________ is the artificial application of water (or wastewater) to land areas in order to meet the water (and sometimes nutrient) needs of plants.

Question 72

____________________ involves removing dissolved salts from ocean water or brackish water.

Question 73

Areas that do not have enough water are termed ______________________________.

Question 74

In some countries, ____________________ keep the price of water so low that users do not worry about water waste.

Question 75

When a lot of water is pumped from an aquifer, or when there is a dry period, the _________________________ sinks lower.

Question 76

A country is said to be water stressed when the volume of reliable runoff falls below the amount of water withdrawn.

Question 77

A(n) ________________________________________ relies on unsaturated conditions, in which aerobic bacteria and fungi break down wastes.

Question 78

Excessive withdrawal of groundwater can cause the roof of a cavern or underground conduit to collapse suddenly and create a large ____________________.

Question 79

The majority of the residential fresh water consumed in Canada is used to flush toilets and take showers.

Question 80

______________________________, which is water that is added to an aquifer, generally comes from snowmelt and storm runoff.