Deck 11: Water: Resources and Pollution

Question 1

Which would not be a principal problem that has resulted from the construction of large dams?

A) evaporation and siltation.
B) leakage and weakening of bedrock.
C) mercury poisoning.
D) the relocation of people.
E) salinization of water bodies and surrounding soil.

Answer 1

salinization of water bodies and surrounding soil.

Question 2

The hydrologic compartment that contains the greatest amount of fresh water is

A) groundwater.
B) the Great Lakes.
C) living organisms and biomass.
D) ice and snow.
E) clouds in the atmosphere.

Answer 2

ice and snow.

Question 3

Most water in the atmosphere has evaporated from the ocean, and ______ rain falls back into the sea. About ________ % of the earth's total rain falls on land.

A) most; 10
B) most; 20
C) less; 55
D) less; 70

Answer 3

most; 10

Question 4

Which of the following factors is the most important factor in determining whether a country is "water rich" or "water poor"?

A) population density
B) country size
C) climate
D) rivers running through the country
E) renewable water supplies and population density

Question 5

_________ sources of water pollution are relatively easy to monitor and regulate while _____________ sources of water pollution are difficult to monitor and clean up.

A) Domestic; industrial
B) Primary; tertiary pollutant
C) Nonpoint; point
D) Tertiary pollutant; primary
E) Point; nonpoint

Question 6

The activity that uses the greatest share of U.S. household water is

A) bathing.
B) drinking and cooking.
C) flushing the toilet.
D) washing clothes and dishes.
E) watering lawns.

Question 7

The water pollutant that most commonly threatens human health is

A) pathogenic organisms.
B) dissolved plant matter.
C) toxic and hazardous chemicals.
D) thermal pollution.
E) oxygen-demanding wastes.

Question 8

Use the following graph for the question.
On the graph of clean drinking water per person, each letter represents a country. Which of the following is most likely?

A) A is the United States; B is India.
B) A is India; B is the United States.
C) A is the United States; B is Canada.
D) A is China; B is India.
E) A is India; B is Canada.

Question 9

In general, water use in poor countries is dominated by

A) agricultural use.
B) domestic needs.
C) industrial activities.
D) use as drinking water.

Question 10

Coliform bacteria populations are routinely monitored in drinking water supplies, swimming pools, and at beaches because these bacteria

A) are especially toxic to animals.
B) may mutate into severely pathogenic strains.
C) indicate the presence of feces in water.
D) usually live in pesticide-contaminated water.
E) are more difficult to find in water.

Question 11

The total amount of water on the Earth ____________ from year to year and the hydrologic cycle ________________.

A) stays about the same; moves it from one place to another place
B) increases; captures it from the incoming solar radiation
C) increases; gains water from the Earth's interior
D) decreases; moves it from one place to another place
E) decreases; loses water to the atmosphere

Question 12

Withdrawal is the total amount of water

A) lost in transmission, due to evaporation or leakage.
B) taken from rivers, lakes, or aquifers.
C) used in manufacturing or agriculture.
D) altered or polluted in human activities.
E) lost due to chemical transformation because of human use.

Question 13

A country's renewable water supplies are generally made up of

A) surface runoff and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
B) seasonal flooding and infiltration into accessible aquifers.
C) seasonal flooding.
D) rivers running through the country.
E) water used from an aquifer.

Question 14

A method of increasing water supplies that has been successful, if expensive, is

A) desalination by reverse osmosis.
B) cloud seeding.
C) towing icebergs by ship from polar regions.
D) altering the climate's convection currents.

Question 15

Factories, sewage treatment plants, and oil wells are __________ sources of water pollution.

A) point
B) primary
C) nonpoint
D) tertiary pollutant
E) secondary

Question 16

What would you not find in water that has been through tertiary treatment?

A) Antibiotics.
B) Hormones.
C) Dissolved Metals.
D) Insecticides.
E) Antidepressants.

Question 17

____________ is a point source of water pollution; _____________ is a nonpoint source of water pollution.

A) Golf course runoff; atmospheric deposition
B) Golf course runoff; power plant effluent
C) Power plant effluent; golf course runoff
D) Atmospheric deposition; golf course runoff
E) Power plant effluent; factory drains

Question 18

Use the following graph for the question.
The main reason that surface water pollution has largely decreased in the United States since 1950 is

A) the Clean Water Act.
B) a series of epidemics that inspired action.
C) the discovery of newer technology that makes it cheaper not to pollute.
D) decreases in water withdrawal for industrial uses.
E) the emphasis in 1950 of watershed management.

Question 19

The place where aquifers are most likely to be contaminated is at

A) artesian springs.
B) seeps and other outlets.
C) recharge zones.
D) all discharge and recharge areas.
E) the zone of aeration.

Question 20

Use the following graph for the question.
Tertiary treatment of sewage produces water that is NOT free of

A) nutrients
B) metals
C) pathogens
D) solids
E) organic material

Question 21

Many cities in the American Southwest rely on sources of drinking water that contaminated with __________________.

A) arsenic
B) lead
C) coliform bacteria
D) DDT

Question 22

An oligotrophic lake would be very productive.

Question 23

Domestic water conservation in the United States would save about 20% of the water we now use. Therefore, we need to come up with better technology to avoid strict restrictions in the future.

Question 24

Raw sewage would contribute to the biochemical oxygen demand of a stream and cause fewer organisms to be present.

Question 25

The city of Arcata, California, is notable because it designed a _________ to treat its sewage.

A) system of modern outhouses
B) fully modern, technologically advanced system
C) natural marsh
D) corporate sponsorship system
E) living machine

Question 26

The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was established as a part of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Question 27

Best available technology (BAT) standards are standards set for

A) nonpoint pollution.
B) toxic substances.
C) radioactive waste, specifically.
D) organic compounds.

Question 28

Application of fertilizer to farm fields is an example of cultural eutrophication.

Question 29

Plants that take up heavy metals found in water would be an example of

A) containment of pollutants.
B) tertiary sewage treatment.
C) bioremediation.
D) wetland treatment.
E) in vitro extraction techniques.

Question 30

The residence time for an average water molecule in the ocean is about ________ years.

A) 2
B) 60
C) 850
D) 3000
E) 12000

Question 31

A TMDC measures the toxicity of a metal found in a water body.

Question 32

The heating of natural waterways by power plants and other industrial facilities is a form of water pollution.

Question 33

A(n) ______________ is all the land drained by a particular river.

A) reservoir
B) water table
C) watershed
D) recharge zone
E) aquifer