Question 1

Which of the following statements about underground contaminants is false?

Accepted Answer

Waste products are not diluted and dispersed quickly in underground aquifers. In fact, they can persist for long periods of time and spread through the aquifer, contaminating large areas of groundwater.

Question 2

Which of the following is a point source of pollution?

Accepted Answer

Oil tankers are point sources of pollution, meaning that they release pollutants from a specific location or point. Acid deposition, urban streets, suburban lawns, and parking lots are examples of non-point sources of pollution, as they release pollutants from multiple locations or diffuse sources.

Question 3

All of the following are nonpoint sources of water pollution except

Accepted Answer

Offshore oil wells are point sources of water pollution, meaning they have a specific identifiable location where pollutants enter the water. Nonpoint sources of water pollution are diffuse and cannot be traced to a single point of origin, such as livestock feedlots, urban lands, croplands, and parking lots.

Question 4

About ____ of the 100,000 medium to large lakes in the U.S. suffer from cultural eutrophication.

Accepted Answer

Approximately one-third of the medium to large lakes in the U.S. are affected by cultural eutrophication, which is the process where water bodies become overly enriched with nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae and other aquatic plants.

Question 5

Acids, salts, and metals are examples of

Accepted Answer

Acids, salts, and metals are inorganic chemicals, which are not derived from living organisms.

Question 6

Nitrates and phosphates are examples of

Accepted Answer

Nitrates and phosphates are essential nutrients for plant growth and are commonly found in fertilizers.

Question 7

One class of pollutants that can cause excessive growth of algae is

Accepted Answer

Plant nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can stimulate the growth of algae through a process called eutrophication. This can lead to the formation of harmful algal blooms which can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and human health.

Question 8

The majority of the oil pollution of the ocean comes from

Accepted Answer

The majority of the oil pollution in the ocean comes from runoff from land, which includes industrial and agricultural runoff, as well as oil spills caused by human activity on land. While tanker accidents and blowouts do contribute to ocean oil pollution, they are much less common and account for a smaller proportion of the total pollution. Environmental terrorism is also a relatively rare occurrence in comparison to the ongoing contamination from land-based sources. Similarly, the normal operation of offshore wells can contribute to ocean oil pollution, but it is not the primary source. Therefore, D is the best choice as it is the most common and significant source of oil pollution in the ocean.

Question 9

Assume you are vacationing by a small lake, where you intend to do some fishing. When you arrive at this lake, you notice a slight sulfur smell. Which phase of cultural eutrophication does this sulfur smell indicate?

Accepted Answer

The sulfur smell indicates that anaerobic bacteria are decomposing aerobic organisms in the lake. This is a symptom of cultural eutrophication caused by excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which stimulate algal growth. As algal blooms die and sink to the bottom, they are decomposed by bacteria, which consume oxygen and create anoxic conditions that favor anaerobic decomposition. The byproducts of anaerobic decomposition include sulfur compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, which produce the characteristic smell.

Question 10

Which of the following decrease(s) photosynthesis in bodies of water?

Accepted Answer

Sediment such as soil or silt can decrease photosynthesis in bodies of water by blocking sunlight, which is essential for photosynthesis to occur in aquatic plants and algae.

Question 11

_______________________ is the only effective way to protect groundwater.

Accepted Answer

Pollution prevention is the best choice for protecting groundwater because once groundwater is contaminated, it is very difficult and expensive to clean up. It is therefore important to prevent pollution from happening in the first place through practices such as proper disposal of hazardous materials, reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and implementing best management practices in industrial activities. Community-based local clean up, bioremediation, sewage treatment, and stream restoration are all important activities, but they are reactive measures that are needed after contamination has occurred.

Question 12

The practice of suspending rust particles in contaminated water, and then drawing out the rust with hand-held magnets, has been effective in dealing with

Accepted Answer

The method of using rust particles and magnets is effective for arsenic contaminated water because the rust (iron oxide) can bind with arsenic, allowing it to be removed from the water when the rust is magnetically extracted.

Question 13

Arsenic is released into drinking water

Accepted Answer

Arsenic is released into drinking water from mining refuse because mining activities can expose arsenic-containing rocks and minerals to the environment, which can then be leached into water sources.

Question 14

Groundwater

Accepted Answer

Groundwater is typically cold, which slows down the decomposition rates of pollutants, making it less effective at cleansing itself quickly.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

Inorganic nutrients such as fertilizers can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems by causing algal blooms and subsequent oxygen depletion, which can result in aquatic dead zones.

Question 16

An oxygen sag curve occurs when

Accepted Answer

An oxygen sag curve occurs when biodegradable wastes are broken down by bacteria, reducing the available oxygen in the water for organisms that require high levels of oxygen. As the wastes are degraded, the oxygen demand increases, causing a "sag" in the available oxygen levels downstream. This can result in harm to aquatic organisms, as the oxygen-depleted water can become hypoxic or anoxic, meaning that it has extremely low or no oxygen levels, respectively.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

Rivers, due to their flowing nature, are generally less vulnerable to contamination compared to lakes, which have little water flow and can accumulate pollutants more easily.

Question 18

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems receives the vast majority of the global inputs of pollution?

Accepted Answer

Coastal parts of the ocean are subject to human pollution, including runoff from land, oil spills, and garbage dumping. This makes them the aquatic ecosystem that receives the vast majority of global pollution inputs. Other aquatic ecosystems, such as swiftly flowing streams or deep-water oceans, may be less affected by pollution due to their specific characteristics and geographic location.

Question 19

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems is most capable of diluting, dispersing, and degrading large amounts of sewage, sludge, and oil?

Accepted Answer

Deep-water oceans have vast volumes of water and strong currents that can dilute, disperse, and degrade pollutants more effectively than other aquatic ecosystems.

Question 20

Which of the following developments of cultural eutrophication would occur last?

Accepted Answer

Increase in anaerobic bacteria is the final stage of cultural eutrophication. When oxygen is depleted due to the decomposition of organic matter, anaerobic bacteria thrive and produce harmful gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, leading to the death of aquatic life. Fish kills (A), blooms of algae (B), increase in aerobic bacteria (C), and increase of plants such as duckweed (D) occur earlier in the process.

Quiz 11: Water Resources and Water Pollution

Which of the following statements about underground contaminants is false?

Which of the following is a point source of pollution?

All of the following are nonpoint sources of water pollution except

About ____ of the 100,000 medium to large lakes in the U.S. suffer from cultural eutrophication.

Acids, salts, and metals are examples of

Nitrates and phosphates are examples of

One class of pollutants that can cause excessive growth of algae is

The majority of the oil pollution of the ocean comes from

Assume you are vacationing by a small lake, where you intend to do some fishing. When you arrive at this lake, you notice a slight sulfur smell. Which phase of cultural eutrophication does this sulfur smell indicate?

Which of the following decrease(s) photosynthesis in bodies of water?

_______________________ is the only effective way to protect groundwater.

The practice of suspending rust particles in contaminated water, and then drawing out the rust with hand-held magnets, has been effective in dealing with

Arsenic is released into drinking water

Groundwater

Which of the following statements is false?

An oxygen sag curve occurs when

Which of the following statements is false?

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems receives the vast majority of the global inputs of pollution?

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems is most capable of diluting, dispersing, and degrading large amounts of sewage, sludge, and oil?

Which of the following developments of cultural eutrophication would occur last?