APES Pollution

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. Of the following, the leading cause of death among adults in the United States is
a. tobacco use.
b. alcohol use.
c. suicide.
d. accidents.
e. homicide.
____ 2. Which is the most advanced approach?
a. recycling materials
b. using biodegradable material
c. creating more durable products
d. reducing the amount of materials used
e. reusing materials
____ 3. Which of the following occupations is least likely to be associated with asbestosis?
a. asbestos miners
b. restaurant owners
c. pipe fitters
d. insulators
e. none of these answers
____ 4. Case studies are most useful because
a. the health status of the individuals studied is clearly known.
b. they provide clues about possible environmental hazards.
c. acute dosages of harmful substances are documented.
d. exposure of individuals to a variety of harmful substances is controlled.
e. all of these answers
____ 5. Malaria is caused by
a. viruses.
b. bacteria.
c. Plasmodium parasites.
d. parasitic worms.
e. mosquitoes.
____ 6. Correspondence between climate models and the real world depends upon
a. chaos.
b. the design and assumptions of the model.
c. negative feedbacks.
d. positive feedbacks.
e. all of these answers
____ 7. Acid deposition has been linked to
a. contamination of fish with highly toxic methylmercury.
b. excessive soil nitrogen levels.
c. reduced nutrient uptake by tree roots.
d. weakening trees so they become more susceptible to other types of damage.
e. all of these answers
____ 8. You have been studying a large lake ecosystem. You learn that PCBs have been dumped into the water. You
predict that the most affected population would be the
a. algae.
b. small fish.
c. predatory birds.
d. zooplankton.
e. phytoplankton.
____ 9. A thermal inversion is the result of
a. precipitation.
b. cold air drainage.
c. a lid of warm air on top of cooler, stagnant air.
d. a cold blanket of air that prevents warm air from rising.
e. mixing of cool and warm air.
____ 10. The greatest pollution damage to forests in Europe has occurred in
a. Germany.
b. Sweden.
c. Poland.
d. the Czech republic.
e. France.
____ 11. All of the following are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) except
a. methane.
b. chlorofluorocarbon.
c. carbon monoxide.
d. benzene.
e. propane.
____ 12. Of the following, the least likely to be used in laboratory investigations of toxicity are
a. California condors.
b. mice.
c. bacteria.
d. rats.
e. rabbits.
____ 13. Outbreaks of infectious diseases often occur because of a change in the physical, social, or biological
environment of
a. hosts.
b. carrier vectors.
c. disease reservoirs.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 14. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
a. requires the EPA to set standards for hazardous-waste management.
b. requires all firms that handle more than 100 kilograms of hazardous waste per month to
have a permit stating how such wastes are to be managed.
c. provides guidelines and financial aid to establish state waste management programs.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 15. Teratogens
a. are fatal to humans in low doses.
b. cause birth defects.
c. are harmful because they are irritating to skin or lungs.
 d. cause mutations.
e. cause allergic reactions.
____ 16. Chlorofluorocarbons are used in all of the following except
a. air conditioners.
b. aerosol spray cans.
c. sterilants for hospital equipment.
d. fire extinguishers.
e. cleaners for computer chips.
____ 17. Acid deposition is best classified as a
a. local problem.
b. state problem.
c. regional problem.
d. national problem.
e. international problem.
____ 18. Each of the following is one of the major classes of outdoor pollutants except
a. carbon oxides.
b. smog.
c. nitrogen oxides.
d. sulfur oxides.
e. photochemical oxidants.
____ 19. Which of the following niches is likely to be most affected by global warming?
a. generalist
b. specialist
c. keystone
d. indicator
e. spectator
____ 20. The city in the United States distinguished by having the toughest pollution control program and the
greatest air pollution problem is
a. New York City.
b. Birmingham, Alabama.
c. Los Angeles.
d. Boston.
e. Atlanta.
____ 21. Disease-causing organisms can be spread by natural disasters such as
a. floods.
b. landslides.
c. hurricanes.
d. all of these answers
e. none of the answers
____ 22. The most comprehensive and effective hazardous-waste detoxification program is in
a. France.
b. Denmark.
c. Norway.
d. Yugoslavia.
e. the United States.
____ 23. Which of the following is a non-point source of water pollution?
a. sewage treatment plant
b. electric power plant
 c. active and inactive coal mines
d. logged forest
e. factories
____ 24. Vectors are
a. dose levels.
b. agents of infection.
c. agents of disease transmission.
d. parasitic organisms.
e. estrogen mimics.
____ 25. The most desirable type of recycling is
a. primary, or closed-loop recycling.
b. secondary, or open-loop recycling.
c. tertiary, or figure-eight recycling.
d. high-tech resource recovery.
e. secondary, or closed-loop recycling.
____ 26. Pollutants might affect climate change by
a. cooling effects of particles from volcanic eruptions.
b. warming and cooling effects from sulfur dioxide emissions.
c. cooling effects from particles in smoke from large-scale burning.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 27. One class of pollutants that can cause excessive growth of algae is
a. radioactive substances.
b. oxygen-demanding wastes.
c. inorganic plant nutrients.
d. organic chemicals.
e. sediment.
____ 28. Dose and response may be affected by the chemical's
a. solubility characteristics.
b. biomagnification.
c. antagonistic and synergistic interactions with other chemicals.
d. persistence.
e. all of these answers
____ 29. Ozone which contributes to the formation of smog is found in the
a. troposphere.
b. thermosphere.
c. mesosphere.
d. stratosphere.
e. mesopause.
____ 30. Toxic substances
a. are fatal to over 50% of test animals at given concentrations.
b. cause birth defects.
c. are harmful because they are flammable, explosive, irritating to skin or lungs, or cause
allergic reactions.
d. cause mutations.
e. are fatal to less than 50% of test animals at given conditions.
____ 31. The intake of synthetic mimics can severely disrupt the
a. digestive system.
b. endocrine system.
 c. circulatory system.
d. respiratory system.
e. immune system.
____ 32. All of the following are photochemical oxidants except
a. dioxin.
b. hydrogen peroxide.
c. peroxyacyl nitrates (PANs).
d. aldehydes, such as formaldehyde.
e. ozone.
____ 33. Which of the following statements is false?
a. Heat can lower dissolved oxygen and make fish vulnerable to disease.
b. Organic wastes reduce the amount of oxygen in the water supply.
c. Radioactive wastes and toxins can be concentrated by biological amplification.
d. Inorganic nutrients such as fertilizers have no adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.
e. Sediment can cloud water and reduce photosynthesis.
____ 34. The most energy-efficient beverage container on the market is
a. refillable glass.
b. recyclable aluminum.
c. stainless steel.
d. recyclable plastic.
e. carton.
____ 35. The two predominant greenhouse gases in the troposphere are
a. carbon dioxide and ozone.
b. carbon dioxide and water vapor.
c. nitrogen and water vapor.
d. nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide.
e. carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
____ 36. Love Canal is located in
a. Ohio.
b. New York.
c. California.
d. Panama.
e. Georgia.
____ 37. Indoor air pollution could be sharply reduced by
a. modifying building codes to prevent radon infiltration.
b. requiring exhaust hoods or vent pipes for stoves, refrigerators, or other appliances burning
natural gas or other fossil fuels.
c. setting emission standards for building materials.
d. using office machines in well-ventilated areas.
e. all of these answers
____ 38. Lead may cause
a. partial paralysis.
b. mental retardation.
c. palsy.
d. neurological damage.
e. all of these answers
____ 39. As global warming progresses, methane
a. might be absorbed as permafrost melts in the arctic tundra.
b. might be absorbed from natural wetlands with rising carbon dioxide.
 c. may be released from oceanic mud as ocean waters warm.
d. may be reduced by bacteria in tundra soils.
e. all of these answers
____ 40. All of the following are considered to be biological hazards except
a. pollen.
b. parasites.
c. diet.
d. bacteria.
e. bees.
____ 41. A person flying over the Chernobyl site two days after the explosion most probably experienced a(n) ____ to
radioactive substances.
a. chronic exposure
b. subchronic exposure
c. acute exposure
d. subacute exposure
e. superacute exposure
____ 42. Radioactive ____ is a product of uranium decay and an indoor air pollutant.
a. radon
b. radium
c. plutonium
d. lead
e. hydrogen
____ 43. In most developed countries, large fish kills and contamination of drinking water are caused by
a. malfunctioning sewage treatment plants.
b. accidental release of toxic industrial chemicals.
c. deliberate release of toxic industrial chemicals.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 44. In cultural eutrophication, game fish die from
a. acid deposition.
b. suffocation from lack of oxygen.
c. toxic substances in the water.
d. salt.
e. loss of space.
____ 45. Fine and ultrafine particles are emitted by
a. radial tires.
b. wind erosion.
c. power and industrial plants.
d. wood-burning fireplaces.
e. all of these answers
____ 46. Photochemical smog is formed when primary pollutants interact w ith
a. sunlight.
b. water vapor.
c. sulfur dioxide.
d. oxygen.
e. carbon.
____ 47. Carcinogens may be
a. viruses.
 b. radiation.
c. chemicals.
d. all of these answers
e. a and c only
____ 48. Furniture stuffing, paneling, particle board, and foam insulation may be sources of
a. chloroform.
b. formaldehyde.
c. carbon monoxide.
d. asbestos.
e. sulfur dioxide.
____ 49. Evaluations of bioremediation indicate that it is most effective for
a. toxic metals.
b. concentrated chemical wastes.
c. complex mixtures of toxic chemicals.
d. a few specific organic wastes.
e. none of these answers
____ 50. One fish in ____ taken from the Great Lakes is unsafe for human consumption.
a. ten
b. seven
c. five
d. four
e. three
____ 51. All of the following greenhouse gases have increased in recent decades except
a. carbon dioxide.
b. methane.
c. water vapor.
d. nitrous oxide.
e. CFCs.
____ 52. Animal testing
a. extrapolates from low-dose levels to high-dose levels.
b. extrapolates from test animals to humans.
c. is noncontroversial.
d. usually involves low-dose levels.
e. c and d only
____ 53. The Pfiesteria piscida microbe can transform from algae eaters to fish-killing dinoflagellates when
a. the water is calm.
b. there is a plentiful supply of nitrogen.
c. there is a plentiful supply of phosphorus.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 54. Most of Earth's weather occurs in the
a. troposphere.
b. thermosphere.
c. mesosphere.
d. stratosphere.
e. tropopause.
____ 55. Of the following motor vehicle fuels, the greatest polluter is
a. gasoline.
b. hydrogen gas.
 c. alcohol.
d. natural gas.
e. battery.
____ 56. Of the following suggestions, the one least likely to reduce the health risks of smoking is to
a. legalize the sale of tobacco products to all age groups.
b. ban cigarette vending machines.
c. eliminate federal subsidies to tobacco farmers and companies.
d. ban cigarette advertising.
e. use cigarette tax to finance anti-smoking advertising.
____ 57. The story of the discovery of the effects of CFCs and the political response to that knowledge best
illustrates which of the following components of complex systems?
a. negative feedback loop
b. positive feedback loop
c. synergistic interaction
d. lag time
e. all of these answers
____ 58. Of the following organisms, the group that is least likely to cause disease is
a. bacteria.
b. protozoa.
c. algae.
d. parasitic worms.
e. viruses.
____ 59. The greenhouse effect is best described as
a. consensus science.
b. pioneer science.
c. fantasy.
d. a convention of florists.
e. junk science.
____ 60. Sanitary landfills typically have problems with
a. rodents and insects.
b. odor.
c. open, uncovered garbage.
d. traffic, noise, and dust.
e. the spread of disease.
____ 61. Compost can help restore
a. eroded hillsides.
b. overgrazed areas.
c. strip-mined lands.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 62. Most of the 9,000 lakes threatened by excess acidity in the United States are in the
a. Northeast and upper Midwest.
b. Southeast and lower Midwest.
c. Northwest and upper Midwest.
d. Southwest and lower Midwest.
e. Northeast and lower Midwest.
____ 63. Suppose you accidentally drink a substance with an LD50 of 1mg/kg. You are least likely to
a. call the poison hotline.
 b. continue playing a board game.
c. go to an emergency room.
d. call your doctor.
e. call 911.
____ 64. Risk is expressed as a probability of suffering from
a. disease.
b. economic loss.
c. environmental damage.
d. injury.
e. all of these answers
____ 65. Tall chimneys
a. are expensive ways to disperse pollution.
b. cannot carry the pollutants above any local inversion layer.
c. are an output approach to pollution.
d. increase pollution in upwind areas.
e. all of these answers
____ 66. The Great Lakes possess ____ of all the surface freshwater in the United States.
a. 35%
b. 55%
c. 75%
d. 95%
e. 45%
____ 67. The Superfund program pays
a. to clean up inactive or abandoned hazardous-waste dump sites.
b. to monitor hazardous wastes.
c. for testing for lead in paint, water, and air samples.
d. the doctors' bills and lawyers' fees for pollution events.
e. all of these answers
____ 68. Chlorofluorocarbons are
a. nontoxic.
b. corrosive.
c. odorous.
d. flammable.
e. expensive.
____ 69. All of the following are provisions of the California South Coast Air Quality Management District Council's
proposals in 1989 to reduce ozone and smog in the Los Angeles area except
a. close the airport.
b. ban drive-through facilities.
c. increase parking fees and assess high fees for multi-vehicle families.
d. require gas stations to use a hydrocarbon-vapor recovery system on gas pumps and sell
alternative fuels.
e. none of these answers
____ 70. In a warmer world, we would expect more
a. droughts.
b. hurricanes.
c. prolonged heat waves.
d. desert expansion.
e. all of these answers
____ 71. U.S. air pollution has most seriously affected trees in the
 a. Appalachian Mountains.
b. Rocky Mountains.
c. Olympic Mountains.
d. Sierra Nevada Mountains.
e. all of these answers
____ 72. A person receiving background radiation from a low-level radioactive dump site for a lifetime has
experienced a(n)
a. chronic exposure.
b. subchronic exposure.
c. acute exposure.
d. subacute exposure.
e. superacute exposure.
____ 73. Environmentalists say that the best way to handle soft drink and beer containers is to
a. use landfills.
b. recycle aluminum cans.
c. use stainless steel cans.
d. use reusable glass bottles.
e. bury them.
____ 74. Sick building syndrome is linked to all of the following except
a. headaches.
b. coughing and sneezing.
c. lung cancer.
d. chronic fatigue.
e. burning eyes.
____ 75. Pipe insulation and vinyl ceiling and floor tiles may be sources of
a. chloroform.
b. formaldehyde.
c. carbon monoxide.
d. asbestos.
e. cigarette smoke.
____ 76. The study of the pattern of a disease in a population is called
a. pathology.
b. oncology.
c. epidemiology.
d. ecology.
e. bacteriology.
____ 77. The principal types of chemical hazards include all of the following except
a. toxic and hazardous substances.
b. mutagens.
c. teratogens.
d. zymogens.
e. carcinogens.
____ 78. Which one of the Great Lakes first showed intense effects of water pollution?
a. Superior
b. Huron
c. Erie
d. Ontario
e. Ontario and Huron
____ 79. The atmospheric layer containing 75% of the mass of Earth's air is the
a. thermosphere.
b. mesosphere.
c. stratosphere.
d. troposphere.
e. tropopause.
____ 80. The correct sequence of layers of the atmosphere from innermost to outermost is
a. mesosphere--stratosphere--thermosphere--troposphere.
b. troposphere--stratosphere--mesosphere--thermosphere.
c. stratosphere--thermosphere--troposphere--mesosphere.
d. thermosphere--stratosphere--mesosphere--troposphere.
e. thermosphere--mesosphere--stratosphere--troposphere.
____ 81. Dioxin can
a. cause immunological effects.
b. cause developmental effects.
c. promote cancers.
d. disrupt the reproductive system.
e. all of these answers
____ 82. Which of the following is a point source of water pollution?
a. offshore oil wells
b. livestock feedlots
c. urban lands
d. croplands
e. parking lots
____ 83. Sources of groundwater contamination include
a. deep wells used to dispose of liquid hazardous wastes.
b. abandoned hazardous waste dumps.
c. industrial and livestock waste storage lagoons.
d. all of these answers
e. none of these answers
____ 84. You are enjoying a sunny day in Los Angeles. In late afternoon, your respiratory tract becomes irritated. Of
the following substances, the one least likely to be causing your problem is
a. PANs.
b. aldehydes.
c. ozone.
d. carbon dioxide.
e. carbon monoxide.
____ 85. Acids, salts, and metals are examples of
a. oxygen-demanding wastes.
b. organic plant nutrients.
c. inorganic plant nutrients.
d. water-soluble inorganic chemicals.
e. sediment.
____ 86. All of the following are transmissible diseases except
a. diabetes.
b. pneumonia.
c. diarrhea.
d. tuberculosis.
e. AIDS.
____ 87. During the mid-1900s, the spread of malaria decreased sharply from
a. draining swamplands.
b. draining marshes.
c. spraying breeding areas with DDT and other pesticides.
d. using drugs to kill the parasites in the bloodstream.
e. all of these answers
____ 88. Oxygen sag curves
a. may occur during spring floods.
b. occur when oxygen-demanding wastes are added to the water.
c. develop in fast-flowing rivers.
d. may occur upstream from a sewage treatment plant.
e. all of these answers
____ 89. Photochemical smog is characteristic of urban areas with many vehicles and a climate that is
a. cool, wet, and cloudy.
b. cool, dry, and sunny.
c. warm, dry, and sunny.
d. warm, wet, and cloudy.
e. warm, wet, and sunny.
____ 90. Which of the following statements is false?
a. The formation of the ozone layer enabled life on land to evolve.
b. CFCs are odorless and stable.
c. CFCs are nonflammable, nontoxic, and noncorrosive.
d. Fluorine atoms are most responsible for the breakdown of ozone to molecular oxygen.
e. CFCs are cheap to produce.
____ 91. Consumers of recycled products are most effective when they maximize the amount of ____ waste
in the products.
a. pre-producer
b. post-producer
c. pre-consumer
d. post-consumer
e. producer
____ 92. Dose-response curves are generated from
a. field studies.
b. epidemiological studies.
c. laboratory studies comparing experimental and control groups of test animals.
d. computer models.
e. all of these answers
____ 93. All of the following describe soils that are vulnerable to acid deposition except
a. thin.
b. low in buffering ions.
c. high in hydroxyl (OH-) ions.
d. acidic.
e. soils that have been depleted by decades of acid deposition.
____ 94. The 1997 Kyoto treaty to reduce global warming would
a. not require developing countries to make any cuts in their greenhouse gas emission unless
they choose to do so.
b. allow emissions trading.
c. allow forested countries to get a break in their quotas.
d. all of these answers
____ 95. Stratospheric ozone
a. screens out ultraviolet radiation.
b. allowed the evolution of life on land.
c. prevents ozone formation in the troposphere.
d. helps protect humans from sunburn and cataracts.
e. all of these answers
____ 96. Nitrates and phosphates are examples of
a. disease-causing agents.
b. oxygen-demanding wastes.
c. organic plant nutrients.
d. inorganic plant nutrients.
e. sediment.
____ 97. Sources of carbon monoxide include all of the following except
a. cigarette smoking.
b. anaerobic respiration.
c. motor vehicles.
d. faulty heating systems.
e. airplanes.
____ 98. Vaccines can help prevent all of the following diseases except
a. polio.
b. rabies.
c. AIDS.
d. measles.
e. mumps.
____ 99. Mutagens directly change molecules of
a. protein.
b. carbohydrate.
c. DNA.
d. fat.
e. RNA.
____100. The single largest category of U.S. solid waste is
a. mining waste.
b. agricultural waste.
c. industrial waste.
d. municipal waste.
e. agricultural waste.