Unit 4: Man-Environment Relationship - Practice Quiz

1 What is meant by an ecological imbalance?

2 Which of the following is a natural resource?

3 What can happen when people use natural resources faster than nature replaces them?

4 Which human activity commonly causes ecological imbalance?

5 Sustainable resource use means using resources in a way that:

6 Which practice helps prevent soil erosion?

7 What is soil erosion?

8 Which activity is a major use of water?

9 What is a common environmental effect of excessive irrigation?

10 Which source commonly causes water pollution when untreated waste is released into it?

11 What is deforestation?

12 Which gas is absorbed by trees during photosynthesis?

13 Deforestation can increase the risk of:

14 Which environmental problem is directly linked to the loss of forest habitats?

15 Planting trees to replace cleared forests is called:

16 Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

17 Burning coal and petroleum mainly releases which greenhouse gas?

18 Which energy source is renewable?

19 Mining can cause which environmental problem?

20 Which environmental effect may result from oil spills?

21 A region extracts groundwater faster than natural processes can replenish it. Which ecological imbalance is most likely to occur?

22 A coastal city replaces mangroves with buildings and roads. Which combination of effects is most likely?

23 Why can excessive use of a common grazing land lead to a decline in livestock productivity?

24 A lake receives untreated sewage and fertilizer runoff from nearby farms. Which process is most likely to follow?

25 Which management strategy best reflects the principle of sustainable resource use?

26 A farmer cultivates a steep slope by ploughing up and down the slope. Which change would most effectively reduce soil erosion?

27 In an irrigated agricultural area, white crusts appear on the soil surface and crop growth declines. What is the most likely cause?

28 Which irrigation method is generally most suitable for reducing water loss in an orchard located in a dry region?

29 A city covers much of its surface with concrete. During heavy rain, which environmental effect is most likely?

30 Farmers on a cultivated slope plant alternating strips of grass and crops. What is the main environmental benefit?

31 A forested watershed is cleared for agriculture. Which change in the local water cycle is most likely?

32 Why can deforestation increase the amount of sediment deposited in a nearby reservoir?

33 A continuous forest is divided into small patches by roads and farms. Which ecological effect is most likely?

34 Which forest-management practice would best reduce the environmental impacts of commercial logging?

35 Deforestation in a tropical basin can contribute to regional climate warming mainly because it:

36 A coal-fired power station installs scrubbers that remove sulfur compounds from exhaust gases. Which problem is it primarily reducing?

37 A power plant releases warm cooling water into a river. Which environmental effect is most likely?

38 Open-pit mining removes vegetation and large quantities of overburden. Which environmental problem is most directly associated with this activity?

39 Acid mine drainage develops when sulfide minerals exposed by mining react with air and water. What is a likely consequence?

40 A town replaces part of its coal-based electricity supply with solar and wind power. Which environmental outcome is most likely?

41 A watershed has a renewable resource stock that grows logistically, with maximum sustainable yield at half its carrying capacity. If extraction is maintained above that yield for several years, which outcome is most likely?

42 Two regions consume the same quantity of groundwater annually. Region X has high seasonal recharge, while Region Y has low recharge and substantial natural discharge. Why is equal consumption not evidence of equal ecological pressure?

43 A fishing community introduces efficient sonar and larger boats while maintaining an open-access fishery. Which combination best explains the likely long-term result?

44 A city replaces a wetland with flood-control infrastructure and records no major flood for five years. Which assessment is most scientifically defensible?

45 A policy increases agricultural output by subsidizing irrigation but ignores soil salinity and downstream ecological flows. Which evaluation best captures its possible ecological imbalance?

46 A farmer adopts drip irrigation, but groundwater levels continue to fall because the saved water expands the irrigated area. Which concept best explains this result?

47 A river basin shows rising crop yields, declining downstream discharge, and increasing nitrate concentrations. Which management response addresses both production and environmental limits most directly?

48 Terracing sharply reduces soil erosion on cultivated slopes but increases local water retention. Under which condition could the intervention create a new environmental risk?

49 A coastal aquifer is pumped heavily even though annual rainfall appears sufficient. Which observation most strongly indicates that pumping is causing saltwater intrusion?

50 A dam supplies electricity and irrigation but traps sediment, causing delta retreat and coastal erosion. Which conclusion best reflects the system-level trade-off?

51 A forest basin is cleared for pasture, and annual regional rainfall later declines despite unchanged ocean temperatures. Which mechanism is most plausible?

52 Two deforested hillslopes receive the same rainfall. Slope A is replanted with diverse native vegetation, while Slope B is covered by a single shallow-rooted crop. Which difference is most likely?

53 A fragmented forest retains its total area but loses many interior-dependent bird species. Which explanation best accounts for the change?

54 A logging project removes mature trees but leaves most ground vegetation intact. Which carbon assessment is most appropriate immediately after harvesting?

55 A government reports lower deforestation based on satellite canopy cover, but field surveys find extensive conversion to low-diversity plantations. What is the key limitation of the indicator?

56 A coal-fired power station installs sulfur scrubbers but continues emitting large quantities of carbon dioxide. Which conclusion is correct?

57 A hydropower reservoir replaces fossil-fuel generation but floods methane-rich tropical wetlands. Which life-cycle assessment is most appropriate?

58 A metal mine produces acidic drainage after sulfide minerals are exposed to oxygen and water. Which intervention most directly prevents the initiating reaction?

59 A region replaces diesel vehicles with electric vehicles powered mostly by coal. Which statement best describes the environmental outcome?

60 A rare-earth mining project supports renewable-energy manufacturing but generates toxic tailings near a river. Which policy best reflects a balanced environmental assessment?