Unit 2: Natural resources and ecosystem - Practice Quiz

1 Which of the following is a natural resource?

2 Natural resources are best defined as materials that are:

3 Which of the following is a renewable resource?

4 Which of the following is a non-renewable resource?

5 The removal of the fertile top layer of soil by wind or water is called:

6 Which practice helps in reducing soil erosion?

7 The collection and storage of rainwater for future use is called:

8 Approximately what percentage of the Earth's water is freshwater?

9 Large-scale cutting down of forests is known as:

10 Planting trees in areas where forests have been cut down is called:

11 Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

12 Energy obtained from the heat inside the Earth is called:

13 Which of the following is the best example of water conservation by an individual?

14 The three R's of resource conservation are:

15 Which of the following is an abiotic component of an ecosystem?

16 A pond is an example of which type of ecosystem?

17 The ultimate source of energy for almost all ecosystems is the:

18 In a food chain, organisms that make their own food are called:

19 An ecological pyramid that shows the number of organisms at each trophic level is called a pyramid of:

20 Ecological succession refers to the:

21 A country classifies its coal, forests, sunlight, and groundwater. Which grouping correctly separates these into inexhaustible and exhaustible categories?

22 A resource regenerates naturally within a human lifespan but is being consumed faster than its replacement rate. This resource is best described as:

23 Which of the following pairs are both non-renewable energy resources?

24 A farmer notices declining crop yields, hardened soil, and white salt crusts on the surface after years of canal irrigation. The most likely problem is:

25 Which remedial measure is most directly effective in reducing soil erosion on steep hilly slopes?

26 A coastal region over-extracts groundwater, causing wells to turn salty. This problem is known as:

27 Which of the following is the most sustainable remedial measure to address urban groundwater depletion?

28 Conflicts between two states over sharing river water most commonly arise from which type of water resource issue?

29 Large-scale deforestation in a watershed most directly leads to which chain of consequences?

30 The Chipko movement is best cited as an example of:

31 A remote village with abundant sunshine but no grid connection wants clean, decentralized electricity. The most suitable option is:

32 Which statement correctly identifies a key problem associated with hydropower dams?

33 Which set of everyday individual actions best contributes to natural resource conservation?

34 Among the '3 Rs' of resource conservation, which action reduces resource use most at the source?

35 In an ecosystem, fungi and bacteria that break down dead organic matter belong to which functional component?

36 Which of the following is an example of an artificial (man-made) ecosystem?

37 According to the 10% law, if producers capture kJ of energy, how much energy is available to secondary consumers?

38 In the food chain Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Hawk, the frog occupies which trophic level?

39 In which ecosystem is the pyramid of numbers typically inverted?

40 Succession that begins on a bare rock surface with no pre-existing soil or life is classified as:

41 A grassland ecosystem receives kcal/m²/yr of gross primary production. If ecological efficiency between successive trophic levels follows Lindeman's 10% law, what energy (kcal/m²/yr) is available at the tertiary consumer level?

42 In an aquatic ecosystem, the pyramid of numbers and pyramid of biomass are often inverted, yet the pyramid of energy remains upright. What is the underlying reason?

43 During primary succession on a bare rock, which sequence correctly represents the order of colonization and the reason pioneers cannot be higher plants?

44 A resource is technically renewable but is being exploited faster than its regeneration rate. Which classification best describes its practical status and why?

45 Excessive groundwater extraction in coastal aquifers commonly leads to a specific degradation problem. Which one, and what is the corrective measure?

46 In arid irrigated regions, poor drainage combined with high evaporation frequently causes which paired problem, and which remedy directly addresses it?

47 Why does a food web confer greater ecological stability than a single linear food chain when one species is removed?

48 Large-scale deforestation in a mountainous watershed most directly triggers which chain of consequences?

49 Which statement correctly distinguishes standing crop from standing state in ecosystem structure?

50 A region wants baseload electricity with minimal operational emissions but faces concerns over long-lived waste and high capital cost. Which source fits this profile?

51 A pyramid of biomass for a forest ecosystem may appear "spindle-shaped" (narrow at producer level relative to consumers is rare, but the reverse spindle can occur). Which pyramid can NEVER be inverted and why?

52 Which combination correctly matches an ecosystem type with its distinguishing productivity/salinity feature?

53 In the single-channel energy flow model, why is energy flow described as "unidirectional" while nutrients are "cyclic"?

54 An individual replaces incandescent bulbs with LEDs, harvests rainwater, and composts kitchen waste. Which principle best explains the combined conservation impact of these actions?

55 Two abandoned fields undergo secondary succession. Field A reaches climax faster than Field B. Which factor most plausibly explains the difference?

56 The concept of "carrying capacity" of a natural resource system is best interpreted as which of the following?

57 Two nations share a river; the upstream nation builds a large dam. This scenario most directly illustrates which water-related problem?

58 A fat-soluble pesticide enters a lake. Analysis shows the highest tissue concentration in fish-eating birds. Which two processes together explain this pattern?

59 A solar photovoltaic plant and a hydropower plant are compared. Which statement correctly captures a key limitation of solar PV relative to hydropower for grid supply?

60 In ecosystem function, which sequence correctly orders the four fundamental processes as generally conceptualized?