Unit 2: Natural resources and ecosystem - Practice Quiz

1 What is a natural resource?

2 Which of the following is a renewable resource?

3 Which resource is non-renewable?

4 What is soil erosion?

5 Which practice helps prevent soil erosion?

6 Which activity commonly causes water pollution?

7 What is rainwater harvesting?

8 What is deforestation?

9 Which measure helps conserve forests?

10 Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

11 Which energy source produces electricity using moving air?

12 Which action helps conserve water at home?

13 Which practice follows the principle of the three Rs?

14 Which group forms the biotic components of an ecosystem?

15 What is the main function of producers in an ecosystem?

16 Which of the following is a freshwater ecosystem?

17 What is the main source of energy for most ecosystems?

18 Which organism is usually at the beginning of a food chain?

19 What does a pyramid of numbers show?

20 What is ecological succession?

21 A village depends on groundwater faster than the aquifer can naturally recharge. Which classification best describes the groundwater in this situation?

22 Why is solar energy generally considered renewable while coal is considered non-renewable?

23 A farmer cultivates steep slopes without vegetation cover, and heavy rain removes the fertile topsoil. Which measure would most directly reduce this problem?

24 Which combination most effectively helps reclaim land affected by excessive irrigation and salt accumulation?

25 A lake receives untreated sewage and develops excessive algal growth followed by fish deaths. What is the main cause of this sequence?

26 Which household practice would most directly reduce pressure on freshwater resources?

27 A forest department allows local communities to collect limited fuelwood while protecting young trees and restricting harvesting seasons. Which approach does this represent?

28 Why can planting only one fast-growing tree species fail to restore all functions of a natural forest?

29 A city wants to reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation while maintaining a reliable supply. Which strategy is most suitable?

30 Which measure most directly reduces indoor air pollution in a household using traditional biomass fuel?

31 Which action best follows the principle of reducing resource consumption before recycling?

32 A consumer chooses locally produced seasonal food instead of air-freighted produce. Which environmental benefit is most likely?

33 In an ecosystem, decomposers are removed but producers, herbivores, and carnivores remain initially. Which function is most immediately disrupted?

34 Which observation best demonstrates that an ecosystem has both biotic and abiotic components?

35 A wetland is drained and converted into farmland. Which ecosystem function is most likely to decline first?

36 If producers in an ecosystem capture kJ of energy and approximately passes to primary consumers, how much energy is available to them?

37 In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → snake, a sharp decline in frogs would most directly cause which change initially?

38 Why is a food web generally more stable than a single food chain?

39 In a tree ecosystem, one tree supports many herbivorous insects, which support fewer birds. Which ecological pyramid is most likely inverted at the producer level?

40 After a volcanic lava flow cools, lichens colonize the bare surface before grasses and shrubs appear. This process is an example of:

41 A substance occurs naturally, is technically extractable, but extraction currently requires more energy than the usable energy or economic value it yields. Under the resource classification used in environmental studies, it is best described as:

42 A groundwater basin receives an average recharge of million m per year. Natural discharge is million m per year, while pumping is million m per year. Which conclusion is most accurate?

43 A sloping agricultural field has intense seasonal rainfall, bare soil between crops, and severe rill erosion. Which intervention most directly addresses the dominant erosion mechanism while preserving cultivation?

44 A poorly drained irrigated field develops a white crust, reduced crop growth, and rising water tables. Which diagnosis and remedy are most appropriate?

45 A river receives untreated nutrient-rich wastewater. Algal biomass rises, dissolved oxygen later falls sharply, and fish mortality occurs. Which sequence best explains the event?

46 A city reduces leakage and household consumption, but its aquifer continues to decline because paved surfaces prevent infiltration. Which additional measure most directly restores groundwater balance?

47 A forest-management plan maximizes timber yield by removing mature trees from a structurally diverse forest every few decades. Which indicator would best reveal whether ecological functions are being compromised?

48 A fragmented forest retains the same total area but loses connectivity between patches. Which consequence is most likely, and which remedy is most appropriate?

49 Two power systems each supply units of electricity. System A uses units of primary energy and System B uses units. Which statement follows directly?

50 A region replaces coal electricity with large-scale solar generation but does not provide storage, flexible demand, or backup capacity. Which limitation remains most significant?

51 Which household action generally has the greatest conservation benefit when it replaces repeated consumption of a resource-intensive product?

52 In an ecosystem, producers capture energy, decomposers mineralize organic matter, and consumers transfer biomass. Which statement best describes ecosystem functioning?

53 A constructed wetland receives nutrient-rich wastewater, supports producers and decomposers, and removes nitrogen through biological and chemical processes. It is best classified as:

54 If producers store kJ of energy and approximately transfers between successive trophic levels, what energy is theoretically available to secondary consumers?

55 A pesticide-resistant insect becomes abundant after its predator declines. Which interpretation is most consistent with energy-flow principles?

56 In a food web, a decline in a top predator is followed by fewer herbivores and increased plant biomass. Which mechanism best explains this apparently indirect effect?

57 Which ecological pyramid may be inverted in a forest ecosystem while still correctly representing the system?

58 A freshwater ecosystem contains one large producer with many small herbivores and numerous zooplankton predators. Which pyramid is most likely to become inverted at its base?

59 After a glacier retreats, exposed rock is colonized first by lichens, followed by grasses, shrubs, and trees. Why is this classified as primary succession?

60 A forest fire removes vegetation but leaves soil, roots, microorganisms, and a viable seed bank. The subsequent recovery is best described as: