Unit 4: Environmental pollution - Practice Quiz

1 What is environmental pollution?

2 Which of the following is a major cause of environmental pollution?

3 Which gas is a major air pollutant released from incomplete combustion of fuels?

4 Which device is commonly used to control air pollution from industrial chimneys?

5 Which of the following is a common cause of water pollution?

6 Eutrophication of water bodies is mainly caused by excess of which nutrients?

7 Which of the following contributes most to soil pollution?

8 Which practice helps in controlling soil pollution?

9 Noise pollution is measured in which unit?

10 Which of the following is a harmful effect of noise pollution on humans?

11 Which of the following is a source of radiation pollution?

12 Which of the following is considered an emerging pollutant?

13 Bursting of fireworks mainly leads to an increase in which type of pollution?

14 Which gas is the major contributor to global warming?

15 Which of the following is an effect of climate change?

16 Which chemicals are mainly responsible for ozone layer depletion?

17 Acid rain is mainly caused by the release of which gases into the atmosphere?

18 How does air pollution most commonly affect human health?

19 The Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984 was caused by the leak of which toxic gas?

20 Which of the following describes the 3 R's of solid waste management?

21 A factory releases untreated warm water into a nearby river, raising its temperature and reducing dissolved oxygen. This is best classified as which type of pollution?

22 An electrostatic precipitator is installed in a thermal power plant chimney. Which pollutant is it primarily designed to control?

23 Prolonged exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) is dangerous mainly because it:

24 Excess nitrates and phosphates from fertiliser runoff enter a lake, causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion. This process is known as:

25 A high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) value in a water sample most directly indicates:

26 Repeated use of chemical pesticides on farmland often causes long-term soil damage primarily by:

27 Sound levels are measured on a logarithmic scale. An increase from to represents an increase in sound intensity by a factor of approximately:

28 Planting dense rows of trees along a highway helps reduce noise pollution mainly because vegetation:

29 During the Fukushima and Chernobyl accidents, the radioactive isotope of particular concern for thyroid exposure was:

30 Which of the following is a natural source of radiation pollution commonly found accumulating in poorly ventilated basements?

31 Microplastics are considered emerging pollutants mainly because they:

32 The bright red colour in fireworks is typically produced by compounds of which metal, whose particulate residue also worsens air quality?

33 Which of the following gases has the highest global warming potential (GWP) per molecule among these common greenhouse gases?

34 Melting of glaciers and polar ice due to climate change contributes to sea-level rise through two main mechanisms: added meltwater and:

35 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) deplete stratospheric ozone because, under UV light, they release chlorine atoms that:

36 Acid rain is chiefly caused by atmospheric conversion of which two primary pollutant gases into acids?

37 Long-term irrigation with poor-quality water in arid regions frequently reduces crop yields because it causes:

38 The 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India resulted from the accidental leak of which toxic gas?

39 In the integrated waste management hierarchy, which option is given the highest priority?

40 A common control measure for treating biodegradable urban waste to produce a nutrient-rich soil conditioner is:

41 A thermal power plant emits at a rate that produces a ground-level concentration exceeding standards during stable atmospheric conditions. Which meteorological phenomenon most directly worsens the accumulation of such pollutants near the ground?

42 Rainwater with a measured pH of is compared to natural rainwater at pH . Approximately how many times more acidic (higher concentration) is the pH sample?

43 In stratospheric ozone destruction, chlorine acts catalytically. Which feature explains why a single CFC-derived Cl atom can destroy many thousands of ozone molecules?

44 A lake receives heavy fertilizer runoff. Over time, dissolved oxygen at the bottom drops to near zero. Which sequence best explains this outcome?

45 The Minamata disaster in Japan resulted from bioaccumulation of a toxic compound through the food chain. The causative agent was:

46 Two gases are compared: and . Methane has a much higher Global Warming Potential over 100 years despite a shorter atmospheric lifetime. The primary reason is:

47 Two independent machines each produce at a measurement point. When operating simultaneously, the combined sound level is approximately:

48 A radioactive isotope has a half-life of 8 days. After 32 days, what fraction of the original activity remains?

49 In an integrated solid waste management hierarchy, which ranking of preference is correct from most to least favoured?

50 Photochemical smog forms in sunny urban areas. Which combination of precursors and product characterizes its formation?

51 A remediation team uses plants to extract and accumulate heavy metals from contaminated soil into harvestable tissue. This technique is best described as:

52 Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as certain pharmaceuticals and plasticizers are of concern even at extremely low concentrations because they:

53 A wastewater sample has a high BOD but a relatively low COD compared to another sample. What does this indicate about the first sample?

54 The characteristic green colour in fireworks and a toxic residue of concern in firework fallout are respectively associated with:

55 Climate feedback loops can amplify or dampen warming. Which of the following is a classic positive (amplifying) feedback?

56 An industry installs an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). This device is most effective at controlling:

57 Prolonged irrigation with poorly drained water in arid regions often reduces crop yields because it leads to:

58 A pollutant that is emitted directly from a source is a primary pollutant, whereas one formed by reactions in the atmosphere is secondary. Which pair correctly classifies the pollutants?

59 Anaerobic digestion of biodegradable municipal waste is favoured over open landfilling partly because it captures a useful energy product while reducing emissions. That product is chiefly:

60 Acid rain damages aquatic ecosystems partly by mobilizing a metal toxic to fish gills from surrounding soils. That metal is: