Air Pollution
The depletion of ozone over
Antarctica is greatest during
A. August through November
B. December through February
C. February through May
D. June through August
E. the ozone hole is consistent in size
throughout the year
The compound that is the leading
cause of ozone depletion is
A. CO
B. CO2
C. CFCs
D. NOX
E. VOCs
The agreement that allowed for a
reduction, and eventual elimination,
of CFC production and use is
A. The Montreal Protocol
B. The Quebec Protocol
C. The Kyoto Protocol
D. The Clean Skies Initiative
E. The Clean Air Act
The “hole” in the ozone
layer is
A. greatest over the South Pole
B. greatest over the southern hemisphere
C. greatest over the Pacific Ocean
D. greatest over the Atlantic Ocean
E. consistent around the globe
Ozone which contributes to the
formation of smog is found in the
A. troposphere.
B. thermosphere.
C. mesosphere.
D. stratosphere.
E. mesopause.
Which of the following is correct with
regard to the effects of CFCs on ozone
production?
A. UV radiation frees a chlorine atom,
which breaks down ozone.
B. Infrared radiation frees a chlorine atom,
which breaks down ozone.
C. UV radiation frees a fluorine atom,
which breaks down ozone.
D. Infrared radiation frees a chlorine atom,
which breaks down ozone.
E. UV radiation frees a carbon atom, which
breaks down ozone.
Which region shown
on the maps appears
to have the worst air
quality?
A. northern Nevada
B. southern Nevada
C. northern California
D. central California
E. Arizona
A lichen is a mutualistic relationship
between
A. an alga and a fungus.
B. a dinoflagellate and a coral.
C. a coral and a fungus.
D. a coral and an alga.
E. a sea anemone and a clown fish.
Of the following strategies to reduce
emissions of pollutants from stationary
sources, the one which is least likely to help
over the long run is
A. burning low-sulfur coal.
B. removing sulfur from coal.
C. dispersing pollutants above the thermal
inversion layer.
D. shifting to less polluting fuels.
E. convert coal to a liquid or gaseous fuel.
Respiratory illnesses in
developing countries are most
likely to be caused by
A. formaldehyde.
B. cigarette smoke.
C. particulate matter.
D. asbestos.
E. chloroform.
Haze in the Amazon basin would most
likely come from
A. slash and burn methodologies used
to remove trees
B. microbial action in the river
sediments
C. trade winds moving sea spray
inland
D. cattle overgrazing the river basin
E. indigenous people’s life styles
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.
A thermal inversion, which can lead to serious
pollution events, occurs when
A. warm air that normally rises, does so taking
the pollutants with it
B. warm air that normally rises stays close to
the surface holding pollutants close to the
surface
C. cool air that normally rises, does so taking
the pollutants with it
D. cool air stays close to the surface but
pollutants rise into the atmosphere
E. cool air stays close to the surface and is
blanketed by a layer of warm air that traps
pollutants
What do all volatile organic compounds
have in common?
A. all are carbon based
B. all are produced from man made
sources
C. all are emitted for processing and/or
burning fossil fuels
D. all are colorless, odorless reactive gases
E. all are naturally occurring colorless and
odorless gases found in rocks and
vegetation
Gray-air smog comes from
suspended particles of
A. carbon dioxide.
B. ammonium salts.
C. particulate matter or soot.
D. carbonic acid.
E. ozone.
Which is of the following would be likely to
increase outdoor air pollution?
A. Wide open landscapes transport pollutants.
B. Hills and valleys increase the flow of air in
valleys
C. Higher temperatures decrease chemical
reactions leading to more photochemical smog
formation.
D. FOC emissions from certain trees and plants
can play a large role in creating photochemical
smog.
E. Temperature inversions can help to disperse
pollutants.
Which of the following ranges
correctly describes the pH of acid
deposition?
A. pH < 5.6
B. 7 > pH > 5.6
C. 7 < pH > 5.6
D. pH < 8.6
E. 7 < pH < 8.6
Specific reasons for sick building
syndrome as identified by the EPA
include all of the following except
A. copy machines
B. mold and pollen
C. VOCs from carpet and furniture
D. faulty ventilation
E. CFCs
Furniture stuffing, paneling,
particle board, and foam insulation
may be sources of
A. chloroform.
B. formaldehyde.
C. carbon monoxide.
D. asbestos.
E. sulfur dioxide.
The troposphere differs from the
stratosphere in that it has
A. 1,000 times less oxygen by volume.
B. 1,000 times more ozone by volume.
C. 1,000 times less ozone by volume.
D. 1,000 times more nitrogen.
E. 1,000 times less moisture by volume.
National ambient air quality standards
A. have been established for almost 100 air
pollutants.
B. must be met by 50 major U.S. metropolitan
areas that are responsible for implementation
plans.
C. are established by Congress.
D. specify the maximum allowable level,
averaged over a specific time period, for a
certain outdoor air pollutant.
E. specify the minimum allowable level,
averaged over a specific time period, for a
certain outdoor air pollutant.
Of the following motor vehicle
fuels, the greatest polluter is
A. gasoline.
B. hydrogen gas.
C. alcohol.
D. natural gas.
E. battery.
If the earth were an apple, the
lower layer of the atmosphere
would be the thickness of
A. the core.
B. the part of the apple we eat.
C. the skin.
D. the whole apple.
E. A seed.
Which of the following strategies would
help protect the atmosphere?
A. Use a city-by-city rather than regional
approach to air quality control.
B. Shift from renewable to more efficient
nonrenewable energy resources.
C. Integrate air pollution, water pollution,
energy, land-use, and population
regulation policies.
D. Exclude social costs of air pollution from
pricing strategies.
E. Decrease use of renewable energy.
Most of earth's weather
occurs in the
A. troposphere.
B. thermosphere.
C. mesosphere.
D. stratosphere.
E. tropopause.
Which of the following statements
about California air quality on
Aug. 25, 2010, is correct?
A. Every California city shown on
the map had an unhealthy AQI at
some point on that day.
B. In the early morning, most of
California had an unhealthy AQI.
C. Most of the state never reached
a Moderate AQI on that day.
D. The air quality between
Sacramento and Los Angeles
became much worse over the
course of the day.
E. Air quality appears to be worst
along the coast of the state.
The atmospheric layer
containing 75% of the mass of
earth's air is the
A. thermosphere.
B. mesosphere.
C. stratosphere.
D. troposphere.
E. tropopause.
There is evidence that humans are
____ ozone in the troposphere and
____ ozone in the stratosphere.
A. increasing. . . increasing
B. increasing. . . decreasing
C. decreasing. . . decreasing
D. decreasing. . . increasing
E. decreasing . . . steady
Human health depends on having
A. low amounts of ozone in the troposphere
and stratosphere.
B. enough ozone in the stratosphere and
little ozone in the troposphere.
C. high amounts of ozone in the
troposphere and low amounts in the
stratosphere.
D. high amounts of ozone in the
stratosphere.
E. high amounts of ozone in the
troposphere.
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.
The ozone layer is
approximately ____
over Antarctica than
it is over the
surrounding areas.
A. 3 times as concentrated
B. 2 times as concentrated
C. 4/5 as concentrated
D. 1/2 as concentrated
E. 1/10 as concentrated
You send up a weather balloon that
monitors temperature changes in the
atmosphere. Initially, the temperature
drops as the balloon rises. Suddenly, there
is a reversal and the temperature starts to
rise. This boundary would be the
A. the tropopause.
B. the stratopause.
C. the minipause.
D. the mesopause.
E. the thermopause.