APES Test Unit 5 Ch. 7 & 17 Water and Pollution Test
Do not write on test
1) Which of the following contains the least amount of water?
A) oceans.
B) polar ice caps and glaciers.
C) accessible freshwater.
D) total fresh water.
E) salt water seas.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
2) As polluted water evaporates and recondenses, the recondensed water
A) is highly purified.
B) becomes more polluted.
C) has the same degree of pollution.
D) is changed in unpredictable ways.
E) is less than the original water.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
3) Relative humidity is a measure of
A) how uncomfortable you are likely to feel.
B) the amount of water vapor in the air compared to what it can hold at that temperature.
C) the absolute amount of water vapor in the air.
D) how likely it is to rain.
E) the chance of fog.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
4) The upper boundary of a water bearing layer of rock or gravel is called:
A) an artesian well.
B) an aquifer recharge zone.
C) the water table.
D) a well.
E) subsidence.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
5) Most of the water used in homes and industry is used
A) for drinking by employees.
B) to wash, clean, rinse, and flush away undesired materials.
C) to water house plants.
D) for cooking.
E) removing waste heat.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
6) In some coastal areas experiencing rapid population growth, fresh water wells now yield
salty water. The most likely cause of this is
A) rising sea level.
B) excessive use of road salt.
C) salt water intrusion into aquifers.
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D) improper sewage treatment.
E) each person using more water.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
7) Which of the following is NOT a result of excessive ground water withdrawal?
A) increased frequency of flooding of inland river banks.
B) drying up of wetlands.
C) land subsidence.
D) saltwater intrusion.
E) falling water tables.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
8) Surface water is more likely to be polluted than groundwater because) surface water
A) goes through evapotranspiration.
B) is consumed by more people.
C) receives polluted storm water runoff.
D) is not controlled by the government.
E) is not more likely to be polluted than groundwater.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
9) An estuary is
A) any semi-enclosed body of water.
B) the same as a bay.
C) any area where wetlands occur.
D) a semi-enclosed body of water where fresh and salt water meet and mix.
E) the mouth of a river.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
10) The average U.S. resident uses about ________gallons of water each day.
A) 10
B) 20
C) 100
D) 500
E) 1000
Answer: C
Diff: 1
11) A rain shadow refers to the
A) region of low precipitation leeward (down wind) of mountain ranges.
B) region of high precipitation on the windward (upwind) side of mountain ranges.
C) relative darkness of rainy days.
D) shadows cast by clouds.
E) region of low precipitation in the windward (upwind) side of mountain regions.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
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12) A body of water which has no outlet other than evaporation is bound to be
A) cold.
B) acidic.
C) salty.
D) fresh.
E) warm.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
13) The most water in the United States is used by
A) industry.
B) agriculture.
C) drinking.
D) electric power generation.
E) flushing toilets.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
14) Wetland habitat for wildlife can be affected by groundwater withdrawls by:
A) lowering the water table.
B) increasing runoff.
C) increasing stream flow.
D) increasing infiltration of water.
E) rising sea levels.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
15) In order for groundwater to be considered renewable, the
A) rate of withdrawl cannot exceed the rate of aquifer recharge.
B) amount of withdrawl must be small.
C) water that is removed must be put back after use.
D) withdrawl must not be for agricultural use.
E) rainfall must be high.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
16) Deserts which are found between 25-35 degrees latitude north and south of the equator are
caused by:
A) the descent of dry air at these latitudes.
B) the ascent of dry air at these latitudes.
C) the ascent of dry air at the equator.
D) the descent of dry air at the equator.
E) a movement of air towards the poles.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
17) Which of the following would not contribute to a falling water table?
A) excessive withdrawal of groundwater.
B) increasing runoff.
C) decreasing infiltration.
D) drought conditions.
E) increased rainfall
Answer: E
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Diff: 3
18) How would an increase in storm runoff to rivers most likely affect groundwater?
A) reducing the amount of infiltration and groundwater recharge.
B) increasing the amount of infiltration and groundwater recharge.
C) increasing in the salinity of groundwater from road salt
D) causing it to become non-renewable.
E) reducing its quality.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
19) Gray water
A) is water contaminated with sewage.
B) is water from homes that is separate from the water used for toilets.
C) includes water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, and laundries.
D) is a separate line for drinking water.
E) is groundwater.
Answer: C
Diff: 3
20) Xeriscaping reduces the need for home irrigation by using:
A) a system of drip irrigation tubes to water plants.
B) desert and drought tolerant species.
C) recycled water to water plants.
D) paving over lawns with concrete.
E) diverting storm water runoff to lawns.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
21) Hypoxic waters such as parts of the Gulf of Mexico today are called “dead zones” because:
A) no living things can live there anymore.
B) even if we clean it up, nothing can live there ever again.
C) low oxygen levels prevent many organisms from inhabiting these areas.
D) high nutrient levels kill everything off.
E) high nutrients support an abundance of life in these areas.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
22) "The presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition in
quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces considerable
environmental and health effects" is the EPA definition of
A) pollution.
B) organic waste.
C) eutrophication.
D) waterborne disease.
E) turbidity.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
23) Which of the following would be considered a point source of pollution?
A) waste discharges from factories.
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B) stormwater runoff.
C) agricultural runoff.
D) air pollutants washed into waterways by rain.
E) runoff from parking lots.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
24) Pathogens:
A) cause disease only when sufficiently abundant.
B) are passed only by people who show symptoms of a disease.
C) are found only in developing countries.
D) immediately die when released into the environment.
E) are common in industrial pollutants.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
25) Outbreaks of pathogens such as cholera are due primarily to:
A) lack of public drinking water.
B) poor treatment of industrial wastes.
C) lack of laws regulating drinking water.
D) poor sanitation and treatment of sewage.
E) lack of control of farm runoff.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
26) Which of the following is true of dissolved oxygen in water?
A) it is only important to fishes and other higher forms of life.
B) the concentration of oxygen in water is about the same as in air.
C) there is much less dissolved oxygen in water compared to air.
D) the concentration of oxygen in water is much higher than in air.
E) the actions of bacteria in wastewater increase the concentration of oxygen.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
27) The two most important nutrients for stimulating eutrophication are
A) nitrogen and phosphorus.
B) carbon and oxygen.
C) pesticides and heavy metals.
D) sodium and chlorine.
E) lead and mercury.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
28) Drinking water standards are established by the:
A) Clean Water Act.
B) Water Pollution Control Act.
C) Safe Drinking Water Act.
D) Toxic Substances Control Act.
E) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
29) Permits to discharge sewage and industrial wastes into bodies of water are:
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A) not necessary because these are point sources.
B) not legal because these are point sources.
C) required for both point and non-point sources.
D) are required under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
E) required but unenforceable.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
30) All of the following will probably reduce the amount of oxygen dissolved in stream or lake
water EXCEPT
A) thermal pollution.
B) algal "blooms".
C) accelerated eutrophication.
D) sewage waste discharged into the water.
E) heavy metals such as lead and zinc.
Answer: E
Diff: 1
31)
A special test used for monitoring for sewage contamination in drinking water is the
A) water quality exam.
B) parasitic culture test.
C) fecal coliform test.
D) disease water test.
E) sewage presence test.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
32) Biological treatment refers to
A) preliminary treatment.
B) primary treatment.
C) secondary and tertiary treatments.
D) chlorination.
E) aeration.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
33) Chlorination of sewage waste water is controversial because it causes:
A) the formation of chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds.
B) eutrophication.
C) depletion of dissolved oxygen.
D) stream sedimentation.
E) biological oxygen demand.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
34) A biomass fuel derived from sewage sludge is:
A) oxygen.
B) carbon dioxide.
C) gasoline.
D) methane.
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E) biodiesel.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
35) The material remaining in sewage water after secondary treatment that leads to
eutrophication is
A) chlorine.
B) bacteria.
C) heavy metals.
D) phosphate.
E) cellulose.
Answer: D
Diff: 1
36) The main constituent of raw sewage is
A) fecal wastes.
B) paper and related matter.
C) household and industrial chemicals.
D) soil and grit.
E) water.
Answer: E
Diff: 1
37) Which of the following would be considered a non-point source of pollution?
A) waste discharge from factories.
B) water used for cooling in power plants.
C) storm-water runoff.
D) public sewage treatment plants.
E) runoff from coal mining.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
38) The process whereby chemical pollutants become concentrated through passage up the food
chain is called
A) bioaccumulation.
B) biomagnification.
C) biodegradable.
D) biological oxygen demand.
E) biotic factor.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
39) Benthic organisms grow/live
A) suspended in the water column.
B) attached to the bottom.
C) on top of the water surface.
D) within the guts of aquatic organisms.
E) 10-20 inches deep within the sediment.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
40) Low dissolved oxygen is generally associated with nutrient enrichment because
A) phytoplankton uses oxygen in photosynthesis.
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B) nutrients absorb dissolved oxygen.
C) dead phytoplankton leads to an increased oxygen demand on the part of decomposers.
D) competition between phytoplankton and fish for oxygen.
E) the oxygen combines with carbon in dead organic material to produce carbon dioxide.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
41) How would a increase in the dissolved nutrients in a body of water affect phytoplankton
and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV’s)?
A) neither plants would be adversely affected.
B) phytoplankton would increase; SAV’s would decrease.
C) phytoplankton would decrease; SAV’s would increase.
D) both phytoplankton and SAV’s would increase.
E) both phytoplankton and SAV’s would decrease.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
42) The regulatory strategy to address non-point sources into a body of water is to limit
pollution to the Total Maximum Daily Load which is a measure of:
A) nutrient levels in a body of water.
B) a level of pollution below a threshold that causes damage to the body of water.
C) dissolved oxygen.
D) volume of wastes produced by a specific company.
E) volume of waste that can be discharged during weekdays.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
43) “Best management practices” refers to:
A) a code of conduct for industries that discharge into bodies of water.
B) a certification program for sewage treatment operators.
C) soil conservation practices that reduce pollution from non-point sources.
D) soil conservation practices that reduce pollution from point sources.
E) a voluntary pollution pledge developed by corporate managers.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
44) The cultural eutrophication of Lake Washington suggests that:
A) once a body of water is polluted it can never be cleaned up.
B) cleaning up a lake requires very sophisticated and expensive technology.
C) if nutrients inputs can be controlled, a eutrophic lake will eventually recover.
D) eutrophication of lakes in metropolitan areas is inevitable.
E) cleaning up a lake is so expensive that most taxpayers would object.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
45) The four categories of pollutants in raw sewage are:
A) phosphates, nitrates, sulfates, metals.
B) bacteria, parasites, viruses, fungi.
C) debris, particulate organics, colloidal and dissolved organics, dissolved inorganics.
D) heavy metals, organics, non-biodegradable compounds, volatile compounds.
E) industrial wastes, household wastes, municipal wastes, medical wastes.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
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46) Preliminary treatment of waste water includes
A) coagulating nutrients.
B) decomposition of organic matter.
C) allowing grit to settle out.
D) removal of industrial wastes.
E) chlorination to kill bacteria.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
47) The material that is removed from the waste water in primary treatment is known as
A) raw sludge.
B) treated sludge.
C) activated sludge.
D) chemical sludge.
E) biochemical sludge.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
48) Secondary treatment, or biological treatment, of waste water mainly involves
A) filtering out debris.
B) removal of nutrients.
C) allowing organic matter to settle out.
D) allowing bacteria and other organisms to feed on organic materials.
E) removal of heavy metals and industrial wastes.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
49) In many wastewater treatment plants, sewage water is sprayed on a bed of rocks with giant
sprinklers in a process called trickling filtration. In this system
A) the rocks filter out suspended solids.
B) organisms clinging to the rocks break down the organic matter in the water as it
trickles by.
C) the rocks absorb nutrients.
D) the rocks chemically treat the water.
E) the rocks aerate the water.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
50) Final disinfection of waste water in the United States is most generally done by:
A) adding chlorine gas to the water.
B) adding ozone to the water.
C) chlorinated hydrocarbons to the water.
D) exposing the water to ultra-violet light.
E) filtering the water through activated charcoal.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
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51) In the United States, most sewage now receives
A) preliminary treatment, but no more.
B) preliminary and primary treatment, but no more.
C) preliminary, primary, and secondary treatment, but no more.
D) preliminary, primary, secondary and advanced treatments.
E) it goes untreated.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
52) In addition to setting standards for the quality of surface waters, The Clean Water Act of
1972 provided funds to:
A) homeowners to purchase water filtering devices.
B) homeowners to have their water tested.
C) rural homeowners to construct new septic systems.
D) municipalities to upgrade and improve public wastewater treatment facilities.
E) manufacturing companies to treat their chemical wastes.
Answer: C
Diff: 2
53) The percentage of homes in the United States today that are not served by a municipal
sewage collection and treatment system is:
A) 1 %
B) 5 %
C) 25 %
D) 75 %
E) 90 %
Answer: C
Diff: 2
54) The number of people worldwide that do not have access to safe drinking water is:
A) minimal.
B) not calculated.
C) 1 %.
D) 1.5 billion (or 23 %).
E) 5 billion.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
55) The percentage of people worldwide that do not have access to basic sanitation and sewage
treatment is:
A) 1 %
B) 10 %
C) 15 %
D) 33 %
E) 60 %
Answer: D
Diff: 2
56) Which of the following is true concerning point and non-point sources of pollution?
A) point sources are easier to monitor and regulate.
B) point sources are more difficult to monitor and regulate.
C) non-point sources cannot be monitored or regulated.
D) water pollution laws do not include point sources.
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E) only point sources are monitored.
Answer: A
Diff: 3
57) Which of the following best describes biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)?
A) the amount of bacteria in water.
B) a measure of the amount of oxygen needed to breakdown organic matter in water.
C) the amount of dissolved oxygen in water.
D) the amount of biological metabolism by plants and bacteria.
E) the amount of biological and chemical wastes discharged.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
58) The regulatory criteria that considers the body of water’s ability to accept a level of pollution
from various sources is:
A) Safe Drinking Water Act.
B) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL).
C) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
D) National Recommended Water Quality Criteria.
E) Clean Water Act.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
59) A control method that treats the symptoms of eutrophication rather than its root cause is:
A) removal of nutrients in sewage treatment.
B) adoption of farm practices that reduce fertilizer runoff.
C) bans on the use of phosphate detergents.
D) chemical treatments with herbicides to control the growth of phytoplankton
E) reduce nutrient inputs from non-point sources.
Answer: D
Diff: 3
60) Lakes in heavily forested undisturbed watersheds tend to be oligotrophic. The most likely
factor contributing to this is that:
A) forest trees remove large amounts of nutrients from the soil.
B) forest trees reduce runoff and so less nutrients reach the lake
C) forest trees near the lake absorb nutrient from the lake.
D) it is simply a coincidence.
E) as trees die and decompose, nutrients are carried to the lake.
Answer: B
Diff: 3
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