Water Pollution Quiz by C. Kohn, Agricultural Sciences, Waterford WI
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1. Which of the following is NOT considered an aquatic ecosystem?
a. Oceans b. Lakes c. Rivers d. Wetlands e. None of the above; all are aquatic ecosystems
2. The area of land from which a body of water receives its water is called at…
a. Drainage basin b. Water drain c. Watershed d. Precipitation reservoir
3. Which of the following is the base of the food chain in an aquatic ecosystem?
a. Phytoplankton b. Zooplankton c. Macroinvertebrates d. Small fish
4. Which of the following would be an example of Non-point Source pollution?
a. Photosynthesis due to sunlight
b. The presence of zooplankton in a body of water
c. Discharge from an overwhelmed sewage treatment plant
d. Topsoil erosion from farm fields into a river
5. Which of the following would be an example of Point-source pollution?
a. Photosynthesis due to sunlight
b. The presence of zooplankton in a body of water
c. Discharge from an overwhelmed sewage treatment plant
d. Topsoil erosion from farm fields into a river
6. Which of the following best describes biomagnification?
a. When PCBs collect in the sediment of a river
b. When lead concentrations in living tissue increase at each level of the food chain
c. When high nutrient levels cause algae blooms that lower dissolved oxygen
d. When photosynthetic organisms at the base of the food chain fail to produce food
7. Which of the following best describes eutrophication?
a. When PCBs collect in the sediment of a river
b. When lead concentrations in living tissue increase at each level of the food chain
c. When high nutrient levels cause algae blooms that lower dissolved oxygen
d. When photosynthetic organisms at the base of the food chain fail to produce food
8. Why would a predator fish be more likely to cause a problem related to biomagnification?
a. The higher the animal is on the food chain, the worse the problem of biomagnification becomes
b. Predator fish are more likely to eat the phytoplankton that have the highest concentrations of a
pollutant
c. Predator fish like Brittney Spears albums, such as her latest album Toxic
d. None of the above – predator fish are less likely cause biomagnification-related problems than smaller
fish
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Copyright 2011 by Craig Kohn, Agricultural Sciences, Waterford WI. This source may be freely used provided the author is cited.
9. In order for a pollutant to biomagnify, it must be…
a. Mutagenic b. Synthetic c. Easily degradable d. Fat-soluble
10. If a toxin is mutagenic, it may affect an organism’s…
a. DNA b. Ability to reproduce c. Immune System d. All of the above
11. PCB’s are a problem today because…
a. They are still legal and widely used
b. They are long-lived and continue to be introduced from leaky sites and equipment
c. They are produced naturally by ecological processes
d. PCB’s are not a problem today
12. Why should hunters and fishermen avoid lead-based ammunition and sinkers?
a. Lead can cause eutrophication
b. Lead can lower oxygen levels in the water
c. Lead can biomagnify in living tissue
d. Lead is just fine to use so long as you don’t use too much
13. Nitrates and phosphates are a problem because…
a. They can biomagnify
b. They are mutagens
c. They increase oxygen levels in the water
d. They lead to eutrophication
14. What is eutrophication?
a. The process in which water levels heat up, lowering dissolved oxygen
b. The process in which dissolved oxygen levels are lowered due to the overgrowth of algae
c. The process in which mutagenic compounds lower the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water
d. The process in which the population of fish increases too quickly, lowering dissolved oxygen
15. Why would increased algae populations lower dissolved oxygen levels?
a. Algae prevents plants under the water from getting sunlight, stopping photosynthesis and oxygen
production.
b. Algae consumes oxygen when it photosynthesizes
c. Algae consumes oxygen when it consumes dead organisms
d. None of the above
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Copyright 2011 by Craig Kohn, Agricultural Sciences, Waterford WI. This source may be freely used provided the author is cited.