Air Pollution – Middle School
1. What harm does carbon monoxide, (CO), do to people or the environment?
A. it lowers the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
B. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
C. it lowers IQ in young children
D. it causes breathing problems
2. Where does most cabon monoxide pollution in the air come from?
A. incomplete burning of gasoline, natural gas or propane
B. reactions between sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the air
C. exhaust from mobile sources like cars, trucks, and planes
D. coal burning power plants and factories
3. What actions can a person take to reduce carbon monoxide pollution?
A. make sure their furnace runs properly
B. reduce car use whenever possible
C. reduce electricty use if their power plant burns coal
D. prevent forest fires
4. Which of the following is usually an indoor air pollutant?
A. carbon monoxide
B. nitrogen dioxide
C. sulfur dioxide
D. ozone
5. Carbon monoxide in the air has gone from 9 ppm in 1980 to 1.4 ppm in 2013. What is the percent decrease?
A. 84%
B. 99%
C. 16%
D. 64%
6. Who is licensed to check cars to make sure their pollution control system works?
A. inspector/mechanics
B. respiratory therapists
C. air pollution control engineers
D. HVAC technicians
7. Who treats people with breathing problems?
A. respiratory therapists
B. HVAC technicians
C. inspector/mechanics
D. air pollution control engineers
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
8. Who checks home heating systems to make sure they are not leaking carbon monoxide?
A. HVAC technicians
B. air pollution control engineers
C. inspector/mechanics
D. respiratory therapists
9. Who scrubs pollutants out of factory emissions?
A. air pollution control engineers
B. inspector/mechanics
C. respiratory therapists
D. HVAC technicians
10. What does coal give off when it is burned?
A. sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, mercury
B. He, F2, Kr, H2
C. sulfur oxides, Ar, Rn
D. lead vapor, aluminum oxides, HFCs, Ne
11. What harm does lead air pollution cause to people?
A. it lowers IQ in children
B. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils,
C. in causes breathing problems
D. it lowers the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
12. Where does most lead air pollution come from?
A. leaded gasoline
B. lead in house paint
C. lead in pencils
D. lead in paint on children's toys
13. What happened to violent crime rates in the U.S. after leaded gasoline was phased out?
A. they dropped
B. they went up
C. they stayed the same
D. leaded gasoline has not been phased out
14. Use of leaded gasoline has recently been phased out worldwide. Which trend would you expect to see in twenty
years?
A. a decrease in violent crime
B. a decrease in obesity
C. a decrease in asthma
D. a decrease in smoking
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
15. The average amount of lead in the air has gone from 1.57 micrograms/cubic meter in 1980 to 0.13 micrograms/cubic
meter. What is the percent decrease?
A. 92%
B. 14%
C. 11%
D. 72%
16. The average amount of sulfur dioxide in the air was 155 ppb in 1980. By 2013 it had gone down by 81%. What is the
2013 ppb?
A. 29 ppb
B. 81 ppb
C. 74 ppb
D. 125 ppb
17. What part of a car reduces air pollution from engine exhaust?
A. the catalytic converter
B. the muffler
C. the air filter
D. the brakes
18. The EPA uses two ways to track the six criteria air pollutants. Which of these is one of those ways?
A. using engineering estimates
B. measuring them in the upper atmosphere
C. tracking hospital admissions for the health problems they cause
D. surveying people who live near emitters about smells
19. The EPA uses two ways to track the six criteria air pollutants. Which of these is one of those ways?
A. measuring them in the air at designated surface-level sites
B. measuring them in the upper atmosphere
C. tracking hospital admissions for the health problems they cause
D. surveying people who live near emitters about smells
20. What harm does nitrogen dioxide, also known as NO2, do to people?
A. in can cause breathing problems, especially for people with asthma
B. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils, making it hard for fish and plants to grow
C. it lowers IQ and causes cruel and impulsive behavior in children
D. it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
21. What individual actions can people take to reduce NO2 air pollution?
A. reduce car use whenever possible
B. avoid using fertilizers on hot sunny days
C. make sure their furnace runs properly
D. don't use lead paint
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
22. The average amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air was 111 ppb in 1980. By 2013 it had gone down by 60%. What is
the 2013 ppb?
A. 45 ppb
B. 66 ppb
C. 85 ppb
D. 61 ppb
23. Where does most nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution come from?
A. burning gasoline or diesel in mobile sources like cars or trucks
B. coal fired power plants
C. nuclear power plants
D. it is given off naturally by plants
24. What do gasoline and diesel fuel give off when they are burned?
A. nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, VOCs, soot
B. He, F2 Kr, H2
C. sulfur oxides, Ar, Rn
D. mercury vapor, aluminum oxides, HFCs, Ne
25. What harm does ozone, in ground level air, do to people?
A. it can affect breathing and permanently damage lungs
B. it lowers IQ and causes cruel and impulsive behavior in children
C. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils, making it hard for fish and plants to grow
D. it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
26. Where does ozone come from?
A. a reacton between engine exhaust and sunlight
B. incomplete combustion of natural gas
C. burning coal
D. the stratosphere
27. What individual actions can people take to reduce ground level ozone air pollution?
A. don't let cars, buses or trucks idle
B. nothing, since it comes from the stratosphere
C. reduce their electricty use
D. make sure their furnace runs properly
28. What is photochemical smog?
A. air pollution from a chemical reaction of engine exhaust and sunlight
B. smokey fog from coal fires
C. air pollution from a chemical reaction of fertilizers and rain
D. smoke from e-cigarettes
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
29. Which of the following is usually an outdoor air pollutant?
A. ozone
B. carbon monoxide
C. cigarette smoke
D. oxygen
30. The average amount of ozone in the air was 0.10 ppm in 1980. By 2013 it had gone down 33%. What is the 2013
ozone ppm?
A. about 0.07 ppm
B. about 0.03 ppm
C. about 0.23 ppm
D. about 3.3 ppm
31. What is PM10 air pollution?
A. particulate matter smaller than 10 microns in the air
B. particulate matter with a density of 10 per cc of air
C. particulate matter that can sink in water
D. particlate matter that can float on water
32. What is PM2.5 air pollution?
A. partciculate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in the air
B. particulate matter that has a density in air of 2.5 per cc of air
C. particulate matter that can sink in water
D. particlate matter that can float on water
33. What harm does PM air pollution do to people?
A. it can be inhaled deep into the lungs, and affect breathing
B. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
C. it lowers IQ in children
D. it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
34. Where does most PM air pollution in the U.S. come from?
A. reactions between sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air
B. ashes from forest fires kicked up by the wind
C. dust particles kicked up by the wind
D. reactions between sulfur dioxide and water vapor
35. What individual actions can people take to reduce PM air pollution?
A. reduce driving and electricity use
B. nothing, since it is caused by sunlight
C. only barbecue with propane
D. make sure their furnace runs properly
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
36. The average amount of PM2.5 in the air has gone from 13.5 micrograms/cubic meter to 8.9 micrograms/cubic meter.
What is the percent decrease?
A. 34%
B. 52%
C. 11%
D. 46%
37. What is a criteria air pollutant?
A. any air pollutant for which the EPA has set human-health or environmental standards
B. any air pollutant that is given off by stationary sources like factories and power plants
C. any air pollutant that is given off by mobile sources like cars, truck, buses, planes and trains
D. any air pollutant that has carbon as part of the molecule
38. What does the Clean Air Act do to reduce air pollution?
A. it requires states to meet clean air standards set by the EPA
B. it requires counties to meet clean air standards set by each state
C. it requires factories and power plants to upgrade their clean air technology every two years
D. it sets voluntary standards for states to meet if they wish
39. Air pollution is any gases or particles in the atmosphere which are ...
A. harmful to people or the environment.
B. harmful to the environment.
C. harmful to animals.
D. released by human activity
40. The Clean Air Act required the EPA to set standards for six criteria air pollutants. What are the six pollutants?
A. CO, lead, PM, NO2, SO2, ozone
B. CO2, mercury vapor, ammonia, chlorofluorocarbons, H2O, N2
C. O2, HFCs, methane, F2, Cl2, water vapor
D. He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Rn, H2
41. What were the criteria for the six air pollutants for which the Clean Air Act required the EPA to set standards?
A. they were common and found all over the U.S.
B. they were easy to regulate
C. they were common in cities
D. they were the ones most commonly produced by factories
42. What has happened to the six criteria air pollutants EPA regulates nationally?
A. they have all gone down
B. they have all stayed about the same
C. they have all gone up
D. only carbon dioxide has gone up
Correct Answer - A
Air Pollution – Middle School
43. What harm does sulfur dioxide, also known as SO2, do to the environment?
A. it can cause acid rain
B. it causes alkaline rain
C. it overfertilizes the soil with sulfur
D. it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
44. What is the effect of acid rain on the environment?
A. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils, making it hard for fish and plants to grow
B. it lowers IQ and causes cruel and impulsive behavior in children
C. it reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
D. in can cause breathing problems, especially for people with asthma
45. Where does most SO2 air pollution come from?
A. coal burning power plants and factories
B. exhaust from mobile sources like cars, trucks, buses, planes and trains
C. incomplete burning of carbon fuels like gasoline, natural gas, or propane in furnaces or heaters
D. forest fires
46. What individual actions can people take to reduce SO2 air pollution?
A. reduce their electricty use
B. reduce car use whenever possible
C. prevent forest fires
D. make sure their furnace runs properly
47. What does ppm mean?
A. parts per million
B. parts per billion
C. particle percentage measurement
D. percent pollution measurement
48. What does ppb mean?
A. parts per billion
B. parts per million
C. particle percentage basis
D. percent pollution baseline
Correct Answer - A