Environmental Science Test 11A
 
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Environmental Science Test 11A

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

 1. 

Which of the following is a true statement about surface water?
a.
All large cities use surface water as a water source.
b.
Drought conditions reduce the amount of surface water worldwide.
c.
Sluggish waters make natural lakes poor water sources.
d.
It makes up less than 1 percent of all water on Earth.
 

 2. 

Most of Earth’s fresh water is
a.
suspended in atmospheric cloud formations.
b.
held in reservoirs behind large dams.
c.
solidified at the North and South Poles.
d.
stored in large underground rock structures.
 

 3. 

Earth’s surface water is found in
a.
lakes.
c.
streams.
b.
rivers.
d.
All of the above
 

 4. 

What is the relationship between groundwater and surface water?
a.
Surface water percolates through the soil to form groundwater.
b.
There is no relationship between surface and groundwater; they form independently.
c.
Groundwater filters through the soil to form surface water.
d.
Surface water is found in lakes directly above underground water sources.
 

 5. 

What is the purpose of adding chlorine to water during the water treatment process?
a.
to filter and remove large debris
b.
to form flocs that bacteria and other impurities will cling to
c.
to kill bacteria that have accumulated, as well as prevent future bacterial growth
d.
to remove unwanted gases
 

 6. 

How is fresh water used in industry?
a.
in manufacturing processes
c.
to generate power
b.
in the disposal of waste products
d.
All of the above
 

 7. 

Many areas of the world without adequate fresh water have become habitable because
a.
rainfall patterns have changed.
b.
water management projects have diverted water to the area.
c.
icebergs have been towed in to provide fresh water.
d.
water conservation has been implemented.
 

 8. 

Which of the following is one way a person could conserve water?
a.
take a long bath instead of a shower
b.
wash laundry in small, partial loads
c.
use a low-flow showerhead and take short showers
d.
water your lawn daily and at mid-day
 

 9. 

Which of the following represents nonpoint-source pollution?
a.
unlined landfill
b.
polluted wastewater from a chemical plant
c.
leaking oil tanker
d.
runoff from agricultural feedlots
 

 10. 

Parasitic worms would be classified as which type of water pollutant?
a.
pathogen
c.
inorganic chemicals
b.
organic matter
d.
heavy metals
 

 11. 

Polluted groundwater is difficult to clean because
a.
groundwater is deep in the ground and dispersed through large areas of rock.
b.
pollutants cling to the materials that make up the aquifer and contaminate the clean water.
c.
the recycling process of groundwater can take hundreds or thousands of years.
d.
All of the above
 

 12. 

Most of the pollutants in the ocean come from
a.
commercial boats and personal watercraft.
b.
spills from oil tankers.
c.
activities on land.
d.
leaking underground storage facilities.
 

 13. 

The largest watershed in the United States is the
a.
Mississippi River.
c.
Colorado River.
b.
Yukon River.
d.
Rio Grande.
 

 14. 

When neighborhood residents noticed a large number of dead fish in a local creek, they traced the problem to a nearby gas station. It turned out that a tank of gasoline had developed a leak. This is an example of
a.
point-source pollution.
c.
thermal pollution.
b.
nonpoint-source pollution.
d.
groundwater pollution.
 

 15. 

Most large cities get water for households and industries from
a.
deep wells.
c.
pumps connected to springs.
b.
rivers and lakes.
d.
removing salt from sea water.
 

 16. 

What is an inexpensive solution to providing everyone with more fresh water to use?
a.
desalination
c.
water conservation
b.
drilling more wells into aquifers
d.
building more dams
 

 17. 

Some communities have banned detergents containing high levels of phosphates because
a.
phosphates cause chemical reactions that raise the temperature of river and lake water, disrupting ecosystems.
b.
phosphates are not efficient cleansers.
c.
excessive phosphates in lakes may begin a process that causes fish to suffocate and die.
d.
phosphates kill algae and disrupt normal food webs in lakes.
 

 18. 

Which of the following might occur as a result of plastic trash accumulating in the ocean?
a.
Turtles mistake clear plastic bags for jellyfish, ingest them, and die of intestinal blockage.
b.
Sea birds are strangled by plastic six-pack rings.
c.
Sea mammals, such as seals, become tangled in clear plastic fishing lines and drown.
d.
All of the above
 

 19. 

Which of the following is most likely to cause conflict between two countries that share a river?
a.
The “upstream” country drills a large number of new water wells.
b.
The “upstream” country builds a series of new dams.
c.
The “downstream” country uses an increasing amount of water for irrigation.
d.
New industries dump pollutants into the river near the delta where the river empties into the ocean.
 

 20. 

Which of the following is not a true statement about the social and environmental impact of dams?
a.
Dams are built to resolve disputes between neighboring countries.
b.
Environmental concern is one reason for their decreased construction.
c.
Dams allow a river’s natural power to be converted into useful energy.
d.
Land behind the dam undergoes change because of the change in the flow of the river.
 

 21. 

A true statement about aquifers is that
a.
their water levels remain stable because they recharge so rapidly.
b.
they are hard to purify because the water collects in sand and rocks.
c.
they are formed by underground rivers and leakage from deep lakes.
d.
their water does not circulate in the water cycle because it cannot evaporate under the ground.
 

 22. 

An effective approach to preventing future shortages of usable water should focus on
a.
emphasizing the additive effect of individual attempts to conserve water.
b.
reducing the pollution of existing water sources by education and enforcement.
c.
developing and refining new ways to produce fresh water such as desalination.
d.
All of the above
 

 23. 

The effects of water pollution on ecosystems
a.
are always immediate and highly lethal.
b.
result mostly from point-source pollution sources.
c.
can magnify over time within food chains.
d.
can be demonstrated by natural eutrophication.
 

 24. 

A common feature of thermal pollution and artificial eutrophication is that they both
a.
have sources that are difficult to identify and control.
b.
cause large mats of algae to bloom in fresh water.
c.
are a result of power plants and other industrial activity.
d.
decrease the amount of oxygen dissolved in water.
 



 
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