Water Pollution Quiz

What can cause water pollution?

• Only biological changes

• Only chemical changes

• Only physical changes

• Biological, chemical, or physical changes

Which of the following is NOT an example of a water pollutant?

• Heavy metals

• Clean air

• Fecal coliform bacteria

• Radioactive isotopes

What effect does water pollution have on water quality?

• It improves water quality

• It has no effect on water quality

• It makes water unsuitable for desired uses

• It only affects the color of the water

What are point sources of water pollution?

• Sources that cannot be identified or monitored

• Sources that come from an identifiable discharge outlet such as a pipe, sewer, ditch, or smokestack

• Sources that are usually from runoff picking up pollutants from a number of sites

• Sources that include atmospheric deposition and chemical runoff from land

Which of the following can be monitored and regulated fairly easily?

• Nonpoint sources

• Atmospheric deposition

• Point sources

• Salts dissolved in irrigation water

What characterizes nonpoint sources of water pollution?

• They can be easily identified and monitored

• They come from a single, identifiable location

• They are usually from runoff picking up pollutants from a number of sites so that no one site can be identified

• They are exclusively from underground mines and smokestacks

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of nonpoint sources of water pollution?

• Cannot be identified or monitored

• Can be monitored and regulated fairly easily

• Usually from runoff picking up pollutants

• No single site can be identified

What is human wastewater primarily composed of?

• Industrial waste only

• Rainwater runoff

• Human sewage from toilets and gray water from bathing and washing clothes or dishes

• Chemicals from agricultural activities

What is the main challenge mentioned in the text regarding human wastewater?

• Treating wastewater to make it drinkable

• Keeping wastewater and drinking water separate

• Recycling wastewater for industrial use

• Reducing the production of wastewater

Why are scientists concerned about oxygen-demanding waste in human wastewater?

• It increases the amount of oxygen in the water.

• It decreases the growth of microbes in the water.

• It requires oxygen to break down, depleting oxygen needed by other organisms.

• It makes the water less fertile.