WorksheetsAP Environmental Science Aquatic Pollution
Total questions: 35
Worksheet time: 45mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Mine site drainage can often cause this:
a)
Cultural eutrophication
b)
Acidic runoff
c)
Land subsidence
d)
Saltwater intrusion
2.
Which of the following is a non-point source of water pollution
a)
Effluent from a sewage treatment plant
b)
BP refiner in Indiana discharging ammonia in a river.
c)
Runoff of pesticides from regional farms into the Illinois River.
d)
Hot water discharges from a nuclear power plant.
3.
Increased use of inorganic (lab-made) fertilizers on crops contributes to:
a)
Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
b)
Increase in storm severity in southeastern U.S.
c)
Water shortages in California
d)
Saltwater intrusion on the East Coast.
4.
What is the danger in eating some fish from lakes or ocean?
a)
They may be invasive species.
b)
If abundant, they may lead to a crash in other species.
c)
If they are high on the food chain they may contain high levels of mercury or POP's like PCB's
d)
They may contain too many nutrients from fertilizers.
5.
All of the following are ways to disinfect wastewater EXCEPT:
a)
Chloroform
b)
Chlorine
c)
UV rays
d)
Ozone
6.
This law sets standards on pollutants for community water supplies.
a)
Clean Water Act (CWA)
b)
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
c)
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
d)
Oil Pollution Act
7.
Which of the following is a persistent inorganic pollutant that can impair neurological functioning?
a)
Lead
b)
DDT
c)
PCB's
d)
Atrazine
8.
What is it called when a persistent pollutant (like mercury or PCBs) builds up in the tissues of an organism as they continue to eat something that contains the pollutant
a)
Subsidence
b)
Biomagnification
c)
Tragedy of the commons
d)
Bioaccumulation
9.
This law regulates the discharges of pollutants into all waters that have a significant connection with navigable waterways. Also, must have a permit to dump these pollutants. Also, requires certain steps in sewage treatment.
a)
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
b)
Clean Water Act (CWA)
c)
Oil Pollution Act
d)
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
10.
Strategies used to clean up oil spills include all of the following EXCEPT:
a)
Floating booms and boats to skim floating oil toward collectors
b)
Skimmers to absorb oil from the water
c)
Addition of limestone to neutralize the acidic water
d)
Chemical dispersants that break up the oil and help it to sink.
11.
What is the main source of mercury in the Great Lakes?
a)
Leaky landfills
b)
Coal-burning power plants
c)
Sewage effluent
d)
Automobile emissions
12.
Which of the following is an indicator species whose presence in a river or stream indicates excellent water quality?
a)
Crayfish
b)
Leech
c)
Left-handed snails
d)
Dobsonfly larva
13.
Which of the following is a known endocrine disruptor that is found in many of our waterways in the U.S.?
a)
Atrazine
b)
Mercury
c)
Nitrate
d)
BOD
14.
All of the following can happen to an adjacent river as a result of riparian deforestation EXCEPT:
a)
The water temperature will decrease.
b)
Dissolved oxygen in the water will decrease.
c)
Soil erosion will lead to increased turbidity.
d)
More pollutants such as animal waste and nutrients in soil or fertilizers will runoff into the water.
15.
Which pollutant or pollutants are most likely to create eutrophic areas?
a)
nitrates and phosphates
b)
heavy metals
c)
synthetic organic compounds
d)
pharmaceuticals
16.
Fecal coliform bacteria
a)
is used as an indicator of water quality
b)
is the cause of water boarn diseases
c)
usually causes diarrhea
d)
is rarely found in sewage
17.
The issue of water ownership is complicated by
a)
the irregularity of precipitation
b)
the distance rivers can travel
c)
increased demand for water
d)
all of the above
18.
How would cutting down trees affect water quality in a watershed?
a)
There would be no affect on water quality.
b)
Rivers and streams might become clogged with silt.
c)
Water levels would be reduced.
d)
The watershed divide would change.
19.
Which kind of lake has the highest productivity and would have mainly deciduous trees on its shore line?
a)
Oligotrophic
b)
Mesotrophic
c)
Eutrophic
d)
Autotrophic
20.
What is the first step in the water treatment process?
a)
coagulation
b)
filtration
c)
flocs
d)
concentation
21.
What forms in the second step of water treatment?
a)
flocs
b)
alum
c)
aeration
d)
clorine
22.
What happens after second filtration?
a)
coagulation
b)
first filtration
c)
flocs
d)
chlorination
23.
What does the chloriform count measure?
a)
e. coli
b)
hardness of water
c)
pH
24.
an underground tank containing bacteria that treat waste water is a
a)
septic tank
b)
leach field
c)
water treatment plant
25.
Select the correct order for the water treatment process.
a)
Sedimentation - Chlorination - Filtration
b)
Sedimentation - Filtration - Chlorination
c)
Filtration - Chlorination - Sedimentation
d)
Filtration - Sedimentation - Chlorination
26.
What does chlorination do to the water?
a)
Removes microorganisms
b)
Cleans the water
c)
Makes the water taste nice
d)
Removes twigs and sediment
27.
The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is defined as:
a)
the amount of oxygen required by humans who use a water supply
b)
the amount of oxygen required for biochemical decomposition processes
c)
the amount of oxygen needed by plants growing in a water source
d)
the amount of oxygen given off by a specific water source
28.
Which of the following is not usually associated with eutrophication?
a)
algal blooms
b)
reduced photosynthesis in the water column
c)
increased heavy metal concentrations
d)
reduced dissolved oxygen
29.
By weight, the most abundant water pollutant is:
a)
toxic chemicals
b)
organic waste
c)
heavy metals
d)
sediments
30.
Use of bacteria to clean up a pollutant such as gasoline is known as:
a)
Primary treatment
b)
Secondary treatment
c)
nanotechnology
d)
bioremediation
31.
The “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico consists of a large ocean area depleted in ___. This problem appears to be caused by ___.
a)
oxygen; nitrogen from agricultural runoff
b)
marine microorganisms; ozone depletion
c)
carbon; industrial pollutants
d)
oxygen; global warming
32.
All of the following are effective strategies for minimizing sediment pollution except:
a)
trap eroded sediment at construction sites
b)
expose a minimum amount of land
c)
provide protection for exposed soil
d)
maximize surface runoff from critical areas
33.
The principle advantage of using wetlands for wastewater treatment is:
a)
the resulting water exceeds all drinking water standards
b)
a natural ecosystem replaces industrial methods for advanced treatment
c)
it removes dioxin and other pollutants in the sediment of the wetland
d)
the method eliminates the production of methane, which contributes to global warming
34.
Which of the following are sources of groundwater pollution?
I landfills
II saltwater intrusion
III subsurface gasoline tanks
I landfills
II saltwater intrusion
III subsurface gasoline tanks
a)
I only
b)
I and III
c)
I, II and III
d)
II, and III
35.
What is cultural eutrophication?
a)
large scale oil spills in environmentally sensitive areas
b)
addition of fecal coliform bacteria to a body of water
c)
anthropogenic addition of nutrients to a body of water
d)
active decomposition of dissolved oxygen
100 %
