question

Which of the following is not a property of water?

answer

liquid water changes temperature very quickly

question

Approximately ____% of Earth's water is fresh rather than salt water.

answer

3

question

Only about ___% of the world's total water supply exists as uncontaminated fresh water on or close to the surface and is readily available for human use.

answer

0.014

question

The global increase in water withdrawal since 1950 is due to all but which one of the following?

answer

climatic variation

question

Throughout the world, the most water is used for

answer

irrigation.

question

Major water problems of the western United States include

answer

chronic drought and insufficient runoff.

question

Water can be scarce because of

answer

water stress. dry climate. desiccation.

question

Water scarcity from drying up of the soil because of deforestation or overgrazing is called

answer

desiccation.

question

Water scarcity due to increasing numbers of people relying on fixed levels of runoff is called

answer

water stress.

question

Large dams and reservoirs

answer

can be used to provide electric power.

question

China's Three Gorges project will

answer

destroy two cities each with 100,000 people.

question

Egypt's Aswan High Dam

answer

saved rice and cotton crops during two droughts in the 1970s.

question

Which of the following states started in 1997 taking its full share of water from the Colorado River, resulting in much higher water prices for downstream California?

answer

Arizona

question

Canada's James Bay Project to generate electricity involves

answer

-displacing thousands of indigenous Cree and Inuit. -flooding boreal forest and tundra equal in size to Washington State. -constructing 600 dams and dikes.

question

The volume of the world's fourth largest freshwater lake has been decreased by almost 75% to provide water for agriculture. This lake is located in

answer

the former Soviet Union.

question

Which of the following statements about the Aral Sea is false?

answer

Water has been diverted from the Aral Sea and the two rivers that replenish its water primarily for use in manufacturing.

question

All of the following would improve the Aral Sea ecological/economic situation except

answer

shifting displaced fishermen to logging.

question

In the United States, about ____of all drinking water is pumped from aquifers.

answer

½

question

The term subsidence refers to

answer

sinking of ground when water has been withdrawn

question

The Ogallala Aquifer

answer

is being used eight times faster than it is being recharged.

question

The relationship between water demand and policies that subsidize water-thirsty crops exemplifies

answer

a positive feedback loop.

question

Which of the following statements about desalination is true?

answer

Desalination is expensive.

question

Approaches to increasing the water supply can be outstripped by

answer

increased industrialization. soaring population. increased food needs.

question

Water is wasted because

answer

-the responsibility for water resource management of a single watershed is often divided among many state and local governments. -outdated laws encourage unnecessary water waste. -water prices are artificially low.

question

In the East, most water use is based on

answer

riparian rights.

question

In the West, most water use is based on

answer

prior appropriation.

question

All of the following are available to improve water efficiency except

answer

condensing water vapor from indoor air.

question

Floods and droughts are

answer

human-activated problems.

question

Stream channelization

answer

increases the rate of water discharge.

question

Ecologically, the best way to approach flooding is

answer

floodplain management.

question

The greatest source of water pollution in terms of total mass is

answer

sediments.

question

Which of the following is a nonpoint source of water pollution?

answer

logged forest

question

Over half of the total mass of pollutants entering streams and lakes comes from

answer

nonpoint pollution from agriculture.

question

The water pollution and control laws enacted in the 1970s have done all but which one of the following?

answer

forced municipalities to take their water supply from the downstream side of the city

question

Which of the following stages of cultural eutrophication occurs last?

answer

increase in anaerobic bacteria

question

Which of the following is not an input control over cultural eutrophication?

answer

harvesting excess weeds

question

All of the following are cleanup methods of controlling cultural eutrophication except

answer

using advanced waste treatment.

question

The common limiting factor in freshwater lakes most often emphasized in pollution prevention approaches is

answer

phosphorous.

question

Crude estimates indicate that up to ____ of usable groundwater in the United States is contaminated.

answer

1/4

question

The only effective way to protect groundwater is to

answer

prevent contamination.

question

Of the following organisms, the ones least likely to be killed by heavy oil components are

answer

marine birds.

question

Which of the following is false?

answer

The environment recovers more slowly from crude oil spills than from refined oil spills.

question

Coastal waters can be protected from excess water pollution by

answer

-eliminating discharge of toxic pollutants. -promoting water conservation in homes and industries. -regulating types and density of coastal development.

question

Farmers can sharply reduce fertilizer runoff by

answer

-using prescribed amounts of fertilizer. -planting nitrogen-fixing plants. -planting buffer zones between cultivated fields and surface water.

question

About ____ of U.S. lakes were tested unsafe for fishing, swimming, and other recreational uses.

answer

44%

question

The Clean Water Act could be strengthened by all of the following strategies except

answer

establishing national effluent standards.

question

Of the following, the most ecologically responsible way to dispose of sewage sludge is

answer

treating with heat to kill harmful bacteria, removal of toxic metals, and using as fertilizer.

question

A change in the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act that is least likely to be recommended by an environmentalist is

answer

increased reliance on voluntary compliance to drinking water standards.

question

The hydrologic cycle will naturally purify and recycle freshwater as long as humans don't

answer

-pollute the water faster than it is replenished. -withdraw water from groundwater supplies faster than it is replenished. -overload it with slowly degradable and nondegradable wastes.

question

Which of the following uses tends to consume the smallest amount of water?

answer

public use

question

The largest use of water in the western United States is

answer

irrigation.

question

Overuse of groundwater can lead to

answer

saltwater intrusion. subsidence. aquifer depletion.

question

Desalination may be accomplished by

answer

distillation.

question

It is most economically and environmentally sound to focus water resource management on

answer

increasing the efficiency of the way we use water.

question

All of the following are available to improve water efficiency except

answer

condensing water vapor from indoor air.

question

People have often settled on floodplains because

answer

-the soil is fertile. -the flat surfaces are ideal for buildings. -they want access to water for irrigation and transportation. -the flat surfaces are ideal for railroads.

question

The main human activity that increases flooding is

answer

destroying vegetation.

question

Humans increase the likelihood of flooding by

answer

-building on floodplains. -urbanization. -removing water-absorbing vegetation. -draining wetlands.

question

Of the following, which constitutes the greatest percent of domestic use of water in the United States?

answer

flushing toilets

question

We depend on water for:

answer

manufacturing travel energy production mining

question

Approximately __ of the Earth's water is freshwater that can be readily used by humans and other terrestrial organisms

answer

2.5%

question

The upper limit of an unconfined underground reservoir of water is termed the:

answer

water table

question

Water that was already used in sinks, showers, and washing machines is called:

answer

reclaimed water

question

Removing too much fresh water from a river or lake can:

answer

result in increasing salinity for associated estuaries

question

Approximately ____% of earth's water supply is available to us as liquid freshwater.

answer

.02

question

The hydrologic cycle will naturally purify and recycle fresh water as long as humans don't

answer

-pollute the water faster than it is replenished. -withdraw water from groundwater supplies faster than it is replenished. -overload it with slowly degradable and nondegradable wastes.

question

Porous water-saturated layers of underground rock are known as

answer

aquifers

question

Dams

answer

destroy agricultural land and scenic areas.

question

Water would be used more efficiently if

answer

-the price of water reflected its true cost. -laws governing access to and use of water resources were reformed. -water authorities were based on natural watershed boundaries.

question

Which of the following offers the greatest conservation of water?

answer

trickle or drip irrigation

question

Wasting water through irrigation could be reduced by

answer

-treating urban wastewater and using it for irrigation. -using organic farming techniques. -using computer-controlled systems that monitor soil moisture.

question

Increased flooding can be caused by

answer

-heavy rainfall. -rapid snowmelt. -removal of vegetation. -destruction of wetlands.

question

Sustainable use of water involves

answer

-participatory decision making. -preservation of ecological integrity of water supply systems. -efficient use of water. -integrated governance of water pollution.

question

Sustainable use of water

answer

-requires integrated governance of water pollution among all users of a watershed. -might be encouraged by water marketing. -is discouraged by government subsidies of water. -requires integrated governance of water use, sewage treatment among all users of a watershed.

question

Of the following organisms, the group that is least likely to cause disease is

answer

algae.

question

A good indicator of water quality is the number of

answer

coliform bacteria.

question

To be considered safe for swimming, a 10 milliliter sample of water should contain ___ colonies of coliform bacteri

answer

200

question

Which is not one of the ways that climate change can affect water pollution.

answer

-It can cause thermal pollution due to warmer temperatures. -Intense downpours in some areas can flush more harmful chemicals into waterways -Prolonged drought in some areas can reduce river flows that dilute wastes. - Prolonged drought can spread infectious diseases more rapidly among people who lack enough water to stay clean.

question

A body of water can be depleted of its oxygen by

answer

organic wastes.

question

Which of the following statements is false?

answer

Inorganic nutrients such as fertilizers have no adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.

question

Nitrates and phosphates are examples of

answer

inorganic plant nutrients.

question

One class of pollutants that can cause excessive growth of algae is

answer

inorganic plant nutrients.

question

Thermal pollution

answer

can kill organisms adapted to a particular temperature range by thermal shock.

question

Thermal water pollution can be reduced by all of the following methods except

answer

using more electricity.

question

Which of the following is a point source of water pollution?

answer

offshore oil wells

question

To determine the presence and concentration of water pollutants, scientists are least likely to use

answer

satellite photographs.

question

Which of the following statements is false?

answer

In rapidly flowing rivers, dissolved oxygen is replaced quickly.

question

Oxygen sag curves

answer

occur when oxygen-demanding wastes are added to the water.

question

Which of the following statements is false?

answer

Slow-flowing rivers are less susceptible to pollutants than fast-flowing streams.

question

The water pollution and control laws enacted in the 1970s have done all but which one of the following?

answer

forced municipalities to take their water supply from the downstream side of the city

question

In most developed countries, large fish kills and contamination of drinking water are caused by

answer

-malfunctioning sewage treatment plants. -accidental release of toxic industrial chemicals. -deliberate release of toxic industrial chemicals.

question

According to the global Water Policy Project, most cities in developing countries discharge __ of their untreated sewage directly into rivers, streams, and lakes whose waters are then used for human consumption.

answer

80?90%

question

Which of the following statements about lakes is true?

answer

Lakes are more vulnerable than streams to contamination by plant nutrients, oil, pesticides, and toxic substances that can destroy bottom life.

question

Which of the following statements is false?

answer

Rivers are more vulnerable than lakes to contamination by plant nutrients, oil, toxins, and pesticides

question

In cultural eutrophication, game fish die from

answer

suffocation from lack of oxygen.

question

About ___ of the 100,000 medium to large lakes in the United States suffer from some degree of cultural eutrophication.

answer

one-third

question

Which of the following would not reduce cultural eutrophication?

answer

Prevent as much outflow or drainage as possible from the lake.

question

The Great Lakes possess ____% of all the surface fresh water in the United States.

answer

95

question

Less than ___ % of the water entering the Great Lakes leaves the St. Lawrence River.

answer

1

question

One fish in ___taken from the Great Lakes is unsafe for human consumption.

answer

four

question

Which one of the Great Lakes first showed intense effects of water pollution?

answer

Erie

question

Which of the following is not a reason that efforts effective to clean up Lake Washington in metropolitan Seattle?

answer

Installation of technologically superior water treatment systems.

question

Drinking water for about ___ of the U.S. population and ____ of the rural populations comes from groundwater.

answer

50%; 95%

question

Experts rate groundwater pollution as a

answer

low-risk ecological but high-risk health problem.

question

Sources of groundwater contamination include

answer

-deep wells used to dispose of liquid hazardous wastes. - abandoned hazardous waste dumps. -industrial and livestock waste storage lagoons.

question

Over the twenty-first century, scientists expect to find many millions of ___ to become a major global health problem.

answer

leaking underground storage tanks

question

Which of the following statements about MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) is not true?

answer

it is a gasoline additive

question

Arsenic levels are above the standard for 112 million people that mostly live in ___

answer

China, Bangladesh and part of India

question

Groundwater can be protected least by

answer

using advanced sewage treatment.

question

Which of the following aquatic ecosystems is most capable of diluting, dispersing, and degrading large amounts of sewage, sludge, and oil?

answer

deep-water ocean

question

In a 2005 report on the ecological health of coastal areas in the lower 48, the EPA classified ___estuaries as threatened or impaired.

answer

four of five

question

____ of the world's population lives on or within one hundred and sixty miles of the coast.

answer

40%

question

The largest estuary in the United States is

answer

Chesapeake Bay.

question

Chesapeake Bay has been quite vulnerable to pollution because it is

answer

shallow and flushes 1% of the pollutants that enter it.

question

Paved areas in Chesapeake Bay's watershed grew by ___ percent in the 1990s.

answer

forty-one

question

In Chesapeake Bay, 60% by weight of phosphates come from ____and 60% by weight of nitrates come from ___

answer

point sources . . . nonpoint sources

question

All of the following methods are likely to aid restoration of Chesapeake Bay's oyster population except

answer

developing new recipes for oyster stew to enhance public appreciation of oysters.

question

Of the following organisms, the ones least likely to be affected by ocean debris are

answer

zooplankton.

question

Of the following sources of oil in the environment, the one which contributes least is

answer

tanker accidents and blowouts at offshore drilling rigs.

question

The majority of the oil pollution of the ocean comes from

answer

runoff from land

question

The effects of an oil spill depend on the

answer

-time of year. -type of oil (crude or refined). -distance of release from shore. -amount released.

question

The most common problem encountered by seabirds coated with oil is

answer

loss of buoyancy and insulation, causing deaths from exposure.

question

Which of the following is false?

answer

The environment recovers more slowly from crude oil spills than from refined oil spills.

question

The oil company responsible for the oil spill of the Valdez was

answer

Exxon.

question

On the day in 2006 that ExxonMobil made a court appeal to have fines reduced from $5 billion to $25 million, it also announced

answer

it announced the largest quarterly earnings by a corporation in U.S. history.

question

Water pollution from oil can be prevented by

answer

-instituting a national energy policy based on decreased reliance on fossil fuels. -prohibiting oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas. -requiring double hulls on oil tankers.

question

The leading nonpoint source of water pollution is

answer

agriculture.

question

Farmers can reduce pesticide runoff by

answer

-applying pesticides only when needed. -using biological methods of pest control. -using integrated pest management. -control runoff.

question

Livestock growers can control runoff of animal wastes from feedlots and barnyards by

answer

diverting runoff of animal wastes into detention basins.

question

The Clean Water Act and Water Quality Act attempt to maintain the ____ integrity of U.S. waters.

answer

-biological -chemical -physical

question

About ____of U.S. lakes were tested unsafe for fishing, swimming, and other recreational uses.

answer

45%

question

In a septic tank system, which of the following is not true?

answer

after leaving the absorption field, wastewater is cleaned and can be used again for human consumption.

question

Which of the following types of sewage treatment is properly matched?

answer

advanced-physical and chemical processes

question

Which of the following substances are removed to the greatest extent by combined primary and secondary wastewater treatment?

answer

organic oxygen-demanding wastes

question

Peru decided for a short time to discontinue chlorinating the country's drinking water because

answer

it was concerns over the increased risk of cancer

question

According to the EPA, about ____% of the country's lakes and 40% of streams are too polluted for swimming or fishing.

answer

40

question

The most polluted river in the United States is the River.

answer

Mississippi

question

"Cancer Corridor" in Louisiana contains ____ hazardous waste sites

answer

500

question

Areas that depend on surface water for their drinking supply generally do all of the following except

answer

treat with ozone and fluoride to kill bacteria.

question

A change in the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act that is least likely to be recommended by an environmentalist is

answer

increased reliance on voluntary compliance to drinking water standards.

question

To further sustainable use of water supplies, environmentalists are least likely to call for

answer

decentralization of control of water supply and quality.

question

Which of the following is not a technology in use to clean drinking water for people?

answer

lead filters

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