practice questions exam 3.
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after coal is burned, what toxic chemical is often present in the resulting ash
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mercury
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what potential health problems are likely to result from the release of Volatile Organic compounds (VOC's) into the environment
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hormonal effects
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one major problem with sewage is that it adds which of the following to water
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nitrogen and phosphorus
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sewage is degraded by the process of
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cellular respiration
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escherichia coli
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is a good indicator of the amount of sewage in the water
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sediment pollution is caused by
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erosion
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turbidity
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impairs the ability of producers to photosynthesize
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the "dead zone" in the gulf of mexico is
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a large zone of hypoxia caused by excessive decomposition of algae
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inorganic chemicals
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are found in groundwater and surface water
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which of the following correctly identifies a source of possible lead poisoning for humans
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food cans soldered with lead
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mercury and lead
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cause mental impairment
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mercury
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emissions are linked to/produced by coal-fired power plants
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thermal pollution
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decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen
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eutrophication
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all of these -lessens biodiversity -lowers the dissolved oxygen content of water -is caused by nutrient enrichment -results in increased photosynthetic productivity
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lakes with naturally occurring low levels of nutrients are called
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oligotrophic
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pollution that is discharged into the environment through pipes, sewers, or ditches is called
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point source pollution
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72% of the water pollution in rivers is attributed to
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agriculture
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in a water treatment plants, chlorination
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kills disease-causing organisms
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fluoridation
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has not been linked to any serious medical conditions or side effects
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primary water treatment
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removes suspended particles
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secondary water treatment
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use aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic wastes
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the safe drinking water act
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required the EPA to determine the maximum contaminant levels for drinking water
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a fecal coliform test is a water-quality test for the presence of
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the common intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli
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all of the following represent a category of water pollution except
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oligotrophic pollution
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all of the following conditions can be transmitted through contaminated food and water except
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AIDS
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which of the following statements about mercury is false
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methyl mercury compounds are unusual in that they cannot cross the body's blood-brain barrier
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which of the following is not an example of non-point source pollution
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sewage treatment plant effluent
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examples of non-point source pollution
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-agricultural runoff -erosion form logging operations -acid mine drainage -construction sediment
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which of the following non point source pollutants is incorrectly matched with an effect
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plant residues-low BOD
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groundwater can be contaminated from all of the following sources
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backyards, municipal sanitary landfills, intensively cultivated agricultural lands, underground petroleum storage tanks,
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all of the following can be used to dispose of the sludge formed during wastewater treatment except
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filtration through activated carbon granules
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which of the following associations correctly identifies a group at high risk from lead poisoning and the group's associated health problem
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middle-aged men and hypertension
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which of the following associations correctly pairs the current law with its goal controlling water pollution
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safe drinking water act (1974) - sets uniform federal standards for public drinking water supplies
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large amount of sewage
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generates a high BOD, which lowers the level of dissolved oxygen in the water
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what is the difference between an oligotrophic lake and a eutrophic lake
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an oligotropic lake has a low level of nutrients; a eutrophic lake has a high level of nutrients
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coastal hypoxia can be reversed through
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restoring former wetlands in the watershed to reduce the nitrate and phosphate load from fertilizers
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put the following events of septic system operation in the correct order of occurrence
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-household sewage is piped into septic tank -heavy particles settle out of water and bacteria decompose grease and oil -wastewater containing suspended material flows into drain field -bacteria decompose organic material in well-aerated soil -purified wastewater percolates into groundwater or evaporates from soil
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wastewater, including sewage, usually undergoes several treatments at a sewage treatment plant. match the treatment with the process for expected outcome
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primary treatment; removing suspended and floating particles by mechanical processes
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which of the following is a basic goal of the clean water act
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both to eliminate the discharge of pollutants and to attain water quality levels that are safe for fishing and swimming
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which of the following defines the maximum amount of water pollutant that can be discharged from a certain source
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national emission limitations
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which of the following organizations is dedicated to protecting bodies of water and enforcing water pollution laws in the U.S
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water keeper alliance
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which of the following heavy metals contaminates water and can accumulate in human muscle tissue
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mercury
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which of the following occurs in sewage treatment plants when excessive rainfall causes sewage water to flow into waterways without being treated
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combined sewer overflow
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which of the following industries contributes to a high BOD
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both food processing and pulp and paper mills
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which of the following statements about groundwater pollution is true
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nitrates contaminate shallow groundwater
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responsibility for disposing of or reusing a product after it becomes obsolete is knows as
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cradle-to-cradle accounting
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which of the following would not be recycled
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food scraps
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the country with the highest solid waste production per capita is
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united states
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the largest single component of municipal solid waste in the United states is
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paper products
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the three largest producers of solid waste in the United States are
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agriculture, industry and mining
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which of the following does not contribute to municipal solid waste production
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agriculture
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Over half of the municipal solid waste produced in the United States is disposed of
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in sanitary landfills
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what factors should be considered to make an "ideal" sanitary landfill
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-geology -proximity to nearby surface and ground water -proximity to population centers but far enough to not be offensive -does not require high transportation costs to deliver solid waste
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Plastics are the fastest growing component of solid waste, largely due to the contribution of:
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packaging
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the materials in municipal solid waste that are best for incineration are
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paper, plastics, and rubber
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organic waste can be converted into valuable soil conditioners through the process of
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composting
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Which of the following represent potential markets for compost from municipal solid waste composting programs
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landscapers, greenhouses, golf courses and farmers
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which of the following acts contains provisions that attempt to reduce the amount of pollution at the point of origin, rather than mitigating the damage caused by the production and release of pollutants into the environment
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pollution prevention act
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the country with the highest percentage of recycled municipal waste is
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united states
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the term for crushed glass containers, which can then be melted and used by manufactures to make new products, is
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cullet
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the most successful recycling program in the United States involves
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aluminum cans
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integrated waste management refers to
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waste management techniques that involve reusing, recycling, and reducing
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one of the problems associated with sanitary landfills is
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the possibility of a methane gas explosion
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which of the following statements about landfills is false
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most sanitary landfills in operation today meet current standards for new landfills
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which of the following does not explain why there are fewer sanitary landfills today than 20 years ago
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fewer landfills are needed because less municipal solid waste in produced today than in the past
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which of the following correctly identifies one of the goals of waste prevention
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increase reuse of products
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which of the following statements about recycling automobiles is false
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recycling the scrap iron and steel actually produces more air pollution than using new materials
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why are reliable glass beverage bottles rarely used in the United States today
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transportation costs of heavy bottles to and from centralized bottling plants
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one reason that only a small percentage of plastic is recycled is that
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there are many different kinds of plastic found in consumer products
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use tires
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can be recycled into a limited number of products including rubberized asphalt and playground equipment
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which of the following forms of hazardous waste is incorrectly paired with a source of waste
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PCBs- composting
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incineration is a particularly effective method to destroy
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PCB's
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_____ is the most significant environmental problem associated with improper disosal of hazardous waste
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groundwater pollution
