Biology 103 practice test 3

Some highly efficient turbines can be submerged directly in a river and require only _______ to operate.

run-of-the-river flow

When El Niño occurs every three to seven years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds

surges back eastward toward South America.

The correct sequence of atmospheric zones upward from the earth’s surface is

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.

Photovoltaic electricity costs are __________ coal or nuclear-powered electricity.

likely to be cheaper in the near future than

Anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are

increasing at the rate of about 0.5 percent per year.

A common example of a photochemical oxidant is …

no2

Most of our energy waste in North America results from
Answer
A. a failure to turn off lights.
B. technological inefficiency.
C. the fact that more efficient energy conversion is not possible.
D. overwhelming public ignorance of conservation issues.
E. the fact that energy conservation techniques are quite expensive.

B. technological inefficiency

In some regions groundwater withdrawals can contribute to sinkholes, in which
Answer
A. ground level over a large area sinks.
B. buildings slowly settle at odd, perilous angles.
C- small (about 3 feet across) holes start appearing in the ground.
D. holes for wells need to be deeper and deeper because of a change in the water table.

A. Ground level over a large area sinks

Wetland protection is one of the most controversial provisions of the ___________ because opponents believe that the legislation is _____________
Answer

A. Endangered Species Act; an infringement on their use of private property

B. Clean Water Act; ineffective because it does not prevent pollutants

C. Land Use Act; an infringement on their use of private property

D. Clean Air Act; ineffective because it does not prevent pollutants

E. Clean Water Act; an infringement on their use of private property

E. Clean Water Act; an infringement on their use of private property

A fuel assembly in a nuclear power plant consists of
Answer

A. fuel pellets packed into a single hollow rod.

B. many pellet-filled rods bundled together.

C. fuel pellets arranged in a cube and encased in plastic.

D. neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium.

B. many pellet-filled rods bundled together.

Coal replaced wood as industrialized countries’ major energy source in the nineteenth century because
Answer

A. coal was easier to obtain and transport.

B. coal was a cleaner fuel.

C. early conservationists warned about the loss of biodiversity in the forests.

D. wood is not as energy efficient as coal.

E. wood supplies were declining.

E. wood supplies were declining.

When natural waters are overloaded with plant nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphate ions, they become

A. oligotrophic.

B. dystrophic.

C. eutrophic.

D. metatrophic.

E. megatrophic.

C. eutrophic

Primary pollutants are those that are
Answer

A. released directly into the air.

B. produced in the greatest quantities.

C. the most dangerous.

D. the most threatening to people.

E. classified by the EPA as the most dangerous and abundant.

A. released directly into the air.

Transpiration is the way plants
Answer

A. return large amounts of water to the atmosphere.

B. absorb water from the atmosphere.

C. absorb water from the ground.

D. return large amounts of water from the atmosphere to the ground.

E. respire using water.

A. return large amounts of water to the atmosphere.

How would the eruption of a volcano cause global climate changes?
Answer

A. Dust and ash from the volcano blocks sunlight.

B. Sulfuric acid is produced which causes haze and interferes with solar radiation.

C. Particles provide surfaces for CFCs and other chemicals to destroy stratospheric ozone.

D. All of these have the potential to induce climate effects

All of these have the potential to induce climate effects ?

Which of the following is not considered a fossil fuel?
Answer

A. coal

B. natural gas

C. oil

D. charcoal

E. All of these are considered to be fossil fuels.

charcoal ?

Power is the
Answer

A. rate of energy delivery (work done per second).

B. amount of energy available.

C. capacity to do work (force over distance).

D. a combination of A, B, and C.

E. amount of work done when a force of one Newton is exerted over 1 meter.

A. rate of energy delivery (work done per second).

A mineral is composed of
Answer

A. noncrystalline elements.

B. inorganic elements.

C. a metal and a crystal.

D. organic material.

inorganic elements. ?

Active solar energy systems involve
Answer

A. large volumes of massive heat absorbers.

B. pumps and moving fluids.

C. photovoltaic cells.

D. cogeneration.

E. stationary materials to gather and hold heat.

B. pumps and moving fluids.

Metamorphic rocks are produced when rocks are
Answer

chemically weathered.

recrystallized by heat and pressure.

physically broken down.

melted in the mantle and recrystallized.

recrystallized through chemical processes.

recrystallized by heat and pressure.

Water enters groundwater by
Answer

infiltration.

entering the runoff stream.

transpiration.

interception.

sublimation.

infiltration

The discharge from a nonpoint pollution source is
Answer

constant throughout the year.

easier to regulate than a point source.

less harmful than point sources.

highly seasonal in quantity.

highly seasonal in quantity.

About what portion of world freshwater withdrawals is used for agriculture?
Answer

1/10

1/2

6/10

8/10

1/2

8/10

Much of the ultraviolet light from the sun is absorbed by _______ as it passes through the atmosphere.
Answer

carbon dioxide

water vapor

nitrogen gas

ozone

green house gases

ozone

Photovoltaic cells work because solar energy striking their surface
Answer

causes the cells to liquefy as they heat.

releases electrons, causing an electric potential in attached wires.

is collected in the form of photons and sent through attached wires.

causes an uneven magnetic charge to develop.

changes to chemical energy.

releases electrons, causing an electric potential in attached wires.

Condensation nuclei such as smoke or dust can make water vapor
Answer

less dense.

evaporate more easily.

reach dew point more slowly.

condense more easily.

condense less easily.

condense more easily.

The idea of cogeneration is to produce electricity from steam, heat, or other forms of energy that are by-products of another process-usually manufacturing.

true

________ is/are examples of secondary pollutants.
Answer

Aerosols

Volatile organic compounds

Photochemical oxidants

Combustion gases

Dust from soil erosion

?

The two greatest energy users in the average American home are
Answer

the furnace and water heater.

the refrigerator and water heater.

lighting and space heating.

small appliances and space heating.

the refrigerator and the stove.

the furnace and water heater.

Under normal operating conditions _______________ power plants release radioactivity as well as toxic metals.
Answer

coal-fired

hydroelectric

nuclear

wind-generated

all types of

coal-fired

Plants store solar energy by
Answer

changing phase.

creating kinetic energy.

creating the chemical bonds of sugar molecules.

transforming it into electrical energy.

Plants do not store solar energy.

creating the chemical bonds of sugar molecules.

There are signs that stratospheric ozone depletion may lead to
Answer

UV-caused skin cancers.

UV-caused blindness.

IR-caused sunburn.

All of these choices are correct.

All of these choices are correct

Nuclear waste storage in the United States is handled
Answer

in temporary storage at individual plants.

in the permanent storage depot managed by the federal government.

by dumping at sea.

by shipping overseas to Surinam and Venezuela.

All of these are ways that the United States handles nuclear waste storage.

NOT all of these… In temporary storage at individual plants

A system of cylinders painted black and filled with water inside a glass greenhouse on the south face of a building is an example of
Answer

parabolic collection.

an active solar heating system.

passive heat absorption.

cogeneration.

charging fuel cells to increase efficiency in energy use.

an active solar heating system

Which of the following bodies of water is growing due to tectonic movement?
Answer

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Black Sea

Indian Ocean

None of these

Atlantic Ocean

A giant sea swell known as a tsunami is caused by
Answer

a typhoon.

an earthquake.

lunar gravity.

unusual tides combined with seasonal storms.

a strong wave during an exceptionally high tide.

earthquakes

What type of buildings and monuments are most susceptible to acid damage?
Answer

granite and basalt

wood

limestone and marble

concrete and brick

brick and bronze

Limestone and marble

Elements such as ______________ were added to the Earth’s early atmosphere through _______________.
Answer

hydrogen and helium; the mechanical weathering of rocks

carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur; photosynthesis

hydrogen and helium; contact with space

carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur; volcanic emissions

nitrogen and sulfur; the chemical weathering of rocks

carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur; volcanic emissions

The United States has a drought cycle that brings dry periods about every ____ years.
Answer

100

60

20

5

20

Coliform bacteria populations are routinely monitored in drinking water supplies, swimming pools, and at beaches because these bacteria
Answer

are toxic to animals.

mutate into severely pathogenic strains.

indicate the presence of feces in water.

live in pesticide-contaminated water.

are more difficult to find in water.

Indicate the presence of feces in the water

Electrostatic precipitators prevent fly ash escape by
Answer

filtering them.

using electrodes to trap particles with an electrostatic charge.

preventing their production in the first place.

gravity.

burning the fly ash completely with electrodes.

using electrodes to trap particles with an electrostatic charge.

The two main gases making up the troposphere are
Answer

helium and hydrogen.

carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

oxygen and methane.

nitrogen and oxygen.

oxygen and carbon dioxide

Nitrogen and oxygen

Control rods in a nuclear reactor are used to
Answer

absorb neutrons.

move fuel rods around in the chamber.

provide neutrons to initiate reactions.

provide cooling by decreasing the temperature of the water.

increase the temperature of the water.

absorb neutrons

Under normal operating conditions you are likely to get a higher dose of radiation living next to a nuclear plant than a coal-burning plant.
Answer True
False

false

Pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and ozone cause
Answer

relatively little damage to plants.

mortality in most plants.

reduced yields in crop plants as well as visible damage.

damage only to highly sensitive plant species.

immediate chlorosis and then death to most plants.

?

The diseases that are caused by water pollution in the major cities of developing countries are mainly due to the
Answer

lack of waste treatment systems to accommodate the population.

high amount of runoff that includes pesticides, fertilizers, and animal waste.

high number of industries that dump their wastes into surface water.

practice of swimming in water contaminated by toxic chemicals.

high use of pesticides and fertilizers by urban residents.

lack of waste treatment systems to accommodate the population.

Water, wind, and glaciers are examples of forces that can cause
Answer

chemical weathering.

mechanical weathering.

abrasion.

sedimentation.

metamorphosis in rocks.

mechanical weathering.

The term NOx is often used because
Answer

there are several different oxides of nitrogen.

it is usually unclear how oxidized nitrogen is.

NO2 and NO easily convert into each other.

many different molecules often attach to NO.

the pollutant is a nitrous oxide and the "Ox" identifies the Oxygen.

NNOTTTT O2 and NO easily convert into each other. There are several different oxides of nitrogen

The phenomenon causing the greenhouse effect is that ________ in the lower atmosphere selectively absorbs reradiated ________ radiation.
Answer

ozone; visible light

carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases; infrared (heat)

hydrocarbons; very short wavelength

carbon dioxide; ultraviolet

carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases; insolation

carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases; infrared (heat)

The Coriolis effect is caused by the
Answer

jet stream.

rotation of the Earth.

heating and cooling of air masses.

seasonal changes in air temperature and humidity.

movement of tectonic plates.

rotation of the Earth.

The most effective technology developed so far to produce solar energy concentrated enough to run an industrial furnace or turbine is to use
Answer

parabolic mirrors.

cogeneration.

passive heat absorption.

photovoltaic cells.

parabolic mirrors.

Reclamation of strip-mined land is difficult chiefly because
Answer

nobody can afford it because the minimum reclamation costs about $1000 per acre.

topsoil is mixed up and buried so topsoil must take time to develop again for plants to grow.

there is no legal enforcement.

no plants will grow in the spoil banks because of the heavy load of dangerous chemicals.

there are no subsidies that exist for mining, unlike other resource-based industries.

topsoil is mixed up and buried so topsoil must take time to develop again for plants to grow.

Although coal burning contributes a very small amount, the high mercury levels in fish result from spills of mercury directly into the water.
Answer True
False

false

How does eating locally grown food in season save energy?
Answer

Locally grown food does not need to be transported far distances.

Locally grown food does not use petroleum-based fertilizers.

Locally grown food does not use petroleum-based pesticides.

All of these are ways that eating locally grown food in season saves energy.

Locally grown food does not need to be transported far distances.

Most nuclear plants in the United States use _________ to cool fuel rods and run turbines.
Answer

pressurized air and water

forced air

freon, as in a refrigerator

pressurized water and steam

liquid sodium

pressurized air and steam

What is the most problematic gas that is released in the process of smelting?
Answer

Carbon monoxide

Chlorine

Sulfur dioxide

Ammonia

Carbon dioxide

sulfur dioxide

Ozone in the troposphere is produced by
Answer

incomplete burning of fuels.

combustion of sulfur containing fuel.

decaying organic matter.

photochemical oxidation.

the burning of coal.

?

As a cold front advances, the warm air is forced to
Answer

rise, become warmer, and absorb more moisture.

go under the mass of cold air.

retreat laterally and become more dense.

fall, condense, and lose its moisture.

rise, cool, and release its moisture.

rise, cool, and release its moisture.

The most dangerous air-borne particulates are those
Answer

A. large enough to damage skin and eyes.

B. small enough to be drawn into the lungs.

C. that are anthropogenic.

D.that are liquid.

E. produced in industrial settings.

small enough to be drawn into the lungs

Factories, sewage treatment plants, and oil wells are __________ sources of water pollution.
Answer

A. point

B. primary

C. nonpoint

D. tertiary pollutant

E. secondary

Point

Sinkholes and caverns can be produced by

Chemical Weathering

The continental crust of the earth is thicker and lighter than the oceanic crust
T or F

True

The "ring of fire" is the source of more earthquakes and volcanic activity than any other place on earth.
What causes the ring of fire?

The subduction of Pacific plates under continental plates

Rock formed from magma extruded to the surface through volcanic vents is classified as

igneous

Evaporites, formed from ___________, are important economically because they are often found at or above 97% purity and are __________.
Answer

sedimentary rocks; therefore concentrated in economically recoverable levels

Earthquakes do not occur in the center of continents, only along the edges of tectonic plates.
T or F

False

Metamorphic rocks are produced when rocks are

recrystallized by heat and pressure.

According to the 1872 General Mining Law, miners can stake claim anywhere on public land, but must pay __________ per acre to take the minerals they find.

less than US $5

Heap-leach extraction removes gold from ore by

Spraying cyanide on a pile of ore gravel

It takes _______________ energy to recycle waste aluminum (e.g., beverage cans) compared to the energy of extracting new aluminum from bauxite.

about one-twentieth as much

________ in the mantle and core make tectonic plates move.

Convection Currents

The substitution of new materials (plastics, etc.) leads to reduced consumption of the mineral and metal resources.
T or F

True

Placer mining involves washing metals, minerals and the gemstones with a water cannon.
T or F

True

Fires are a major environmental risk of underground coal mines.
T or F

True

Radioactive waste dumping in oceans has been

banned worldwide by voluntary moratorium

Yucca Mountain, Nevada is the site of

A proposed national nuclear waste repository

Nuclear fusion is a(n) ____________ technology.

desirable but so far unachievable

World coal reserves are substantially smaller than petroleum reserves.
T or F

False

Secondary recovery techniques are ways to

Force more oil out of a drying well

US Energy Consumptions
__ % imported oil
__ % Domestic oil
__ % Gas
__ % Coal
__ % Renewable energy
__ % Nuclear

31% imported oil 12% Domestic oil 20% gas 22% coal 6% renewable 8% nuclear

A major force leading Americans to begin thinking carefully about energy conservation was the

1973 Arab oil embargo

Oil shale and tar sands are examples of ________ oil.

unconventional

Oil wells are usually able to extract ______ of the petroleum present in an oil reservoir.

30-40 %

Uranium fuel is ____________ before it can be put into a reactor.

Extensively processed to clean, purify, and concentrate it

The most likely disaster in a nuclear power plant is that

cooling systems could fail, causing rapid overheating.

The application of force over distance is known as

work

Under normal operating conditions you are likely to get a higher dose of radiation living next to a nuclear plant than a coal-burning plant.
T or F

False

Nuclear fission occurs when a high-energy subatomic particle, a neutron, strikes a uranium atom, releases energy and

Releases neutrons and radioactive particles

What are fossil fuels?

fossil fuels contain the energy captured by photosynthesis and trapped in fossilized animals, plants, and microorganisms

What are the 3 fossil fuels that are the main source of the world’s energy

coal, oil, natural gas

What is "work"

ability to move something = application of force across a distance

What is energy

the capacity or ability to do work

how much oil do we have left ?

if hold consumption at present level= 35 year supply if increase demand at current 2% / year then: 23 year supply

The idea of cogeneration is to actively use ________ electricity generating plants.

both electricity and waste steam heat from

Capturing waste heat in a thermal-electric plant can increase efficiency from 30 percent to 80 or 90 percent.
T or F

True

Low-head hydropower involves ___________ dams on ___________ rivers.

small, minor

Ocean thermal electric conversion (OTEC) uses _________ to produce usable energy.

Warm surface water and cold deep seawater

Geothermal energy uses ________ to produce usable heat or electricity.

naturally occurring hot groundwater or water injected below ground

Mixing ethanol with gasoline makes the gasoline burn cleaner and is now required by most states.
T or F

True

A(n) __________________ is used to remove hydrogen from various fuels to be used in fuel cells.

Reformer

Parabolic mirrors ________ sunlight on a collecting medium.

focus intense sunlight

Acid precipitation primarily occurs downwind from dust-producing industries.
T or F

False

Tropospheric pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and ozone cause

Reduced yields in crop plants as well as visible damage

Carbon monoxide is produced by

incomplete burning of fossil fuels

___________ ozone is harmful, damaging plants and human health whereas ozone in the _________ screens out mutagenic ultraviolet radiation.

Trosopheric ; stratosphere

The "ozone hole" that causes concern among scientists and the public is a zone of ozone depletion in the

stratosphere

The effects of ozone in the stratosphere and in the troposphere

are the same except for concentration differences.

Earth’s earliest atmosphere was probably composed mainly of __________, which has/have since largely dissipated into space.

hydrogen and helium

The burning of biomass (such as dung, wood, and ethanol) is not considered a significant source of CO2 leading to the current episode of Global Climate Change because the CO2 released was incorporated in the biomass geologically recently.
T or F

True

energy absorbed at the Earth’s surface is radiated back to space in the form of

infrared radiation

The two main gases making up the lower atmosphere are

oxygen and carbon dioxide

The water pollutant that most commonly threatens human health is

pathogenic organinisms

The process of _____________ explains why your ice cubes shrink when they have been left in the freezer for a long time.

sublimation

The amount of water vapor that air can hold _________. Warm air is able to hold _____ humidity when compared to _____ air.

varies greatly ; more ; cold

Residence time of water is a measure of the

Average amount of time a water molecule spends in a reservoir

The place where aquifers are most likely to be contaminated is at

recharge zones

_________ sources of water pollution are relatively easy to regulate and monitor whereas _____________ sources of water pollution are difficult to clean up and monitor.

point ; nonpoint