Air Pollution Practice Test

Name: Quincy Dodson Date: 2022 Air Pollution Practice Test 1. The increase in mean global temperature is likely to result in all of the following EXCEPT a. decreased size of the Greenland ice sheet b. increased range of some plant species c. increased populations of some insects d. increased ground-level ultraviolet radiation e. increased sea level 2. Which of the following is a common component of photochemical smog and is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent odor? a. CO b. NO2 c. CH4 d. SO2 e. H2SO4 3. Which of the following is NOT involved in the depletion of stratospheric ozone? a. carbon dioxide b. carbon tetrachloride c. dichlorodifluoromethane d. methyl bromide e. trichlorofluoromethane 4. True statements about ozone include which of the following? I. Ozone is a precursor to acid rain II. Contact with ozone can be injurious to human health III. Ozone absorbs some wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation a. II only b. III only c. I and III only d. II and III only e. I, II, and III 5. The danger from radon gas would most likely be greatest in a. airplanes at high altitudes b. areas with a high density of automobiles c. crop-dusted agricultural fields d. high-rise office buildings e. well-insulated homes 6. Which of the following pollutants is correctly paired with its major effects? a. particulates – production of photochemical smog b. radon – global climate change c. sulfur oxides – acid deposition d. lead – skin cancer e. asbestos – ozone layer depletion 7. Which of the following is a primary air pollutant produced from burning coal? a. sulfur dioxide b. CFCs c. PCBs d. ozone e. sulfuric acid 8. Which of the following is true about the region of Earth’s atmosphere known as the stratosphere? a. It is the warmest later of the atmosphere b. Most of the atmospheric water vapor is found in this layer c. It is the layer in which nearly all weather takes place d. The highest concentration of naturally occurring ozone forms in this layer e. It is characterized by steadily decreasing temperature with altitude 9. Recent studies show that the decline of some tree populations in the northeastern U.S. is due to a combination of factors. Which of the following is the most important factor? a. Toxic metals freed by acid deposition b. carbon dioxide produced by coal-fueled electric power plants c. carbon monoxide released in motor vehicle exhaust d. lead emissions produced by smelters e. radon produced by Earth’s crust Questions 10 – 13 refer to the following air pollutants: a. sulfur dioxide - 10. Most often cited as the causative factor for acid deposition b. lead - 11. Implicated in human neurological damage c. ozone - 12. Considered harmful in the troposphere but beneficial in the stratosphere d. hydrocarbons e. particulates - 13. Is the major pollutant that electrostatic precipitators are designed to remove from power-plant smokestack emissions 14. Stratospheric ozone depletion is most likely to result in which of the following? a. increased growth of food crops due to increasing amounts of ultraviolet radiation b. extended grazing season for cattle c. disruption of photosynthesis by plants d. increased movement of the human population toward equatorial regions e. a higher percentage of cloudy days 15. Many scientists maintain that a rise in sea level has occurred in the last hundred years as a result of global warming. If this is true, which of the following factors best explains such a rise? a. increased precipitation b. increased cloud cover c. increased evapotranspiration d. thermal expansion of the oceans e. melting permafrost 16. Use the graph below to answer: The annual fluctuation in carbon dioxide concentration can best be explained by the a. seasonal use of fossil fuels b. regularity of volcanic activity c. deforestation in the tropics d. El Nino events e. seasonal photosynthetic activity of green plants 17. Catalytic converters reduce which of the following pairs of pollutants in car exhaust? a. carbon dioxide and ozone b. carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons c. carbon dioxide and particulates d. lead and mercury e. methane and particulates 18. Which of the following represents a positive feedback loop in the Arctic that is associated with anthropogenic climate change? a. arctic ocean melts – ocean surface water temp increases – more ice melts b. arctic ocean ice melts – ocean surface water temp decreases – more ice melts c. arctic ocean ice melts – ocean surface water temp increases – more ice forms d. arctic ocean ice forms – ocean surface water temp increases – more ice melts e. arctic ocean ice melts – ocean surface water temp decreases – less ice melts 19. Which of the following describes a potential human health effect most likely to be associated with a thermal inversion? a. increase in respiratory irritation due to increased levels of fine airborne particulates b. increase in skin cancer due to increased ozone levels c. increase in allergies due to increased household mold d. increase in infant mortality due to increased atmospheric CO2 levels e. increase in heart attacks due to increased barometric pressure 20. Which of the following is a greenhouse gas that is ONLY anthropogenic? a. nitrous oxide b. carbon dioxide c. methane d. chlorofluorocarbons e. carbon monoxide Speaking of nitrogen pollution… Bonus: Major anthropogenic source of nitrogen pollution include commercial fertilizers, vehicle exhaust, industrial air pollution, and a. disposal of refrigeration units b. discharge of sewage into surface waters c. ocean dumping of trash d. use of persistent pesticides e. oil spills like those in the Gulf of Mexico