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Environmental Exam Sciences 3 First Midterm Exam May 6, 2008
Write your name and discussion section number (or meeting day and time) on the exam and on the scantron. Circle the correct answer on the quiz and enter into the scantron. Turn in both the exam and the scantron at the end of the period. NAME________________________________________SECTION______________________________
1. Which of the following statements is not correct? a. Rainfed agriculture is only about 1/3 as productive as irrigated agriculture b. Most of the future demand for food can be met by increasing the land using irrigated agriculture c. A single irrigation at a critical time could double crop yields in an African farming operation d. The Green Revolution did not benefit Africa 2. What is a treadle pump? a. It is a high speed pump used in irrigation wells b. It is the method by which water is brought up from depths greater than 30 feet c. It is an inexpensive human operated pump used in developing countries to pump water from shallow groundwater d. It is a combination of a pump and a water purification system used in Europe
3. Trees planted in cities increase stormwater runoff by collecting water with their leaves
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 4. Why does agriculture have difficulty competing with industry and cities for water when it is scarce? a. Farmers dont have any political power b. Water used for agriculture has a much lower economic return than it does in cities or industry c. Agriculture pollutes the water more than cities or industry d. Food isnt important to people e. None of the above 5. What is a watershed? a. A device for capturing rainfall used in developing countries b. The area drained by a river c. An underground deposit of water d. The area flooded by a river during peak flow 6. Which of the following is not a major water-related disease? a. Diarrhea b. Malaria c. Schistosomiasis d. Whooping cough e. Dengue Fever
Exam A
7. Where is the Ogallala Aquifer? a. China b. USA c. Mexico d. India e. Brazil 8. Which of the following is not a service provided by a wetlands? a. Recharge ground water supplies b. Flood control c. Retention of sediments and nutrients d. Host a variety of waterfowl and other organisms e. All of the above are wetlands services 9. Which statement about population is correct? a. The population of the world today is nearly 5 billion
b. Between 2.5 and 3 billion people will be born in the first half of the 21st century
c. India and China have over half the world population d. Africas population is decreasing because of AIDS e. The US population has stopped increasing 10. Which of the following is not true? a. Isotopes are forms of the same element differing in atomic mass b. Radioisotopes are unstable isotopes that emit radiation c. The atomic number is the number of protons plus neutrons in an element d. Deuterium and tritium are isotopes of hydrogen
11. Nuclear fission is a reaction that splits a large atom apart, releasing energy
a. the statement is true b. the statement is false 12. Which of the following alternative energy sources is currently the cheapest for generating electricity? a. Solar thermal b. Wave energy power c. Photovoltaic solar cells d. Wind power e. Tidal power 13. Which statement about biomass energy is not true? a. It is sustainable if managed properly b. It is a significant source of energy in developing countries c. It can produce gasoline substitutes that cars can easily use d. It produces no greenhouse gases e. All of the above statements are true 14. Which form of energy generation emits the least pollution? a. Coal b. Oil c. Natural gas
Exam A
d. Wind power 15. A sustainable resource is one that will not run out or damage the environment if used properly a. The statement is true b. The statement is false
16. A nuclear power plant emits no air pollutants when functioning properly
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false
17. The United States has a rapidly growing nuclear power program
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false
18. Despite the 1979 oil crisis, the US is more dependent on foreign oil today than it was in
1979 a. The statement is true b. The statement is false
19. All fossil fuels release the same amount of CO2 into the atmosphere per unit of energy
produced a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 20. The sun's energy is produced by what process? a. passive solar energy b. fossil fuel combustion c. nuclear fission d. none of the above
21. Tritium is a radioactive isotope that has a half life of 12.5 years. About how long will it
take for radioactive decay to reduce a mass of tritium to 1/8 of its original amount? a. 6.25 years b. 12.5 years c. 8 years d. 37.5 years e. The question cannot be answered from the information given.
22. Wind powered generation of electricity is comparable in price to power from a coal fired
power plant a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 23. Which statement about low level radioactive wastes is true? a. They are in liquid and gaseous form only
b. They have relatively short half lives and do not have to be isolated indefinitely
c. They are produced only by nuclear power plants d. They are generally stored in local sanitary landfills 24. The United States must import of most the coal it uses
Exam A
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 25. Which of the following is an example of cogeneration? a. Purifying water with the waste heat from a nuclear power plant b. Photovoltaic power cells turning light into electricity c. Substituting fluorescent light bulbs for conventional ones d. None of the above
26. At current consumption rates, the world will run out of oil reserves before uranium
reserves a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 27. Which of the following is not a problem associated with geothermal power? a. It creates an aesthetic problem b. Saline brines c. Land subsidence d. Prohibitively high cost 28.Why is turning coal into oil or natural gas a good idea? a. It reduces pollution b. It is cheaper than using the coal alone c. Power plants can only use oil or natural gas d. All of the above 29.How many neutrons does 235U92 have in its nucleus? a. 92 b. 235 c. 143 d. Cannot determine from the information given 30. What happened at Chernobyl? a. A pesticide spill got into the Rhine river b. A nuclear reactor blew up c. Land subsidence caused by ground water overdraft damaged many buildings d. A major oil spill contaminated the Bering sea 31. Which nation gets most of its power from nuclear reactors? a. Germany b. United Kingdom c. France d. Iceland e. USA 32. The United States has begun to store high level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 33. The latent heat of vaporization of water is very large, allowing cities near water bodies to have moderate climates.
Exam A
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 34. Lakes are able to mix gases and nutrients because the density of water is lowest at 4 degrees C, and surface water sinks as it warms up above 4 degrees. a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 35. Which of the following holds the most freshwater on earth a. Groundwater b. Lakes c. Ice and snow d. Rivers and streams e. None of the above 36.Most of the rain that falls on land runs off sideways to lakes or streams a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 37.What is runoff? a. The sideways movement of water off a land surface b. The loss of water vapor from plant pores to the air c. The expenditure of energy by a plant during photosynthesis d. The uptake of water from the soil by plants 38. Which sector of society or activity consumes the most water on earth? a. Industry b. Municipal (residents, government, and businesses) c. Agriculture d. Evaporation from reservoirs e. Recreation 39. In what activity is the most water consumed in US households? a. Showering and bathing b. Toilet flushing c. Washing d. Lawn watering 40. What is an aquifer?
a. A large deposit of water stored under the ground above an impermeable barrier
b. A salt marsh between the end of a river and the ocean c. A tree that can live while partially submerged in water d. A reservoir behind a dam 41. Which of the following statements is not true? a. China has a larger population than India today b. India will have the largest population of any country by 2050 c. Most of the people born between today and 2050 will be in poor countries d. Indias population should stop increasing by the second half of this century e. Most of the people born between today and 2050 will be in countries that are short of water 42.By 2050, over half of the people in the world will live in cities
Exam A
a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 43.The amount of grain produced per person is less than it was 25 years ago a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 44. Which of the following is not an essential ecosystem service? a. Food production b. Cleaning water and air c. Producing oil d. Nitrogen fixation e. All of the above are essential ecosystem services 45.The positive effects of large dams are initially much greater than the liabilities, but over time their services become less and less valuable compared to their drawbacks. a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 46. Why does a river need a flood flow stage for proper function? a. To provide water and nutrients to floodplain b. For control of pollutants and debris c. To expel invasive species d. For transport of heavier sediments. e. Answers a-d are all valid reasons 47. What is eutrophication? a. It is the artificial fertilization of a lake or stream with nitrogen and/or phosphorus that stimulates growth of algae b. It is the accumulation of dead algae killed by addition of harmful chemicals to a lake or stream c. It is the mixing process that occurs in a lake in the fall or spring as the water heats up or cools down d. It is the loss of water through pores in plant leaves e. None of the above 48. Which of the following was not used in the Green Revolution to increase crop yields? a. Irrigation b. Fertilization c. Pest control d. Genetic modification by gene splicing e. All of the above were used 49. Municipal and industrial uses of water are much more valuable to a countrys economy than using water for food production. a. The statement is true b. The statement is false 50. Laser leveled furrow irrigation applies the water to a field more uniformly than drip irrigation. a. The statement is true
Exam A
b. The statement is false