Name:_________________________________________ Period:_____ Date:_______________
Practice Test: Ecofootprint
1. The Love Canal incident demonstrates that
* a. preventing pollution is safer and cheaper than cleaning it up.
b. political officials are alert and sympathetic to their constituents.
c. pollutants can be stored safely underground for a long time.
d. polluting companies can escape from the costs and responsibility of their actions.
e. all of these answers.
2. Garbage produced directly by households and businesses accounts for _____ of the solid
waste produced in the United States.
* a. less than 2%
b. 5%
c. 10%
d. 15%
e. 20%
3. The single largest category of U.S. solid waste is
a. mining wastes.
b. agricultural wastes.
* c. industrial wastes.
d. municipal wastes.
e. agricultural wastes.
4. A waste is considered hazardous if it possesses one of four properties. Which of the following is
not one of those properties?
a. flammable
b. unstable
* c. soluble
d. corrosive
e. carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic
5. In a low-waste approach, which of the following strategies should be given top priority?
a. incinerate
b. reuse
* c. reduce
d. bury
e. recycle
6. The most desirable type of recycling is
* a. primary, or closed-loop recycling.
b. secondary, or open-loop recycling.
c. tertiary, or figure-eight recycling.
d. materials-recovery facility recycling.
e. secondary, or closed-loop recycling.
7. Of the following materials, the most difficult to recycle is
a. glass.
* b. plastic.
c. paper.
d. aluminum.
e. cardboard.
8. Components of a modern, state-of-the-art landfill include
a. wells to monitor potential contamination of groundwater.
b. plastic liners on the bottom of the landfill.
c. collection, storage, and treatment of leachate.
* d. all of these answers.
e. methane-gas recovery wells.
9. Sanitary landfills typically have problems with
a. rodents and insects.
b. odor.
c. open, uncovered garbage.
* d. traffic, noise, and dust.
e. spread of disease.
10. Underground anaerobic decomposition in a landfill produces
a. volatile organic compounds.
b. methane.
c. hydrogen sulfide.
* d. all of these answers.
e. none of these answers.
11. Ozone that contributes to the formation of smog is found in the
* a. troposphere.
b. thermosphere.
c. mesosphere.
d. stratosphere.
e. mesopause.
12. You are enjoying a sunny day in Los Angeles. In late afternoon, your respiratory tract becomes
irritated. Of the following substances, the one least likely to be causing your problem is
a. PANS.
b. aldehydes.
c. ozone.
* d. carbon dioxide.
e. carbon monoxide.
13. Photochemical smog is characteristic of urban areas with many vehicles and a climate that is
a. cool, wet, and cloudy.
b. cool, dry, and sunny.
* c. warm, dry, and sunny.
d. warm, wet, and cloudy.
e. warm, wet, and sunny.
14. Primary pollutants from burning coal include all of the following except
a. carbon monoxide.
b. sulfur dioxide.
c. soot.
* d. ozone.
e. none of these answers.
15. Acid deposition
a. increases the mobility of toxic metals.
b. kills many species of fish.
c. damages statues, buildings, and car finishes.
* d. all of these answers.
e. decreases atmospheric visibility.
16. Particulates can be removed from stack exhaust gases by all of the following methods except
a. baghouse filters.
b. wet scrubbers.
* c. mini-incinerators.
d. cyclone separators.
e. electrostatic precipitators.
17. Which is our best immediate energy option?
a. Find and burn more forms of oil, natural gas, and coal.
* b. Cut out unnecessary energy waste by improving energy efficiency.
c. Build more and better conventional nuclear power plants.
d. Increase efforts to develop breeder nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
e. Dramatically decrease transportation.
18. Crude oil components are separated by
a. gravity.
* b. heat.
c. pressure.
d. filtration.
e. combustion.
19. The greatest use of oil in the United States is for
* a. transportation.
b. generation of electricity.
c. commercial and residential heating and cooling.
d. industrial uses.
e. agriculture.
20. At present consumption rates, projected world crude oil reserves will be depleted in ____ years.
a. 4–8
b. 10–40
* c. 42–93
d. 80–140
e. 150–200
21.
Oil is widely used because it
a. is easily transported.
b. has a high net useful energy yield.
c. is very versatile.
d. has an artificially low cost.
* e. all of these answers.
22. Natural gas has a ____ net useful energy yield and is a ____ fuel compared to coal.
a. high . . . dirty
* b. high . . . clean-burning
c. low . . . dirty
d. low . . . clean-burning
e. none of these answers.
23. Because of high heat content and low sulfur content, the most desirable type of coal is
a. bituminous.
b. lignite.
* c. anthracite.
d. peat.
e. black.
24. When purchasing appliances, consumers can make more economically and environmentally
conscious decisions by considering
a. initial cost.
b. operating cost.
c. external cost.
* d. life-cycle cost.
e. consumer cost.
25. Cogeneration
a. involves instruments like heat pumps that can generate heating and cooling.
b. combines passive solar and active solar technologies.
c. involves both electricity and natural gas.
* d. uses waste heat to produce electricity.
e. uses heat from the earth to produce electricity.
26. Compared to subsurface mining, surface mining
a. is more dangerous.
b. is more expensive.
* c. disturbs more land.
d. produces less waste material.
e. all of these answers.
27. Acid mine drainage
a. occurs when anaerobic bacteria produce nitric acid from nitrogen oxides.
b. enhances aquatic life.
c. neutralizes the pH of surface waters.
* d. may contaminate groundwater.
e. reduces acidity of surface waters.
28. Runoff from underground mines may carry
* a. sulfuric acid.
b. soil nutrients.
c. exotic species.
d. carbon dioxide.
e. all of these answers.
29. When ore undergoes processing, a waste called _____ is produced.
a. hazardous
b. spoil
c. gangue
* d. tailings
e. smelt
30. Approximately ____% of the Earth’s water is fresh rather than salt water.
* a. 3
b. 9
c. 27
d. 60
e. 85
31. Porous water-saturated layers of underground rock are known as
* a. aquifers.
b. recharge areas.
c. watersheds.
d. runoff areas.
e. water tables
32. An individual can reduce his or her water use and waste by
a. using water-saving toilets, showerheads, and faucet aerators.
b. xeriscaping.
c. using gray water.
d. repairing water leaks.
* e. doing all of the above answers.
Laws Matching:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Mining Act of 1872
Clean Air Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
__D___Sets up a fund to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites
__A___ Requires coal strip mines to reclaim the land after mining is completed.
__E___ Regulates the handling of wastes from “cradle to grave”
__C___ Requires EPA to set and enforce rules regarding car emissions
__B___Governs prospecting and mining of minerals on publicly owned land. It set the price of the land claims to range
from $2.50 to $5.00 per acre.
Practice Calculations:
1. In your electricity audit, you find that your refrigerator uses 1,500 Watts. You leave it running 24 hours/day.
a) How many kilowatt hours does your refrigerator use per day?
1500 Watts x 1 kW = 1.5 kW x 24 hr = 36 kwh/day
1000 W
1 hr
day
b) How many kilowatt hours per month?
36 kwh x 30 days = 1080 kwh/mo.
Day
1 mo.
c)
If Puget Sound Energy charges your family $0.08 (8 cents) per kwh, what portion of your monthly electric bill is
due to just the refrigerator?’
1080 kwh x $0.08 = $86.40
1 kwh
d) The power plant that supplies energy to PSE (and then to you) burns 49 tons of coal per day.
Coal: 8,000 BTU/ lb 1 kwh = 3413 BTU
i)
How many lb of coal is this per day?
49 tons x 2000 lbs = 98,000 lbs
1 ton
ii)
How many kilowatt-hours of energy does this consume?
98,000 lbs x 8000 BTU x 1 kwh = 229,709.9 kwh
1 lb
3413 BTU
BONUS: if the power plant is 60% efficient, how many refrigerators can that plant provide energy for every day?
60% = 100% x Energy produced
229,709.9 kwh
Energy produced = 0.6 x 229,709.9 kwh = 137,825.94 kwh
137,825.94 kwh = 3,828.5 refrigerators
36 kwh/day