01
Choose one
1 point
Which situation is the best example of a point source of water pollution?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
10. Water Pollution and Waste Management Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 10. Water Pollution and Waste Management, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
What is the primary function of secondary municipal wastewater treatment?
- A
Aerobic microorganisms consume organic matter
- B
Screens remove large objects
- C
A liner prevents groundwater contamination
- D
Chlorine directly removes suspended grit
03
Choose one
1 point
Which combination of engineered landfill features most directly reduces the risk that contaminated liquid will reach groundwater?
- A
Daily cover and methane collection
- B
A final cap and waste compaction
- C
A liner and leachate-collection system
- D
Groundwater monitoring and energy recovery
04
Choose all
1 point
Which three statements correctly describe eutrophication or ways to reduce it? Select all correct choices.
- A
Agricultural fertilizer runoff can add nitrogen and phosphorus.
- B
Thermal pollution always removes nutrients from wastewater.
- C
Decomposition after an algal bloom can increase oxygen consumption.
- D
Wetland and riparian restoration can reduce nutrient delivery to water.
05
Choose all
1 point
Which two actions represent the highest-priority waste-management strategies in the hierarchy? Select all correct choices.
- A
Incinerating waste for energy
- B
Designing a durable product that can be repaired
- C
Sending separated materials to a recycling facility
- D
Using refillable containers repeatedly
06
True or false
1 point
True or false: When water temperature rises, the water generally holds less dissolved oxygen.
- A
True
- B
False
07
True or false
1 point
True or false: Primary wastewater treatment eliminates most dissolved nutrients and pathogens.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
How many characteristics are used in the material to identify hazardous waste under U.S. EPA classifications?
09
Fill in the blank
1 point
Complete the relationships: A high indicates that microorganisms require substantial oxygen to decompose biodegradable organic matter, while low can stress or kill aquatic organisms.
10
Fill in the blank
1 point
The contaminated liquid that drains through solid waste in a landfill is called .
11
Open ended
1 point
A lake receives excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff and wastewater. Propose a realistic management strategy, explain how it would affect algal blooms, biochemical oxygen demand, and dissolved oxygen, and discuss one limitation or trade-off of the strategy.
12
Choose one
1 point
A wastewater plant must reduce nitrogen and phosphorus before discharging into a nutrient-sensitive estuary. Which treatment stage is specifically designed for this additional removal?
- A
Primary treatment
- B
Tertiary or advanced treatment
- C
Grit removal
- D
Sludge thickening
13
Choose one
1 point
How does a properly functioning septic system provide additional treatment after solids settle in the tank?
- A
It is incinerated immediately in the septic tank.
- B
It is discharged directly into a river without treatment.
- C
It moves into a drain field where soil and microorganisms provide additional treatment.
- D
It is converted into hazardous ash for landfill disposal.
14
Choose one
1 point
A municipal wastewater plant needs to substantially reduce biodegradable organic matter and biochemical oxygen demand after suspended solids have already settled. Which treatment stage is most directly designed for this purpose?
- A
Primary treatment
- B
Secondary treatment
- C
Tertiary treatment
- D
Sludge disposal
15
Choose one
1 point
A lake receives nutrient-rich runoff from nearby agricultural fields. Which intervention would most directly reduce the initial cause of a recurring eutrophication problem?
- A
Increase the amount of untreated stormwater entering the lake
- B
Remove dissolved oxygen from the lake before algal growth begins
- C
Restore wetlands and riparian buffers that absorb nutrients from runoff
- D
Replace cold-water species with heat-tolerant species
16
Choose one
1 point
An industrial facility discharges heated cooling water into a cold-water stream. Which strategy would best reduce the likely ecological impact of this discharge?
- A
Use cooling towers or cooling ponds before discharge
- B
Discharge the heated water more rapidly to dilute it
- C
Add fertilizer to stimulate algae that produce oxygen
- D
Cover the receiving stream with an impermeable cap
17
True or false
1 point
True or false: Preventing pollution at its source is generally less expensive and less disruptive than remediating contamination after it has spread.
- A
True
- B
False
18
Written response
1 point
What remediation method uses plants to absorb, stabilize, or transform contaminants in soil or water?
19
Written response
1 point
Agricultural fields across an entire watershed contribute fertilizer to a river through rainfall and runoff. What type of pollution source is this?
20
Written response
1 point
A city plans to redevelop an abandoned industrial parcel, but the project is complicated by the possible presence of hazardous substances from past uses. What is this property called?