Question 1

Soil application of certain pesticides reduces the diversity but increases the numbers of soil mesofauna.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

A pesticide is more likely to contaminate groundwater if it has which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)   highly volatile (high vapor pressure) 
B)   highly soluble in water
C)   strongly adsorbed to soil colloids
D)   rapidly degraded by soil microorganisms
E)   all of the aboveF) D) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 3

Organic chemicals whose structures have positively charged groups tend to be very immobile in the soil.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Bioremediation of soils is often brought about by amending the polluted soils with fertilizers containing mineral nutrients.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

In the design of a _______ type landfill, evapotranspiration by cover vegetation should be maximized.

Accepted Answer

A)   natural attenuation
B)   containment
C)   both A and B
D)   neither A nor BE) None of the above
F) C) and D)

Question 6

Soil properties play a much more important role in choosing a site for a containment-type landfill than for a natural-attenuation-type landfill.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

It has been found that continued, repeated application of an organic toxin to a particular soil will _____ the capacity of that soil's microflora to degrade the compound in question.

Accepted Answer

A)   gradually inhibit
B)   have no effect on
C)   gradually enhanceD) All of the above
E) B) and C) C

Question 8

Except for a very small number of accidental spills, pesticides used in agriculture have not yet been found to contaminate actual groundwater wells.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes in landfills results in the production of ______ gas which is often recovered and used.

Accepted Answer

A)   ethylene
B)   oxygen
C)   ozone
D)   methane
E)   all of the aboveF) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 10

Maintaining soil reaction at pH 7.0 is likely to virtually eliminate any significant _______ by heavy metals applied to soils with sewage sludge.

Accepted Answer

A)   plant uptake
B)   leaching
C)   adsorption
D)   precipitation
E)   A and BF) B) and E)
G) None of the above

Question 11

In the United States between the 1970s and the 1990s, the level of heavy metals found in municipal sewage sludge ______.

Accepted Answer

A)   stayed about the same
B)   decreased substantially
C)   increased substantiallyD) None of the above
E) All of the above

Question 12

The final cover on any type of landfill should consist of soil material with rapid permeability and a high rate of infiltration.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Which of the following types chemical would be classed as a pesticide?

Accepted Answer

A)   herbicides
B)   rodenticides
C)   insecticides
D)   both B and C
E)   all of the aboveF) C) and E)
G) A) and D) E

Question 14

The amount of a pesticide that hits the target pest is usually _____ of the amount applied to the ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A)   less than 5%
B)   20 to 25%
C)   25 to 50%
D)   50 to 75%E.75 toE) B) and D)
F) B) and C)

Question 15

Draining a chromium-contaminated wetland would be likely to immobilize the metal so that environmental chromium toxicity problems would be minimized.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 16

In the design of a _______ type landfill, biodegradation and colloid adsorption are important mechanisms of reducing pollution potential.

Accepted Answer

A)   natural attenuation
B)   containment
C)   both natural attenuation and containment
D)   neither natural attenuation and containmentE) None of the above
F) A) and D)

Question 17

Soil washing is a commonly used method of bioremediation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The principal human health effect of exposure to radon is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   lung cancer
B)   diarrhea
C)   bone embrittlement
D)   blue baby syndrome
E)   none of the aboveF) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 19

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of sewage sludge that can be applied on agricultural land by setting limits on ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   the concentrations of metals in the sludge to be applied
B)   the rate of metal application to any parcel of land in any one year
C)   the total accumulative amount of metals that can be applied to a parcel of land, regardless of when the metals are applied
D)   all of the above
E)   none of the aboveF) All of the above
G) A) and D)

Question 20

A soils contaminated with a heavy metal may be bioremediated by ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   applying genetically engineered bacteria that can degrade the metal
B)   growing and harvesting plants that take up large quantities of the toxic metal
C)   burying the contaminated soil in a secure landfill
D)   applying a source of carbon and nitrogen to the soil
E)   all of the aboveF) All of the above
G) A) and E)

Exam 15: Soils and Chemical Pollution

Soil application of certain pesticides reduces the diversity but increases the numbers of soil mesofauna.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A pesticide is more likely to contaminate groundwater if it has which of the following characteristics?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Organic chemicals whose structures have positively charged groups tend to be very immobile in the soil.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Bioremediation of soils is often brought about by amending the polluted soils with fertilizers containing mineral nutrients.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the design of a _______ type landfill, evapotranspiration by cover vegetation should be maximized.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Soil properties play a much more important role in choosing a site for a containment-type landfill than for a natural-attenuation-type landfill.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

It has been found that continued, repeated application of an organic toxin to a particular soil will _____ the capacity of that soil's microflora to degrade the compound in question.

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Except for a very small number of accidental spills, pesticides used in agriculture have not yet been found to contaminate actual groundwater wells.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes in landfills results in the production of ______ gas which is often recovered and used.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Maintaining soil reaction at pH 7.0 is likely to virtually eliminate any significant _______ by heavy metals applied to soils with sewage sludge.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the United States between the 1970s and the 1990s, the level of heavy metals found in municipal sewage sludge ______.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The final cover on any type of landfill should consist of soil material with rapid permeability and a high rate of infiltration.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following types chemical would be classed as a pesticide?

Correct AnswerverifiedE

The amount of a pesticide that hits the target pest is usually _____ of the amount applied to the ecosystem.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Draining a chromium-contaminated wetland would be likely to immobilize the metal so that environmental chromium toxicity problems would be minimized.

Correct AnswerverifiedFalse

In the design of a _______ type landfill, biodegradation and colloid adsorption are important mechanisms of reducing pollution potential.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Soil washing is a commonly used method of bioremediation.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The principal human health effect of exposure to radon is ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of sewage sludge that can be applied on agricultural land by setting limits on ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A soils contaminated with a heavy metal may be bioremediated by ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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C

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E

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False

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