Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 4

The idea of a biologically diverse environment is easy to imagine in the middle of the tropical rain forest, where there are living organisms all around you, but what about the desert? A lot of sand, cactus, scrubby plants, and stunted trees may not seem important, but they are.

Also Read:

• Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 1
• Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 2
• Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 3
• Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 4
• Environmental Science MCQ Questions with Answers – Part 5

Every member of a particular environment or ecosystem has a specific purpose, or ecological niche.

Are you searching for multiple-choice questions or quiz on Environmental Science? Are you worried and couldn’t find the solution? Here in this article, we’re going to give you the solution by showing some MCQ questions on Environmental Science.

1. The flat area of clay, silt, or sand covered with salt in a dried desert lake is called a

(a) continental shelf
(b) Playa
(c) Abyss
(d) Scarp

2. What measurement do hydrologists use to check the health of fresh water?

(a) Catch limit
(b) Temperature
(c) Total organic carbon
(d) Salinity

3. All of the following are classified by OSHA as infectious waste except

(a) Cultures and stocks
(b) Sharps
(c) Recycled geothermal water
(d) Human blood

4. Who is known as the Mother of the Modern Environmental Movement?

(a) Shirley Temple Black
(b) Florence Nightingale
(c) Marie Curie
(d) Rachel Carson

5. Depending on composition and texture, weathering that occurs at different rates in the same geographical region is known as

(a) drought
(b) Global warming
(c) Differential weathering
(d) Sequential weathering

6. Pedocal, pedalfer, and laterite are 3 types of

(a) Pesticide
(b) Hydroelectric power plants
(c) Soil
(d) Erosion

7. Biological, chemical, and radioactive are three major classes of

(a) Hazardous waste
(b) Solar energy
(c) Sedimentary rock
(d) Facial peels

8. Molecules that can be broken down into simpler elements by microorganisms are said to be

(a) Halophytes
(b) Nonreactive
(c) Infectious
(d) Biodegradable

9. When fine soil grains are carried as dust during windy conditions, it is known as

(a) Dust devils
(b) Smoking paddocks
(c) Tornadoes
(d) Tsunamis

10. Frost wedging is primarily a form of

(a) Chemical weathering
(b) Cosmic weathering
(c) Biological weathering
(d) Physical weathering

11. Most hot and dry deserts have humidity levels around

(a) 10%
(b) 30%
(c) 50%
(d) 70%

12. When land is shaped by water’s dissolving action on carbonate bedrock, like limestone, dolomite, or marble, it forms a

(a) Rabbit hole
(b) Geothermal geyser
(c) Volcano
(d) Karst

13. Rock slides take place

(a) When large amounts of rock free-fall from very steep areas of a slope
(b) Only on the ocean floor
(c) Across sandy beaches
(d) At the same time as snowstorms

14. The carbon cycle, where carbon exchanges take place, has many different storage spots, known as reservoirs or

(a) Ditches
(b) Caves
(c) Buckets
(d) Sinks

15. The law that established the first national hazardous waste identification and remediation program is commonly known as the

(a) Clean Air Act
(b) Superfund Act
(c) National Parks Act
(d) Love Canal Fund

16. A reddish-brown–to–white layer found in many desert soils is called

(a) Rojo
(b) Desert dung
(c) Caliche
(d) Caliente

17. The breakdown of large rocks into smaller bits that have the same chemical and mineralogical makeup is called

(a) Rotational weathering
(b) Mechanical weathering
(c) Chemical weathering
(d) Gravel

18. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission divides waste into two categories:

(a) Hot and cold waste
(b) High-level and low-level radioactive waste
(c) Dry and wet waste
(d) Biological and technical waste

19. When calcium carbonate is used by marine inhabitants to build shells, it is called

(a) Biomineralization
(b) Chitinization
(c) Carbonization
(d) Conchization

20. Desert plants that adjust to high salt levels are known as

(a) Shrubberies
(b) Neophytes
(c) Geophytes
(d) Halophytes

21. The most important natural acid, formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water, is called

(a) Acetic acid
(b) Carbonic acid
(c) Hydrochloric acid
(d) Ascorbic acid

22. All of the following help to control erosion, except

(a) Limiting tillage and direct-drilling practices
(b) Controlling wind access to the soil
(c) Increasing the frequency of field use
(d) Rotating livestock grazing

23. When elements move from one Earth storage form to another, it is known as a

(a) Geochemical cycle
(b) Rock slide
(c) Hurricane
(d) Point source

24. Which dune is horseshoe-shaped?

(a) Transverse
(b) Barchan
(c) Linear
(d) Billow

25. The soggiest type of soil, found in tropical and subtropical climates, is high in organic matter and known as

(a) Mud
(b) Gumbo
(c) Pedalfer
(d) Laterite

26. What physical weathering type is an important rock-breaking force in wet climates?

(a) Laterite
(b) Biological decay
(c) Frost wedging
(d) Typhoons

27. Sand covers around what percentage of the Earth’s deserts?

(a) 20%
(b) 30%
(c) 40%
(d) 50%

28. Hazardous and toxic chemicals are generated by all of the following except

(a) Households
(b) Sand dunes
(c) Agriculture
(d) Industry

29. What is produced by slicing thin wafers from a high-purity single crystal?

(a) Monocrystalline silicon
(b) Heterocrystalline sandstone
(c) Diamonds
(d) Graphite

30. Small brown-black blobs of oil that stick to your feet when you go to the beach are commonly known as

(a) Gumballs
(b) Snowballs
(c) Racquetballs
(d) Tar balls

31. Photovoltaic arrays follow the sun’s path through the sky during the day using

(a) single-axis tracking
(b) two-axis tracking
(c) three-axis tracking
(d) Disposable generators

32. Internal geothermal heat, fueled by core processes, supplies energy for all of the following except

(a) Plate tectonics
(b) Earthquakes
(c) Volcanic eruptions
(d) Beach erosion

33. Where plates collide and one plate is forced under another, it is known as

(a) Abduction
(b) Subduction
(c) Construction
(d) Liposuction

34. Buildings designed for passive solar and day lighting use features like

(a) Granite countertops
(b) Few windows or doors
(c) Large, south-facing windows and construction materials that absorb and slowly release the sun’s heat
(d) Hardwood floors

35. The way the Earth’s natural atmospheric gases decrease the amount of heat released from the atmosphere is called the

(a) Ventilation cycle
(b) Greenhouse effect
(c) Calcium cycle
(d) Lighthouse effect

36. Droughts affect hydroelectric plant operations because, when water is low or absent,

(a) Fish can’t swim upstream
(b) Irrigation needs less water
(c) Plants can’t make electricity
(d) Turbines turn faster

37. The uranium oxide mineral uraninite is commonly called

(a) Houndstooth
(b) Molasses
(c) Pitchblende
(d) Vermillion

38. The ERT’s Clean Power Program includes all of the following except

(a) Verifying specific energy blocks as green
(b) Creating a Power Scorecard Rating System
(c) Developing an EcoPowerSM ticket program that guarantees purchased power
(d) Investing in large quantities of foreign coal, oil, and gas

39. Aerodynamic lift is used in what type of power generation?

(a) Solar
(b) Hydroelectric
(c) Wind
(d) Biomass

40. Who is often called the Father of the Petroleum Industry?

(a) Jed Clampett
(b) Abraham Gesner
(c) Howard Hughes
(d) Douglas Williams

41. Solar cells

(a) Function more efficiently under focused light
(b) Function less efficiently under focused light
(c) Cannot function under focused light
(d) Only use focused light to generate heat

42. The most common transportation fuels in the United States today are

(a) Whale oil and animal fat
(b) Coal and solar power
(c) Gasoline and diesel fuel
(d) Ethanol and propane

43. In what year is the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, nuclear waste depository supposed to open?

(a) 2005
(b) 2008
(c) 2010
(d) 2015

44. What was the calculation called that determined the oil well extraction rate in the United States (lower 48 states) would peak around 1970, and then drop?

(a) Pike’s Peak
(b) Hummer’s Peak
(c) Downward Spiral
(d) Hubbert’s Peak

45. The temperature gradient of the earth’s crust is

(a) 1–2°C per km of depth
(b) 3–8°C per km of depth
(c) 10–15°C per km of depth
(d) 17–30°C per km of depth

46. By the year 2005, how many megawatts (MW) of wind energy will be generated worldwide?

(a) Nearly 20,000 MW
(b) Nearly 35,000 MW
(c) Nearly 50,000 MW
(d) Nearly 75,000 MW

47. The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was made up of how many units?

(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) Three Mile Island was a solar power plant

48. Roughly what percentage of the world’s nuclear power plants is found inthe United States?

(a) 15%
(b) 25%
(c) 40%
(d) 55%

49. Which nonrenewable energy source takes millions of years to form?

(a) Wind
(b) Petroleum
(c) Sewage
(d) Solar

50. What is the main vehicular fuel in Brazil?

(a) Ethanol
(b) Propanol
(c) Vinegar
(d) Gas hydrates

51. Hydroelectric power plants affect water quality and flow and can cause

(a) Overgrowth of lily pads
(b) Fish to spawn prematurely
(c) Brownouts in metropolitan areas
(d) Low dissolved oxygen levels in the water

52. Coal provides nearly what fraction of the world’s energy?

(a) 1/8
(b) 1/4
(c) 1/3
(d) 1/2

53. All of the following are used to clean up oil spills except

(a) Brooms
(b) Skimmers
(c) Sorbents
(d) Vacuum trucks

54. In January 2002, Yucca Mountain, Nevada was named as the

(a) Newest vacation retreat west of the Rockies
(b) Gambling capital of the world
(c) nation’s permanent nuclear waste depository
(d) Best glow-in-the-dark spa in the Western Hemisphere

55. In the United States, there are around 80,000 dams. However, only

(a) 1500 produce power
(b) 2400 produce power
(c) 2800 produce power
(d) 3200 produce power

56. Choosing alternative processes and products that allow the environment to sustain itself is called

(a) being thrifty
(b) Natural selection
(c) Going green
(d) Fuel economy

57. What cutting-edge technology shows great potential in the areas of energy storage and transmission?

(a) Nanotechnology
(b) Biosensors
(c) Holographic imaging
(d) Advanced robotics

58. The uranium oxide mineral uraninite is found in

(a) Sandstone
(b) Granite and other volcanic rocks
(c) Clays
(d) Sodium chloride

59. In the western United States, how many communities are close enough to geothermal reservoirs to use geothermal district heating?

(a) Over 50
(b) Over 135
(c) Over 275
(d) Over 350

60. Green energy products must get a large percentage of their power from a mixture of

(a) Blue-green algae
(b) Nuclear isotopes
(c) Biomass and battery recycling
(d) Wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric power

61. NOAA recommends that people sensitive to chemicals, including crude oil and petroleum products, avoid beaches with

(a) Sand crabs
(b) Tar balls
(c) Small children
(d) Jelly fish

62. In 1857, Michael Dietz invented a

(a) water-flushing toilet
(b) carbon-filament light bulb
(c) clean-burning kerosene lamp
(d) Robotic vacuum cleaner

63. This most common type of hydroelectric power plant that uses a dam to store river water in a reservoir is called a(n)

(a) Diversion plant
(b) Impoundment plant
(c) pumped storage plant
(d) Compoundment plant

64. NRC is the acronym for what energy agency?

(a) National Rubber Committee
(b) Nuclear Registration Committee
(c) National Registered Cranes
(d) Nuclear Regulatory Commission

65. If the individual percentages of electricity provided by geothermal energy in Utah, California and northern Nevada were added together, they would total

(a) 12%
(b) 15%
(c) 18%
(d) 25%

66. A working fluid, like isobutene, boils and flashes to a gas at

(a) A lower temperature than water
(b) The speed of light
(c) A higher temperature than water
(d) –273°C

67. When core temperatures escalate out of control in a nuclear power plant, causing a core meltdown, it is known as

(a) The French Syndrome
(b) Murphy’s Law
(c) The Law of Inverse Proportions
(d) The China Syndrome

68. The Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire is

(a) Low in geothermal potential
(b) A film about hobbits
(c) High in geothermal potential
(d) A tale from Greek mythology

69. At sea level, pure water boils at 100°C and freezes at

(a) 0°C
(b) 4°C
(c) 10°C
(d) 32°C

70. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are all

(a) Used in carbonated drinks
(b) Produced by gaseous cattle
(c) Greenhouse gases
(d) Used by dentists

71. Water has the highest surface tension of any liquid except

(a) Mercury
(b) split pea soup
(c) Iodine
(d) Hot chocolate

72. The crust is

(a) something on top of pies
(b) The thinnest of the Earth’s layers
(c) Found around the edge of volcanoes
(d) The thickest of the Earth’s layers

73. Greenhouse gases are

(a) Mostly released from gardening sheds
(b) Primarily argon and xenon
(c) A natural part of the atmosphere
(d) Always found on the moon

74. A stream that flows into another stream is called a

(a) Brook
(b) River
(c) Tributary
(d) Creek

75. Pitchblende is another name for

(a) Calcium chloride
(b) Uranium oxide
(c) Bismuth
(d) Magnesium sulfate

76. The biggest human-supplied gas to the greenhouse effect is

(a) Methane
(b) Carbon dioxide
(c) Sulfur dioxide
(d) Ammonia

77. What percentage of the world’s population lives within 100 km of a coastline?

(a) 25%
(b) 40%
(c) 60%
(d) 72%

78. Since heat moves from hotter areas to colder areas, the Earth’s heat moves from its fiery center towards its

(a) North Pole
(b) Moon
(c) Core
(d) Surface

79. The average amount of time an element, like carbon or calcium, spends in a geological reservoir is known as

(a) Pool time
(b) Cosmic time
(c) Residence time
(d) Vacation time

80. Water held within plants returns to the atmosphere as a vapor through a process called

(a) Resuscitation
(b) Evacuation
(c) Transpiration
(d) Evolution

81. The upper mantle is also called the

(a) Rind
(b) Asthenosphere
(c) Ionosphere
(d) Coresphere

82. Where fresh river water joins salty ocean water, it is known as

(a) Polluted
(b) Pure
(c) Silt
(d) Brackish

83. Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, is

(a) Sooty and polluted
(b) Heated completely by geothermal energy from volcanic sources
(c) An ice-covered wasteland
(d) Balmy and temperate

84. Marine biologist Rachel Carson, wrote what eye-opening book in 1962?

(a) The Silent Stream
(b) The Silent Spring
(c) The Noisy Stream
(d) The Polluted Spring

Answers –

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. D
5. C
6. C
7. A
8. D
9. B
10. D
11. A
12. D
13. A
14. D
15. B
16. C
17. B
18. B
19. A
20. D
21. B
22. C
23. A
24. B
25. D
26. C
27. A
28. B
29. A
30. D
31. A
32. D
33. B
34. C
35. B
36. C
37. C
38. D
39. C
40. B
41. A
42. C
43. C
44. D
45. D
46. C
47. B
48. B
49. B
50. A
51. D
52. B
53. A
54. C
55. B
56. C
57. A
58. B
59. C
60. D
61. B
62. C
63. B
64. D
65. C
66. A
67. D
68. C
69. A
70. C
71. A
72. B
73. C
74. C
75. B
76. B
77. C
78. D
79. C
80. C
81. B
82. D
83. B
84. B

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