Question 1

Why is industrial smog usually worse in the winter?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cold temperatures prevent the dissipation of pollutants.
B)  Heat domes form, holding pollutants close to the ground.
C)  Pollutants react with ice crystals, forming ozone.
D)  Combustion of household fuels is higher.

Question 2

Ozone is considered a secondary air pollutant because it:

Accepted Answer

A)  is in the upper atmosphere.
B)  is formed by chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
C)  results in higher rates of skin cancer.
D)  results in asthma and other lung diseases.

Question 3

Winds tend to blow from areas of ___ atmospheric pressure to areas of ___ atmospheric pressure, and the greater the difference between the high- and low- pressure areas, the ___ the wind.

Accepted Answer

A)  low; high; weaker
B)  high; low; stronger
C)  low; high; stronger
D)  high; low; weaker

Question 4

What was the major improvement to air quality contributed by the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act?

Accepted Answer

A)  The amendments required a significant decrease in indoor air pollutants.
B)  The amendments required "superclean" or zero emission vehicles.
C)  The amendments required a significant reduction in 189 toxic chemicals.
D)  The amendments required significant reductions in the original 7 toxic chemicals listed.

Question 5

Explain how people like the Inuit, who live in remote pristine areas, are exposed to air pollution.

Accepted Answer

Air pollutants such as PCBs are produced...

Question 6

Which of the following air pollutants is correctly paired with one of its major effects?

Accepted Answer

A)  sulfur oxides - acid precipitation
B)  carbon oxides - corrosion of metal
C)  hydrocarbons - reduced visibility
D)  nitrogen oxides - blocks UV radiation

Question 7

Nitrogen oxides contribute to which of the following pollution problems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Acid deposition
B)  Corroding metal
C)  Photochemical smog
D)  Global warming
E)  All of the above

Question 8

Automobiles and trucks are NOT an important source of which of the following air pollutants?

Accepted Answer

A)  Carbon dioxide.
B)  Hydrocarbons.
C)  Nitrogen oxides.
D)  Sulfur oxides.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about sick building syndrome is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Sick building syndrome is linked to nausea, headaches, depression, and fatigue.
B)  Sick building syndrome has been linked to lung cancer, more so than cigarette smoke.
C)  Sick building syndrome contributes to increased blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.
D)  Sick building syndrome has been linked to greater worker productivity.

Question 10

Why do air pollution dust domes often form in urban areas?

Accepted Answer

A)  Urban areas are usually in valleys.
B)  There are a high number of mobile sources that emit air pollutants.
C)  Pavement and rooftops concentrate heat and create relatively stable air masses that lift and keep pollutants in the air.
D)  Large cities are usually located on peninsulas or islands.

Question 11

Why is the breast milk of Inuit women living in pristine northern areas higher in PCBs than women living farther south?

Accepted Answer

A)  These women consume PCB laden foods imported from the US and elsewhere.
B)  The local diet of fish and whale is contaminated with PCBs from the Alaskan oil industry.
C)  Natural PCBs occur in the soil.
D)  The local diet of fish and whale is contaminated with PCBs blown in from countries farther south.

Question 12

How would you answer a person who asks you the following question? "Why should I worry about the ozone layer? Today's air quality report says there is plenty of ozone in my city."

Accepted Answer

Ozone is found in two places in the atmo...

Question 13

The figure below shows how temperatures might vary on a summer afternoon over different types of landscapes. What explains the higher temperatures over the city?

Accepted Answer

A)  Thermal inversions
B)  Heat island
C)  Dust domes
D)  Photochemical smog

Question 14

One common health consequence of pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and ozone is:

Accepted Answer

A)  They are responsible for global warming related illness.
B)  They irritate the eyes and skin.
C)  They irritate the respiratory tract and aggravate respiratory illness such as asthma.
D)  They reduce the blood's ability to transport oxygen.

Question 15

Why are illnesses from indoor air pollution often overlooked?

Accepted Answer

A)  They resemble common ailments like colds or flu.
B)  They usually result long after exposure.
C)  They only occur in developing countries.
D)  They are easily controlled using modern healthcare.

Question 16

Stratospheric ozone is important because it:

Accepted Answer

A)  absorbs UV radiation.
B)  is what we breathe.
C)  powers the weather cycle.
D)  supports long distance communication.

Question 17

What is the leading cause of death in children worldwide?

Accepted Answer

A)  Malnutrition.
B)  Acid deposition.
C)  Cancer.
D)  Respiratory disease.

Question 18

Look at the different emission levels in the bar graph below. What BEST accounts for these differences in emissions?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Clean Air Act of 1970 along with the updates and amendments of 1977 and 1990
B)  The use of electrostatic precipitators in coal burning power plants
C)  The development of "superclean" cars that do not emit any nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
D)  The use of lead free and cleaner-burning gasoline.

Question 19

The Coriolis effect causes air or water to be deflected from its path and swerve to the left in the Northern Hemisphere and to the right in the Southern Hemisphere.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Part of the reason air quality was so poor in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the 1960s was that

Accepted Answer

A)  there was a much higher concentration of cars than in other cities.
B)  the city is surrounded by mountains that kept pollutants from dispersing.
C)  the city is in close proximity to coal mining operations.
D)  there was a greater amount of pollutants due to the city's chemical and oil refineries.

Exam 8: Air and Air Pollution

What is the leading cause of death in children worldwide?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why are illnesses from indoor air pollution often overlooked?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Winds tend to blow from areas of ___ atmospheric pressure to areas of ___ atmospheric pressure, and the greater the difference between the high- and low- pressure areas, the ___ the wind.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Ozone is considered a secondary air pollutant because it:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Explain how people like the Inuit, who live in remote pristine areas, are exposed to air pollution.

Correct AnswerverifiedAir pollutants such as PCBs are produced...View AnswerShow Answer

One common health consequence of pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and ozone is:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following air pollutants is correctly paired with one of its major effects?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about sick building syndrome is TRUE?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The figure below shows how temperatures might vary on a summer afternoon over different types of landscapes. What explains the higher temperatures over the city?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Automobiles and trucks are NOT an important source of which of the following air pollutants?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is the breast milk of Inuit women living in pristine northern areas higher in PCBs than women living farther south?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why do air pollution dust domes often form in urban areas?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What was the major improvement to air quality contributed by the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Nitrogen oxides contribute to which of the following pollution problems?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How would you answer a person who asks you the following question? "Why should I worry about the ozone layer? Today's air quality report says there is plenty of ozone in my city."

Correct AnswerverifiedOzone is found in two places in the atmo...View AnswerShow Answer

Part of the reason air quality was so poor in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the 1960s was that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Stratospheric ozone is important because it:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Coriolis effect causes air or water to be deflected from its path and swerve to the left in the Northern Hemisphere and to the right in the Southern Hemisphere.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Look at the different emission levels in the bar graph below. What BEST accounts for these differences in emissions?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is industrial smog usually worse in the winter?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Winds tend to blow from areas of _ atmospheric pressure to areas of _ atmospheric pressure, and the greater the difference between the high- and low- pressure areas, the ___ the wind.

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Air pollutants such as PCBs are produced...
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Ozone is found in two places in the atmo...
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