Footprint Test Questions

2003

Questions 1-4 refer to the following energy efficiencies, expressed as percentages.

A. 100%B. 95%C. 30%D. 15%E. 1%

1. Approximate efficiency of an average coal-fired power plant2. Approximate efficiency of the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in photosynthesis3. Approximate percentage of electrical energy converted to heat in the average incandescent lightbulb4. The maximum efficiency possible in an energy-conversion process that is not limited by the second law

of thermodynamics

5. Which of the following energy sources is not derived directly or indirectly from solar energyA. GeothermalB. PhotovoltaicC. HydroelectricD. BiomassE. Wind

6. Which of the following is an effective alternative to chlorine for disinfecting wastewater in a municipal treatment plant?A. FreonB. AlcoholC. PhosphateD. AmmoniaE. Ozone

7. Critics of incineration of municipal solid waste suggest that it may not be the best solution for the future, for which of the following reasons?A. Incineration produces ash that increases landfill volumeB. Incineration generates methaneC. Incineration involves advanced technologyD. Incineration contributes to air pollutionE. Incineration requires large energy input

8. Which of the following components of a wastewater treatment plant is designed to facilitate the decomposition of organic material by aerobic microorganisms?A. Bar screenB. Grit-settling tankC. Activated-sludge tankD. Chlorination tank

E. Ultraviolet-light array

9. The combustion of one gallon of automobile fuel produces about 5 pounds of carbon (in CO2). Two autos are making a trip of 600 miles. The first auto gets 20 miles per gallon, and the second gets 30 miles per gallon. Approximately how much less carbon (in CO2) will be produced by the second auto on this trip?A. 300 lbsB. 150 lbsC. 100 lbsD. 75 lbsE. 50 lbs

10. Which of the following best illustrates the concept of the tragedy of the commons?A. Destruction of landscape by surface mining on private landB. Selective harvesting of trees by a timber company in a national forestC. Legislation of catch limits to avoid depletion of fish stocks in a shared lakeD. Inadvertent destruction of beneficial species while attempting to control pestsE. Depletion of an aquifer by regional farmers

11. In the United States, most municipal solid waste is disposed of byA. CompostingB. RecyclingC. IncinerationD. Ocean dumpingE. Landfilling

12. If wastewater treatment plant effluent that contains nitrates and phosphates is allowed to flow into a body of water, which of the following may result?A. ChlorinationB. DecompositionC. EutrophicationD. OxygenationE. Methylation

13. An advantage of recycling aluminum rather than disposing of it in landfills is that aluminum can beA. Produced from recycled metal using much less energy than is required for its production from

aluminum oreB. Produced from ore that is chemically reactive and dangerous to transport, store, and processC. Produced from ore that is scares and found primarily in remote, inhospitable regions at high

latitudesD. Absorbed by plants and then biomagnified in both terrestrial and aquatic food chainsE. Leached from landfills in the form of Al3+ ions that could increase the pH of lakes and streams

14. Integrated waste management employs all of the following EXCEPTA. Using refillable soft-drink bottlesB. Using disposable diapers instead of cloth diapersC. Using reusable canvas bags instead of plastic or paper bagsD. Using tires for the construction of artificial reefsE. Redesigning automobiles to replace steel parts with aluminum and plastic parts

15. If the annual consumption of petroleum in the United States is about 23 barrels per capita, the total annual consumption of petroleum in the United States is closest to A. 12 million barrels

B. 240 million barrelsC. 2 billion barrelsD. 6 billion barrelsE. 10 billion barrels

16. Photosynthesis is the major source of which of the following gases in Earth’s atmosphere?A. CO2

B. H2O (water vapor)C. O2

D. H2

E. N2

17. The chart above compares the daily water use per person to the price of water in selected countries.

Which of the following conclusions can be correctly drawn using only the data in the chart?A. Water use and water price are directly proportional.B. Increased water use causes prices to declineC. Increased prices cause water use to declineD. Increased water use is generally correlated with lower water prices.E. Water is more plentiful in the United States and Canada than in the other countries.

1998

Questions 1-4 refer to the following methods of solid-waste disposal and treatment.

A. Sanitary landfillB. IncinerationC. Discharge to sewers, streams, and riversD. Chemical treatmentE. Biological treatment

18. Which method reduces the volume of waste but could release toxic emissions into the atmosphere?

19. Which method is used most frequently in the United States today?20. Which method introduces microorganisms to break down hazardous organic compounds?21. Which method would be best suited for neutralizing the acidic components of waste?

The following questions refer to the following concepts related to energy.

A. Heat flowB. Kinetic energyC. Potential energyD. First law of thermodynamicsE. Second law of thermodynamics

22. Matter in motion has energy.23. Energy is transferred from one object to another as the result of a temperature difference24. An energy transformation occurs and results in increased disorder.25. The mount of energy in an isolated system stays constant.

The following questions refer to the following energy sources.A. BiomassB. WindC. Tidal energyD. Nuclear fissionE. Sunlight

26. The source that produces long-lived hazardous wastes27. The source that is converted directly into electrical energy by photovoltaic cells28. The source whose use is a direct cause of deforestation29. The source that is not renewable.

30. Environmentalists oppose the mining of Antarctic mineral resources becauseA. Territorial claims to Antarctica are unresolvedB. The existence of valuable mineral deposits in the Antarctic environment is unlikelyC. The Antarctic environment is fragile and extremely vulnerable to the disturbance that would

accompany developmentD. Currently known world reserves of important metals and oil are considered inexhaustibleE. The demand for minerals is expected to decline as the world’s nations become more industrialized

31. All of the following are considered toxic metal pollutants EXCEPTA. CadmiumB. ChromiumC. LeadD. MercuryE. Potassium

32. Which of the following metals is considered an energy resource?A. UraniumB. CobaltC. MercuryD. CopperE. Palladium

33. Of the following, which constitutes the greatest percent of domestic use of water in the United States?A. Flushing toiletsB. DrinkingC. Cooking D. Washing dishesE. Washing clothes

34. If an incandescent lightbulb used for lighting has an efficiency rating of 5 percent, then for every 1.00 joule of electrical energy consumed by the bulb, which of the following is produced?A. 1.05 joules of light energyB. 1.05 joules of heat energyC. 0.95 joule of light energyD. 0.05 joule of light energyE. 0.05 of heat energy

35. Which of the following would most likely have the greatest positive impact on the quality of the natural environment worldwide?A. Discovery of new reserves of fossil fuel in coastal areasB. Increased agricultural production on marginal desert landsC. Increased life expectancy in more developed nationsD. Increased reliance on food from ocean ecosystemsE. Stabilization or reduction of the size of the human population

36. All of the following substances are derived from petroleum EXCEPTA. AsphaltB. DDTC. CelluloseD. PolystyreneE. Nylon

37. Of the following, which is the most serious immediate problem associated with sanitary landfills?A. Generation of CO2 gasB. Leachate contamination of groundwaterC. Release of disease organismsD. Incomplete degradation of wastesE. Compaction and settling

38. There are various stages in the formation of coal as heat and pressure are increased and moisture content is decreased. These stages, in order, areA. Bituminous, peat, lignite, anthraciteB. Peat, lignite, bituminous, anthraciteC. Peat, lignite, anthracite, bituminousD. Lignite, bituminous, anthracite, peatE. Anthracite, bituminous, peat, lignite

39. Which of the following correctly orders the methods of solid-waste management in terms of energy required?

Least energy Most Energy

A. Reuse Recycle ReduceB. Recycle Reuse Reduce

C. Recycle Reduce ReuseD. Reduce Reuse RecycleE. Reduce Recycle Reuse

40. In the removal of a pollutant from wastewater, which of the following is true of the cost per unit of pollutant removed?A. It decreases as the toxicity of the pollutant increasesB. It decreases as tie passed before remediation increasesC. It increases as the concentration of the pollutant decreases.D. It increases as the volume of the wastewater decreases. E. It does not change over time or with concentration of pollutant.

41. In the United States, the largest single component of municipal solid waste isA. GlassB. PaperC. Food scrapsD. Wood and other construction debrisE. Plastic

2008Questions XX through XX refer to the following.

A. Safe Drinking Water ActB. Clean Water ActC. Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)D. Resource Conservation and Recovery ActE. Toxic Substances Control Act

42. Requires minimum safety standards for community water supplies43. Mandates the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the

nation’s waters44. Establishes cradle-to-grave tracing of hazardous waste

Questions XX through XX refer to the substances listed

A. AsbestosB. RadonC. LeadD. Carbon MonoxideE. Formaldehyde

45. Found in old plumbing pipes and fixtures and some ceramic glazes46. Composed of fibers known to cause lung disease47. Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture48. Colorless, odorless gas that is a naturally occurring decay product of uranium

49. Of the following countries, which has the largest proven reserves of strategic metals such as manganese, chromium, and platinum?A. South Africa

B. JapanC. Saudi ArabiaD. The United StatesE. France

50. In 2007 in the United States there were approximately 480 cars for every 1,000 people. The total number of cars in the United States in 2007 was closest toA. 150,000B. 30,000,000C. 150,000,000D. 300,000,000E. 3,000,000,000

51. Of the following strategies to decrease the landfill volume of packaging material from food and other consumer products, the most energy efficient isA. Recovering plastic packaging material from the waste stream and recycling itB. Recovering metal packaging material from the waste stream and recycling itC. Limiting the size of individual beverage containers made form metal, glass or plasticD. Using more packaging materials that are manufactured from raw materials that are renewableE. Promoting the use of reusable containers for consumer goods

52. Which of the following best describes the first law of thermodynamics?A. Energy always changes from a more useful, more concentrated form to a less useful, less

concentrated form.B. In a closed system of constant mass, the energy involved in any physical or chemical change is

neither created nor destroyed, but merely changed from one form to another.C. Heat always flows from a hot body to a cold bodyD. Entropy of a system increases as the state of disorganization in the system increase.E. In a reversible process, the entropy of the system is constant, whereas in an irreversible process,

the entropy of the system increases.

53. Pollution is considered an external cost whenA. It has harmful effects borne only by the people who purchase the products that cause the pollutionB. The cost to the environment is not reflected in the price of the products that produce the pollutionC. It has a significant impact on the consumer’s decision to buy a product that pollutesD. It is a hidden cost that would result in a greater demand for the product if the consumer were

aware of the hidden costE. It is produced in the external environment by a malfunction in the operation of the product

54. Which of the following best illustrates point-source pollution?A. Toxic sediments in the delta of a major riverB. Increase in NOx in a traffic-clogged cityC. Dust blowing off unpaved roadsD. Smoke emitted from forest firesE. Smokestack emissions from a large smelting company.

55. Most municipal solid waste in the United States is disposed of in A. The oceansB. Sanitary landfillsC. Deep wellsD. Open dumpsE. Abandoned mines

56. Which of the following terms applies to the economic approach of including external costs in the price of goods and services?A. Optimal-cost pricingB. Cost-benefit pricingC. Full-cost pricingD. Green pricingE. Subsidized pricing

57. Which of the following would encourage recycling?A. Decreasing government purchases of recycled materialsB. Decreasing subsidies for recyclingC. Decreasing taxes on resource-extracting industriesD. Decreasing taxes on recycled materialE. Decreasing fees for using landfills

58. Sustainable use of forests in the United States would likely be encouraged byA. Cutting small groups of medium- and large- sized trees in uneven-aged forestsB. Clear-cutting old-growth forests to allow for secondary successionC. Allowing road building in wilderness areas so that older, clear-cut forests have time to regenerateD. Logging on steep slopes in designated wilderness areasE. Enforcing all provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

59. A home uses ten 100-watt lightbulbs for five hours per day. Approximately how many kilowatt-hours of electrical energy are consumed in one year by using the lightbulbs?A. 365B. 1,825C. 5,000D. 10,500E. 365,000