Chapter 09
Air: Climate and Pollution
  
Multiple Choice Questions
1)The two main gases making up the lower atmosphere are 
A. helium and hydrogen.
B. carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
C. oxygen and methane.
D. nitrogen and oxygen.
E. oxygen and carbon dioxide.
 
2. The atmospheric zone where most weather events occur is the 
A. stratosphere.
B. thermosphere.
C. troposphere.
D. mesosphere.
E. stratopause.
 
3. The correct sequence of atmospheric zones upward from the earth's surface is 
A. stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
B. troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
C. mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, thermosphere.
D. thermosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere.
E. troposphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, thermosphere.

4. When cool, dry air sinks from the upper atmosphere toward the Earth's surface, it is 
A. compressed and cooled further.
B. allowed to expand and become warmer.
C. compressed and becomes warmer.
D. forced to release any remaining moisture.
E. going to hold more water because there is more water vapor closer to the Earth's surface.
 
5.  A social or policy concern related to climate change might be  
A.  the change in migratory patterns of birds. 
B.  an increased land area in some countries due to the melting of glaciers. 
C.  increased drought in agricultural regions. 
D.  warmer average temperatures. 
E.  movement of tectonic plates. 
 
6.  Paying to plant trees because you use carbon in your daily life would be an example of  
A.  carbon reduction. 
B.  cap and trade. 
C.  carbon offsets. 
D.  carbon sequestration. 
E.  going carbon neutral. 

7.  The air pollutant least successfully removed from the air by technologies in developed nations is  
A.  carbon dioxide. 
B.  sulfur oxides. 
C.  nitrogen oxides. 
D.  particulate matter. 
E.  VOCs. 
 
8. When El Niño occurs every three to seven years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds 
A. surges back eastward toward South America.
B. becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening trade winds.
C. cools dramatically.
D. sinks and therefore cools substantially.
E. surges northward toward Japan.
 
9. As far as we are currently aware, who were the first people to notice the El Niño Southern Oscillation cycle? 
A. scientists studying atmospheric changes
B. meteorologists
C. indigenous people in South America
D. Peruvian fishermen
E. colonial governors in South America from Spain

10. Most of the excessive carbon dioxide that is expected to cause global warming is generated by 
A. green plants.
B. burning of fossil fuels.
C. production of cement and clearing of forests.
D. All of these are correct.
E. burning of fossil fuels and production of cement and clearing of forests only.
 
11. What are the ecological implications of global warming? 
A. Plants and animals that are residing in fragmented habitats may not be able to move to a suitable habitat.
B. In general, plants and animals will probably benefit from warmer temperatures.
C. Since farmland may be lost, the habitats for plants and animals will increase in area.
D. Since biodiversity is usually higher in warmer, milder climates, it will probably be increased.
E. Tropical ecosystems will get even warmer than they are now.
 
12. Proponents of climate change say that given what we know about the probability of the greenhouse effect, the best thing to do is 
A. immediately cease all industrial activity.
B. wait and see how much temperatures change before we change our habits.
C. severely cut back on production of greenhouse gases.
D. not worry about greenhouse gas production.
E. focus on the development of technological advances to help decrease the effects of climate change.

13. The amount of CO2 released by human activities per year is approximately ___________. 
A. 30 million tons
B. 300 million tons
C. 3 billion tons
D. 30 billion tons
E. 300 billion tons
 
14. Primary pollutants are those that are 
A. released directly in dangerous forms.
B. produced in the greatest quantities.
C. the most dangerous.
D. the most threatening to people.
E. classified by the EPA as the most dangerous and abundant.
 
15. ________ is/are examples of secondary pollutants. 
A. Aerosols
B. Volatile organic compounds
C. Photochemical oxidants
D. Combustion gases
E. Dust from soil erosion

16. A major source of VOCs is 
A. incomplete burning of hydrocarbons.
B. combustion of sulfur-containing fuel.
C. photochemical oxidation.
D. CO in the atmosphere.
E. CO2 in the atmosphere.
 
17. ___________ ozone is harmful, damaging plants and human health while ozone at the _________ level screens out mutagenic ultraviolet radiation. 
A. Stratospheric; troposphere
B. Thermospheric; mesosphere
C. Tropospheric; stratosphere
D. Mesospheric; thermosphere
E. Stratospheric; mesosphere
 
18. The "ozone hole" is a depletion currently most serious 
A. at the most populated latitudes.
B. over North America.
C. in tropical latitudes.
D. near the Hadley cells.
E. near the poles.

19. There are serious signs that ozone depletion may lead to 
A. UV-caused skin cancers.
B. UV-caused blindness.
C. IR-caused sunburn.
D. All of these are correct.
E. UV-caused skin cancers and UV-caused blindness only.
 
20. The most common human health response to air pollution is 
A. inflammatory responses in sensitive tissues.
B. lung cancer.
C. blindness caused by deteriorating eye tissues.
D. skin cancer.
E. heart disease.
 
21. One of the principal ways lakes suffer from acid deposition is that 
A. rocks on the bottom begin to dissolve.
B. fish eggs die and fish populations fall.
C. aquatic vegetation turns yellow.
D. plants grow excessively and choke other life.
E. All of these can happen in a lake from acid deposition.

22. What type of buildings and monuments are most susceptible to acid damage? 
A. granite and basalt
B. wood
C. limestone and marble
D. concrete and brick
E. brick and bronze
 
23. The use of scrubbers, precipitators, and filters on power plants and other "smokestack" industries probably accounts for a(n) 
A. increase in nitrogen oxides.
B. decrease in sulfur oxides and solid particulate matter.
C. decrease in volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, solid particulate matter, and lead.
D. decrease in solid particulate matter and lead.
E. decrease in nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, solid particulate matter, and lead.
 
24. The __________________ is an international treaty designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions. 
A. Tokyo Accord
B. Kyoto Declaration
C. International Agreement on Global Warming
D. Kyoto Protocol
E. Tokyo Principle

25. The phenomenon where cool, dense air sits under a layer of lighter warmer air is known as a ____________________. 
A. heat sink
B. heat island
C. temperature inversion
D. Milankovitch cycle
E. thermocline
 
26. The most significant part of President George W. Bush's "Clear Skies Initiative" would have _________________. 
A. reduced allowable sulfur emissions
B. reduced allowable nitrogen emissions
C. reduced allowable particulate emissions
D. eliminated new source reviews for industry in favor of voluntary controls
E. none of these are correct.

True / False Questions
 
27. Worldwide, air pollution control efforts are least advanced or least successful in major cities of developing countries. 
TRUE

28. Eastern European cities and farming regions have been notable in recent years for their steady and successful cleanup accomplishments. 
FALSE
 
29. Nineteen of the 20 warmest of the last 150 years have occurred since 1980. 
TRUE
 
30.  There has been an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and hurricanes.  
TRUE