BS Environmental Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the water cycle?
- The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection (Correct answer)
- The process by which plants absorb water through roots
- The filtration of water through soil layers into aquifers
- The chemical breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen
Correct answer: The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection
The water cycle describes how water moves continuously through the environment via evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and infiltration.
Question 2: What is eutrophication?
- Excessive nutrient enrichment of water bodies that leads to algal blooms and oxygen depletion (Correct answer)
- The natural aging process of a lake over thousands of years
- Increased salinity in freshwater ecosystems due to runoff
- The removal of nutrients from soil by heavy rainfall
Correct answer: Excessive nutrient enrichment of water bodies that leads to algal blooms and oxygen depletion
Eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients, usually nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, cause rapid algal growth that depletes oxygen in water.
Question 3: What is the ozone layer and why is it important?
- A layer of O3 in the stratosphere that absorbs harmful UV radiation from the sun (Correct answer)
- A layer of CO2 that regulates Earth's temperature
- A cloud layer that reflects incoming solar radiation
- A band of oxygen at ground level that filters pollutants
Correct answer: A layer of O3 in the stratosphere that absorbs harmful UV radiation from the sun
The ozone layer is a region of Earth's stratosphere containing high concentrations of ozone that absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
Question 4: What is a food chain?
- A linear sequence showing how energy and matter flow from one organism to the next (Correct answer)
- A network of all feeding relationships in an ecosystem
- The digestive process within a single organism
- The decomposition of organic matter by bacteria
Correct answer: A linear sequence showing how energy and matter flow from one organism to the next
A food chain shows a single pathway of energy transfer from producers through successive levels of consumers.
Question 5: What is acid rain?
- Precipitation with a pH below 5.6 caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxides reacting with water in the atmosphere (Correct answer)
- Natural rainfall in volcanic regions with high sulfur content
- Rain that becomes acidic after falling through polluted soil
- Condensation from industrial cooling towers
Correct answer: Precipitation with a pH below 5.6 caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxides reacting with water in the atmosphere
Acid rain forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by burning fossil fuels react with atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
Question 6: What is the difference between weather and climate?
- Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions; climate refers to long-term patterns (Correct answer)
- Climate describes daily temperature changes; weather describes seasonal trends
- They are interchangeable terms for atmospheric conditions
- Weather is measured globally; climate is measured locally
Correct answer: Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions; climate refers to long-term patterns
Weather describes current or short-term atmospheric conditions, while climate refers to the average patterns of weather over long periods (typically 30+ years).
BS Environmental Science 2
What is the water cycle?