Question 1

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of sewage sludge that can be applied on agricultural land by setting limits on ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  the concentrations of metals in the sludge to be applied
B)  the rate of metal application to any parcel of land in any one year
C)  the total accumulative amount of metals that can be applied to a parcel of land,regardless of when the metals are applied
D)  all of the above
E)  none of the aboveF) A) and E)
G) All of the above

Question 2

Of the following metals often found in sewage sludge,which would most likely become toxic to farmers' crops if sludge applications exceeded the recommended amounts.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cu
B)  Cr
C)  Cd
D)  Pb
E)  HgF) C) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 3

Soil washing is a commonly used method of bioremediation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Phytoremediation is a system by which growing plants are used to decontaminate polluted soils.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Generally an organic chemical is destroyed when it is lost from the soil by volatilization.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Soil application of certain pesticides reduces the diversity but increases the numbers of soil mesofauna.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 7

Except for a very small number of accidental spills,pesticides used in agriculture have not yet been found to contaminate actual groundwater wells.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

A soils contaminated with a heavy metal may be bioremediated by ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  applying genetically engineered bacteria that can degrade the metal
B)  growing and harvesting plants that take up large quantities of the toxic metal
C)  burying the contaminated soil in a secure landfill
D)  applying a source of carbon and nitrogen to the soil
E)  all of the aboveF) B) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 9

Clay,especially of the 2:1 types,tends to adsorb larger quantities of organic chemicals per gram than does the organic matter component of soils.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Radon is a chemically inert gas that emanates from certain soils and builds up in confined spaces such as the basements of buildings.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 11

In the design of a _______ type landfill,evapotranspiration by cover vegetation should be maximized.

Accepted Answer

A)  natural attenuation
B)  containment
C)  both A and B
D)  neither A nor BE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 12

The final cover on any type of landfill should consist of soil material with rapid permeability and a high rate of infiltration.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Which of the following types chemical would be classed as a pesticide?

Accepted Answer

A)  herbicides
B)  rodenticides
C)  insecticides
D)  both B and C
E)  all of the aboveF) C) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 14

Which of the following are considered to be "heavy metals" that can contaminate soils and the food chain?

Accepted Answer

A)  cadmium
B)  zinc
C)  lead
D)  copper
E)  all of the aboveF) B) and D)
G) B) and E)

Question 15

Most practical solutions to toxic levels of indoor radon involve ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  bioremediation
B)  increased cation exchange
C)  improved ventilation with fresh air
D)  sealing off cracks in basement walls and foundations
E)  both C and DF) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 16

Radionuclides from nuclear power plant accidents and weapons testing pollution get into the food chain primarily by _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  leaching to groundwater supplies
B)  uptake from soils into food plants
C)  by atmospheric deposition on plant leaves
D)  cation exchangeE) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 17

In the United States between the 1970s and the 1990s,the level of heavy metals found in municipal sewage sludge ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  stayed about the same
B)  decreased substantially
C)  increased substantiallyD) None of the above
E) All of the above

Question 18

Herbicides are generally the most toxic of pesticides to soil organisms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Draining a chromium-contaminated wetland would be likely to immobilize the metal so that environmental chromium toxicity problems would be minimized.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The amount of a pesticide that hits the target pest is usually _____ of the amount applied to the ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 5%
B)  20 to 25%
C)  25 to 50%
D)  50 to 75%E.75 to 95%E) B) and C)
F) None of the above A

Exam 18: Soils and Chemical Pollution

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of sewage sludge that can be applied on agricultural land by setting limits on ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the following metals often found in sewage sludge,which would most likely become toxic to farmers' crops if sludge applications exceeded the recommended amounts.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Soil washing is a commonly used method of bioremediation.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Phytoremediation is a system by which growing plants are used to decontaminate polluted soils.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Generally an organic chemical is destroyed when it is lost from the soil by volatilization.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Soil application of certain pesticides reduces the diversity but increases the numbers of soil mesofauna.

Correct AnswerverifiedTrue

Except for a very small number of accidental spills,pesticides used in agriculture have not yet been found to contaminate actual groundwater wells.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A soils contaminated with a heavy metal may be bioremediated by ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Clay,especially of the 2:1 types,tends to adsorb larger quantities of organic chemicals per gram than does the organic matter component of soils.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Radon is a chemically inert gas that emanates from certain soils and builds up in confined spaces such as the basements of buildings.

Correct AnswerverifiedTrue

In the design of a _______ type landfill,evapotranspiration by cover vegetation should be maximized.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The final cover on any type of landfill should consist of soil material with rapid permeability and a high rate of infiltration.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following types chemical would be classed as a pesticide?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following are considered to be "heavy metals" that can contaminate soils and the food chain?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Most practical solutions to toxic levels of indoor radon involve ____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Radionuclides from nuclear power plant accidents and weapons testing pollution get into the food chain primarily by _____.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the United States between the 1970s and the 1990s,the level of heavy metals found in municipal sewage sludge ______.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Herbicides are generally the most toxic of pesticides to soil organisms.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Draining a chromium-contaminated wetland would be likely to immobilize the metal so that environmental chromium toxicity problems would be minimized.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The amount of a pesticide that hits the target pest is usually _____ of the amount applied to the ecosystem.

Correct AnswerverifiedA

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A