Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What is the textbook definition of 'pollution'?
Answer
Any change in the natural quality of the environment brought about by chemical, physical, or biological factors.
Question
How does 'environmental pollution' specifically relate to human activity?
Answer
It is an unfavourable alteration of our surroundings, wholly or largely occurring as a by-product of man's actions.
Question
What defines a 'pollutant' in terms of its effect on the biosphere?
Answer
A product released in large quantities that affects the normal functioning of ecosystems and has an adverse effect on life.
Question
Term for pollutants that can be broken down by biological or microbial actions.
Answer
Biodegradable pollutants.
Question
Provide two examples of biodegradable pollutants.
Answer
Sewage and domestic garbage.
Question
What characterizes 'non-biodegradable pollutants'?
Answer
They are not degraded by microbes or degrade at a very slow rate.
Question
List three examples of non-biodegradable pollutants.
Answer
Glass, plastics, and pesticides.
Question
Define 'primary pollutants' based on their origin.
Answer
Pollutants that are directly introduced from their sources into the environment.
Question
Identify four examples of gaseous primary pollutants.
Answer
Carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$), Sulphur dioxide ($SO_{2}$), Nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons.
Question
Name three specific hydrocarbons listed as primary pollutants.
Answer
Methane, Acetylene, and Benzene.
Question
What are 'secondary pollutants'?
Answer
Pollutants formed from the chemical reaction of primary pollutants in the environment.
Question
Which two primary pollutants react in the presence of sunlight to form secondary pollutants?
Answer
Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
Question
What is the full name of the secondary pollutant abbreviated as PAN?
Answer
Peroxyacetyl Nitrate.
Question
Identify two secondary pollutants mentioned in the text.
Answer
Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) and Ozone.
Question
How does the toxicity of secondary pollutants generally compare to primary pollutants?
Answer
Secondary pollutants are far more toxic than the primary pollutants from which they are derived.
Question
Define 'quantitative pollutants' in relation to their natural existence.
Answer
Substances that exist naturally but act as pollutants when their concentration reaches a critical level.
Question
Give two examples of quantitative pollutants.
Answer
Carbon dioxide ($CO_{2}$) and Nitrogen oxide.
Question
What are 'qualitative pollutants'?
Answer
Pollutants that do not exist naturally in the environment and are introduced through man's activities.
Question
Provide two examples of qualitative pollutants.
Answer
Pesticides (DDT) and chemical fertilizers.
Question
Pollution of the atmosphere is commonly known as _____ pollution.
Answer
Air.
Question
Pollution of the hydrosphere is commonly known as _____ pollution.
Answer
Water.
Question
Pollution of the lithosphere is commonly known as _____ pollution.
Answer
Soil.
Question
Give an example of a natural origin of pollution.
Answer
Volcanic eruptions.
Question
What is the term for pollution caused by human activity, such as industrial pollution?
Answer
Anthropogenic pollution.
Question
Name four categories of pollution based on the physical nature of the pollutants.
Answer
Gaseous pollution, dust pollution, thermal pollution, and noise pollution.
Question
What are the two key elements in the definition of 'air pollution'?
Answer
The concentration of foreign matter in the air and its adverse effects on living and non-living things.
Question
Air pollution takes place through pollutants in which three physical states?
Answer
Gas, solid, and liquid particles.
Question
How does the World Health Organisation (WHO) define water pollution?
Answer
Any foreign material from natural or other sources that contaminates the water supply and makes it harmful to life.
Question
What physiological effect does water pollution have on the oxygen levels of water bodies?
Answer
It leads to a reduction of the normal oxygen level of water.
Question
Identify the three main sources of effluents that pollute freshwater.
Answer
Domestic, industrial, and agricultural effluents.
Question
What is the definition of 'marine pollution'?
Answer
The spreading of harmful substances such as oil, plastic, and industrial waste into the ocean.
Question
What percentage of marine pollution originates from land-based sources?
Answer
Eighty per cent.
Question
Mining for which two materials is a major source of ocean contamination?
Answer
Copper and gold.
Question
What term describes the severely polluted ocean areas where life can no longer be supported?
Answer
Dead zones.
Question
Define 'soil pollution' in terms of its impact on the soil.
Answer
The change in physical, chemical, and biological conditions resulting in degradation in quality and productivity of the soil.
Question
How do soil pollutants behave differently from air and water pollutants regarding time?
Answer
Pollutants remain in the soil for relatively longer periods.
Question
What is the process by which soil pollutants increase in concentration at higher levels of the food chain?
Answer
Biological magnification.
Question
What is 'radioactive pollution'?
Answer
The increase in natural background radiation emerging from activities using radioactive materials.
Question
Name the two broad types of environmental radiation.
Answer
Natural and man-made radiation.
Question
Identify two sources of natural radiations.
Answer
Cosmic radiations from outer space and terrestrial radiation from the earth's crust.
Question
List three specific man-made uses of radioactive materials that cause pollution.
Answer
Nuclear weapons, nuclear fuel, and medical or industrial applications.
Question
Which two Japanese cities were destroyed by atom bombs in August 1945?
Answer
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Question
What are the two types of wastes formed during fission in nuclear reactors?
Answer
Fission products in the fuel and waste products in the coolant.
Question
In which city and year did a major atomic reactor leakage occur in the former USSR?
Answer
Chernobyl, on April 26, 1986.
Question
How is 'noise pollution' defined in terms of its effect on the receiver?
Answer
Unwanted sound that is an irritant and a source of stress.
Question
Why is noise considered a 'physical' form of pollution?
Answer
It is not directly harmful to life-supporting systems like air, soil, and water.
Question
List three ways noise pollution negatively affects human life.
Answer
It reduces sleeping hours, reduces productivity or efficiency, and invades privacy.
Question
Identify four of the main sectors that serve as sources of noise pollution.
Answer
Industrial Sector, Transport Sector, Household Sector, and Defence Sector.
Question
To which sector are loud speakers assigned as a source of noise pollution?
Answer
Miscellaneous Sources.
Question
What is the primary difference between quantitative and qualitative pollutants?
Answer
Quantitative pollutants occur naturally but qualitative pollutants are strictly man-made.
Question
Why is the disposal of radioactive wastes particularly dangerous over time?
Answer
High-level nuclear products remain in the environment for several hundred years.
Question
What is the final destination for most freshwater effluents and their pollutants?
Answer
The oceans.
Question
How does water pollution aesthetically affect a water body?
Answer
It causes aesthetically unpalatable effects.
Question
In the transport sector, what are the primary sources of noise pollution?
Answer
Aircraft and vehicles.
Question
Which specific substances are examples of qualitative pollutants introduced by agriculture?
Answer
Chemical fertilizers and herbicides.
Question
What defines 'dead zones' in marine environments?
Answer
Areas where marine pollution has reached levels that oceanic plants and animals cannot survive.
Question
Which primary pollutants are particularly associated with automobiles and lead to secondary pollution?
Answer
Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.
Question
How does soil pollution differ from air pollution regarding its effect on the food chain?
Answer
Soil pollutants enter at the plant level and get magnified as they move up the chain.
Question
Name a physical nature of pollution related to temperature.
Answer
Thermal pollution.
Question
According to the text, is a low sound considered noise?
Answer
No, a low sound is considered pleasant, whereas a loud sound is referred to as noise.