Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
1. What harm does carbon monoxide, (CO), do to people or the environment?
A. it lowers the amount of oxygen the blood can carry
B. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
C. it lowers IQ in young children
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
1. What is a company, factory or business that releases air pollutants into the atmosphere called?
A. an emitter
B. a smoker
C. an unregulated polluter
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
2. Who is licensed to check cars to make sure their pollution control system works?
A. inspector/mechanics
B. respiratory therapists
C. air pollution control engineers
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
2. What kind of government initiative is a cap and trade program?
A. economic incentives
B. research
C. education and information
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
3. Who scrubs pollutants out of factory emissions?
A. air pollution control engineers
B. inspector/mechanics
C. respiratory therapists
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
3. What kind of government initiative is witholding federal highway funds for a state that does not meet federal air quality standards within a set time?
A. penalties
B. education and information
C. economic incentives
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
4. What happened to violent crime rates in the U.S. after leaded gasoline was phased out?
A. they dropped
B. they went up
C. they stayed the same
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
4. Who encourages passage of air protection laws and supports their enforcement?
A. non-governmental organizations
B. the court system
C. congress or legislatures
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
5. What is one of the ways the EPA uses to track criteria air pollutants?
A. measuring them in the air at designated surface-level sites
B. measuring them in the upper atmosphere
C. tracking hospital admissions for health problems they cause
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
5. Where does most of the mercury air pollution come from?
A. burning coal in power plants
B. burning gasoline in cars
C. burning wood in wood stoves
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
6. Where does most nitrogen dioxide pollution come from?
A. burning gasoline or diesel in mobile sources like cars or trucks
B. coal fired power plants
C. nuclear power plants
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
6. How does the EPA regulate mercury under the Clean Air Act?
A. the 2011 rules require power plants to scrub mercury out of their emissions
B. the EPA does not have the right to regulate mercury under the Clean Air Act
C. the 2011 rules require power plants to measure the mercury in their emissions
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
7. What individual actions can people take to reduce ground level ozone air pollution?
A. don't let their vehicles idle
B. nothing, since it comes from the stratosphere
C. reduce their electricty use
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
7. What is the place in the upper atmosphere where the ozone is so thin that UV light easily passes through?
A. the ozone hole
B. the ozone sink
C. the ozone blanket
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
8. Where does most particulate matter air pollution in the U.S. come from?
A. reactions between sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air
B. ashes from forest fires kicked up by the wind
C. dust particles kicked up by the wind
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
8. Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone that protects earth from ultra violet (UV) light?
A. the stratosphere
B. the troposphere
C. the mesosphere
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
9. What does the Clean Air Act require for air pollution reduction?
A. states have to meet clean air standards set by the EPA
B. counties have to meet clean air standards set by each state
C. power plants and factories have to upgrade their clean air technology every two years
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
9. What percentage of deaths world-wide are due to ambient air pollution?
A. over 6%
B. 1%
C. 3%
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
10. What has happened to the six criteria air pollutants EPA regulates nationally?
A. they have all gone down
B. they have all stayed about the same
C. they have all gone up
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
10. Who monitors ozone in the upper atmosphere?
A. atmospheric chemists
B. air quality technicians
C. environmental toxicologists
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
11. Where does most sulfur dioxide air pollution come from?
A. coal burning power plants and factories
B. exhaust from mobile sources
C. natural gas, or propane in furnaces or heaters
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
11. What is a volatile organic compound (VOC)?
A. carbon compounds that evaporate easily into the air (give off fumes)
B. nitrogen compounds that easily condense out of the air into droplets
C. compounds that are explosive
CORRECT: A, A
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
12. Where does most cabon monoxide pollution come from?
A. exhaust from mobile sources
B. incomplete burning of gasoline, natural gas or propane
C. reactions between sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the air
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
12. What is it called when a company, factory or business that gives off fewer emissions than it has permits for sells them to other companies, factories or businesses who have more emissions than permits?
A. donating emission
B. trading emissions
C. fining emitters
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
13. Who treats people with breathing problems?
A. inspector/mechanics
B. respiratory therapists
C. HVAC technicians
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
13. What kind of government initiative is the Near-Road EXposures to Urban Air Pollutants (NEXUS) study of the impact of vehicle emissions on near-road air quality, human exposures and potential health effects?
A. education and information
B. research
C. economic incentives
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
14. What harm does lead air pollution cause to people?
A. in causes breathing problems
B. it lowers IQ in children
C. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils,
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
14. Who passes air protection laws, assigns protection to an agency and provides funding for enforcement?
A. agencies in the executive branch
B. congress or legislatures
C. the court system
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
15. Use of leaded gasoline has recently been phased out worldwide. Which trend would you expect to see in 29 years?
A. a decrease in asthma
B. a decrease in violent crime
C. a decrease in obesity
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
15. What is a governmental factor that affects enforcement of air protection laws?
A. how serious the human health concerns are
B. an administration's attitude about the law
C. whether the courts think it is a good law or a bad law
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
16. What harm does nitrogen dioxide do to people or the environment?
A. it lowers IQ and causes impulsive behavior in children
B. in can cause breathing problems for people with asthma
C. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
16. Mercury in air emissions eventually ends up as methyl mercury in fish. What converts the mercury in the air to the more lethal methyl mercury?
A. fish
B. bacteria
C. algae
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
17. What harm does ozone, in ground level air, do to people?
A. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
B. it can affect breathing and permanently damage lungs
C. it lowers IQ and causes impulsive behavior in children
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
17. How does mercury get into coal?
A. mercury is used during coal mining
B. it was naturally taken up in tiny amounts by the prehistoric plants which became coal
C. it seeps into coal beds from underground deposits
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
18. What is photochemical smog?
A. air pollution from a chemical reaction of fertilizers and rain
B. air pollution from a chemical reaction of engine exhaust and sunlight
C. smokey fog from coal fires
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
18. Where are the ozone holes (there is more than one) located?
A. over large deserts
B. at the poles
C. in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at the equator
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
19. What individual actions can people take to reduce PM air pollution?
A. only barbecue with propane
B. reduce driving and electricity use
C. nothing, since it is caused by sunlight
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
19. Where do chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) come from?
A. mining of fluoride for toothpaste and other applications
B. refrigerants, accelerants (used in sprays), and gases used in making styrofoam
C. bleach-based cleansers
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
20. Air pollution is any gases or particles in the atmosphere which are ...
A. harmful to animals.
B. harmful to people or the environment.
C. harmful to the environment.
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
20. Which of these vehicle-related factors kills the most people in southern California?
A. being run over by a car
B. ozone and particulate matter air pollution from vehicles
C. car crashes
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
21. What harm does sulfur dioxide do to the environment?
A. it overfertilizes the soil with sulfur
B. it can cause acid rain
C. it causes alkaline rain
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
23. What is it called when a country limits the total amount of a pollutant that all companies, factories or businesses within its borders can emit?
A. unfair practices
B. a subsidy
C. a cap
CORRECT: B, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
22. What individual actions can people take to reduce SO2 air pollution?
A. prevent forest fires
B. reduce their electricty use
C. reduce car use
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
22. How is air pollution measured and tracked?
A. by visual inspection of air quality three times a day in big cities
B. by ground-based air chemistry sampling sites throughout the U.S.
C. by satellite monitoring systems
CORRECT: B, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
23. What actions can a person take to reduce carbon monoxide pollution?
A. reduce car use
B. reduce electricty use if their power plant burns coal
C. make sure their furnace runs properly
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
21. Who monitors ozone at ground level?
A. atmospheric chemists
B. air quality technicians
C. environmental epidemiologists
CORRECT: C, B
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
24. Who checks home heating systems to make sure they are not leaking carbon monoxide?
A. air pollution control engineers
B. inspector/mechanics
C. HVAC technicians
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
24. What kind of government initiative is the publication and distribution of the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) readings for cities so people know when it is safe to work or play outside?
A. economic incentives
B. penalties
C. education and information
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
25. Where does most lead air pollution come from?
A. lead in house paint
B. lead in pencils
C. leaded gasoline
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
25. Who sets specific standards for air protection laws, helps people, businesses and agencies follow them and enforces them when they are not followed?
A. the court system
B. non-governmental organizations
C. agencies in the executive branch
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
26. What part of a car reduces air pollution from engine exhaust?
A. the muffler
B. the air filter
C. the catalytic converter
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
26. The Primary Standards of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) address public health. Which of these would be a primary standard?
A. decreased visibility in cities and natural areas
B. damage to animals and crops
C. protecting "sensitive" populations like asthmatics
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
27. What individual actions can people take to reduce NO2 air pollution?
A. avoid using fertilizers on hot sunny days
B. make sure their furnace runs properly
C. reduce car use whenever possible
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
27. What is the primary health effect of methyl mercury in fetuses, infants and children?
A. impaired limb development
B. impaired lung and respiratory function
C. impaired neurological development
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
28. Where does ozone come from?
A. incomplete combustion of natural gas
B. burning coal
C. a reacton between engine exhaust and sunlight
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
28. When did scientists discover holes in the ozone?
A. in the 1860s
B. in the 1890s
C. in the 1970s
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
29. What harm does particulate matter air pollution do to people?
A. it lowers pH of lakes and forest soils
B. it lowers IQ in children
C. it can be inhaled deep into the lungs, and affect breathing
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
29. What causes the disappearance of ozone (O3) in the upper atmosphere?
A. O3 is only formed during sunspot activity
B. nitrogen gas (N2) reacts with O3 to form nitrogen dioxide
C. chlorofluorocarbons react with O3 to convert it to oxygen
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
30. What is a criteria air pollutant?
A. any air pollutant that is given off by stationary sources
B. any air pollutant that is given off by mobile sources
C. any air pollutant for which the EPA has set human-health or environmental standards
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
30. What are devices that remove particulates and/or gases from industrial or power plant emissions?
A. catalytic converters
B. air filters
C. smoke stack scrubbers
CORRECT: C, C
Grades 6-8 Air Pollution
31. What characteristics do the six criteria air pollutants EPA regulates have?
A. they were easy to regulate
B. they were common in cities
C. they were common and found all over the U.S.
Grades 9-12 Air Pollution
31. Who develops fish advisories based on mercury content?
A. atmospheric chemists
B. environmental epidemiologists
C. environmental toxicologists