Environmental Studies

Air Pollution

2,298 Questions

Air pollution questions address the sources of emissions, indoor air quality, and the formation of photochemical smog. You will explore the impact of particulate matter, acid rain, and urban pollutants. This is a highly relevant subject for environmental studies and general awareness tests.

Photochemical smogParticulate matter emissionsAcid rain causesIndoor air pollutionAmmonia emissions

Air Pollution Questions

Multiple choice

What is smog?

  1. Smoke + carbon dioxide

  2. Fog + carbon monoxide

  3. Fog + smoke

  4. Carbon dioxide + carbon monoxide
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Smog is fog + smoke. 

Multiple choice

Oxides of sulphur and nitrogen are produced by burning of fossil fuels. These two oxides are the major culprits for______________ phenomenon.

  1. greenhouse effect

  2. el-nino effect

  3. acid rain

  4. eutrophication

  5. bio-geo chemical cycles
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Oxides of sulphur and nitrogen mix with moisture to form sulphuric acid and nitric acid, respectively. These come down as acid rain, which is harmful for organisms, marble structures, buildings, etc.

Multiple choice

Which of the following would qualify as point sources of pollution?

  1. Oil refinery
  2. Jet engine
  3. Agricultural run-off
  4. Mining
  5. Street light

  1. 1, 2 and 5

  2. 1, 2, 3 and 4

  3. 1 and 2

  4. 1, 3 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution refers to both water and air pollution from diffuse sources. Nonpoint source water pollution affects a water body from sources such as polluted run-off from agricultural areas draining into a river or wind-borne debris blowing out to sea.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statement is not true? (stem is negative, thus distracters should not be negative)

  1. Threshing & winnowing cause air pollution

  2. Paper and food industry does not cause air pollution

  3. Germinating electricity through down does not cause air pollution

  4. Pollen grains and spores are natural source of air pollution
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Paper and food industry also release hydrocarbons and other harmful gases in air.

Multiple choice

Which of the following are the pollutants with which industries pollute air?

a. H2S b. CO c. Cement d. Asbestos

  1. a, b, c and d

  2. a, b and c

  3. a, b and d

  4. a, c and d

  5. b, c and d
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct answer as all these pollute the air. H2S or hydrogen sulphide is a very poisonous, corrosive, flammable, and explosive gas. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, colourless, odourless and poisonous gas. It is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels. Cement and asbestos also produce gases that pollute the air.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

  1. The acid rain occurs due to the presence of H2SO4 and HNO3.

  2. CO2 released by fossil fuels, burnings of coal/wood, etc is a green house gas.

  3. NH3 reacts with water to form ammonium hydroxide.

  4. Excessive release of CO by incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels causes global warming.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This gas causes respiratory problem as it has a strong affinity for haemoglobin.

Multiple choice

The main reason of acid rain is the increased concentration of

  1. CO

  2. CFC

  3. CO2

  4. O3

  5. SO2 and NO2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Actual reason is the emission of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NO2) from incomplete combustion of fossil fuel. When these polluted gases are released, they start to chemically react with water, oxygen and some other gases, which normally found in the atmosphere to produce sulphuric acid, ammonium nitrate and nitric acid. These acids then start to spread over large areas due to wind direction and  later fall back to earth’s surface as acid rain or any different form of precipitation.