Environmental Studies · Geography

Atmospheric Structure and Ozone

1,401 Questions

Atmospheric structure and ozone layer topics examine the Earth's atmospheric layers, the impact of solar radiation, and ozone depletion mechanisms. These environmental science concepts are crucial for general awareness sections in multiple competitive examinations. Review these questions to solidify your understanding of the stratosphere, polar vortex effects, and greenhouse gases.

Earth's atmospheric layersOzone layer depletionSolar ultraviolet radiationPolar vortex effectsCarbon dioxide impactOzone-depleting substances

Atmospheric Structure and Ozone Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are known as the real ozone killer(s)?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

We are today faced with a great ecological problem for which we ourselves are largely responsible. Our planet, the Earth, the only home of man is bathed in a steady rain of the sun's rays. Most of these rays supply us heat and light, but a small percentage is deadly. These are the ultraviolet - B rays (or UV - B). If these were to get to the surface of the Earth directly, they would kill us off. Luckily, the Earth’s surface is shielded from these rays by the ozone layer; but sadly enough this ozone layer is being destroyed by man.

The ozone layer is formed from a kind of oxygen with three atoms (O3) instead of the normal two (O2). Ozone oc­curs naturally in the stratosphere, several kilometres above the Earth's surface. It absorbs the dangerous UV -B rays but allows the much needed and safe light to pass through. There, in the stratosphere, it is constantly being created by the sun's rays; thus it is a self-repairing shield. But man is now gradu­ally destroying this vital shield with his industrial gases. The most lethal of these gases are the chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are used in making all kinds of foamed plastic products, propellants in spray cans, coolants in air condi­tioners and refrigerators and solvents to clean electronic equip­ment.

Down here, they are not lethal. But after they have leaked from air conditioners, plastic foam, cups, etc; they slowly drift up to the stratosphere where, bombarded by ultraviolet rays, they break up at last, releasing chlorine, the real ozone killer. Sadly, one chlorine molecule may remain active for a century, destroying thousands of ozone molecules.

  1. Refrigerators and air conditioners

  2. Chlorofluorocarbons

  3. Chlorine

  4. Propellants
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 See the last part of sentence two of paragraph three.

Multiple choice

The ozone layer is

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

We are today faced with a great ecological problem for which we ourselves are largely responsible. Our planet, the Earth, the only home of man is bathed in a steady rain of the sun's rays. Most of these rays supply us heat and light, but a small percentage is deadly. These are the ultraviolet - B rays (or UV - B). If these were to get to the surface of the Earth directly, they would kill us off. Luckily, the Earth’s surface is shielded from these rays by the ozone layer; but sadly enough this ozone layer is being destroyed by man.

The ozone layer is formed from a kind of oxygen with three atoms (O3) instead of the normal two (O2). Ozone oc­curs naturally in the stratosphere, several kilometres above the Earth's surface. It absorbs the dangerous UV -B rays but allows the much needed and safe light to pass through. There, in the stratosphere, it is constantly being created by the sun's rays; thus it is a self-repairing shield. But man is now gradu­ally destroying this vital shield with his industrial gases. The most lethal of these gases are the chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are used in making all kinds of foamed plastic products, propellants in spray cans, coolants in air condi­tioners and refrigerators and solvents to clean electronic equip­ment.

Down here, they are not lethal. But after they have leaked from air conditioners, plastic foam, cups, etc; they slowly drift up to the stratosphere where, bombarded by ultraviolet rays, they break up at last, releasing chlorine, the real ozone killer. Sadly, one chlorine molecule may remain active for a century, destroying thousands of ozone molecules.

  1. a man-made shield located in the stratosphere

  2. a naturally-occurring shield in the stratosphere

  3. a shield made of various industrial gases

  4. a shield formed as a result of heavy rains
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 See sentence two of paragraph two.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements best describes the ozone layer?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

We are today faced with a great ecological problem for which we ourselves are largely responsible. Our planet, the Earth, the only home of man is bathed in a steady rain of the sun's rays. Most of these rays supply us heat and light, but a small percentage is deadly. These are the ultraviolet - B rays (or UV - B). If these were to get to the surface of the Earth directly, they would kill us off. Luckily, the Earth’s surface is shielded from these rays by the ozone layer; but sadly enough this ozone layer is being destroyed by man.

The ozone layer is formed from a kind of oxygen with three atoms (O3) instead of the normal two (O2). Ozone oc­curs naturally in the stratosphere, several kilometres above the Earth's surface. It absorbs the dangerous UV -B rays but allows the much needed and safe light to pass through. There, in the stratosphere, it is constantly being created by the sun's rays; thus it is a self-repairing shield. But man is now gradu­ally destroying this vital shield with his industrial gases. The most lethal of these gases are the chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are used in making all kinds of foamed plastic products, propellants in spray cans, coolants in air condi­tioners and refrigerators and solvents to clean electronic equip­ment.

Down here, they are not lethal. But after they have leaked from air conditioners, plastic foam, cups, etc; they slowly drift up to the stratosphere where, bombarded by ultraviolet rays, they break up at last, releasing chlorine, the real ozone killer. Sadly, one chlorine molecule may remain active for a century, destroying thousands of ozone molecules.

  1. It stops the UV rays from reaching Earth's surface.

  2. It absorbs the UV rays and allows the much needed safe light to pass through.

  3. It contains deadly gases.

  4. It is made up of oxygen and CFC molecules.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

 See sentence three of paragraph two.

Multiple choice

Ozone holes exist

  1. over Antarctica
  2. over Arctic
  3. over Tibet

Which of the above is/are correct?

  1. Only 1

  2. 1, 2 and 3

  3. 1 and 2

  4. 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

On March 15, 2011, a record ozone layer loss was observed, with about half of the ozone present over the Arctic having been destroyed. In 2006, a 2.5 million square kilometer ozone hole was detected over Tibet. Again in 2011 a ozone hole appeared over mountainous regions of Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai and the Hindu Kush. The discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by British Antarctic Survey scientists Farman, Gardiner and Shanklin was announced in a paper in Nature as early as in May 1985.

Multiple choice

Diffusion of light in the atmosphere takes place due to

  1. carbon dioxide

  2. dust particles

  3. helium

  4. water vapours

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Diffusion (scattering) of light in the atmosphere occurs primarily due to dust particles and aerosols, which is why the sky appears blue (Rayleigh scattering) and sunsets appear red. Water vapor and CO2 do not significantly scatter visible light.

Multiple choice

The lowest portion of the atmosphere of the earth is called:

  1. Stratosphere

  2. Ionosphere

  3. Mesosphere

  4. Troposphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from ground level to about 10-15 km altitude. It contains approximately 75% of the atmosphere's mass and is where all weather phenomena occur.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

Ozone layer is the part of the

  1. mesosphere

  2. stratosphere

  3. ionosphere

  4. troposphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, approximately 10-50 kilometers above Earth's surface. This layer contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) that absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. The troposphere is the lowest layer where weather occurs, the mesosphere is above the stratosphere, and the ionosphere is in the upper atmosphere.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

Arrange the various layers of the earth in the correct order? A. Ionosphere B. mesosphere C. Troposphere D. Stratosphere E. Exosphere

  1. BACDE

  2. ACDEB

  3. EDCAB

  4. CDBAE
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The correct order of atmospheric layers from lowest to highest is: Troposphere (C), Stratosphere (D), Mesosphere (B), Ionosphere (A), Exosphere (E). This matches option CDBAE. The troposphere extends from ground level to about 10-15 km, followed by the stratosphere (containing the ozone layer), then the mesosphere, ionosphere, and finally the exosphere which fades into outer space.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

Which is the lowest part of the atmosphere?

  1. Ionosphere

  2. Mesosphere

  3. Stratosphere

  4. Troposphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from ground level to approximately 10-15 kilometers altitude. This layer contains about 75-80% of the atmosphere's mass and virtually all weather phenomena. The ionosphere is much higher, the mesosphere is above the stratosphere, and the stratosphere lies above the troposphere.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

The radio waves which were transmitted from the earth are reflected back to earth by

  1. mesosphere

  2. ionosphere

  3. stratosphere

  4. troposphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The ionosphere, located in the upper atmosphere (approximately 60-1000 km altitude), contains ionized particles that reflect radio waves back to Earth, enabling long-distance radio communication. This property is crucial for AM radio broadcasting and other communication technologies. The other layers (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere) do not have sufficient ionization to reflect radio waves effectively.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

Tropopause is the zone between

  1. ionosphere and troposphere

  2. mesosphere and ionosphere

  3. exosphere and stratosphere

  4. troposphere and stratosphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The tropopause is the boundary zone between the troposphere (lowest layer) and the stratosphere (layer above). At this boundary, the temperature stops decreasing with altitude (as it does in the troposphere) and begins to increase (as in the stratosphere due to ozone absorption of UV radiation). This transition zone typically occurs at 10-15 km altitude, varying with latitude and season.

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

The atmosphere which is important for human beings is

  1. troposphere

  2. mesosphere

  3. stratosphere

  4. ionosphere

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The troposphere is the most important atmospheric layer for human beings because it contains the air we breathe, all weather phenomena, and virtually all human activity. It extends from ground level to about 10-15 km altitude and contains about 75-80% of the atmosphere's mass. The other layers are either too high (ionosphere, exosphere) or lack the conditions necessary for life (mesosphere, stratosphere).

Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below:

Which of the following act as filter and absorb the UV rays radiating from the sun?

  1. Stratosphere

  2. Ionosphere

  3. Mesosphere

  4. Ozone

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Ozone (O3) in the stratosphere absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, acting as a protective shield for life on Earth. While ozone exists in the stratospheric layer, the question specifically asks about the substance that filters UV rays - ozone itself performs this function. The ozone layer absorbs UV-B and UV-C radiation, preventing it from reaching the surface.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is not correct?

  1. Some gases react with green house gases and affect their concentration in the atmosphere.

  2. The largest concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere is carbon mono oxide.

  3. Ozone absorbs ultra violet radiation in the stratosphere.

  4. All of the above

  5. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This statement is incorrect. The largest concentration of GHGs in the atmosphere is carbon dioxide.