Environmental Studies · Biology

Pesticides and Pest Control

1,208 Questions

Pesticides and Pest Control focuses on the management of invasive species through chemical, biological, and cultural methods. It includes topics like integrated pest management, herbicide targets, and the ecological impacts of toxic chemicals. This subject is frequently tested in environmental science and agriculture exams.

Integrated Pest ManagementBiological Control AgentsHerbicide MechanismsChemical Pesticide ToxicityGenetic Pest ResistanceInvasive Species Management

Pesticides and Pest Control Questions

Multiple choice

DDT is�

  1. Biodegradable pollutant

  2. Green house gas

  3. Non-degradable pollutant

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

DDT is a synthetic pesticide that persists in the environment for decades, bioaccumulates in fatty tissues, and biomagnifies through food chains, earning its classification as a non-degradable or persistent organic pollutant.

Multiple choice

Which of the following sets represents natural insecticides obtained from plants?

  1. Pyrethrum, Carbaryl, Malathion

  2. Azadirachtin, Roatenone, Carbaryl

  3. Roatenone, Pyrethrum, Endosulphan

  4. Carbaryl, Endosulphan, Lindane

  5. Azadirachtin, Roatenone, Pyrethrum
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Azadirachtin is a natural insect repellent obtained from Azadirachta indica (Neem). Roatenone is a powerful insecticide obtained from roots of Derris elliptica and Lonchocarpus spp. Pyrethrum is a contact insecticide obtained from the plant Chrasanthemum cinerariaefolium.

Multiple choice

Pesticides are used to destroy:

  1. Harmful fungi

  2. Poisonous Plants

  3. Insects

  4. Micro-organisms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Pesticides are chemicals primarily used to eliminate insects that damage crops or spread disease. While some pesticides can affect fungi and microorganisms, their main target is insect pests that destroy agricultural produce.

Multiple choice

With reference to Neem tree, consider the following statements:

  1. Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites.
  2. Neem seeds are used in the manufacture of biofuels and hospital detergents.
  3. Neem oil has applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only

  2. 3 only

  3. 1 and 3 only

  4. 1, 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

All of the given statements are important applications of neem plant.

Multiple choice

Directions: For this question, select the best of the answer choices given.

Caterpillars of all species produce an identical hormone called “juvenile hormone” that maintains feeding behavior. Only when a caterpillar has grown to the right size for pupation to take place does a special enzyme halt the production of juvenile hormone. This enzyme can be synthesized and will, on being ingested by immature caterpillars, kill them by stopping them from feeding. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the view that it would not be advisable to try to eradicate agricultural pests that go through a caterpillar stage by spraying croplands with the enzyme mentioned above?

  1. Most species of caterpillar are subject to some natural predation.

  2. Many agricultural pests do not go through a caterpillar stage.

  3. Many agriculturally beneficial insects go through a caterpillar stage.

  4. Since caterpillars of different species emerge at different times, several sprayings would be necessary.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The enzyme kills ALL caterpillars by stopping them from feeding. If beneficial insects like pollinators also have caterpillar stages, spraying would destroy them along with pests, causing more ecological damage than benefit. This collateral harm makes the spraying strategy inadvisable despite its effectiveness against target pests.

Multiple choice

Directions: For this question, select the best of the answer choices given.

Mud from a lake on an uninhabited wooded island in northern Lake Superior contains toxic chemicals, including toxaphene, a banned pesticide for cotton that previously was manufactured and used, not in nearby regions of Canada or the northern United States, but in the southern United States. No dumping has occurred on the island. The island lake is sufficiently elevated that water from Lake Superior does not reach it. The statements above, if true, most strongly support which of the following hypothesis?

  1. The waters of the island lake are more severely polluted than those of Lake Superior.

  2. The toxaphene was carried to the island in the atmosphere by winds.

  3. Banning chemicals such as toxaphene does not aid the natural environment.

  4. Toxaphene has adverse effects on human beings but not on other organisms.

  5. Concentrations of toxaphene in the soil of cotton-growing regions are not sufficient to be measurable.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Given that toxaphene was used in the southern United States but not in nearby regions of Canada or northern US, and the isolated island lake has elevated terrain preventing water contamination from Lake Superior, atmospheric transport by wind is the most logical explanation for how the pesticide reached the remote location. This phenomenon is known as atmospheric deposition or long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants. The other options are either not supported by the facts or make unsupported claims.

Multiple choice

Directions: For this question, select the best of the answer choices given.

Organic farmers are looking for non-chemical methods to rid their crops of pests. Giving crops a slight electric shock has no ill effect on crops but rids them of caterpillars. This method should be employed by organic farmers all over the country. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the view that it would not be advisable to try to eradicate agricultural pests with the method mentioned above?

  1. Most species of caterpillar are subject to some natural predators.

  2. Many agricultural pests do not go through a caterpillar stage.

  3. This method also kills insects that are agriculturally beneficial.

  4. Since caterpillars of different species appear at different times of the year, several shocks would be necessary.

  5. No large-scale production facilities exist today for the product that electrifies crops.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The best answer is (3). If electrifying crops kills beneficial insects along with the pests, it may do as much or more harm than good.

Multiple choice

The Cartagena Protocol is associated with

  1. GM Foods

  2. Chemical Weapons

  3. Bio-safety

  4. Green House Gases

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

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement adopted in 2000 as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It specifically addresses the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs), commonly known as genetically modified (GM) organisms. While GM foods (A) are related, the protocol's scope is broader biosafety. Chemical weapons (B) and greenhouse gases (D) are covered by other treaties.

Multiple choice

The use of insecticides now-a-days is not preferred because:

  1. they are costly and not easily available

  2. insects have developed resistance to them

  3. insecticides are not degraded and hence also enter the human body through food chain

  4. both (2) and (3)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Insecticide use declined primarily because insects evolved resistance through natural selection, making many chemicals ineffective. Additionally, persistent insecticides like DDT bioaccumulate through food chains, causing ecological harm and entering human tissues. These problems outweigh availability concerns, as synthetic insecticides remain widely produced.