Environmental Studies · Biology

Pesticides and Pest Control

1,236 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

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.

Multiple choice

The most effective pesticide for general use against most garden pests is

  1. bordeaux mixture

  2. carbo furan

  3. malathion

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

Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide widely used for general garden pest control due to its effectiveness and relatively lower toxicity compared to other broad-spectrum pesticides. Bordeaux mixture is a fungicide, while carbofuran and phosphamidon are highly toxic and restricted in many countries.

Multiple choice

____are the chemicals used to kill insects and pests in the garden and on farms.

  1. Herbicide

  2. Fungicide

  3. Pesticide

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

Pesticides are chemical substances specifically designed to kill, repel, or control pests including insects, rodents, weeds, and other organisms that damage crops or spread disease. Herbicides kill weeds, fungicides kill fungi, and bactericides kill bacteria - but only pesticides have the broad function of insect and pest control as described in the question.

Multiple choice

To which category of pesticides does DDT belong?

  1. Organochlorines

  2. Organophosphates

  3. Carbamates

  4. Pyrethroids
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a synthetic organochlorine insecticide. Organochlorines are characterized by chlorine-carbon bonds and include notorious persistent organic pollutants like DDT, dieldrin, and endosulfan, known for environmental persistence and bioaccumulation.

Multiple choice

Neem seed essence is used to control ___________.

  1. fruit borer caterpillar

  2. mites

  3. ticks

  4. flies
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Neem seed extract is a natural biopesticide used to control the fruit borer caterpillar in various crops. Neem contains azadirachtin which acts as an antifeedant and growth disruptor for insect pests.

Multiple choice

The most important factor for the growth of pests in stored grains is

  1. temperature of grains

  2. grain moisture and temperature

  3. grain moisture

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Grain moisture is the critical factor for pest growth in stored grains, as most storage insects require specific moisture levels for reproduction and development. While temperature also affects pest activity (higher temperatures increase metabolism), moisture is the primary limiting factor - even at optimal temperatures, pests cannot thrive in very dry grain. Adequate moisture enables fungal growth, which further facilitates pest infestation.

Multiple choice

“Captan” is a commercial product used as a/an

  1. biodegrader

  2. insecticide

  3. growth regulator

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

Captan is a widely used fungicide in agriculture to control fungal diseases on crops. It is not used as a biodegrader, insecticide, or growth regulator.