Environmental Studies · General Awareness

Pollution and Human Impact

2,864 Questions

Pollution involves the introduction of contaminants into natural environments, causing severe human impact. This hub focuses on water pollution, thermal pollution, soil contamination, and diseases like Minamata. It is a highly relevant topic for environmental studies in UPSC exams.

Water pollution sourcesOcean pollutantsHeavy metal contaminationSoil erosion impactsThermal pollution causes

Pollution and Human Impact Questions

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Heat islands are formed by

  1. Water pollution

  2. Air pollution

  3. Land pollution

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The heat island is a phenomenon where heat can no longer escape. The high temperature in urban areas as compared to rural areas can be called heat island effect. With the loss of vegetation and land surface in urban areas, heat gets trapped between buildings and dense areas which cause a warming effect. The air pollution due to greenhouse gases is responsible for this. Bigger cities have large heat island effects, the waste heat from energy use, seasonal changes, local weather also contribute to heat islands.

Hence, the correct answer is 'Air pollution'.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Which pollution is considered as major environmental risk factor on environment?

  1. Visual pollution

  2. Therml pollution

  3. Soil pollution

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

Air pollution is widely recognized as one of the most significant environmental risk factors globally, causing millions of premature deaths annually through respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. While visual, thermal, and soil pollution are serious concerns, air pollution has the broadest and most direct impact on human health and ecosystems globally. The WHO identifies air pollution as the largest environmental health risk.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Effect of pollution is observed first on

  1. Food crops

  2. Green vegetation

  3. Micro-organisms

  4. Herbivores
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Air pollution can directly affect plants via leaves or indirectly via soil acidification. When exposed to pollutants, most plants experience physiological changes before exhibiting visible damage to leaves like necrosis, chlorosis. The atmospheric SO$ _2$ adversely affects various morphological and physiological characteristics of plants through acid rain. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Pollution can bring about change in

  1. Biogeochemical cycling

  2. Abiotic environment

  3. Biotic environment

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

Pollution in all forms can cause a disturbance in the ecosystem. Melting of glaciers can cause rising in sea levels, which increase the threat of mixing fresh and salt water and the species can be extinct, the food chain can be disrupted, climatic change can cause instability, several areas might become prone to erosions, landslides, heavy rainstorms can cause migrations and crisis of survival. When the abiotic environment is disturbed, the worst effects are finally faced by the biotic environment.

Hence, the correct answer is 'Biotic environment'.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Environmental pollution effects

  1. Biotic components

  2. Plants only

  3. Man only

  4. Biotic and abiotic components of environemnt
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Biotic components are living things and abiotic components are non-living being in an ecosystem. Pollution of any kind adversely affect these components, contaminated air affects the natural cycle of respiration for trees, human and animals, excessive use of fertilisers diminish the quality of soil and malign the quality of water. Smoke and chemical production cause ozone depletion. Lands are becoming infertile, natural water bodies are drying up, and with the development new kind of pollution can be identified such as nuclear pollution making soil, water and atmosphere radioactive for long period.

Hence, the correct answer is 'Biotic and abiotic components of environment'.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Which of the following does not cause soil pollution

  1. Acid rain

  2. Agriculture activities

  3. Monsoon rain

  4. Industrial activities
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
The following are the main mechanisms that generate soil pollution:
A. Antropogenic – through human activity including:
1. Accidental spills and leaks during storage, transport or use of chemicals (e.g., leaks and spills of gasoline and diesel at gas stations);
2. Foundry activities and manufacturing processes that involve furnaces or other processes resulting in possible dispersion of contaminants in environment;
3. Mining activities involving crushing and processing of raw materials (such as mining activity);
4. Construction activities
5. Agricultural activities involving the spread of herbicides/pesticides/insecticides and fertilizers;
6. Transportation activities (e.g., vehicle emissions)
7. Dumping of chemicals (accidental or intended – such as illegal dumping);
Storage of wastes in landfills (which may leak to groundwater or generate polluted vapours)
8. Cracked paint chips falling from building walls, especially lead-based paint;
B. Natural causes:
1. Natural accumulation of compounds in soil due to imbalances between atmospheric deposition and leaching away with precipitation water (e.g., concentration and accumulation of perchlorate in soils in arid environments).
2. Natural production in soil under certain environmental conditions (e.g., natural formation of perchlorate in soil in the presence of a chlorine source, metallic object and using the energy generated by a thunderstorm).
3. Leaks from sewer lines into subsurface (e.g., adding chlorine which could generate trihalometanes such as chloroform).
Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Soil pollution is caused by

  1. Pesticides

  2. Fertilizers

  3. Industrial waste

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Soil pollution is caused by removal or addition of substances and factors which decrease its productivity. It is caused by agrochemicals, industrial wastes, municipal wastes etc. It adversely affects the fertility of the soil.

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

Soil pollution is caused by

  1. Water impurity

  2. Smokey air

  3. Chemical deposition

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

Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of human-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, solvents, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals. 

Multiple choice business organisation and correspondence environmental pollution and industries air pollution and its effects the environment and us environment and conservation

The type of pollution which occurs in lithosphere is known as

  1. Soil pollution

  2. Water pollution

  3. Air pollution

  4. Noise pollution
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
The lithosphere is the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle. The type of pollution which occurs in lithosphere is soil pollution. Soil pollution occurs when the presence of toxic chemicals, pollutants or contaminants in the soil is in high enough concentrations to be of risk to plants, wildlife, humans and of course, the soil itself.
So, the correct answer is 'Soil pollution'.
Multiple choice biology air and water pollution control environmental impact: global warming green house effect geobiochemical cycle

Gloal warming is a serious outcome of:

  1. water pollution

  2. land pollution

  3. industrial pollution

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

Global warming is among the most serious outcome of industrial pollution, witnessed on the account of the steady rise of industrial activities. Industries release into the atmosphere a variety of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide $(CO _2)$ and methane $(CH _4)$. These gases absorb thermal radiation from the sun thereby increasing the general temperature of the earth, leading to global warming.

Multiple choice evs how to save fuel define fossil fuels conservation of fuels reason for finishing of materials (resources) fuel and conservation

Industrial boom, increased population and wastage are the causes of _________.

  1. water depletion

  2. oil depletion

  3. coal depletion

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Rapid industrialization, population growth, and excessive wastage lead to the over-extraction and pollution of freshwater resources. This combination severely strains local hydrological cycles, causing widespread water depletion.

Multiple choice evs how to save fuel define fossil fuels conservation of fuels reason for finishing of materials (resources) fuel and conservation

Which of the following is a recently originated problem of environment?

  1. Global warming

  2. Ozone depletion

  3. Greenhouse effect

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
Global warming, also referred to as climate change, is the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system  and its related effects.

Ozone layer depletion is simply the wearing out (reduction) of the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. Unlike pollution, which has many types and causes, ozone depletion has been pinned down to one major human activity. 

Depletion begins when CFC's get into the stratosphere.

The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere.

Hence the option D is correct.
Multiple choice evs how to save fuel define fossil fuels conservation of fuels reason for finishing of materials (resources) fuel and conservation

What are the effects of natural resource depletion?

  1. reduce the quality of safe and accessible drinking water.

  2. introduces harmful toxins into waterways and the atmosphere.

  3. cause soil contamination.

  4. All of above.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Depletion of natural resources like water, fuel-air and soil produces competition among living organisms for the remaining portions and diminishes the quality of available resources. Some of the human activities reduce the quality of drinking water. Overuse of fossil fuels reduces their availability and also introduces harmful toxins into the water and the atmosphere. Deforestation and agricultural activities exacerbate erosion and cause soil contamination, which impairs the survival capacity of plants, and makes surrounding areas prone to flooding and environmental disasters.