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

Global warming has resulted due to

  1. increased level of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen

  2. increased emissions of CO2 from automobiles

  3. increased flatulence of animals

  4. increased emissions of fine particulates from automobiles
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Global warming has resulted due to increased emissions of CO2 from automobiles. The main cause of it is greenhouse effect. Naturally occurring amounts of greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F). The major greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2) which causes 9-26% of greenhouse effect.

Multiple choice

Which of the following are the impacts of nutrient pollution?

  1. Undergrowth of algae
  2. Shifts in composition of species
  3. Excess of organic carbon

  1. Both 1 and 2

  2. Both 2 and 3

  3. Both 1 and 3

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

Nutrient pollution, a form of water pollution, refers to contamination by excessive inputs of nutrients. It has the following effects:

Population effects: excess growth of algae (blooms); Community effects: species composition shifts (dominant taxa); Ecological effects: foodweb changes, light limitation; Biogeochemical effects: excess organic carbon (eutrophication); dissolved oxygen deficits (hypoxia); toxin production; Human health effects: excess nitrate in drinking water

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are the negative impact(s) of reservoir-type hydropower plants?

  1. Large tracts of land get submerged under water.

  2. A hydropower plant leads to water pollution directly.

  3. The vegetation, which is submerged, gives rise to methane gas.

  4. Both (1) and (3)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Large tracts of land get submerged under water and the vegetation, which is submerged, gives rise to methane gas; both are the negative impacts of reservoir-type hydropower plants. 

Multiple choice

Making of dams and factories near a forest will

  1. pollute and disturb the forest life

  2. disturb the life of animals due to noise

  3. disturb the life of plants

  4. cause land pollution in the forest
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Making of dams and factories near a forest will result in air pollution which will disturb the life in forests.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

  1. Water pollution is caused by littering.

  2. Water pollution is caused by dumping wastes into water.

  3. Water pollution is harmful.

  4. Water is precious, we must use it carefully.

  5. Water pollution is harmless.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

Water pollution is very harmful. It is affecting our life in many ways. So, we should not make the ponds, rivers and seas dirty by throwing wastes in it.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not a type of pollution?

  1. Air

  2. Water

  3. Soil

  4. Noise

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

All the options listed (air, water, soil, noise pollution) are recognized types of environmental pollution. Therefore 'None of these' (meaning 'none of these is not a pollution type') is the correct answer as all are valid pollution categories.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the main outcome of burning fossil fuels?

  1. Destruction of habitat

  2. Increased use of land

  3. Air pollution

  4. Contamination of habitat

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Burning of fossil fuels releases a lot of pollutants into the atmosphere like sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, etc., which have various environmental effects. Hence, air is polluted.

Multiple choice

What is the principal reason for the thermal pollution in different water bodies?

  1. Decay in plants and animals in swamp deep ponds or lakes

  2. Wastes from petro-chemical industry

  3. Domestic sewage and animal waste

  4. Release of hot water from industry/power plant

  5. Agricultural run-off
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Thermal pollution refers to the change in normal temperature of water that degrades the quality of water. This change in temperature may be in upward or downward directions. The main reason behind this is our industry/power plant where water is used as cooling agent. After the water is used as cooling agent, it returned back to the environment at a higher temperature that has an adverse affects on ecosystem of water bodies.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is the source of a pathogen, a major water pollutant?

The water pollutants are as follows:
1. Suspended impurities like sand, mud, clay and organic matter.
2. Dissolve gasses like CO2, NH3, N2, H2S. 
3. Dissolve minerals like Ca2+, Na+ and Mg2+ salts. 
4. Dissolved chemicals, pesticides, domestic wastes, etc.
5. Micro-organisms of pathogenic or non-pathogenic nature like bacteria, virus, protozoa, etc.
6. Isotopes or radiologically activated substances.

  1. Waste from agricultural run-off

  2. Waste from petro-chemical industry

  3. Domestic sewage and animal waste

  4. Cooling water from industrial and power generation plants

  5. Decay in plants and animals in swamp deep ponds or lakes.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Domestic sewage and animal waste are the sources (anthropogenic source) of pathogen class of water pollutants, which cause different water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, etc.