Environmental Pollution PYQs

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1. Prelims 2014Q16Environmental Pollution

   Brominated flame retardants are used in many household products like mattresses and upholstery. Why is there some concern about their use?

   1.They are highly resistant to degradation in the environment.

   2.They are able to accumulate in humans and animals.

   Select the correct answer using the code given below.

   a1 onlyb2 onlycBoth 1 and 2dNeither 1 nor 2
2. Prelims 2014Q24Environmental Pollution

   Which of the following are some important pollutants released by steel industry in India?

   1.Oxides of sulphur

   2.Oxides of nitrogen

   3.Carbon monoxide

   4.Carbon dioxide

   Select the correct answer using the code given below.

   a1, 3 and 4 onlyb2 and 3 onlyc1 and 4 onlyd1, 2, 3 and 4
3. Prelims 2014Q98Environmental Pollution

   There is some concern regarding the nanoparticles of some chemical elements that are used by the industry in the manufacture of various products. Why?

   1.They can accumulate in the environment, and contaminate water and soil.

   2.They can enter the food chains.

   3.They can trigger the production of free radicals.

   Select the correct answer using the code given below.

   a1 and 2 onlyb3 onlyc1 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
4. Prelims 2013Q8Environmental Pollution

   Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India?

   1.Arsenic

   2.Sorbitol

   3.Fluoride

   4.Formaldehyde

   5.Uranium

   Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

   a1 and 3 onlyb2, 4 and 5 onlyc1, 3 and 5 onlyd1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
5. Prelims 2013Q29Environmental Pollution

   Due to improper/indiscriminate disposal of old and used computers or their parts, which of the following are released into the environment as e-waste?

   1.Beryllium

   2.Cadmium

   3.Chromium

   4.Heptachlor

   5.Mercury

   6.Lead

   7.Plutonium

   Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

   a1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 onlyb1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 onlyc2, 4, 5 and 7 onlyd1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
6. Prelims 2013Q30Environmental Pollution

   Acid rain is caused by the pollution of environment by

   acarbon dioxide and nitrogenbcarbon monoxide and carbon dioxidecozone and carbon dioxidednitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide
7. Prelims 2013Q49Environmental Pollution

   Photochemical smog is a resultant of the reaction among

   aNO₂, O₃ and peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence of sunlightbCO, O₂ and peroxyacetyl nitrate in the presence of sunlightcCO, CO₂ and NO₂ at low temperaturedhigh concentration of NO₂, O₃ and CO in the evening
8. Prelims 2012Q15Environmental PollutionAnswer disputed

   Lead, ingested or inhaled, is a health hazard. After the addition of lead to petrol has been banned, what still are the sources of lead poisoning?

   1.Smelting units

   2.Pens and pencils

   3.Paints

   4.Hair oils and cosmetics

   Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

   a1, 2 and 3 onlyb1 and 3 onlyc2 and 4 onlyd1, 2, 3 and 4
9. Prelims 2011Q2Environmental Pollution

   Consider the following:

   1.Carbon dioxide

   2.Oxides of Nitrogen

   3.Oxides of Sulphur

   Which of the above is/are the emission/emissions from coal combustion at thermal power plants?

   a1 onlyb2 and 3 onlyc1 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
10. Prelims 2011Q47Environmental Pollution

    There is a concern over the increase in harmful algal blooms in the seawaters of India. What could be the causative factors for this phenomenon?

    1.Discharge of nutrients from the estuaries.

    2.Run-off from the land during the monsoon.

    3.Upwelling in the seas.

    Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

    a1 onlyb1 and 2 onlyc2 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
11. Prelims 2011Q65Environmental Pollution

    Recently, ‘oilzapper’ was in the news. What is it?

    aIt is an eco-friendly technology for the remediation of oily sludge and oil spillsbIt is the latest technology developed for under sea oil explorationcIt is a genetically engineered high biofuel yielding maize varietydIt is the latest technology to control the accidentally caused flames from oil wells
12. Prelims 2010Q38Environmental Pollution

    Consider the following:

    1.Oxides of Hydrogen

    2.Oxides of Nitrogen

    3.Oxides of Sulphur

    Which of the above causes/cause acid rain?

    a1 and 2 onlyb3 onlyc2 and 3 onlyd1, 2 and 3
13. Prelims 2003Q106Environmental Pollution

    Assertion (A): Coal-based thermal power stations contribute to acid rain.

    Reason (R): Oxides of carbon are emitted when the coal burns.

    aBoth A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of AbBoth A and R are individually true but R is NOT the correct explanation of AcA is true but R is falsedA is false but R is true
14. Prelims 2003Q118Environmental Pollution

    Which one of following is produced during the formation of photochemical smog?

    aHydrocarbonsbNitrogen OxidescOzonedMethane
15. Prelims 1998Q102Environmental Pollution

    The water pollution in river is measured by the dissolved amount of

    aChlorinebOzonecNitrogendOxygen
16. Prelims 1996Q106Environmental Pollution

    Physico-chemical characteristics of water in water sources undergo changes due to

    aaquatic macrophytesbaquatic fungiceffluentsdevapotranspiration
17. Prelims 1995Q128Environmental Pollution

    “The final Agent Orange raid in Vietnam took place in 1970…. areas have begun to bloom again. But 19 years after the war’s end, it seems plain that Agent Orange is killing and maiming human beings, something it never intended to do. The apparent toxic fall-out from those clouds ... is a crop of human miseries including cancers, miscarriages and birth defects — that may persist for decades.” The offensive substance referred to in the above quotation is

    aDDT used as insecticideba complex mixture of herbicides and weedicides used to increase agricultural output in the then South Vietnam under the US aid programmeca complex mixture of DDT and other insecticides used as aerial sprays for protection against malaria and other tropical diseasesddioxin used as defoliants