- The largest volume reservoir of unfrozen fresh water is:
Your answer:
the sum of all water in lakes and streams.
water in the atmosphere.
groundwater.
water in the biosphere.
- To be useful as a source of water a rock must be:
Your answer:
unsaturated.
fairly permeable.
fairly porous.
both porous and permeable.
- Possible consequences of excessive groundwater withdrawal include:
Your answer:
surface subsidence.
compaction of aquifer rocks.
reduced aquifer permeability.
all of the above.
- Most of the water withdrawn for use in the United States is withdrawn for:
Your answer:
rural home use.
industry.
agriculture.
municipal water supplies.
- Use of water for irrigation:
Your answer:
does not significantly affect groundwater consumption, as surface water is nearly always used.
could be increased by using desalinated water, which is cheap.
could be more efficient with drip irrigation.
all of the above.
- The moderately leached soil rich in aluminum and iron compounds that is characteristic of the eastern United States is a ________ type of soil.
Your answer:
marble
pedocal
laterite
pedalfer
- Lateritic soils:
Your answer:
are rich in plant nutrients.
are the common soils of tropical rain forests.
are kept soft and workable by the action of sun and rain.
all of the above.
- When soil is eroded from farmland:
Your answer:
the nutrient-rich topsoil is most severely affected.
crop yields and crop nutritional quality may be reduced.
sediment pollution of streams may increase.
all of the above.
- Soil erosion from farmland can be reduced by all of the following methods except:
Your answer:
terracing of fields.
contour plowing.
careful, complete clearing of crop stubble from fields after harvest.
use of windbreaks.
- Dense materials, like magnetite and native gold, may be concentrated in a cooling magma chamber by:
Your answer:
fluids.
gases.
porosity.
gravity.
- Ore deposits of dense minerals concentrated by stream action are called:
Your answer:
evaporites.
hydrothermal.
metamorphic.
placers.
- If demand forces metal price increases, all of the following can be expected to occur except:
Your answer:
development of lower-grade (lower concentration) ore deposits.
significant rapid increases in total world metal resources.
disturbance of more land for mineral extraction.
reclassification of some resources as reserves.
- If developed nations stabilize their mineral consumption:
Your answer:
world mineral demand overall will decline due to population increases in less-developed countries.
world consumption will also remain constant for the forseeable future.
world mineral demand will still rise as standards of living in less-developed countries improve.
the minerals industry will collapse because demand will not be increasing.
- Conventional nuclear powerplants utilize what process to release tremendous amounts of energy from atoms of uranium?
Your answer:
fusion
confusion
fission
remission
- Which of the following statements is not true?
Your answer:
The U.S. has substantial reserves of coal.
Fossil fuel alternative energies can be cheaply produced.
The U.S. derives nearly 90% of its energy via fossil fuel combustion.
Combustion of the fossil fuels releases the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
- What element, upon combustion of coal, may combine with atmospheric gases to generate acid rain?
Your answer:
carbon
sulfur
uranium
lead
- Which of the following is not inhibiting the large-scale development of solar-genearted electricity in the United States?
Your answer:
There's now too much Ultraviolet light penetrating the atmosphere to efficiently convert it to electricity.
Sunlight energy can't be effectively stored.
Sunlight energy is non-uniformly distributed.
Sunlight is variable in its intensity.
- Which of the following statements concerning dams is not true?
Your answer:
Dams have a limited useful life since sediment accumulation with time will lessen the dam's water-holding capacity.
The U.S. still possesses numerous rivers that could be dammed to generate electricity.
The hydroelectric power genearted by dams is the fossil fuel alternative that contributes the second highest percentage to the U.S. energy profile.
Besides power generation, dams are used as a method of flood control.
- Sunlight can be directly converted to electricity via _______ cells.
Your answer:
photosensitive
photovoltaic
photogenic
photosynthesis
- Although the U.S. has few high concentration deposits of this nontradtional, semisolid fossil fuel, the Canadians have abundant deposits and are actively pursuing their development.
Your answer:
oil shales
gas hydrates
carbonites
tar sands
- What nuclear process involves the combination of atom nuclei and generates tremendous amounts of energy?
Your answer:
- What is the name of the waxlike hydrocarbon that is disseminated throughout rocks classified as oil shales?
Your answer:
- What term describes terrain that is characterized by underground drainage, sinkholes, and caverns?
Your answer:
- What two elements are present in elevated concentrations if a water is classified as hard?
Your answer:
- In most metropolitan areas that tap deep aquifers, would groundwater be considered a renewable or nonrenewable resource?
Your answer:
- What soil erosion reduction strategy attempts to disturb farm soils as infrequently as possible?
Your answer:
- What is the name given to the type of mineral deposits that are concentrated via the actions of very hot waters?
Your answer:
- Artesian groundwater systems require a confined or unconfined aquifer to develop?
Your answer:
- During the late 1980s two university researchers erroneously announced that they had successfully completed experiments involving what process that could generate tremendous amounts of energy?
Your answer:
- Development of ambient-temperature ____________ would allow electricity to be transported with 100% efficiency.
Your answer: