Environmental Biotechnology Multiple Choice Questions on “Basic Aspects of Solid Waste Management”.
1. Which of the following undesirable and waste material is neither gas nor liquid?
a) Water waste
b) Oxygen
c) Liquid waste
d) Solid waste
Answer: d
Clarification: Solid waste like meal scraps, waste food, racked leaves, sewage, animal manure etc. are referred as unwanted waste material that is not in gas or liquid state. Molecular oxygen, liquid waste and water waste are not found in solid state.
2. Which of the following are not categorized as hazardous wastes?
a) Garbage
b) Industry wastes
c) Hospital wastes
d) Laboratory wastes
Answer: a
Clarification: Garbage usually produced during cooking, storage of other food items is not categorized as hazardous wastes whereas, industry wastes, hospital wastes and laboratory wastes contains biohazards, harmful chemicals which is very harmful for the environment and hence categorized as hazardous waste.
3. Disposal is the initial stage during solid waste management.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Disposal is usually done in the end and hence, is not done in the initial stage during the solid waste management, may it be from residential area or commercial area or any other source.
4. Which of the following is both inorganic and organic?
a) Sewage Sludge
b) Liquid crystalline
c) Natural gas
d) Semi crystalline
Answer: a
Clarification: Sewage Sludge is produced during primary and secondary treatment phases and are usually sticky and has pathogens, so, it is both inorganic and organic, whereas, Liquid crystalline and Semi crystalline are optically active polymer that can activate in response to heat, light, electrical field etc. and hence, is not is inorganic or organic and natural gas is usually a hydrocarbon which is non-renewable.
5. Which of the following is not a result of mishandling of solid waste?
a) Odor
b) Hydrolysis of sugar
c) Fire
d) Dysentery
Answer: b
Clarification: Mishandling of solid waste can lead to fire from ashes when added to combustible refuse, dysentery like bacillary dysentery, amoebic dysentery from human fecal matter spread by flies to food and water, odor due to rotting of garbage but hydrolysis of sugar is not a result of mismanagement of solid waste.
6. Which of the following is a visual pollution?
a) Insightfulness of piles of garbage
b) Mashing with Adhesives
c) Mashing with Fibers
d) Flowers
Answer: a
Clarification: Insightfulness of piles of garbage which offends the aesthetic feeling is referred to as visual pollution, whereas, mashing with Adhesives or fibers is not related to visual pollution and flowers are fine-looking to watch.
7. Which of the following methods cannot be used for waste disposal?
a) Dumping
b) Gasification
c) Incineration
d) Open sea disposal
Answer: d
Clarification: If open sea disposal method is used for disposing waste, a lot of aquatic organisms would be affected and in long run it might affect other land organisms as well, whereas, dumping is done in low lying areas, gasification is the degradation of organic matter in anaerobic conditions and incineration involves chemical reaction, all these methods doesn’t cause much damage to the environment.
8. Which of the following is an important part of the natural release of biogas in the environment?
a) Biogeochemcial cycle
b) Environment pollution
c) Afforestation
d) Deforestation
Answer: a
Explanation The natural release of biogas in the environment due to the activity of methanogens leads is crucial for biogeochemical cycle, whereas, biogas does not lead to a considerable amount of environment pollution, afforestation and deforestation are caused by human intervention.
9. Which of the following organism degrade the organic matter thereby, transfer the matter to the environment?
a) Methanogens
b) Manganese
c) Carbon dioxide
d) Methane
Answer: a
Clarification: Methanogens degrade the organic matter under anaerobic conditions producing natural biogas, whereas, manganese, carbon dioxide and methane are not microorganisms that degrade the organic matter.
10. Which of the following temperature is optimum for incinerators?
a) 900-1100°C
b) 100-110°C
c) 90-110°C
d) 100-11000°C
Answer: a
Clarification: 900-1100°C is the optimum temperature for incinerators which operates in the combustion zone which results in good combustion and also protects the inside walls of the incinerator. Temperature above and lower this range wouldn’t result in good combustion and might harm the incinerator as well.
11. The chemical reaction between the carbon, hydrogen present in the solid waste combines with the oxygen.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: The chemical reaction between the carbon, hydrogen present in the solid waste combines with the oxygen and when it enters the combustion zone, this reaction generates heat.
12. Which of the following resembles the rich topsoil in context to solid waste composting?
a) Humus
b) Bed rock
c) Sub soil
d) Weathered rock
Answer: a
Clarification: The dark substance in the top layer of the soil which looks like peat and has a powdery texture is humus, sub soil, weathered rock bed rock are the subsequent layers after the top layer.
13. Why mismanagement of battery waste can be harmful?
a) Texture
b) Heavy metals
c) Plastics
d) Odor
Answer: b
Clarification: Battery recycling is very vital as it contains heavy metals like cadmium, lead and mercury which if comes in contact with the environment is very harmful. Hence, should be handled properly. Odor and texture is not hazardous; plastics is a major concern but is not related to the batteries waste.
14. Why recycling of metal is more cost effective?
a) Extraction of metal increases
b) Increases operating cost
c) Reduces operating cost
d) Reduces odor
Answer: c
Clarification: Recycling of metal highly reduces the operating cost and the industrial cost as extraction cost is reduced and energy consumption is also reduced, extraction of metal decreases and odor is not relative.
15. Unrecycled plastic leads to emission of greenhouse gases.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: Unrecycled plastic leads to emission of greenhouse gases because of their non-renewable property and is potential pollutant in the environment and can also lead to emission of carcinogenic gases.