Chapter 16 AP® Environmental Science Practice Exam

586

Section 1: Multiple-Choice Questions

586

Choose the best answer for questions 1–13.

Question 1

1. Which is NOT a reason to keep household batteries out of landfills?

  1. They can leach toxic metals.

  2. Their decomposition can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

  3. They can be recycled, which would reduce the need for new raw materials.

  4. They can be recycled, which would reduce the need for additional energy.

  5. They take up space in landfills and we have a finite supply of landfill space.

Question 2

2. All of the following are desired outcomes of MSW incineration except

  1. extracting energy.

  2. reducing volume.

  3. prolonging the life of landfills.

  4. increasing air pollution.

  5. generating electricity.

Question 3

3. In the last 15 years, MSW per capita in the United States has

  1. decreased drastically.

  2. decreased, then increased drastically.

  3. increased drastically.

  4. increased moderately, and then decreased drastically.

  5. stayed the same.

Question 4

4. The EPA estimates that approximately ____ percent of municipal solid waste comes from residences and ____ percent comes from commercial and institutional facilities.

  1. 30/70

  2. 40/60

  3. 50/50

  4. 60/40

  5. 70/30

Question 5

5. Which material constituted the largest component of municipal solid waste?

  1. Metals

  2. Yard waste

  3. Food scraps

  4. Discarded electronic devices

  5. Paper

Question 6

6. Increasing tipping fees can cause

  1. decreased rates of recycling.

  2. increases in illegal dumping.

  3. incentives for proper waste disposal.

  4. reduced use of hazardous material.

  5. a lack of funding for landfills.

Question 7

7. From an environmental waste perspective, which of the following is the most desirable?

  1. Reduce

  2. Reuse

  3. Recycle

  4. Compost

  5. Incinerate

Question 8

8. In the United States, how much of generated waste ends up being recycled?

  1. < 23 percent

  2. < 33 percent

  3. < 43 percent

  4. > 53 percent

  5. > 60 percent

Question 9

9. Which legislation imposes a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries to generate funds to pay for the cleanup of hazardous substances?

  1. RCRA

  2. Cradle-to-Grave Act

  3. The National Priorities List

  4. HSWA

  5. CERCLA

Question 10

10.Of the following, which contributes most to the weight of MSW?

  1. Packaging

  2. E-waste

  3. Plastics

  4. Yard waste

  5. Metals

For questions 11–13, refer to the following lettered choices and choose the compound that is most associated with each numbered statement.

  1. Benzene

  2. Dioxin

  3. Methane

  4. Hydrochloric acid

Question 11

11.It may be present in the emissions from waste incinerators.

Question 12

12.It contaminated the land and water near the housing development Love Canal in New York.

Question 13

13.It is produced by anaerobic decomposition in landfills.

Section 2: Free-Response Questions

587

Write your answer to each part clearly. Support your answers with relevant information and examples. Where calculations are required, show your work.

Question 1

1. The total amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the United States increased from 80 million metric tons (88 million U.S. tons) in 1960 to 232 million metric tons (255 million U.S. tons) in 2007.

  1. Describe reasons for this increase and explain how the United States became the leader of the “throw-away society.” (2 points)

  2. Explain why reducing is more favorable than reusing, which in turn is more favorable than recycling. (4 points)

  3. Describe the process of composting and compare a home composting system with that of a large-scale municipal facility. (4 points)

Question 2

2. In many developing countries garbage is still deposited in open dumps. Developed countries have phased out open dumps in favor of landfills or incinerators for handling garbage in the waste stream.

  1. Explain why open dumps have been phased out in developed countries. (2 points)

  2. Describe how a modern-day sanitary landfill is constructed and explain how it is an improvement on the earlier landfills. (2 points)

  3. Discuss one benefit and one problem of landfilling waste. (2 points)

  4. Describe how a waste incinerator works and how it could be used to generate electricity. (2 points)

  5. Discuss one benefit and one problem of incinerating waste. (2 points)