Chemistry for Changing Times, 14e (Hill/McCreary)
Chapter 13 Air
13.1 Multiple Choice Questions
1) Commercial airplanes fly in the
A) biosphere.
B) stratosphere.
C) troposphere.
D) ionosphere.
2) The most abundant component of dry air is
A) radon.
B) carbon monoxide.
C) nitrogen.
D) helium.
3) The second most abundant component of dry air is
A) argon.
B) carbon dioxide.
C) nitrogen.
D) oxygen.
4) The most important of the minor components of dry air is
A) argon.
B) carbon dioxide.
C) helium.
D) neon.
5) The concentration of which component of the atmosphere has increased dramatically since the
beginning of the industrial era?
A) argon
B) carbon dioxide
C) sulfur dioxide
D) krypton
6) Which component of the atmosphere is predicted to rise in the foreseeable future?
A) argon
B) carbon dioxide
C) fluorine
D) carbon monoxide
7) The layer of the atmosphere that is closest to the surface of the earth is the
A) mesosphere.
B) stratosphere.
C) thermosphere.
D) troposphere.
8) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) The temperature of the mesosphere falls as you get farther from the earth’s surface.
B) The temperature of the stratosphere falls as you get farther from the earth’s surface.
C) The temperature of the stratosphere rises as you get farther from the earth’s surface.
D) The temperature of the troposphere falls as you get farther from the earth’s surface.
9) With respect to reactivity at normal temperatures, nitrogen is best classified as
A) highly reactive.
B) somewhat reactive.
C) relatively unreactive.
D) comparable to helium in its reactivity.
10) In order for nitrogen to be used by most plants and all animals, it must be
A) separated.
B) purified.
C) liquefied.
D) fixed.
11) The industrial fixation of nitrogen to produce nitrogen fertilizers has drastically increased food
supply primarily because
A) plants need nitrogen.
B) plants fix nitrogen slowly.
C) the availability of fixed nitrogen is often a limiting factor in plant growth.
D) nitrogen in the atmosphere has decreased over the past two centuries.
12) Which of the following is a form of nitrogen fixation?
A) N2 + O2 + energy(lightning) → 2 NO
B) N2 + 3 H2 → 2 NH3
C) N2 + bacteria → nitrates
D) All are forms of nitrogen fixation.
13) Nitrogen is converted to nitrates by which of the following reactions?
A) N2 + O2 + energy(lightning) → 2 NO
B) 2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2
C) 3 NO2 + H2O → 2 HNO3 + NO
D) All of these reactions are involved in converting nitrogen to nitrates.
14) A major source of oxygen on Earth is
A) snow.
B) ocean-based phytoplankton.
C) plants.
D) decomposition of water in the oceans.
15) With respect to reactivity, oxygen is best classified as
A) highly reactive.
B) somewhat reactive.
C) relatively unreactive.
D) comparable to helium in its reactivity.
16) In the stratosphere, oxygen (O2) is converted to ozone (O3) by high energy ultraviolet light. When the
equation is written and balanced using whole number coefficients, the coefficient of ozone is
A) 4.
B) 3.
C) 2.
D) 1.
17) Which of the following statements is true of oxygen and nitrogen at normal temperatures?
A) Both nitrogen and oxygen are highly reactive.
B) Nitrogen is highly reactive, but oxygen is not.
C) Oxygen is highly reactive, but nitrogen is not.
D) Neither nitrogen nor oxygen is highly reactive.
18) An atmospheric inversion is a phenomenon that may have disastrous effects with respect to air
pollution. An atmospheric inversion occurs when a
A) lower layer of cool air is trapped by an upper layer of warmer air.
B) lower layer of warm air is trapped by an upper layer of cooler air.
C) lower layer of oxygen rich air is trapped by an upper layer of oxygen deficient air.
D) lower layer of oxygen deficient air is trapped by an upper layer of oxygen rich air.
19) Identify a source of air pollution.
A) photosynthesis
B) ozonolysis
C) earthquakes
D) wildfires
20) Volcanoes release large amounts of the pollutant ________.
A) Ar
B) SiO2
C) SO2
D) O3
21) Kilauea volcano in Hawaii emits 200-300 tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere each day. This is
an example of
A) the impact of natural processes on the earth’s environment.
B) air pollution from a natural source.
C) the magnitude of the chemistry associated with the environment.
D) The Kilauea volcano is an example of all of the above.
22) One of the earliest recorded examples of polluted air was written about by the Roman ________ in 61
A.D.
A) Caesar Augustus
B) Seneca
C) Cato the Elder
D) Pliny
23) Which of the following human activities contributed to the pollution of our ancestral air?
A) Discovering, making, and using tools contributed to air pollution.
B) The discovery and use of fire contributed to air pollution.
C) The development of crop farming contributed to air pollution.
D) All of these contributed to air pollution.
24) A definition of a pollutant is a chemical
A) in the wrong place but at the right concentration.
B) in the wrong place or at the wrong concentration.
C) in the right place but at the wrong concentration.
D) in the right place and at the right concentration.
25) Which of the following statements about ozone is correct?
A) Ozone is a pollutant in both the troposphere and the stratosphere.
B) Ozone is a pollutant in the troposphere but not in the stratosphere.
C) Ozone is a pollutant in the stratosphere but not in the troposphere.
D) Ozone is a not a pollutant in either the troposphere or the stratosphere.
26) The main difference between air pollution problems today and problems in the past is
A) global warming.
B) less polar ice.
C) it is now a worldwide problem.
D) less rainfall.
27) The word smog is believed to have originated in
A) London.
B) Los Angeles.
C) Mexico City.
D) Japan.
28) In December, 1952 in London, a four-day-long atmospheric inversion created the worst smog in
history. The death toll ultimately attributed to the smog was estimated at
A) 10.
B) 100.
C) 2000.
D) over 4000.
29) London smog is attributed primarily to
A) the burning of coal.
B) train exhaust.
C) sulfur oxides.
D) ozone.
30) The complete oxidation of coal produces
A) carbon monoxide (CO).
B) carbon dioxide (CO2).
C) particulate matter.
D) soot.
31) Which of the following is used to remove particulate matter from smokestack gases?
A) bag filtration
B) electrostatic precipitators
C) wet scrubbers
D) All of the above are used to remove particulate matter.
32) Which of the following is most commonly used to remove sulfur dioxide from smokestack gases?
A) bag filtration
B) electrostatic precipitators
C) limestone-dolomite process
D) wet scrubbers
33) Unburned carbon produced during the inefficient burning of coal is called
A) ash.
B) soot.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) clinkers.
34) Sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen to form
A) SO3.
B) S2O3.
C) S3O5.
D) H2SO4.
35) Sulfur trioxide reacts with water to form
A) sulfur dioxide.
B) sulfur monoxide.
C) sulfurous acid.
D) sulfuric acid.
36) Sulfur dioxide is readily absorbed in the respiratory system, where it is
A) soothing.
B) a powerful irritant.
C) mildly irritating.
D) unreactive.
37) Removal of particulates from smokestack gases
A) decreases the plant’s energy efficiency.
B) creates a solid waste disposal problem.
C) increases the costs of producing energy.
D) All of the above result from removal of particulates.
39) An electrostatic precipitator is a device used
A) in the laboratory study of pollution.
B) to precipitate ions in water.
C) to remove particles from smokestack gases.
D) to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
40) Which of the following statements about particulate particles is NOT correct?
A) They are easier to remove from factory exhaust than sulfur dioxide is.
B) They can sometimes be seen in the air as dust or smoke.
C) Particles that are less than 10 µm in diameter are more dangerous than larger particles are.
D) Less than 10% of the counties in the United States have particle pollution levels that exceed the EPA’s
standards.
41) Which one of the following is NOT a property of carbon monoxide?
A) odorless
B) tasteless
C) colorless
D) undetectable
42) Usually the symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning is
A) diarrhea.
B) uncontrollable shaking.
C) drowsiness.
D) blubluing of the eyes and skin.
43) Carbon monoxide pollution is best described as a(n)
A) rural problem.
B) urban problem.
C) global problem.
D) Carbon monoxide pollution is none of the above.
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44) Hemoglobin is the blood protein responsible for the transport of oxygen. Carbon monoxide disturbs
oxygen transport by
A) destroying hemoglobin.
B) destroying oxygen in the lung.
C) binding more strongly to hemoglobin than oxygen.
D) destroying lung alveoli.
45) At the high temperature in an internal combustion engine, a fraction of the nitrogen in air is converted
to
A) carbon monoxide.
B) sulfur dioxide.
C) argon.
D) nitrogen oxides.
46) The presence of nitrogen dioxide in smog is most easily recognized by
A) color.
B) low-hanging clouds.
C) taste.
D) rain.
47) Most hydrocarbons in the urban areas arise from
A) burning coal.
B) processing and use of gasoline.
C) industrial emissions.
D) natural sources.
48) Most hydrocarbons in the atmosphere in rural areas arise from
A) automobile exhaust.
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B) evaporation of gasoline.
C) industrial emissions.
D) natural sources.
49) What percentage of hydrocarbons found in the atmosphere result from human activity?
A) 15%
B) 35 %
C) 55%
D) 75%
50) All of the following statements about carbon monoxide (CO) pollution in the United States are true
EXCEPT
A) carbon monoxide makes up over 60% (by mass) of all air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.
B) the concentration of carbon monoxide is higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
C) people exposed to carbon monoxide have a higher risk of heart attacks.
D) the major source of carbon monoxide emissions is industrial sources, such as metal processing.
51) When gasoline undergoes complete combustion, carbon dioxide and water are produced. However,
these reactions are generally incomplete combustions, and there are side reactions which produce small
amounts of harmful products. These pollutants include all of the following EXCEPT
A) carbon monoxide.
B) lead.
C) nitrogen oxides.
D) volatile organic compounds.
52) Organic substances that undergo significant evaporation at ordinary temperatures are
A) lead-containing compounds.
B) nitrogen oxides.
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C) sulfur oxides.
D) volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
53) Carbon monoxide reacts with hemoglobin and interferes with its ability to transport oxygen. Which
other gas also can react with hemoglobin when it is present in high concentrations?
A) nitrogen (N2)
B) nitric oxide (NO)
C) sulfur dioxide (SO2)
D) sulfur trioxide (SO3)
54) One of the results of ozone pollution is
A) destruction of bricks.
B) decomposition of granite buildings.
C) cracking of roads.
D) extensive damage to crops.
55) Which one of the following is NOT one of the principal components required for photochemical
smog?
A) nitrogen oxides
B) hydrocarbons
C) sulfur dioxide
D) sunshine
56) The major source of photochemical smog is
A) automobile emissions.
B) industrial emissions.
C) fossil fuel power plant emissions.
D) nuclear power plant emissions.
57) The primary reaction in the formation of photochemical smog is
A) 2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2.
B) NO2 + sunlight → NO + O.
C) O + O2 → O3.
D) O3 + hydrocarbons → aldehydes.
58) The day starts out bright and sunny. Later, a brown haze develops. This indicates the presence of
A) nitrogen dioxide.
B) ozone.
C) carbon monoxide.
D) methane.
59) A secondary reaction in the formation of photochemical smog is
A) 2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2.
B) NO2 + sunlight → NO + O.
C) O + O2 → O3.
D) O3 + hydrocarbons → aldehydes.
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60) Catalytic converters on automobiles are designed to reduce the emission of
A) nitrogen oxides.
B) carbon monoxide.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) sulfur oxides.
61) The metal catalyst in catalytic converters is often
A) gold.
B) zinc.
C) platinum.
D) silver.
62) Running an engine with a richer (more fuel, less air) combustion mixture lowers nitrogen oxide
emissions from automobiles. The problem is that
A) hydrocarbon emission increases.
B) carbon monoxide emission increases.
C) fuel efficiency decreases.
D) all of the above occur.
63) Which of the following contributes least to the problem of photochemical smog?
A) nitrogen oxides emitted by cars
B) hydrocarbons emitted by cars
C) warm, sunny days
D) cool, wet days
64) Which of the following statements about catalytic converters is NOT correct?
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A) The reaction surface area is unrelated to the efficiency of the converter.
B) They use a metal catalyst such as Pt or Pd.
C) They catalyze the conversion of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides to less harmful
compounds.
D) The catalyst adheres either to a honeycomb support or to small ceramic beads.
65) Urban smog contains several air pollutants, including ozone. For a typical sunny day, when would
you expect the concentration of ozone to be highest?
A) midnight
B) 6 a.m.
C) noon
D) 6 p.m.
66) Acid rain is precipitation with a pH
A) above 11.5.
B) above 8.2.
C) below 5.6.
D) below 3.6.
67) “Pure” rainfall (rainfall undisturbed by human influences) has a pH of approximately 5.6. The pH of
rain in some areas has been measured at 2.6. The acidity of this rain is
A) 0.3 times that of normal rain.
B) 3 times that of normal rain.
C) 300 times that of normal rain.
D) 1000 times that of normal rain.
68) The two principal sources of acid rain are ________ emissions from power plants and ________
emissions from automobiles and power plants.
A) sulfur monoxide; ozone
B) ozone; nitrogen monoxide