Test Bank Water Resources Test Bank Answers Reichard Ch.11

Chapter 11 Test Bank: Water Resources

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the basic mechanism that naturally creates freshwater within the hydrologic cycle?

A. infiltration

B. evaporation

C. runoff

D. reverse osmosis

E. precipitation

2. Where is the majority of Earth's freshwater being stored?

A. atmosphere

B. glacial ice

C. groundwater

D. lakes

E. rivers

3. Which of the following activities use the greatest amount of water in the United States?

A. electrical generation and industrial

B. irrigation and municipal supply

C. industrial and municipal supply

D. irrigation and electrical generation

E. industrial and irrigation

4. Due to geology, some regions have to rely entirely on surface water. Which of the following is a common technique used to expand surface water supplies?

A. water diversions

B. cloud seeding

C. drilling wells

D. desalinization

E. enhanced evaporation

5. In terms of supplying sufficient quantities of drinking water, which of the following is the most important property of an aquifer?

A. low shrink-swell

B. low evaporation

C. low compressibility

D. high permeability (conductivity)

E. high ion exchange capacity

6. Which of the following earth materials would NOT make for a good aquifer?

A. fractured granite

B. shale

C. sandstone

D. sandy sediment

E. soluble limestone

7. Which of the following statements regarding streams and groundwater is NOT true?

A. groundwater baseflow is what allows streams to keep flowing during dry periods.

B. when the water table is higher than a stream channel, groundwater flows into the stream.

C. infiltrating water contributes to the supply of groundwater.

D. when a stream goes dry it means the adjoining aquifer will also go dry.

E. when the water table becomes lower than a stream channel, the stream can run dry.

8. What best explains why confined aquifers make for a safer water supply compared to unconfined aquifers?

A. confined aquifers do not have an overlying aquitard for protection.

B. unconfined aquifers are open to the surface environment.

C. confined aquifers have greater water pressure.

D. the water in confined aquifers is naturally filtered.

E. unconfined aquifers have greater water pressure.

9. What best describes the direction that groundwater flows in the subsurface?

A. from areas of infiltration to areas of evaporation

B. away from streams and lakes

C. from areas of high hydraulic head to low hydraulic head

D. from unconfined to confined aquifers

E. from saturated to unsaturated aquifers

10. What is the basic difference between modern water wells and older hand dug wells?

A. older wells are much larger in diameter

B. older wells do not dry up

C. modern wells do not dry up

D. older wells capture a greater amount of rainfall

E. modern wells can be used in deserts

11. When water is pumped from a well it creates a cone-of-depression. What is the basic reason this sometimes causes problems?

A. it causes increased pressure within the aquifer

B. it reverses the natural direction of groundwater flow

C. it causes the water table to become flat

D. it slows the natural rate of groundwater flow

E. it causes the potentiometric surface to merge with the water table

12. Which of the following describes the problem known as groundwater mining?

A. using groundwater to process large ore deposits

B. falling groundwater levels due to excessive pumping

C. pumping groundwater from one area and transporting it to another

D. aquifer become too saline in areas of heavy irrigation

E. removal of aquifer material that reduces the supply of groundwater

13. What best describes the problem known as saltwater intrusion?

A. injecting seawater into freshwater aquifers for treatment and storage

B. injecting freshwater into saline aquifers for treatment and storage

C. heavy pumping allows saline water to migrate into freshwater aquifers

D. disruption of marine ecosystems when freshwater discharges into the ocean

E. disposing wastewater from desalinization plants causes hypersaline seawater

14. Which of the following are common water desalinization techniques?

A. ionization and reverse osmosis

B. ionization and precipitation

C. evaporation and ionization

D. distillation and reverse osmosis

E. distillation and precipitation

15. Which of the following best describes the environmental problem associated with desalinization?

A. finding an appropriate source of seawater

B. increased water temperatures

C. finding an appropriate source of freshwater

D. disposing of the concentrated saltwater

E. acid rain downwind of the plants

16. Xeriscaping is a water conservation technique commonly used in landscaping. What best describes xeriscaping?

A. use of high-water content soils

B. use of native vegetation

C. replacing porous surface materials with solid surfaces

D. use of x-rays to reduce evaporation

E. use of low-evaporation soils

True / False Questions

17. Groundwater recharge occurs every time it rains.

True / False

18. Solar energy drives the hydrologic cycle.

True / False

19. Desalinization is desirable because it is an energy-efficient process.

True / False

20. When groundwater recharge is less than discharge it can cause land subsidence to occur.

True / False

Multiple Choice Questions

21. Freshwater is an integral part of the hydrologic cycle. How is it produced?

A. Evaporation of the polar ice cap

B. Evaporation of saltwater in the oceans

C. Melting of glaciers on land

D. Melting of icebergs

22. What is the term for water that is intermediate in salinity between freshwater and seawater?

A. Hard water

B. Soft water

C. Brackish water

D. Connate water

23. What is the most abundant source of freshwater on Earth?

A. The oceans

B. Glacial ice

C. Streams and lakes

D. Groundwater

24. What is the single greatest use of freshwater in the United States?

A. Electrical power generation

B. Irrigation

C. Recreation

D. Public water supply

25. Where does the supply of freshwater mainly come from in the United States?

A. Glacial ice

B. Ocean water

C. Groundwater

D. Surface water

26. Personal indoor water use in the U.S. is dominated by

A. flushing toilets.

B. clothes washing.

C. showers.

D. faucets.