Environment Quiz Book: Learn important aspects of environment trough Quizzes for knowledge and pleasure

Questions & Answers

Q-1. What is the natural surroundings in which an organism lives called?

Ans. The natural surroundings in which an organism lives is called its habitat.

Q-2. When is the Earth Environment Day celebrated?

Ans. June 5.

Q-3. What is air made up of?

Ans. Air is made up of mainly oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N), small amounts of water vapour, argon, and carbon dioxide, along with small traces of other gases.

Q-4. When is the Earth Day celebrated?

Ans. April 22.

Q-5. What does recycling mean?

Ans. Recycling means to extract materials from waste and reuse it.

Q-6. What are the three R’s of recycling?

Ans. The three R’s of recycling are reduce, reuse and recycle.

Q-7. What is deforestation?

Ans. The permanent cutting or destruction of forests is called deforestation.

Q-8. How much of the earth is covered by water?

Ans. Approximately 70% of the earth is covered by water.

Q-9. When is the World Water Day celebrated?

Ans. March 22.

RADIOACTIVITY

Q-10. What is an isotope?

Ans. When an element exists in more than one form with different mass numbers (due to varying number of neutrons), it is said to have isotopes. For example, Carbon-12, Carbon-13 and Carbon-14 are isotopes of carbon.

Q-11. What is radioactivity?

Ans. Radioactivity is the emission of high energy from unstable atoms. The nuclei of these atoms break down and release energy. It may be natural or artificial.

Q-12. What are the components of radiation produced during radioactivity?

Ans. Alpha rays, beta rays and gamma rays are the chief components of radiation produced during radioactivity.

Q-13. Who discovered the phenomenon of natural radioactivity?

Ans. Natural radioactivity was first discovered by a French scientist, Henri Becquerel in 1896.

Q-14. Name one beneficial and one harmful use of radioactivity in modern world.

Ans. Radioactivity is used in cancer treatments. However, the principle of radioactivity is also used in the atomic bombs.

Q-15. When did the first atomic bomb explosion take place?

Ans. The first atomic bomb explosion took place in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 during World War II.

OZONE LAYER

Q-16. What is the ozone layer?

Ans. Ozone layer is a layer of ozone molecules in the stratosphere which protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Mushroom cloud of atomic bomb explosion

Q-17. What is ozone hole?

Ans. An ozone hole is a geographical area above the Antarctic region where the concentration ofozone molecules has decreased, thus thinning the ozone layer.

Q-18. What causes the depletion of ozone molecules?

Ans. Production of certain man-made chlorine compounds like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride cause the depletion of ozone molecules.

Q-19. When was the hole in the ozone layer first discovered?

Ans. The hole in the ozone layer was first discovered in 1985 by British scientists Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin.

Q-20. What is Montreal Protocol?

Ans. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international agreement signed in 1987 and ratified by most countries towards phasing out the production of substances that cause the depletion of the ozone layer.

Q-21. When did India sign the Montreal Protocol?

Ans. India signed the Montreal Protocol in 1992.

GLOBAL WARMING

Q-22. What are greenhouse gases?

Ans. Greenhouse gases are gases which trap the heat in the atmosphere, e.g. carbon dioxide.

Q-23. What is global warming?

Ans. Global warming is the steady increase ofthe earth’s temperature.

Q-24. What are the man-made causes of global warming?

Ans. The greenhouse gases produced by human activities and rampant deforestation are the two main man-made causes of global warming.

Q-25. What are the effects of global warming?

Ans. Extreme weather, melting of glaciers, increase in the sea level and climate changes are some of the effects of global warming.

Q-26. What is Kyoto Protocol?

Ans. Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement aimed at controlling the emission of greenhouse gases.

Q-27. When and where was Kyoto Protocol signed?

Ans. Kyoto Protocol was first adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan.

Q-28. According to the Indian constitution, it is the state’s and citizens’ responsibility to protect the environment. Is it true or false?

Ans. Yes, it is true.

POPULATION

Q-29. Which is the most populated country in the world?

Ans. China.

Q-30. How is population density of a place measured?

Ans. The population density of a place is measured in terms of population per unit area.

Q-31. Which country or state has the highest population density in the world?

Ans. Monaco.

Q-32. State two effects of overpopulation on the earth.

Ans. Depletion of natural resources and destruction of ecosystems are the two effects caused by overpopulation on the earth.

EXTINCTION

Q-33. What do you mean by extinction of a species?

Ans. A species becomes extinct when all the members of the species die out.

Q-34. State any two causes of animal extinction.

Ans. Poaching (or illegal hunting) and habitat destruction are two causes of animal extinction.

Q-35. Name any two animals that have become extinct in recent times.

Ans. Tasmanian wolf and Japanese sea lion are among animals that have become extinct in recent times.

Q-36. Name one bird that has become extinct.

Ans. Dodo is a bird species that became extinct before the 18th century.