Environmental Science and Engineering

QUESTION BANK

GE2211-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CLASS- S3 CIVIL

UNIT IINTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND NATURALRESOURCES

PART A

1. Define EnvironmentIt is defined as the sum of total of all the living and non-living things around us influencing one another.

1. What is meant by environmental Science?It is the study of the environment, its biotic & abiotic components and their interrelationship.

1. Define BiosphereThe biological environment where the living organisms live and interactwith physical environment is called biosphere.

4. What are the types of natural Recourses? Give examples(i) Renewable resources. Eg. Soil, Water, Air, Wildlife(ii) Non-renewable resources. Eg. Minerals, coal, oil, natural gas

5. Give any three functions of forest.1. It helps both to humans and to nature.2. Habitat to millions of plants, animals and wildlife.3. They recycle rainwater and remove pollutants from air.

6. What are the consequences of timber extraction?a. It causes deforestationb. It leads to soil erosion, loss of fertility, landslides.c. It reduces the thickness of the forest.

7. What is meant by deforestation? Give their causes. It is the process of removal of forest resources due to many natural or man-made activities.Causes:(i) Developmental projects(ii)Mining operations(iii)Raw materials for industries.

8. Define sustainable forestry.It is the optimum use of forest resources, which meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs.

9. What are the types of fresh water Resources?a. Surface watera) Standing water bodies : Lakes, reservoirs, estuariesb) Flowing water bodies : Streams, riversb. Underground water

10. Define Flood. It is an overflow of water, whenever the magnitude of flow of water exceeds the carrying capacity of the channel within its banks.

11. What is meant by Overgrazing? Give their effect. It is a process of eating away the forest vegetation without giving it a chance to regenerate.Effects:1. Land degradation2. Soil erosion3. Loss of useful species

12. Define blue baby Syndrome.When the nitrate concentration exceeds 25 mg/lit in water, they cause serious health problem called Blue Baby Syndrome. This disease affects infants and leads even to death.

13. Enumerate the desired quality of ideal Pesticides?a. It must kill only the target speciesb. It must be a biodegradablec. It should not produce toxic pesticide vapour.d. Chlorinated pesticide should not be used.

14. Wood is renewable resource, but not coal. Why?Wood is renewable resource, because we can get new wood by growing a sapling into a tree within 15 - 20 years. But the formation of coal from trees has taken millions of years and cannot be regenerated in our life time.

15. What is Water logging?It is the land where water stand for most of the year.

16. Explain soil Leaching.It is the process in which materials in or on the soil gradually dissolves and or carried by water seeping through the soil.

17. What is desertification? Give any two reasons for it.It is the progressive destruction of arid or semi-arid lands to desert.Reason:a. Deforestationb. Overgrazingc. Water management.d. 18. Differentiate between deforestation and forest degradation.Forest degradationDeforestation

It is the process of deterioration of forest materialsIt is the process of destruction of forest materials

Slow processRapid process

Can be recoveredCannot be recovered

19. What do you mean by environmental impact?It is nothing but the effect on the natural environment caused by various human actions It includes two types namely indirect effects and direct effects.

20. State the problems caused by construction of dam. Displacement of tribal people Loss of forests, flora, fauna Spread of vector-borne diseases Sedimentation and siltation occurs

PART B

1. What is deforestation? Explain it causes effects and control measures.

2. Describe the Scope and importance of environmental studies.

3. Describe about dams and their effect on forest and tribal people.

4. Describe the uses and effect of Over- utilization of surface & ground water.

5. Explain the causes and effects of Flood & Drought.

6. Explain about causes and Management of Conflicts over water.

7. Describe the benefits and Problems of Dams.

8. Discuss the Environmental effect of extracting and using mineral Resources.

9. Write the Problem of using Fertilizers and Pesticides on Modern Agriculture.

10. Explain how the alternate energy sources play an important role in environmental impact.

11. Define the term conservation of natural Resources & explain the role of an Individual in conservation of natural Resources.

12. Explain the methods of Harvesting Solar & Wind energy.

Unit IIEcosystem & Biodiversity

PART - A

1. What is ecology?Ecology is the study of interactions among organisms or group of organisms with their environment. The environment consists of both biotic components and abiotic components.

2. What are the components of ecosystem?A group of organisms interacting among them and with environment is known as ecosystem.

3. How are biotic components grouped?The numbers of biotic components of an ecosystem are grouped into three groups based on how they get their food.

a) Producersb) Consumerc) Decomposers.

4. What are nutrient cycles?The cyclic flow of nutrients between the biotic and abiotic components is known as nutrient cycle or biogeochemical cycles.

5. What are hydrological cycles?Movement of water in a cyclic manner is known as hydrological cycles.

6. What is ecological succession?The progressive replacement of one community by another till the development of stable community in a particular area is called ecological succession.

7. What are food chains?The sequence of eating and being eaten in an ecosystem is known as food chain.

8. What are tropical levels (or) feeding levels?The various steps through which food energy passes in an ecosystem are called as tropic levels. They are arranged in the following way as,T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

9. What is food web?The interlocking pattern of various food chains in an ecosystem is known as food web.

10. What is Ecological pyramids?Graphical representation of structure and function of tropic levels of an ecosystem, starting with producers at the bottom and each successive tropic level forming the apex is known as an ecological pyramid.

11. Define producersProducers synthesize their food themselves through photosynthesis.Ex: All green plants, trees.

12. Name the four ecosystems.a) Forest ecosystemsb) Grassland ecosystemsc) Desert ecosystemsd) Pond ecosystems

13. Define biodiversity & what its significance is.Biodiversity is defined as, the variety and variability among all groupsLiving organisms and the ecosystem in which they occur.Significance:1. Biodiversity is very important for human life, as we depend on plants, micro-organisms, earths animals for our food, medicine and industrial products.2. Biodiversity protects the fresh air, clean water and productive land.3. Loss of Biodiversity has serious economic and social costs for any country.

14. Explain the classification of biodiversity.Biodiversity is generally classified into three types1. Genetic diversity2. Species diversity3. Community (or) Ecosystem diversity.

15. What is point richness?It refers to the number of species that can be found at a single point in a given space.

16. What are biodiversity hot-spots?The hot spots are the geographic areas which possess the high endemic species.

17. What are the criteria for recognizing hot spots?1. The richness of the endemic species is the primary criterion for recognizing hot spots.2. The hot spots should have a significant percentage of specialized species.3. The site is under threat.4. It should contain important gene pools of plants of potentially useful plants.

18. Explain threatened and endangered species. A species is said to be endangered, when its number has been reduced to a critical level. Unless it is protected and conserved, it is in immediate danger of extinction.

19. Explain vulnerable species.A species is said to be vulnerable when its population is facing continuous decline due to habitat destruction or over exploitation. Such a species is still abundant.

20. What is the need of biodiversity conservation?1. It provides immediate benefits to the society such as recreation and tourism.2. Drugs, herbs, food and other important raw materials can be derived from plants and animals.3. It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals.

21. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Ex-situ Conservation?Advantages:1. Survival of endangered species is increasing due to special care and attention.2. In captive breeding, animals are assured food, water, shelter and also security and hence longer life span.3. It is carried out in cases of endangered species, which do not have any chances of survival, in the wild.Disadvantages:1. It is expensive method.2. The freedom of wildlife is lost.3. The animals cannot survive in natural environment.

PART B

1. Explain food chain and food web.

2. What is an ecosystem? Describe the structure and function of various components of an ecosystem.

3. Define Ecological pyramids and what are the types of ecological pyramids?

4. Discuss the various aspects of grassland ecosystem.

5. Write in detail about fresh water ecosystem.

6. Explain the classification of values of biodiversity.

7. Explain the various threats to biodiversity.

8. Write the types of biodiversity conservation and explain In-situ conservation.

9. Define Ex-situ conservation and explain its various aspects.

10. Discuss the threat faced by Indian Biodiversity.

UNIT IIIENVIRNOMENTAL POLLUTION

PART - A

1. Define pollution.

Environmental pollution define as the inferable alternation of our surrounding .

2. Mention the type of pollutants.

i) Biodegradable polluantii) non degradable polluant

3. Write the composition of atmospheric air.

Nitrogen 78%Oxygen -21%Ar